Mandu was another destination that we explored during our trip to Madhya Pradesh. My friend, George praised a lot about Mandu and thus, his suggestion forced us to explore the place. George had already explored Madhya Pradesh and he was the one who asked me visit the place on my honeymoon.

Through out the tour, we some how managed without a guide (besides Khajuraho temples) but in Mandu we felt the need to have one. So we contacted Raju, same person who guided us in Khajuraho. Since we found him reliable, we called him up and asked him to come to Mandu and help us in our exploration.

" Hey! Can you help us in Mandu exploration", Rinnee asked Raju. Rinnee is my wife and I brought her to Madhya Pradesh for our honeymoon. Though an unusual decision, Rinnee was quite pleased by my decision. " Yes! Ma'am, why not?" said Raju.

And I knew that Raju won't say no to us. Within few hours, Raju was in Mandu to help us out. In Mandu we were living in a so called deluxe hotel. But before we actually started our excursion Raju narrated us the history of Mandu.

" Sir, Mandu was originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa.Towards the end of the 13th century, it came under the sway of the Sultans of Malwa, the first of whom named it Shadiabad - 'city of joy'. And indeed the pervading spirit of Mandu was of gaiety; and its rulers built exquisite palaces like the Jahaz and Hindola Mahals, ornamental canals, baths and pavilions, as graceful and refined as those times of peace and plenty." Raju informed us.

The Royal Enclave Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal , The Central Group Hoshang Shah's Tomb , Jami Masjid, Roopmati's Pavilion

were few of the tourist places that we explored. The place that holds special place in my memorabilia is the Royal Enclave Jahaz Mahal. It was a 120 mt long "ship palace" constructed between the two artificial lakes, Munj Talao and Kapur Talao is an elegant two storeyed palace. According to Raju, the Royal Enclave Jahaz Mahal was probably built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji for his large harem.

Frankly, I must thanks to Raju who had been a great help to us in our Mandu tour and made our tour to Madhya Pradesh a lifeime experience