MAGICAL MANDU - A SHORT ESCAPE

Miyan Bayezid Baz Bahadur Khan was the last sultan of Malwa, who reigned from 1555 to 1562. He succeeded his father, Shuja'at Khan. He is known for his romantic liaison with Roopmati. Baz Bahadur as sultan did not bother to look after his kingdom nor did he maintain a strong army, being devoted to the arts and to his paramour. The Mughals defeated him and captured his Hindu queen Roopmati, who killed herself at this turn of events. In 1561, Akbar's army led by Adham Khan and Pir Muhammad Khan attacked Malwa and defeated Baz Bahadur in the battle of Sarangpur on 29 March 1561. One of the reasons for Adham Khan's attack seems to be his lust for Rani Roopmati. Rani Roopmati poisoned herself upon hearing of the fall of Mandu. Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh. Akbar soon recalled Adham Khan and made over command to Pir Muhammad, who attacked Khandesh and proceeded up to Burhanpur but was soon defeated by a coalition of three powers: Miran Mubarak Shah II of Khandesh, Tufal Khan of Berar and Baz Bahadur. Pir Muhammad died while retreating. The confederate army pursued the Mughals and drove them out of Malwa, and thus Baz Bahadur regained his kingdom for a brief period. In 1562, Akbar sent another army led by Abdullah Khan which finally defeated Baz Bahadur and Baaz Bahadur died.

One reason for building the Jahaj Mahal retreat was to provide transit accommodation as a Sarai or (inn) to the large number of pilgrims from Afghanistan, Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Morocco and Turkey who came to Delhi to visit the many Muslim shrines. Another version is that it was built as a retreat for the emperors, Akbar Shah II and Bahadur Shah II and their families, during the summer months, away from the heat and dust of Delhi.[3] Its construction is dated between 1451 AD and 1526 AD, before Babar's invasion and the beginning of Mughal rule in Delhi.

The Bhojshala (IAST: Bhoja??l?, sometimes Bhoj Shala, meaning 'Hall of Bhoja') is an historic building located in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is derived from the celebrated king Bhoja of the Param?ra dynasty of central India, a patron of education and the arts, to whom major Sanskrit works on poetics, yoga and architecture are attributed.The term Bhojashala became linked to the building in the early 20th century; the architectural parts of the structure itself date mainly to the 12th century, with the Islamic tombs in the campus added between the 14th and 15th century. Bhojshala is presently an archaeological site under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, but over the last century it has become a site disputed between Hindus and Muslims. The exploration of the location since the 19th century has yielded information on medieval religions particularly of Hinduism and Jainism. The general precinct around the Bhojshala is also the location of four Sufi tombs. The hypostyle mosque was built primarily from temple pillars and parts around 1390 CE, while the original tomb of Kamal al-Din Malawi (c. 1238-1330) is older. The Muslims use the mosque for Friday prayers and Islamic festivals, while the Hindus pray on Tuesday. The Hindus also attempt to pray to goddess Sarasvati at the site on Vasant Panchami festival, and this been a source of Hindu-Muslim conflicts and occasional riots when Vasant Panchami falls on a Friday.

The most ancient parts of Dh?r visible are the massive earthen ramparts which are best preserved on the western and southern sides of the town. These were probably built beginning in the ninth century and show that the city was circular in plan and surrounded by a series of tanks and moats. The layout is similar to the circular city of Warangal in the Deccan. The circular ramparts of Dh?r, unique in north India and an important legacy of the Param?ras, is being destroyed by brick-makers and others using the material for construction purposes. On the north-east side of the town, the rampart and moat have disappeared beneath modern homes and other buildings.