A day trip from Indore to Mandu

This monsoons in India we visited Indore. It was a 4 days trip with the extended family. And the main purpose was to offer our prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in the ancient city of Ujjain, which is located near Indore. However, to go to the beautiful city of Indore and not to explore it and it’s beautiful surroundings is simply not possible for a travel enthusiast. So, we decided on an itinerary where we reserved one day for a trip from Indore to Mandu.

Mahatma Gandhi Town Hall Indore

It was a trip planned during monsoons. We had our fingers crossed, praying that the rain Gods be graceful so that there is no flooding on the highways. And we are able to complete the trip properly. And the rain Gods did listen to us. As, it only rained in the evening. And the days were pleasant – neither very hot nor cold. Just perfect to explore around and travel!

We stayed at hotel Treebo Trends Daksh Residency in Indore. It was a nice last minute deal that we found on one of our favorite hotel booking sites, Booking.com. I had never booked a Treebo hotel before. But the hotel did meet our expectations. And the booking experience was also hassle free as always. The hotel was nice and cozy. Small and beautiful. Rooms were neat and clean, fitted with AC. And the rooftop restaurant had a beautiful ambiance, with delicious food served round the clock. We and our group occupied 5 rooms on the 2nd floor, and it was just us for the days of our stay. So, it became more of a private den for us, just how it had happened on our trip to Shimla years back, when we had stayed in Little Chilli Shimla.

On the third day of our trip, we booked a full day taxi from Indore to Mandu. The taxi was booked through the hotel itself. It arrived at around 9:30am in the morning. We wanted to start on time, but being with kids, it took us a little time to get ready. We started the trip at 10:00am. It was a journey of a little over 2 hours to reach the first spot at the outskirts of Mandu – Kakra Khoh Waterfall.

Kakra Khoh Waterfall

This was our first pit stop on our day trip from Indore to Mandu. We arrived here by noon. The waterfall itself is not very massive. It is a stream that falls a good depth from the hills into a pool below. You can walk on the pathway that starts from the road and goes all the way to the other side from where you can have a better view of the waterfall. Also, there is a place where the waterfall crosses the pathway, near the highway. So, you can step into the water here. Or, else, choose to walk above the water, on the pathway. As the waterfall was not very massive during the peak monsoon month of August when we visited. So, I am guessing it might not be having much water in the summer months.

Once we arrived at the other side of the waterfall, we got an excellent view of the hills and the valley beyond the waterfall itself. And once again, pertaining to the monsoons the views were really beautiful. The hills are all covered in fresh green velvet of vegetation at this point of time. And there were clouds hanging in groups on top of these hills. For a while, the views took me back to my 4 days trip to Meghalaya.

Far beyond, I could see a vast stretch of green meadows with cattle grazing on it. But alas, there was no concrete pathway to reach there. I would have loved to trek to that side, had I not been with my 6 months old baby. However, few horses were available to take you on the trek. I would have preferred walking instead. The beautiful views made it totally worth stopping at the Kakra Khoh waterfall for me.

There are a few small vendors around the Kakra Khoh Waterfall selling freshly made lemon water (nimbu paani as it is known in Hindi). And some snacks like chips and biscuits. We bought some bottled water and had nimbu paani before continuing on the onwards journey. It provided the much needed refreshment in the slightly humid climate that we were experiencing that day.

Rani Roopmati Mahal

Our next stop on the day trip from Indore to Mandu was Rani Roopmati Mahal. (PS: Mahal means Palace). There is a car parking in the neighborhood. And the entry to the palace has a ticket per head. There is a line of small shops till the entry gate. These shops have refreshment options in the form of chips, biscuits, cold drinks, ice creams and again nimbu pani (Nimbu pani seems to be popular here, maybe due to the humid climate!) . The fort is located atop a hill. And it takes around 5 minutes to reach to the top by foot.

The palace is small when compared with other forts and palaces of India. Particularly the ones that we have visited like the Amer fort, Nahargarh fort, Kumbhalgarh Fort, Udaipur palace, Jaipur palace etc. But once again, the views from up there are magnificent. You can view far and wide. And you get to see vast stretches of green meadows, plateaus, valleys and hills all around. The windows and doors of the building are all gone. And at places, the roof is also crumbling. But then, the architectural magnificence of the place is still visible here and there. Like in this arch shaped corridor. Overall, the Afghan architecture is quite evident in the sandstone structure.

It is believed that the initial structure was built atop the hill as a strategic lookout point for the army. But later it was converted as a palace of Rani Roopmati. The extension of the building that you will see on the western side, was built so that the queen could worship river Narmada without leaving the premises of the fort. You can also see the example of perhaps one of the first rain water harvesting systems here. As the western ledge of this palace has a large reservoir to collect rain water and direct it to an underground tank in the palace.

As per Legends, Roopmati was a shepherdess and a beautiful singer. The last king of Mandu, Baz Bahadur, saw her singing during one of his hunting spree. And captivated by her beautiful appearance as well as voice, he persuaded her to come to Mandu with him. She agreed upon the condition that she would live in a palace in the sight of her venerated river Narmada. And thus, was built the Rani Roopmati Palace.  Legends of the wedding and love story of Roopmati and Baz Bahadur have been so famous all through the history. Although, the story met a tragic end when Adham Khan with the mighty mughal army captured Mandu, defeating Baz Bahadur. And it is believed that upon the defeat, Rani Roopmati poisoned herself, in quest of self protection from the invader!

The Jahaj Mahal

The final spot on our day trip from Indore to Mandu was the infamous Jahaj Mahal. Although there were other places to cover as well. But we had only so much time left to cover this “must see” structure. After exiting from Rani Roopmati Palace, we first headed for lunch. And then after lunch, we stopped at The Jahaj Mahal. There is a good walk from near the parking lot to the main entrance of the Jahaj Mahal. Again, both sides of the road are flocked by multiple shops selling snacks and refreshment, just like at the other spots we had been to earlier in the day. There is an entry ticket to this fort also. We reached here by around 4:00pm. And to our delight, it proved to be an excellent place & time to capture the sunset.

Jahaj Mahal literally means Ship Palace. It is said that the structure of the two stories main palace resembles that of a ship. Thats why the name. Along with this main palace, there are several other structure inside the premises. Which must be parts of the fort. Sadly, many of these are crumbling now. With roofs fallen and boulders missing from walls. Although the premises themselves are very well maintained. The lawns are well manicured with velvety green grasses. And the walkways are very clean. The gardens have beautiful beds of flowers here and there. And the water bodies surrounding the different sections of the fort are very clean as well.

There are several places of interest inside the premises of the fort. Including a small museum on the right side of the entrance. And the Jahaj Mahal being just a small part of it. The vast expanses of ruins reminded me of the ancient world of Hampi and the crumbling structures resembled those of Kuldhara. I just wish we had more time to explore the premises as much as possible. Nevertheless, we tried to make the most of the time that we had at hand. And left from here with sweet memories, on our way back to Indore. I want to write in more details on the architecture and other details of The Jahaj Mahal. So, stay tuned.

Tips on doing a day trip from Indore to Mandu

1.  If you can, plan your visit right after the monsoon season. Because then you will get mesmerizing views of the valleys and the hills like we did.
2. When traveling with kids or elderly, keep it light. Don’t try to cram too many sites into your day. Choose a few as per your interest and explore them well. However, the ones that I have listed here are kind of must see places in Mandu.
3. If you are in a position to start your journey early from Indore, then go ahead and do the same. The earlier you are able to start, the more time you will have at hand for exploring Mandu.
4. If you can start really early, you might be able to do a day trip to Maheshwar as well as Mandu.
5. Wear comfortable walking shoes. As there will be lots of walking to do, sometimes uphills also.
6. It will be good to pack some lunch or snacks options with you from Indore. The snacks shops near the sites mostly sell junk and packaged food like chips or biscuits. And the lunch options are not very great. Moreover, it will save time if you can have your food on the go.
7. Wear a hat if it’s sunny and humid.
8. Also drink water at regular interval if the weather is hot and humid. Which can happen in the summer and monsoon season. Carry bottled drinking water with you. And you can buy more at the shops near the sites.

In conclusion, we had a wonderful day trip from Indore to Mandu. And if I were asked, I would say, Mandu is a must visit from Indore. I also liked the attractions that we visited. They are simple, elegant, relaxing and beautiful. The crowd is not much and you have ample freedom to enjoy and explore the sites as much as you like. What do you say?

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