Page 32 - Pastiche Vol 1 Edition 1 January 2019

The 11th century fortress town of the Tarangagadh or Taranga kingdom, Mandu or
Mandavgad on a rocky outcrop in the Dhar district of Malwa region, about 100 km (62 mi)
from Indore in western Madhya Pradesh, India, is a rich architectural heritage.

The word "Mandu" is believed to be a Prakrit the magnificent buildings and structures of
corruption of "Mandapa Durga". According Mandu which later went on to become the
to a 6th century Sanskrit inscription of 555 major tourist attractions of the city. His son
A.D, a merchant named Chandra Simha and last ruler of Ghuri dynasty, ruled for just
installed a statue in a temple of one year till his poisoning by the militaristic
Parshvanatha located in the Mandapa Durga. Mohammed Khalji, who established the
Khalji dynasty of Malwa (1436-1531) and
Situated at an elevation of 633 metres (2,079 went on to rule for the next 33 years.
feet) and perched on the Vindhya Range, However, it was under his reign that the
Mandu, as it was later named Mandhavgarh, Malwa Sultanate reached its greatest height.
gained prominence in 10th and 11th century His son, Ghiyas-ud-din took the reins in the
under the Paramaras. The plateau of Malwa year 1469 and ruled for 31 years. He had a
to the north and the valley of the Narmada large harem and built the Jahaz Mahal,
River to the south acting as its natural housing thousands of women. Ghiyas-ud-din
defences instigated the Paramara king was poisoned at age 80, by his son Nasir-ud-
Jayavarman II or his predecessor Jaitugi to din.
transfer their capital from Dhar to Mandu in
1261, owing to the attacks from Yadava king In 1526, Mahmud II the sixth Khalji ruler
Krishna of Deogiri and the Vaghela king made no resistance against the invading
Visaladeva of Gujarat, with the Delhi's Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat who conquered
Nasir-ud-din’s general Balban, reaching the Mandu in 1531. Humayun, succeeded Babur
northern frontier of the Paramara territory. in 1530 and had two major rivals: Bahadur
In 1305, the Muslim Sultan of Delhi Alauddin Shah of Gujarat and Sher Shah Suri. Being
Khalji captured Malwa, and the Paramara engaged in a war with Sher Shah Suri,
king Mahalakadeva was killed by the newly Humayun learned of an imminent attack by
appointed Governor of Malwa Ayn al-Mulk Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, aided by the
Multani while attempting to flee. Portuguese. With an unusual swiftness
Humayun attacked and defeated Bahadur
When Timur captured Delhi in 1401, Shah in 1534and ordered large scale
Dilawar Khan, governor of Malwa, set up his massacre of prisoners there. With the
own little kingdom renaming Mandu to departure of Humayun, the city slipped into
Shadiabad and the Ghuri dynasty was the hands of an officer from Khilji dynasty.
established. It was in the hands of his son, Later on, Baz Bahadur seized the city of
Hoshan Shah (1405-35) that Mandu reached Mandu in 1554.
to heights of glory. Under his rule, came up Contd…

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