The Defeat of Baz Bahadur of Malwa by the Mughal Troops, while Rani Roopmati, and her female companions, view the scene from the terrace of the fort. 1561
Rupmati and king bazbahadur on a moon lit night at mandu near the palace
Rupmati's Pavilion upstairs
Rupmati's Pavilion
Rupmati's Pavilion inside at Mandu Madhyapradesh state
Rupmati Pavilion - Rewa Kund
Baz Bahadur, ever so fond of music, was the last independent ruler of Mandu.
Once out hunting , Baz Bahadur chanced upon a shepherdess frolicking and singing with her friends. Smitten by both her enchanting beauty and her mellifluous voice, he begged Roopmati to accompany him to his capital. Roopmati agreed to go to Mandu on the condition that she would live in a palace within sight of her beloved and venerated river, Narmada. Thus was built the Rewa Kund at Mandu.
Nowadays, their family members' are living in Indore.
The End of The Love Tale
Unfortunately, the romance of this Muslim prince and Hindu shepherdess was doomed to failure. The great Mughal Akbar decided to invade Mandu and capture roopmati and baz bahadur. Akbar sent Adham Khan to capture Mandu and Baz bahadur went to challenge him with his small army. No match for the great Mughal army, Mandu was easily defeated fell.
Baz Bahadur fled to Chittorgarh to seek help. As Adham khan came to Mandu, was surprised by the beauty of roopmati and Rani Roopmati stoically poisoned herself to avoid capture. Thus ended this magical love story steeped in music, poetry and beauty.
Poems of Rani Rupmati
In 1599, Ahmad-ul-Umri Turkoman, who was in the service of Sharaf-ud-Din Mirza wrote the story of Rani Rupmati in Persian. He collected 26 poems of her and included them in his work. The original manuscript passed to his grandson Fulad Khan and his friend Mir Jafar Ali made a copy of the manuscript in 1653. Mir Jafar Ali’s copy ultimately passed to Mehbub Ali of Delhi and after his death in 1831 passed to a lady of Delhi. Jemadar Inayat Ali of Bhopal brought this manuscript from her to Agra. This manuscript later reached C.E. Luard and translated into English by L.M. Crump under the title, The Lady of the Lotus: Rupmati, Queen of Mandu: A Strange Tale of Faithfulness in 1926. This manuscript has a collection of twelve dohas, ten kavitas and three sawaiyas of Rupmati.
Rewa kund and Rani Roopmati pavilion
The Rewa Kund is a reservoir built by Baz Bahadur, equipped with an aqueduct to supply Roopmati's palace with water. Today, the site is revered as a holy spot. Baz Bahadur's Palace was constructed in the early 16th century, and is notable for its spacious courtyard fringed with halls, and high terraces which give a terrific view of the lovely surroundings. Rani Roopmati's Pavilion was built as an army observation post. It served a more romantic purpose as Roopmati's retreat. From this picturesque pavilion perched on a hilltop, the queen could gaze at her paramour's palace, and also at the Narmada flowing by, below
Rewa Kund Monument
¤ Grand Reservoir
You’ll have to trek about 3.2km south of the monuments around the village to reach this group of buildings. The Rewa Kund is a tank of sacred water from the Rewa, another name for the revered Narmada. This is where the love of the musician-prince Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati flowered.
¤ Palace of Baz Bahadur
Perched on the hill is the Palace of Baz Bahadur (1509), once supplied with water from this very kund or tank by a water lift. An interesting blend of Rajput and Mughal styles, it was actually built well before Baz Bahadur came to power.
The main part of the palace is a spacious open court with halls and rooms on all four sides. On the northern side, beyond the colonnade is a projecting octagonal pavilion with arches overlooking an old garden.
On the terrace at the south end are two beautiful baradaris offering a lovely view of the countryside.
¤ Rani Roopmati’s Pavilion
To the south of Baz Bahadur’s Palace, near the edge of the fort are Roopmati’s Pavilions. Built in three different stages, probably early 15th century with extensions later, these pavilions were occupied by Baz Bahadur’s beloved mistress, Rani Roopmati.
It is believed that the pavilion was originally built as an army observation post. It was initially a massive low hall with two rooms at each end and a thick sloping plinth. Subsequently, the building was extended westward alongside the plinth, but it is the latest addition, the pavilions, that made this building special enough to house the love of Baz Bahadur’s life. The pavilions are square in design with hemispherical domes. These pavilions were special to Rani Roopmati too because she could see the Narmada in the valley below. Indeed, the view from here at sunset or by moonlight across to the Narmada valley 305m below is truly sensational.
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