Mandu city is situated at an elevation of 633 metres (2079 feet) and extends for 13 km (8 miles) along the crest of the Vindhya Range, overlooking the plateau of Malwa to the north and the valley of the Narmada River to the south. Mandu with its natural defences was originally the fort-capital of Rajput Parmara rulers of Malwa. Towards the end of the 11th century, it came under the sway of the Taranga kingdom. The city reached its greatest splendour in the early 15th century.
Mandu's old name was "Shadiabad" meaning the city of happiness (Anand Nagari), the name was given by then ruler Allauddin Khilji. During its time of prosperity, there was nobody poor in the city. Any poor permitted to stay in the city was donated a brick and a gold coin each by the residents of the city so as to bring him / her at par with others. The live example is "Dai Ka Mahal" which was built by a poor old woman on joining the city. Mandu is also famous for its special kind of tamarind known as Mandu ki Imli, the fruit looks like a papaya. The second famous fruit of the Mandu is "Khirani", a yellow coloured fruit also known as "Mandu ka Mewa". |
