Rupmati Pavilion in Mandu: The most Romantic Spot in India?
Rupmati Pavilion or Rupmati Mandap
Town: Mandu, District: Dhar,State: Madhya Pradesh,Country: India
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mandu, as the information above tells us, is a small deserted town in the Dhar district of MP. It is basically a township which was at its peak in the15th century.The Afghans called it Shadiabad or City of Joy. It is perched at the edge of the Malwa Plateau. One can see the plains of Nimar when one stands at the edge in Mandu. It is not very far from Mhow, district Indore, where I live. From Indore it would be approximately 100 kms. Considering the condition of the roads it would take something like 3 hoursfrom Indore. Mandu was ruled by Afghans who were defeated by the Mughals. The Afghans themselves had defeated the Parmara rulers who had earlier ruled here. Mandu is full of palaces and interesting buildings in different stages of decay.
One of the most popular spots in Mandu is the Rupmati pavilion. A friend tells me that Rupmati pavilion in Mandu was declared to be the most romantic spot in India by none other than our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He is supposed to have visited Mandu during the fifties. I wonder who the persons in his entourage were. Whenever one thinks back of visits to Mandu the visit to Rupmati pavilion always stands out.
In August I managed to make two trips to Mandu. A tribal guide we met there on our first trip told usmany interesting facts about this pavilion. Let me see how many of these I can recollect:
Built as a place to keep a detachment of horse cavalry during the timeof Raja Bhoj this became the pavilion of Rupmati the consort of Baz Bahadur, the Afghan ruler of Mandu. This pavilion is built at the edge of the Malwa plateau and it must have been a very effective deterrent against any attack from the plains of Nimar down below where the Narmada flows. The townbelow the plateau in the plains ofNimar is Dharampuri. Rupmati was thedaughter of the ruler of Dharampuri. She worshipped the Narmada and did not eat anything untilshe had glimpsed the Narmada. She was marriedoff to another king and she used to go for days continuously without food and water as she couldn't see the Narmada. Finally she and her husband decided to part ways. She came back to her father's house.
Baz Bahadur the ruler of Mandu was out on a hunt when he heard the sweetvoice of Rupmati singing a raga. A connoiseur of good music and a good singer himself he found out about her and finally succeeded in marrying her. This pavilion is where Rupmati came to everyday to glimpse the Narmada. But this was a difficult task during the rains when the clouds and the mist made it impossible to see the river. Thus she ended up going without food and waterfor days at a stretchduring the rains. One night when she was sleepingNarmada came to her in a dream and told her that she should glimpse the waters of apoolnot far from the pavilion on days when she couldnt see the Narmada. She was assured that the waters of the pool were that of the Narmada and had reached there through subterranean paths. But Rupmati wanted proof that the waters were indeed those of the Narmada. So she was asked to check for the presence of white sand and prawns in the waters of the pool. These were found only in the Narmadariver. Sure enough she found both of these in the pool. So she was prevented from starving herself on rainy days. The pool came to beknown as Rewa Kund.
In Kumar Shahani's film Khayal Gatha he has used the story of Rupmati and Baz Bahadur while depicting the rainy season. He had also shot the sequences at Mandu during the rains. The rains are the best time to come here as the whole area is clothed in green. I must add that I have also come here during the height of summer and it was fascinating, though tough, even then. The winters are also a nice time to come here.
The one thing I have noticed this time was that the maintenance of the monuments in this deserted fort township has improved. The Archaeological Survey of India has cleaned up many of the important sites using the sand blasting technique. And there is an entry ticket for most of the important sites. Indians are charged Rs. Five per person. And if I am not wrong foreigners are charged Rs. Fifty per person. No wonder many Sri Lankans have told me that they try to act like Keralites when they visit such monuments!!! And there was an
almost total absence of graffitti. Something I didnt think possible a few years ago.
Camera Used: Yashica MF2
As we climbed up I saw a group of domestic tourists. But they were not from Baroda or Mumbai. These gentlemen are part of a group from a small village in Mehidpur, Ujjain district. They were happy that I wanted to click them. They even gave me their postal address. I will send them a copy of this picture.
Town: Mandu, District: Dhar,State: Madhya Pradesh,Country: India
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Mandu, as the information above tells us, is a small deserted town in the Dhar district of MP. It is basically a township which was at its peak in the15th century.The Afghans called it Shadiabad or City of Joy. It is perched at the edge of the Malwa Plateau. One can see the plains of Nimar when one stands at the edge in Mandu. It is not very far from Mhow, district Indore, where I live. From Indore it would be approximately 100 kms. Considering the condition of the roads it would take something like 3 hoursfrom Indore. Mandu was ruled by Afghans who were defeated by the Mughals. The Afghans themselves had defeated the Parmara rulers who had earlier ruled here. Mandu is full of palaces and interesting buildings in different stages of decay.
One of the most popular spots in Mandu is the Rupmati pavilion. A friend tells me that Rupmati pavilion in Mandu was declared to be the most romantic spot in India by none other than our first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He is supposed to have visited Mandu during the fifties. I wonder who the persons in his entourage were. Whenever one thinks back of visits to Mandu the visit to Rupmati pavilion always stands out.
In August I managed to make two trips to Mandu. A tribal guide we met there on our first trip told usmany interesting facts about this pavilion. Let me see how many of these I can recollect:
Built as a place to keep a detachment of horse cavalry during the timeof Raja Bhoj this became the pavilion of Rupmati the consort of Baz Bahadur, the Afghan ruler of Mandu. This pavilion is built at the edge of the Malwa plateau and it must have been a very effective deterrent against any attack from the plains of Nimar down below where the Narmada flows. The townbelow the plateau in the plains ofNimar is Dharampuri. Rupmati was thedaughter of the ruler of Dharampuri. She worshipped the Narmada and did not eat anything untilshe had glimpsed the Narmada. She was marriedoff to another king and she used to go for days continuously without food and water as she couldn't see the Narmada. Finally she and her husband decided to part ways. She came back to her father's house.
Baz Bahadur the ruler of Mandu was out on a hunt when he heard the sweetvoice of Rupmati singing a raga. A connoiseur of good music and a good singer himself he found out about her and finally succeeded in marrying her. This pavilion is where Rupmati came to everyday to glimpse the Narmada. But this was a difficult task during the rains when the clouds and the mist made it impossible to see the river. Thus she ended up going without food and waterfor days at a stretchduring the rains. One night when she was sleepingNarmada came to her in a dream and told her that she should glimpse the waters of apoolnot far from the pavilion on days when she couldnt see the Narmada. She was assured that the waters of the pool were that of the Narmada and had reached there through subterranean paths. But Rupmati wanted proof that the waters were indeed those of the Narmada. So she was asked to check for the presence of white sand and prawns in the waters of the pool. These were found only in the Narmadariver. Sure enough she found both of these in the pool. So she was prevented from starving herself on rainy days. The pool came to beknown as Rewa Kund.
In Kumar Shahani's film Khayal Gatha he has used the story of Rupmati and Baz Bahadur while depicting the rainy season. He had also shot the sequences at Mandu during the rains. The rains are the best time to come here as the whole area is clothed in green. I must add that I have also come here during the height of summer and it was fascinating, though tough, even then. The winters are also a nice time to come here.
The one thing I have noticed this time was that the maintenance of the monuments in this deserted fort township has improved. The Archaeological Survey of India has cleaned up many of the important sites using the sand blasting technique. And there is an entry ticket for most of the important sites. Indians are charged Rs. Five per person. And if I am not wrong foreigners are charged Rs. Fifty per person. No wonder many Sri Lankans have told me that they try to act like Keralites when they visit such monuments!!! And there was an
almost total absence of graffitti. Something I didnt think possible a few years ago.
Camera Used: Yashica MF2
As we climbed up I saw a group of domestic tourists. But they were not from Baroda or Mumbai. These gentlemen are part of a group from a small village in Mehidpur, Ujjain district. They were happy that I wanted to click them. They even gave me their postal address. I will send them a copy of this picture.
This is how the Rupmati pavilion looks as one climbs up the ascent.
The informative plaque put up by the Archaeological Survey Of India. This is what it says:
This building, constructed on the edge of the precipice, 365 metres high, overlooking the Nimar Valley seems to have been originally a watch tower. The pavilions are associated with the name of Rupmati, Baz Bahadur's beloved, who is said to have used them for viewing the Narmada.
Rainwater collected. This is how the troops stationed here managed their water requirements. There were elaborate filters closeby to prepare water fit for human consumption. A fascinating manner of using natural resources.
The clouds and the mist. This was on my first visit. The second visit was on a relatively less cloudy day.
The Rupmati Pavilion - the most sought after spot in Mandu. It does look like the most romantic spot in India. A young couple at the pavilion. An experience they will never forget.
This was in a very bad shape a few years ago. The ASI seems to have done intensive restoration work on it.
A tribal family poses for me.They didn't ask me to send a copy and I forgot to ask them their address.Must keep a small diary with me the next time I go to such a place. One can jot down a fair amount of fascinating information.
It was really a cloudy day. With light rain throughout.
A group of Kavad Yatris had just climbed up the gorge from Dharampuri. They have collected the water of the Narmada and would be proceeding towards Ujjain via Pithampur and Indore to offer it to theJyotirlinga at the Mahakal temple. A typical sight during the month of Shravan.
More members had joined the group we had passed on our way up. All of them were happy to get clicked.
Two memorable visits indeed. Highly recommended for all you travel bugs there. And in case you don't like travelling then do it once for the one you love. Come here together and savour the beauty of this beautiful place.
Information about Mandu: MP Tourism Site.
The Wikipedia entry on Mandu
(c) Copyright, Dev Kumar Vasudevan. All rights reserved.
© Dev Kumar Vasudevan., all rights reserved.
In case you missed...
© 1998-2008 Copyright Sulekha.com Connecting Indians Worldwide, All Rights Reserved.
Recommend
votes