Post Conference Tour: Mandu and Maheshwar
After the long and fruitful conference, the students will have an opportunity to relax and discover the beauty of Madhya Pradesh and it's often undiscovered tourist havens.
The tour will be organised on 11th and 12th June 2015. For further details, please contact
Mandu
Perched on top of a pleasantly green, thinly forested 20-sq-km plateau, picturesque Mandu is home to some of India’s finest examples of Afghan architecture as well as impressive baobab trees, originally from Africa. The area is littered with palaces, tombs, monuments and mosques, all within easy cycling distance of each other. Some cling to the edge of ravines, others are beside lakes, while Rupmati’s Pavilion, the most romantic of them all, sits majestically at the far end of the plateau, overlooking the vast plains below.
Maheshwar
The peaceful, riverside town of Maheshwar has long held spiritual significance – it’s mentioned in the Mahabharata and Ramayana under its old name, Mahishmati, and still draws sadhus and yatris (pilgrims) to its ancient ghats and temples on the holy Narmada River. The town enjoyed a golden age in the late 18th century under Holkar queen Ahilyabai, who built the palace in the towering fort and many other monuments. Away from the ghats and historic buildings, Maheshwar’s colourful streets display brightly painted wooden houses with overhanging balconies.
Lining the river Narmada, flights of steps lead down from the sandy banks to the river. The religious, cultural and daily life of the people plays out on the river bank. Pilgrims and holy men sit here in silent meditation; rows of women carry gleaming brass pots down to collect the water of the sacred river; ferryloads of villagers cross and re-cross the river.
This 16th century fort is famous for its elegant architecture & spectacular view from Narmada River, this place was constructed by Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar
The Jama Masjid is one of the most grand structures in Mandu. Built by Mohammed Khalji in 1454, this structure was inspired by the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. This monument shows the Afghan architecture at its best.
Lining the river Narmada, flights of steps lead down from the sandy banks to the river. The religious, cultural and daily life of the people plays out on the river bank. Pilgrims and holy men sit here in silent meditation; rows of women carry gleaming brass pots down to collect the water of the sacred river; ferryloads of villagers cross and re-cross the river.