Dating from the 15th century, this is the most famous building in Mandu. Built on a narrow strip of land between Munja and Kapoor tanks, with an upper terrace like a ship’s bridge (use your imagination), it’s far longer (120m) than it is wide (15m). The pleasure-loving sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji, who is said to have had a harem of 15,000 maidens, constructed its lookouts, scalloped arches, airy rooms and beautiful pleasure pools.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
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The Royal Enclave is the largest group of monuments, with several beautiful buildings from the 15th- and 16th-century Ghuri and Khilji dynasties set near…
17.83 MILES
Down to the right of the ramp descending towards the ghats are the chhatris (cenotaphs) of Ahilyabai and Vithoji Rao, a Holkar prince who was trampled to…
17.85 MILES
Running along the banks of the holy Narmada River and shadowed by the daunting walls of the fort, the ghats are the life and spiritual soul of the town…
3.12 MILES
A pleasant 4km cycle south of Mandu village brings you to the Rewa Kund tank and the two monuments of the Rewa Kund Group, Baz Bahadur's Palace and…
0.56 MILES
This group, straddling the main road in the centre of the village, comprises three grand edifices constructed in the 15th-century by the Ghuri and Khilji…
3.27 MILES
Standing at the top of an escarpment falling 366m to the plains, Rupmati’s Pavilion has a delicacy of design and beauty of location unmatched by Mandu's…
0.54 MILES
Entered by a flight of steps leading to a 17m-high domed porch, this disused red-stone mosque dominates Mandu village centre. Hoshang Shah begun its…
0.51 MILES
Reputed to be India’s oldest marble mausoleum, this imposing tomb is crowned with a tiny crescent thought to have been imported from Persia or Mesopotamia…
Nearby Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh attractions
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These former stables now house a small Archaeological Museum with artefacts found at Mandu, including 11th- and 12th-century sculptures and 15th-century…
0.07 MILES
The Royal Enclave is the largest group of monuments, with several beautiful buildings from the 15th- and 16th-century Ghuri and Khilji dynasties set near…
0.11 MILES
Just north of Ghiyas’ stately pleasure dome is the Hindola Mahal, so-called because the slope of its walls sort of resembles that of the ropes of a swing…
0.12 MILES
So-called because its water supposedly smelled as sweet as the champak flower, the Champa Baodi is a circular step-well with vaulted side-niches. It was…
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This palace on an island-like spit of land at the corner of Munja Tank is thought to have been a private retreat for noble couples. It has several step…
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This was the dwelling of a powerful merchant chieftain whose 'shop', on the main road outside the Royal Enclave, is even more impressive.
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Stars and octagons perforate the domed roofs of this tiny bathhouse, which had hot and cold water and a hypocaust (underfloor-heated) sauna.
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Built by Dilawar Khan in 1405, this is Mandu’s earliest Islamic building. It was built mainly with material from earlier Hindu temples – particularly…