Mandu, perched 2000 feet atop the Vindhyachal ranges, is a ghost city filled with beautiful palaces. Armed with natural defences, it must have seemed a natural choice for the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa. These defences, though, were breached towards the end of the 13th century when the Sultans of Malwa gained control over the area. The first Sultan renamed it Shadiabad - 'city of joy'. And, indeed, the structures its rulers erected bear testimony to the fact that the pervading spirit of Mandu was of gaiety.
Exquisite palaces like the Jahaz and Hindola Mahals, ornamental canals, baths and pavilions still stand, all graceful and refined reminders of those times of peace and plenty. Some of these are simply outstanding. Take, for instance, the massive Jami Masjid or Hoshang Shah's tomb, which provided inspiration to the master builders of the Taj Mahal centuries later.

Mandu is a celebration, in stone, of life and joy, of the love of the poet-prince Baz Bahadur for his beautiful  consort, Rani Roopmati. The balladeers of Malwa still sing of the romance of these royal lovers, and high up on the crest of a hill, Roopmati's Pavilion still gazes down at Baz Bahadur's Palace, as if to prove that true love never dies.