The elephant palace of Mandu city is the most famous tourist destination located in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh state in India. Elephant Palace belongs to Malwa and this palace is quite famous for its magnificent building and huge structure of the palace. There are some ancient buildings known as Rock City up to a distance of 100 km of this palace. This palace that looks like a giant elephant is a major tourist destination.
How to reach Mandu
By Air: Its airport is definitely at Indore which is about 99 km away. There are flights from cities like Indore, Delhi, Mumbai, Gwalior as well as Bhopal.
By Rail: Its nearest railway station is Ratlam. Narmine trains from all major cities arrive at this railway station.
By Road: Mandu is well connected to other cities by road. It is 154 km from Ujjain, about 35 km from Dhar and about 285 km from Bhopal.
Hathi Mahal is just 2 km from Mandu bus stop.
Elephant Palace Architecture
There are many huge pillars in ‘Hathi Mahal’ and this is why this palace is named after it. Built in Indo-Islamic architectural style, this palace is situated at an altitude of 600 meters above sea level. The temple is built with a magnificent stone. The palace was built for the royal residence but was later converted into a beautiful mausoleum. Some tombs can be seen in the inner and outer parts of this palace.
You can also see the beautiful mosque built in Islamic style here. The most spectacular part of this palace is its grand dome in the middle of the Elephant Palace. The huge dome stands perfectly balanced due to the huge pillars inside the palace. Thus it has great importance from the point of view of Vastu. The elephant palace is very magnificent and the artisans who built it must have been very excellent.
History of elephant palace
Can you think of another name for the elephant palace in Mandu village? Yes, the elephant palace here is also known as Mandavgarh. The place has started gaining importance since the 11th century.
This historic and culturally rich place was built by the Tarang Empire. This palace eventually came into existence in the 16th century. However, it was under aggressive control of the Mughals and the Khilji rulers from the 12th century and remained under them until the colonial era. However, the kingdom of Tarang did not rule it for long. By the 18th century, this palace had become a center of tourist attraction. Now this place is established as Dariya Khan’s mausoleum. This tomb has become very important in this palace and its red color attracts people from far away.
Importance from tourism point of view
It is no surprise that the elephant palace is now called a heritage site and tourists love this place. It is a glorious building which has been in the pages of history for a long time. It is one of the extraordinary places of Islamic architecture.
When visiting Madhya Pradesh, definitely visit this historical and huge tourist place. This palace is suitable for knowing about the history of the Central Province of India.
Time: You can come to see this palace at any time. However, the time from sunrise to sunset is the best.
Entry fees: Entry to Hathi Mahal is completely free.
Time period: It takes 1 to 1.5 hours to see this entire palace.
