The Ashrafi Mahal was built as a madrasa (Islamic college) by Hoshang Shah between 1405 and 1422. It was a quadrangle with rows of cells and arcaded corridors on the outside, and four corner towers. Mahmud Khilji of the following dynasty converted the northwest tower into a seven-storey victory tower, and roofed the courtyard as a platform for his own grand marble tomb. Tomb and tower have vanished but you can climb a grand staircase and walk around the roof.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.52 MILES
The Royal Enclave is the largest group of monuments, with several beautiful buildings from the 15th- and 16th-century Ghuri and Khilji dynasties set near…
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17.24 MILES
Down to the right of the ramp descending towards the ghats are the chhatris (cenotaphs) of Ahilyabai and Vithoji Rao, a Holkar prince who was trampled to…
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17.26 MILES
Running along the banks of the holy Narmada River and shadowed by the daunting walls of the fort, the ghats are the life and spiritual soul of the town…
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2.57 MILES
A pleasant 4km cycle south of Mandu village brings you to the Rewa Kund tank and the two monuments of the Rewa Kund Group, Baz Bahadur's Palace and…
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0.06 MILES
This group, straddling the main road in the centre of the village, comprises three grand edifices constructed in the 15th-century by the Ghuri and Khilji…
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2.71 MILES
Standing at the top of an escarpment falling 366m to the plains, Rupmati’s Pavilion has a delicacy of design and beauty of location unmatched by Mandu's…
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0.09 MILES
Entered by a flight of steps leading to a 17m-high domed porch, this disused red-stone mosque dominates Mandu village centre. Hoshang Shah begun its…
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0.59 MILES
Dating from the 15th century, this is the most famous building in Mandu. Built on a narrow strip of land between Munja and Kapoor tanks, with an upper…
Nearby Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh attractions
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This group, straddling the main road in the centre of the village, comprises three grand edifices constructed in the 15th-century by the Ghuri and Khilji…
0.08 MILES
This colourful weekly haat (market), behind the Jama Masjid, is similar to ones held in many central Indian areas with a tribal population. Adivasis …
0.09 MILES
Entered by a flight of steps leading to a 17m-high domed porch, this disused red-stone mosque dominates Mandu village centre. Hoshang Shah begun its…
0.13 MILES
Entered through a kaleidoscopic potpourri of a gate, this complex is a splash of kitsch among the Islamic monuments. The temples feature marble, silver…
0.15 MILES
Reputed to be India’s oldest marble mausoleum, this imposing tomb is crowned with a tiny crescent thought to have been imported from Persia or Mesopotamia…
0.43 MILES
Local guides seem unsure just how old these rock-cut chambers are, but they may have been the residences of Shaivite sadhus in pre-Muslim times. Some…
0.52 MILES
The Royal Enclave is the largest group of monuments, with several beautiful buildings from the 15th- and 16th-century Ghuri and Khilji dynasties set near…