Around The Village
¤ Tomb of Hoshang Shah
The first stop in this section is India’s first marble monument,
a superb but refined example of Afghan architecture, the Tomb of
Hoshang Shah (c 1440). Set in a square enclosure near the Jami Masjid,
it has a well-proportioned dome, intricate marble latticework and
porticoed courts and towers. The decoration on the south doorway
carries rosettes in relief and lotus flowers with blue enamel stars.
The square base of the interior changes to an octagon through being
raised by arches to the next level. As it goes higher, it becomes
16-sided.
The tomb impressed Shah Jahan so that he sent four of his architects
to study it before the Taj Mahal was designed. One of the four
architects, Ustad Hamid, was later associated with the construction of
the Taj Mahal.
¤ Jami Masjid
Not far from the tomb is the Jami Masjid, begun by Hoshang Shah but
completed by Mahmud I. Considered the most majestic building in Mandu,
it is modelled on the great Omayyed Mosque in Damascus.
It has a high plinth and a huge domed porch projecting in the centre,
the background dominated by similar imposing domes with the
intervening space filled with innumerable domes.
The court of this masjid is enclosed on all sides by huge colonnades.
An austere and stern structure, the mosque’s qibla wall has 17
niches with crenellations, the central one with Quranic inscriptions.
Along the north side are two subsidiary entrances, one for the priests
and the other for the zenana.
Open daily from 0830-1730hrs.
¤ Ashrafi Mahal
Bang opposite the Jami Masjid is the Ashrafi Mahal or the Palace of
Gold Coins. Conceived as a madrassa (school for Islamic study), it was
built by Mahmud Shah Khalji, the successor of Hoshang Shah. Cells made
for resident students are still well preserved.
But apparently Mahmud I changed his mind later and decided to turn it
into a tomb for himself. He extended the structure, intending it to be
the largest building in Mandu.
The great domes of Jami Masjid and the marble dome of Hoshang Shah’s
Tomb were meant to align with the tomb built on the madrassa. But as
they say, the best laid plans of mice and men go awry. The structure
collapsed due to its hasty and faulty construction.
Also within this is the remaining one storey of the seven-storeyed
Tower of Victory erected by Mahmud Shah to celebrate his victory over
Rana Kumbha of Mewar.
¤ Jain Temple
The last monument of import in this complex is the Jain Temple. This
is not one but a group of richly decorated temples with idols of
Tirthankaras in marble, silver and gold, some with lustrous jade eyes.
At the back of the compound is theme-park style Jain museum with a
walk-on replica of Palitana, and a mural of colourful Jain homilies
and kitschy moral tales.
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