Raver Khedi:

It happened all of a sudden. I was reading about the strategic moves and warfare of Great Bajirao I. The context was that of Battle of Palkhed and Battle of Bhopal. And suddenly tears welled up in my eyes. A great surge of emotion arose. This great man Bajirao Peshwa spent his whole life fighting for his cause of protecting the motherland and creating one unified Maratha confederacy. He was more on a horse’s back than on his masnad. In those turbulent years (AD 1700 – AD 1720) India was no unified a nation. There were English, French, Portuguese, Moguls, Afghans, Siddis (Abbesynians) and even Dutch all vying for a share in the pie. In such times this man dreamed of relieving India from the tortuous shackles of invaders. Right From the day he got Peshwai in 1720 till his death in 1739 this man fought constantly. At times moving at a lightning speed and defeating much larger armies than his, he won many a strong and loyal friends in the process. He never lost a single battle. Creating one Hindawi Swaraj from Sahyadri to Hindukush was the single minded goal he pursued.

Oh what a Man! And what a life!

When I came to know that Samadhi of Bajirao I, is in Madhyapradesh only I immediately made up my mind to visit the place. This place is a village by name Raverkhedi near Sanawad, a small town in Khargone ditrict of Madhyapradesh. Bajirao was often called ‘ Rau’ or ‘Rao’ and in all probability the name Raverkhdi evolved  from Rao. About a 100 km from Indore this is a village slightly in interior but the good thing is MP Govt has now constructed a ‘good motorable road’ right up to the Samadhi place. It is a very serene place and stands right on the bank of river Narmada.

Even during my journey also I felt some previous life connection. When I enquired the way at a place, quite unexpectedly I heard myself asking the villager,“Peshwa Saheb Sarkar ki samdhi kahan hai?”  Before this I never used the words like Saheb or Sarkar with Peshwa.

Anyway, God only knows the reality, but I will suggest you visit this place only if you have interest, connection or affinity with the history of Marathas. Only then will you be able to experience the serenity and spirituality involved with the place.

You can visit from both Maharashtra or MP side. From Indore in MP you have to take Khandwa Road which is quite a busy and well known state highway. There are picturesque hills and greenery on the way. Your first stop should be ‘Mortakka’ which is a bridge on Narmada and comes right after Badwah a small town like place. It will take about two hours to reach Mortakka from Indore.  It’s a very nice site and you get a good restaurant also for refreshment or food etc. 

After this move on another 10 kms and you will reach ‘Sanawad’. In Sanawad you have to enquire ‘Khargone Road’. Leaving Khandwa Road move on to Khargone Road which is also quite a wide and nice road. Only a small patch is under construction but it is quite motorable. Keep on moving till you reach a place called ‘Bedia’ which is about 15-20 kms from Sanawad. Here you will find the signboard of MP Tourism indicating the direction to Bajirav Peshwa Samadhi Sthal. Please see the photo below.

Taking a right turn at Bedia move on Kasrawad Road and after about 7 km there is another Signboard clearly indicating the road to Raverkhedi. This is a nice single Tar Road and gives you picturesque greenery of village India on either side. In Raverkhedi you will have to enquire again because you will cross a small rivulet (Not Narmada) and will find yourself right in the village not knowing where to go? The road to Samadhi goes from the midst of village and villagers will be happy to guide you. It is still about a km or two and Tar Road is available.

Once you reach Samadhi Sthal (You will have to park your vehicle little in advance and walk a little) you will see serene Narmada flowing just beside. It’s a cool and calm place and is being maintained by ASI. Normal cleanliness has been maintained.  There is a Large Pipal tree at the entrance and also a board giving the brief history of the place.

This place has a lot of emotional value. You can sit below the Pipal Tree and watch Narmada flowing quietly. How things must have been about 300 years ago?  You will be suddenly transported to that era.

About a lakh of troops under Bajirao I, camped here and they were just about to cross Narmada and enter North (That time called ‘Uttar’ by the Dakkhanis). In those days Narmada was the dividing line. Below it was South and above it was North. It was the month of April and probably Nimari Sun took its toll on Bajirao. He, reportedly, had a heatstroke and developed a high fever which turned fatal. Peshwa died at a young age of 39 but within that short span he had left such an indelible mark on contemporary India that Nader Shah who was looting Delhi that time decided to go back. Peshwa's expedition of solid 1 Lakh army was to fight with the invader only. Crossing Narmada he would receive solid support from his trusted lieutenants of Malwa (Holkar), Dhar (Pawar) and Ujjain (Scindia).  But that was not to be. He succumbed to an untimely death on 28^th April 1740. 

Had Bajirao not been taken by death, Nader Shah would have had probably the toughest time of his life and Takht-e-Touse, Koh-e-Noor etc. would have been saved. Above all India’s Self Respect would remain intact.

On May 1^st , 1740 Nader Shah returned to Afganistan, leaving Delhi plundered and pillaged.  

 

Visit this place between November to February. Avoid Monsoon and Summer. From Indore it can be easily managed in a single day. It takes about 3 hours one way. 

If you happen to come from Maharashtra then your route should be : Dhule – Shirpur – Sendhwa – Nimarani  on NH 52. After Nimrani you should leave NH 52 and take a right turn to Kasrawad. Now you are treading ‘parallel to Narmada’ actually. On this Road only you will find Raverkhedi phata. Google map can be referred for distances etc.

Mandav : A laid back destination in central India

If you have interest in historical ruins and remnants, archaeological sights and Afgani architecture, Mandav is the place for you. These palaces exude an irresistible old world charm and you are just transported to that era.

When I first visited Mandav I had not the slightest idea of its beauty and hidden treasures. It is a poetry written in the form of structures, lakes, forests and hills.
Mandav is a favorite weekend destination for Indorians. Its about 110 km from Indore by road. Since most of it is a National Highway (NH3) it is fun driving to Mandav on a sunny morning. You need to take AB Bypass Road from wherever you are in Indore or you need to reach Rau circle. After this keep moving on A B Road towards Mumbai.  You will bypass Mhow and then reach a small village like town…. Just after this you need to leave NH3 and take a turn towards another very good highway heading towards Dhar- Ratlam.  You will tread about 10 kms on this and find a small nice road branching out to your left. Take this road which will go  straight to Mandav.
 If we have a look on the brief history of the place, it will be even more enjoyable.Though it has very old references let’s go to 1015 AD when contemporary rulers of Malwa, the Parmars, capitalized on its strategic location and built up some forts.  They named it as Mandavgarh.  Later, In 1401 Delhi was captured by Timur and one of his vassals, Dilavar Khan, raised his kingdom near Dhar. After Dilawar, his son Hoshang Shah came to the throne. He shifted the capital from Dhar to Mandav and put his full might to give Mandav the splendor of a capital city. This was Mandav’s golden time. The city became a well known location with panoramic view resplendent with lakes and forests surrounding it. In those times Mandu was also called Shahidabd or Anadnagri.

After Hoshang Shah and his son’s rule, came Khiljis on the scene. Second in line of Khiljis was Gayasuddin Khilji who ruled for 31 years. He was a typical Afgan king with a harem of about 1000 queens. The ‘Zahaj Mahal’ was built by Gayasuddin Khilzi in 1469 AD. And it was primarily a pleasure palace or a Rang Mahal. It is said that Gayasuddin used to sit on terrace with his feet in wine and a mehfil of dance and mujra used to take place on full moon nights.

After Gayasuddin  Khilaji the history of Mandav is chequered with one or the other king taking its control. It came under Humanyu’s rule in 1534 but was lost once again to a rebel and 10 more years of feud, invasions and conspiracies followed. Finally it is in these feuds that a handsome, tall and an expert horse rider rose to prominence and was successful in establishing his control and kingdom around Mandav. This was Baz Bahadur. Baz Bahadur ruled from 1545 to 1561 almost but in between had to flee from Mandu when it was attacked by Hemu. However he regained the control. It is in these times that the famous episode of love between  Roopmati and Baz Bahadur took place. Roopmati was a hindu princess and was a worshipper of Narmada river.  Baz Bahadur built up a ‘Mandap’ for her (called Roopmati Pavaliion today), wherefrom she could view river Narmada every morning.

The love story ended tragically on 29th March 1561, when king Akbars armies defeated Baz Bahadur at the Battle of Sarangpur. Baz Bahadur fled to Khandesh and Rani Roopmati poisoned herself at her palace. Actually she was apprehensive of being taken over by Akbar’s vassal Adham Khan who reportedly had an eye on her. Within less than a year Baz Bahadur regained the control of Mandav but he was a broken heart now. More feuds and battles were in the offing which made Baz Bahadur a fugitive saving his life somehow and finally he surrendered himself to Akbar’s services in 1570.

With the above history in mind you can connect more with the various gates, palaces mosques and tombs in Mandu. You enter Mandu through one of the gates only.

In Mandav the prominent points are Jahaj Mahal, Roopmati Pavallion, Baz Bahdur’s Mahal and some lesser known spots like Rewa Kund, Shiv temple and surrounding panorama. See Jahaj Mahal Below:

Let’s first visit Jahaj Mahal. It is a huge palace having water bodies on both its back as well as front side. There is a ticket (reasonable) to enter Jahaj Mahal. It’s  justified when you find properly maintained greenery and cleanliness inside.

It is said that Gayasuddin Khilji used to sit in the evenings with his feet in the wine whence the cool breeze used to flow from the backside and he had a spectacular view in front of him (with queens swimming in open pond etc) . It was like sitting in a ship. Hence the name Jahaj Mahal.

Jahaj Mahal has a lake on its back side and garden (Mugal Style) with a manmade pond on the front side. 

The Jahaj Mahal is quite a large property and you will easily spend an hour or so roaming around. If you take a guide (Local guides are available for 200 to 300 rupees) you will come to know the interesting history as well. You also have a museum which can be visited in 15-20 minutes but will give you a feel of that era.You can roam around freely. Enjoy some solitude in this monument of love. If you are tired you can rest under the shade of a tree and have something. Little tit bits will have to be carried by yourself. It is prohibited inside. So also littering has to be avoided:

By the time you come out of Jahaj Mahal you will be hungry. You have many choices for food here. You can give a trial for local food which is Nimadi Dall Bati type. Or you can choose M P Tourism resort. The resort is on higher end because it is a chosen property with an adjoining lake. You also have a very spacious parking, well tended garden with open air sitting space and all the amenities. You can easily spend next two hours here. But choose resort for eating only if you can bear with laid back service and small portions.

In fact people from outside MP would prefer to stay a night at the resort. It has lakeside cottages and other type of rooms suitable to one’s choice and budget. M P Tourism staff is courteous as well as helpful.

Once you have had lunch and rested a bit you are now ready to move to your next destination Roopmati Pavilion and Baj Bahadur Mahal. They are two separate palaces and are built at a distance. Rani Roopmati had agreed to be the consort of Baj Bahadur only if she could be able to view River Narmada every morning. She used to worship Narmada before marriage and wanted to continue with it for her lifetime. Folklore goes that Baj Bahadur ordered to build a palace on a very short notice and at such a height that The Rani could view Narmada from its top. The palace was built up accordingly and was named as Rani Roopmati Mahal.

When you reach at the top of the palace i.e the place from where Roopmati used to view Narmada, you have a spectacular view consisting about 10-12 small lakes and a very soothing waft of breeze. The panoramic mode of a camera will get a very nice click here.

You are also able to see Baj Bahadur Mahal which is built at a lower height and a small residence (from king’s standards). Please see the middle of the photo above where Baj Bahadur’s palace can be seen.

Apart from above there are other places too like Jami Masjid and Hoshang Shah’s Tomb. There are some less talked about places too. For a complete visit two days, one night will be a better option. In this case one can have a nice stay at the MP Tourism resort too and spend the evening near the lake sipping the beer etc…

When to visit :

Mandav is best during July to September. Preferably take a sunny day when a shower or two of the monsoons are already over. This way you will have greenery all over and lakes will be full of water. Falls will also be flowing. One can also visit during winters or October- November  but Extreme winter should be avoided. So also, extreme hot months like April & May, may not be a very good idea.

Over all  Mandu is worth visiting at least once and gives a refreshing proximity with the nature as well as history. Bon voyage.