Things To Do In Chanderi

Chanderi is a small town in MP. But, its history goes back to the time of Mahabharata. Surrounded by hills all around, it is located southwest of the River Betwa. It is strategically located on the borders of Bundelkhand and Malwa. The recorded history of Chanderi can be traced back to 11th Century. During this period Chanderi was well known for being on the trade route of Central India. The famous Persian scholar Alberuni mentioned Chanderi in 1030. After 1251 when Ghiyas ud din Balban captured Chanderi, its history has been a chain of sieges and losses of the town to invaders. Some semblance of order was restored in 1586 when the town came under the control of the Bundela Rajputs. Chanderi is known for its scenic beauty, its hills and lakes and its forts. There are several things to do in Chanderi. These are now discussed.

The Chaubisi Jain Temple is a temple that is well known for its 24 (chaubisi) idols. The idols without the colour of the Tirthankara are large in size when one compares the other Chaubisi idols in temples of that name. One will find the impact of Jainism in several places in Chanderi and the archaeological museum also has another gallery where there are ancient idols. This temple is an ancient one and puja is performed in a traditional manner which must be watched if one has the time.

The Chanderi Fort is an amazing fort and visitors must try to go on a trek to this place. The fort is located on the top of a hill and this gives you an amazing view of the town spread below. This used to be a commanding fort at one time. But, today there are only some ruins strewn around. Some of these ruins include those of a mosque, the Naukhunda Mahal and the monument of Johar. Baiju Bawra, the famous musician who is said to have defeated Tansen in music, has a memorial here.

The Chanderi Museum was opened for viewing of the public on 3rd April 1999. This is one of the sites visitors must not miss seeing. Open every day of the week other than Friday, the museum showcases many statues of both Buddhists and Jain Tirthankaras. There are old tools and ornaments too besides thousands of books. Truly a place for those who are interested in history.

The Jauhar Monument was built to commemorate Johar that were performed by Rajasthan ladies when their warrior husbands died or when they would march off for battle. There is at least one instance of Johar being performed on the eve of the conquest by Babar’s army in 1528.

There is a sad story to tell related to Shehzadi ka Roza. This story is about Mehrunissa who was a princess who fell in love with a commoner. Her father, the king, would not have any of this. He therefore had the man killed. In remorse the princess committed suicide. The father full of grief relented but it was too late. Thereafter, the king built a memorial for the star crossed lovers and even had them entombed together.

Koshak Mahal built to commemorate the victory of Sultan of Malwa over Sultan Mahmood Sharki at Kalpi in 1445 is an imposing and simple monument. Located about 4km from Chanderi the construction of the 7-storey mahal is an interesting tale in itself. Since heavy stone slabs needed to be transported to all the 7 floors and roofs the problem needed to be solved. The solution was quite simple and ingenious. Once the ground floor was completed, soil was used to cover the building and then the first floor was constructed on top of the ground floor. Transporting stone blocks to the first floor was simple thereafter. In the same way all the seven storeys were completed. The soil was removed one floor at a time.

The project to construct the Rajghat Dam on the Betwa River was undertaken by two states, UP and MP. The dam is about 22km from Lalitpur in UP and around 14km from Chanderi in MP. The visitors to the dam have commented on the serene and peaceful environment at the dam. It is understood that a view of the sunset at this place is most impressive indeed. Visitors may exercise their choice accordingly.