Mann Mandir

Presented by : Herik Ghael

Janki Patel

Brief Information

• Built between 1486 and 1517 by Raja Mansingh. The tiles that once adorned its exterior have not survived , but at the entrance , traces of these still remain.

• Within the palace rooms stand bare, stripped of their former glory, testifying to the passing of the centuries.

• Vast chambers with fine stone screens were once the music halls, and behind these screens, the royal ladies would learn music from the great masters of the day.

• Below, circular dungeons housed the state prisoners of the Mughals.

• Emperor Aurangzeb had his brother Murad were imprisoned, and later executed here.

• At Man Mandir Palace, a poignant ambience of those days of chivalry and heroism still lingers in the silent chambers.

• There are chambers for affairs of state as well as those for relaxation, adorned appropriately and ornately with carved animals, flowers and the human form; the yellow, green and bright blue tiles, adding a rich touch of colour, set off by the pale yellow sandstone base.

• The palace has two main courtyards, around which the various sections are built to a height of two floors.

• Audience halls and chambers constitute the main level.

• The upper floor, which housed the zenana, has a series of surrounding passages, as well as roof terraces and pavilions that overlook the courts through screened galleries.

• The floor of the main level projects out to create deep eaves which are supported on carved brackets.

• The massive exterior of the place does not reflect the essentially human scale of the apartments within, which are richly varied in both volume and ornament.

• Deep subterranean chambers, used as retreats in summer, lie toward one end, bneath the main level.

• Be low this, on the second level, are the dungeons.

Plan

• The Image shows details form one of the several rooms grouped around the two inner courts of his Man Mandir palace.

Detail

Rajput Architecture

• The Rajputs were great patrons of art and architecture, the finest examples being their forts and palaces.

• The Rajput palaces are complex compositions built as inner citadels surrounded by the city and enclosed by a fortified wall as at Chittorgarh and Jaisalmer.

• Some forts, such as those at Bharatpur and Deeg, were protected by wide moats.

• The oldest surviving palaces date from the mid-fifteenth century and are found at Chittor and Gwalior.

• The Man Mandir, the largest palace in Gwalior, was built by Raja Man Singh Tomar (1486-1516).

• The Man Mandir has two storeys above, and two below, ground level overhanging a sandstone cliff.

• This gigantic cliff is punctuated by five massive round towers, crowned by domed cupolas and linked by delicately carved parapets.

• The whole facade is enriched with brilliant blue tiles.