Jahaz Mahal
Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, 15th Century
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Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, 15th Century
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Ghiyasuddin Iwaj Shah, a hedonist, built the Jahaz Mahal as his pleasure palace, on a long strip of land between two water tanks. In it he kept a harem of about 15,000 women, some of whom came from as far as Turkey and Abyssinia; some may have been his bodyguards.
– Ananda Swaroop
Raised open pavilions, such as the one seen here, not only gave a low building added interest and height, they also served a practical purpose, being the ideal places to sit and enjoy surrounding views and catch the passing breezes.
– Swapna Liddle
More often than not, ruins of a structure generate a stronger thought process in the visitor. The remains of a beautiful piece of history from the bygone era invoke a picturesque imagery, one that can be shaped how we want.
– Shradha Badiani
Jahaz Mahal a.k.a. Ship Palace was the one-time Pleasure Palace or Harem of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji. Due to its floating structure the palace was named as ‘Jahaz Mahal’ where Jahaz refers to Ship and Mahal means Palace. The palace with 110 meters in length and 15 meters in width is beautifully situated on a narrow piece of land between the two water reservoirs ‘Munj Talao and Kapur Talao’. As per local legends the harem accommodated around 15000 concubines including women from Persia, Middle East and many African countries.
– Nilesh Narayan
Ghiyath Shah, as the Sultan was popularly known was a seeker of pleasure. He liked to please all his senses maintained an expansive harem. More than five hundred Abyssinian women were employed as guards for the emperor and his harem. He recorded the things that pleased him the Nia’matnama or the Book of Delights. The beautifully illustrated manuscript in the Malwa style is a manual of manners but most importantly it is a recipe book. The chronicle also contains various recipes and the processes to make perfumes. The Nia’matnama is in the British Library and is one of its kind manuscripts from India.
– Surabhi Sharman