Of People and Places

Gray Langur sketch, Mandu We saw this scruffy fellow near the railing overlooking the Kakra Khoh Valley, where we had stopped on our way to Mandu. Gray Langurs' resemblance to humans is remarkable. They often keep their body upright and their hands are very close to human hands. I find them quite beautiful and more dignified than the Rhesus Macaque, the usual monkeys who are noisy and troublesome, sniffing out mischief in every way possible! The Gray Langur is also called the Hanuman Langur - I remember seeing large groups of them at Hampi on the Anjaneya Hill ( One of the many places that claim to be the birthplace of Hanuman ). They are considered sacred and I think, enjoy a better status :-)  Their tails are very interesting - much longer than the body, often held looping in a curve over the body as they run, walk and amble. I wonder why they evolved such long tails... Do you have any answers?  All my Madhya Pradesh Posts -  Hindola Mahal in Mandu  Impression of M...

We were given an assignment to build an impression of Mandu through illustrations. We spent a week there, explored all the places and monuments to our heart's content and built a relationship with the place. This doesn't often happen when you travel as a tourist. So, I was glad. This assignment made me focus on the place, on what made it different from other places I had visited and the kind of mood and ambience it had. As soon as we enter Dhar, the landscape changes slightly. There is a fantastic view of the valley and a very prominent gorge enroute - called suicide point. Cliched really. I wish it was called something else. The current name is not befitting something as magical as Mandu.  We enter the fortified town through a large, ancient gateway.It is quite dry and arid outside. The Vindhya ranges that Mandu is located in show their characteristic flat- topped, plateau-like peaks. The Gray Langur, more human than animal, watches us from the tree near the ruins. The...

Originally built as a durbar, Hindola Mahal is a unique representative of Malwa architecture. It seems to have borrowed elements from different architecture styles and come up with something entirely original.  Its sloping side walls give it a distinct look. The entire complex is made up of arches that let in a lot of light and wind. For me, the colors of this place characterizes Madhya Pradesh. If you look at the landscape, you will see earthy shades of pink,red, brown, ochre and burnt umber and these colors are captured in the monuments found in the ancient city of Mandu. While I sat sketching inside the deserted Mahal ( Monuments are wonderful to visit in the mornings when there are no tourists about)  a cheeky squirrel gave me a lot of trouble. Perhaps he was in want of company too and followed me about wherever I went. I finally had to perch myself awkwardly on a pedestal near one of the arches while the squirrel went around looking for me. He managed to spot me...

Near the tower of victory inside Ashrafi Mahal, you can find ruins with beautiful stone carvings. Ashrafi mahal was originally built as a Madrassa and dates back to the time the Khilji Dynasty took over administration in the fortress city of Mandu. The Ashrafi   Mahal must have had wide spacious balconies, but   now there are no traces of that. The outer walls have crumbled and the structure is sky clad. You can witness a beautiful sunset if you come here just before closing time. The flight of stairs takes you through the complex and it has been built so that one can have a direct view of the Jama Masjid across the road. This monument, along with the Jama Masjid and Roopmati’s pavilion are close to the heart of the town with its market and small restaurants and sweetmeat shops. I can only imagine the splendour of this square in the old days, especially on a full moon day. Mandu has a mysteriousness I am yet to find in any other place.

Roosters- Crowquill and coloured drawing inks  The mud houses of Dhar  have this familiar sight of a cosy charpai under the shade of a tree in front of the house. These roosters were having something of a conference, firmly ensconced on the Charpai, turning suspicious beady eyes at me and my friend as we went for a pleasant morning walk to Dai ka mahal ( There is a Dai ki chhoti behen ka mahal too! :) I wish I had an entire building built just for me ) Mandu has five groups of monuments, each worth at least a day's worth of your time. We walked to what is known as the 'Sagar Talao Group of monuments' because it was closest to the hotel we were staying at. We saw the Caravan Sarai, Dai ka Mahal, Malik Mughith's mosque in the morning, since they cluster around close to each other. We stopped at a wayside tea stall to have chai and saw this cosy scene. The lady of the house was lighting up firewood to make some breakfast.  We went in the Winter so  it was a differ...

I had heard so much about baobab trees and I finally had a chance to meet one at Mandu. Mandu or Mandav is an ancient fortress town in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. It is a place after my own heart with ruins scattered all over the place making it a town of breathtaking beauty. Much more about Mandu later (I haven’t even begun!) Let’s go back to our baobab tree. Fields with yellow and green dot the path to the village and in the midst stand these curious trees.   They have massive trunks that store water. To me, they look like a cross between a bottle and an elephant – and I find their shape comforting.   These trees are native to Africa. I am curious to know how they got here! Apparently, they are among the most ancient trees on earth.  Locals sell the baobab tree seeds, they are called   Mandu ki imli. They taste like tamarind but have this incredible zing and saltiness. I liked it but not a good idea to eat too much of it (My cavities are tingling at...