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An intriguing history
Chanderi, on the upper Malwa plateau, has always attracted rulers from the north. In the early 15th century, the Malwa Sultans of Mandu rose to prominence in the city. Then in 1520, the Mewar king Rana Sanga of Chittor seized Chanderi and made it over to Medina Rai, the secessionist minister of Mahmud II of Malwa. Seven years later, after a fierce battle in September 1527, Babar captured the city from Medina Rai, an event graphically described by the monarch in his diary.
However, Chanderi traces its history back to the time of the Mahabharata. One legend recounts that when Raja Nala left Damayanti in the forests of Narwar, she walked through the dense foliage, braving wild animals, and reached Chaidnagar. Some historians credit Chanderi’s founding to a 6th-century king called Ched, but popular belief holds that the Pratihara king, Kirti Pal, whose capital was originally at Budhi Chanderi, first settled and fortified the city in the 11th century.
The earliest historical reference to the town, as noted in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, is by the Persian historian Alberuni (973-1048). As per the Gazetteer in 1251, Shijas-ud-din Balban captured the region for Sultan Nasir-ud-din. Thereafter, the Mamluks, the Khiljis, and the Tughlaqs all held sway over Chanderi, using it as a base for their military campaigns in the Deccan.
A fortified past
Located 230 km southeast of Gwalior, in Madhya Pradesh, Chanderi, protected by a ring of hills with thick forest cover and fortified by walls extending over several kilometers, was practically impossible to besiege. Yet the town was crisscrossed by major trade arteries that linked the north to western coastal ports and the Deccan, making Chanderi a major urban commercial center.
In 1844, the British annexed Chanderi. Though they lost control over the town for some years, after the Uprising of 1857, Sir Hugh Rose recaptured Chanderi on 14 March 1858.
After India’s independence in 1947, the entire area under the Scindias of Gwalior became part of the new state of Madhya Bharat.
Architectural gems
A walk through Chanderi reveals several architectural gems with distinct characteristics, such as an impressive ogee, ornamental struts, geometrical jaalis (latticed screens), and lotus medallions.
Dominating the town, sitting atop a 200-meter-high hill, is the colossal fort of Chanderi with multiple walls that once encircled the military settlement. Four of the original five darwazas (gates) have survived – Delhi, Khidki, Pakhan, and Dholia Darwaza. Delhi Darwaza, the most significant, gets its name because it faces north towards Delhi, and serves as the main entrance to Chanderi. A striking aspect of this massive gateway is the shardula, (a fabled beast from Hindu mythology,) motif carved on either side. It depicts an animal resembling a tiger overpowering an elephant, a reference to the ruler’s power.
The Fort’s crenellated walls enclose several buildings, including a three-storied palace complex, a courtyard with a tank and a well, and a 14th-century Khilji period mosque with beautiful carvings in its mihrabs (wall niches). A narrow doorway by the side of the mosque opens out into a balcony aptly referred to as Hawa Paur Gate (‘Wind Gate’), which provides a fantastic panoramic view of the town below.
Most of Chanderi’s important monuments are housed in the inner part the ‘andar sheher,’ (inner city) built on the westward expanse of low-lying agricultural land. The southern and more congested part, the ‘bahar sheher,’ (outer city), houses Chanderi’s famous the weaving looms, which still are the town’s economic mainstay.
Badal Mahal Gate
Perhaps Chanderi’s most iconic monument is the Badal Mahal Gate. Built by the Sultan Mahmud Shah Khilji in 1450, it was meant to serve as the ‘welcome gate’ for visiting dignitaries. Many believe that, as the name suggests, this grand gateway was once the entrance to a palace known as Badal Mahal (literally meaning ‘a palace in the clouds’). Some hold that Badal Mahal Gate got its name because its turrets were so high that they seemed to touch the sky. It was also referred to as bala qila (small fort).
Badal Mahal Gate stands in a compound in the andar sheher, enclosed by the ancient walls on one side. It is set in well-manicured lawns, against the striking backdrop of the hilltop fort. Built entirely of stone, the gateway rises to an impressive height of over 15 m. It is 7.5 m in width, most of which is occupied by the massive tapering turrets flanking it. Between the two turrets are two arches, one above the other, with an intervening section that once had a chhajja (overhanging eave) supported on four brackets. The upper arch has a fringe of spearheads and was adorned with exquisite jaali latticed panels, four of which survive to this day.
A Masjid without Minars
It is interesting to note that, unlike Jama Masjids in other Indian cities, the Khilji mosque does not have any minars (turrets). The main entrance has exquisite carvings and is ornamented with complex geometrical and floral motifs and bands. This ornate doorway is believed to be a 15th-century Khilji structure.
As with most other mosques in north India, the Jama Masjid comprises an open courtyard, measuring 31 m x 25 m, with pillared cloisters covered by three round white marble domes. Both the prayer hall and the cloisters have an arcade of pointed arches supported on massive stone pillars. These stately arches are relatively unadorned, except for two lotus medallions etched on each. Narrow horizontal bands with beautiful carvings run along the top and bottom edges of the arcades.
The qibla wall, which faces the direction of the holy city of Mecca, has been ornamentally divided into a series of ‘mihrabs,’ twelve in all. Though an inscription found in Jama Masjid suggests it was built in the reign of Dila Khan (1390-1405), most scholars consider this unlikely, considering the architectural maturity displayed in the structure, which displays characteristics from a later construction.
Three beautiful dargahs (shrines) stand in the vicinity of Jama Masjid. One is right across the road, and two stand a little away on either side of the main road leading to Khandagiri.
Baolis were the pride of the town
Chanderi was once dotted with numerous baolis, or step-wells. Abul Fazl in Ain-Akbari records the existence of 1,200 baolis in the town. Locals proudly claim that there was a baoli built adjacent to each of Chanderi’s 1,200 mosques.
The town was not located on the banks of a river and the Baburnama records that this part of the northern Malwa plateau has always seen a scarcity of water because of its location at an elevation of 670 m above sea level; however, a small river called the Betwa flowed some 6 miles from Chanderi.
During the medieval period, Chanderi had a population well over 100,000. With Chanderi’s emergence as an important administrative center and the growing population, it became imperative for its rulers to provide enough water sources to enable the settlement to flourish here. Baolis were built all through Chanderi, and large ponds were excavated in outlying areas, where rainwater was harvested and served to keep the water level of the baolis stable. The water from these tanks was and is still used for farm irrigation.
It is assumed that some of the more elaborate and grander baolis were reserved for the royalty and nobility. Some others were exclusively used by women of the royal household.
Of all the baolis in Chanderi, perhaps the most spectacular is Battisi Baoli. Thirty-two battis (steps) lead down to the water level, giving it its name. An inscription near the main entrance says that this baoli and the mosque adjacent to it were completed in 1484 during the rule of Sultan Ghiyassuddin Khilji. The inscription also states that by the grace of Allah, the waters in the baoli would remain constant as long as there was water in the ocean. Interestingly, the water level in Battisi Baoli remains the same throughout the year!