UJJAIN
Ujjain is one of the four sites of the world-famous Kumbh Mela. Legend has it that when the gods and demons were fighting over amrit, the immortal nectar, Vishnu’s vehicle flew away with the pot containing it, and 4 drops of the amrit fell in four places; Ujjain, Haridwar, Nasik and Allahabad. The mela is held every three years in rotation between the four sites. Often described as the largest congregation of humanity for a single purpose! Devotees take a bath in the holy River Shirpa.

Temple of Ujjain
Mahakaelshwar or Mahakal is Shiva, the ppresiding deity of time. This is the most important shrine in Ujjain. The rare Shivakinga here is one of the12 jyotirlingas in the country: lingas which are swayambhu (miraculously self-originated). The temple is located at an ancient site though the present construction is said to have begun in the 18th century.

Bade ganeshji-Ka-Mandir is situated above the tank near the Mahakaleshwar temple, and enshrines a huge artistic sculpture of Ganesh, the son of Shiva. An idol of this size and beauty is rarely to be found.

Harsiddhi is an epithet of the Goddess Parvati, Shiva’s consort. Her temple has a famous idol of Annapurna, which is painted in dark vermilion colour. The temple also has a shrine for the Sri Yantra, a symbol of power or Shakti.

Gopal Mandir is a huge temple with marble spires, right in the middle of the big market square. An example of Maratha architecture, it was constructed in the 19th century by Bayajibai Shinde, the queen of Mahrajah Daulat Rao Shinde.The silver-plated door of the inner sanctum is said to be originally from the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

Mandu: City of Joy
Mandu, an ancient fortified hilltop rich with picturesque ruins, is easily one of the most romantic places in our diverse country, especially after the rains when its older name ‘Shadiabad’ (City of Joy) appears perfectly appropriate. It spreads across a small plateasu, on a crest of the mighty Vindhya Mountains, surrounded by wooded ravines on three sides and overlooking the flat plains called Nirmar that stretch away to infinity, on the fourth. In monsoon se4ason, the sight of thick clouds approaching the hill across these plains is unforgettable. Mandu is a haven of water-bodies-ponds, stepwells, tanks and lakes-that turn it into a verdant jewel after the rains.

Mandu was part of the kingdom of Kannauj in the 20th century. An Afghan ruler Dilawar Khan who established an independent kingdom of mandu, and his son Hoshang Shah, ushered in the golden days of the city. Much of the fortification that you can see here today can be credited to Hoshang Shah. Later, the town fell under Mughal and Maratha suzerainties till the capital shifted to nearby Dhar, and Mandu became an enchanted ghost of its own past. Its heritage buildings can be divided into four clusters or groups:

The Royal Group
On the north end of Mandu lies its stellar attraction, the 15th century Jahaz Mahal, literally ‘ship palace’. Making clever use of the space between two large ponds of water, this uniquely shaped, long and narrow palace looks somewhat like a ship and also feels like one when the ponds are full of water. It was built by the colourful King Ghiyasuddin, who was fabled for having a 1000 young Turkish and Abyssinian females as his guards. Next to Jahaz Mahal lies the 15th century Hindola Mahal (swinging palace) so named because its tilting walls create the illusion of a swaying monument. The graceful arches, carved windows and the rarely seen swinging walls added up to an architectural gem. A dreamlike maze of ruined palces, underground rooms, stepwells, and a theatre spread behind the Jahaz Mahal.

The Village Group
Near the centrally located market area, there lie some impressive edifices. The grand Jami Masjid modeled on the great mosque in Damascus, was begun by Sultan Hoshang Shah and completed in 1454 by Mahmud Khilji. The mosque contains 17 superbly carved black-marble niches on the western wall. Hoshang Shah’s tomb is behind the mosque, with a spectacular corridor of seemingly infinite pillars on one side. The mosque is made of pristine white marble and the sarcophagus over the Sultan’s tomb is a thing of beauty. Right opposite the jami Masjid is the Asharafi Mahal consisting of the ruins of a madarasa (Islamic seminary) and Mahmud Khilji’s 15th-century victory tower.

The Sagar Talao Group
The Sagar Talao Lake lies to the south of the village group. A short walk away stand the appealing buildings like Dai-Ka-Mahal (wet Nurse’s Palace) and Dai-Ki-Bahen-Ka-Mahal (Wet Nurse’s Sister’s Palace). Malik Mugith’s mosque (1432) is also a beautiful structure made with the use of pillars from earlier Hindu temples.

The Rewa Kund Group
At the extreme southern edge of the plateau, perched on top of a hillock is Mandu’s most enchanting spot interwoven with the memories and legends of Mandu’s star-crossed 16th-century lovers, King Baz Bahadur and Rupmati.

A shepherdess from the Narmada River valley below Mandu, Rupmati was blessed with a magical voice. She captured the heart of the Sultan but could not leave her beloved Narmada behind. The Sultan therefore built her a place of her own, called Rupmati’s Pavilion, from where she could see the river in the distance. When Emperpor Akbar’s general attacked Mandu.

Baz Bahadur ran away and Rupmati swallowed poison. But the bewitching feel of the place has lived on. Baz Bahadur’s Palace sprawls below the hillock and gives equally beautiful views of another side of the plateau.