20201227 Footloose in Mesmerising India – Hidden Treasures of Budhi Mandav

The experience of the fun filled pizza dinner at The Natu Foundation café in Mandu, the previous evening, was still fresh in our minds as the morning of 27th December dawned. Ashima and I ambled over the dew infused grass, enjoying the nip in the air, to sit in the lawns of Hotel Jahaz Mahal which opened to a pristine lake. We were soon joined by her friends Sadhana & Jaya – the aroma of steaming coffee reached us through the crisp air before they could and then we sat quietly taking in the plentiful bouquets of nature, awaiting the breakfast of hot Dosas and steaming Sambhar.

AT 0830 am, we joined Udayan at the Foundations’s cafe, with his son Ishan, daughter-in-law Pooja, colleague Kritika and Dr. Ashutosh for a hike up to Budhi Mandav or “Ancient Mandu”. Udayan is an Architect with a mission – To study and build knowledge of the Archaeological grandeur of the Mandu region. We set off on the one hour drive to the Budhi Mandav, with a sense of privilege and wonderous anticipation.

Over a dusty, bumpy road we learnt that Budhi Mandav is on an isolated hill, remote and protected by nature, with ruins of Hindu temples, artifacts, lakes and wells from the 8th to 11th century AD, when the Rashtrakuta, Parmar & Parihar dynasties ruled this region. The architecture is a prime example of confluence of Dravidian & North Indian styles called “Visara”. The plinth of temples has figures of demons, symbolizing Dravadia architecture and shikharas of the Nagra style, from North India.

Since the Natu Foundation was mapping & chronicling the area, we picked up a couple of local experts in Drone photography on the way and parked at the base of the hill, starting our hike

under a hot sun. The group trudged uphill over hard, dark rock forms called the “Deccan Trap (Swedish Trappa for step like features)”. These are igneous rocks formed as a result of extensive volcanic activity about 66 million years ago. There were steep drops on both sides, till we reached a flat hill top with signs of crops being cultivated by the Bhils. Our guide explained that amongst the teak forests there are predators like leopards and hyneas who prey on chinkaras.

Our first sight of the ruins came in the form of carved rock strewn over the hillside. A close look showed intricate carvings representing the Bhumija stye of architecture, which is a variety of the north Indian shikhara (tower or spire on top of a shrine). It comprises a central projection, tapering towards the top on all four faces. The quadrants so formed are decorated with miniature spires, in horizontal and vertical rows, all the way to the top.

The deities represent Vishnu, Parvati, Ganesha & Narsimha avatars and also some elements of the Kamasutra, with apsaras and other figures in seductive poses.

As Udayan explained about the temple structures, the deities and the architecture, we stood stunned watching the rich heritage of our country, lying in anonymity but safe & untouched.

The temples had weathered over the centuries, probably nudged to the ground by earthquakes – certainly not an attack from iconoclast invaders.

Spread over an estimated 18 sq. kms, some walls, temple plinths and inner sanctums, still stood in place allowing us to get a sense of the layout of the temples. The drone team was kept busy flying  the craft overhead taking snapshots & video of the layout to be used for the documentary and creating a map of the complex.

These were most likely used by the rulers of that time for Shakti Peeta (a religious shrine with cosmic energy dedicated to feminine power) to perform Shakti Sadhna, allowing them to gain inner peace and be prepared for battle.

We ascended to the very top of the flat hill to another breath-taking spectacle. A large artificial lake with a ghat in the far distance, which was presumably used for bathing.

It is rain fed and an internal drainage system allowed water to percolate down to various parts of the temple complex to gather in wells. We had run out of water and our Bhil guide, Nanu bhai refilled our bottles from one such well – refreshing & mineral rich, it quenched our thirst in more ways than one !

Udayan, his son Ishan and other young architects like Krutika are deeply involved in creating a Documentary of this site, to ensure this is recorded for posterity and work towards preservation of the site, with Govt. agencies. A visit to the Natu Foundation in Mandu will only present a glimpse of the effort they have put in and their plans to put knowledge of our heritage within reach of all Indians.

The hike back and drive back to Indore left us with a sense of wonder & awe at the astounding heritage and stories still to be told, from remote corners of our country.