[Vipin Kumar]

Two years ago, I had declined an offer to drive to central India and Malwa. A senior couple wanted to visit the Buddhist archaeological site of Sanchi, the Hindu pilgrim place of Omkareshwar, and the abandoned capital of the Malwa Sultanate, Mandavgarh (Mandav or Mandu as it is commonly known). The idea was good, as it included quite a few historical centres.

When the second wave of Covid-19 showed signs of decline towards the end of June, I revived this plan, same route, Lucknow - Indore - Mandavgarh (via Bhopal). I executed it as a six-days' trip around some parts of the Vindhya range, as this:

Day 1:
Lucknow - Sanchi via Jhansi - 611.6 kms

Day 2:
Sanchi in the forenoon and Sanchi - Indore in the evening - 266.4 kms

Day 3:
Indore - Maheshwar - Omkareshwar - Indore - 282.2 kms

Day 4:
Indore - Mandu - Indore - 225.2 kms

Day 5:
Indore - Sanchi via Bhopal - 289.8 kms

Day 6:
Sanchi - Lucknow via Jhansi - 637.1 kms

The total distance of the drive came to 2312 kms.

The trip consumed diesel in the following way, as it started with a full tank from Lucknow:

1. 886.5 kms - 37.32 litres - BPCL, AB Road, Indore.
2. 724.0 kms - 33.40 litres - BPCL, Raisen Road, Bhopal.
3. 715.0 kms - 30.02 litres - BPCL, Cantonment, Lucknow.

Total volume of diesel: 100.74 litres.

The problem in calculating the toll paid is that on the state highways in Madhya Pradesh, Fastag is not activated in many toll booths. Even on the Bhopal - Indore highway, toll booths had only one gate activated with Fastag. I had to pay the toll in cash at many of these points.

Sanchi

I did cross Sanchi innumerable times in the past, from 1997 onwards, and I saw the monuments from the train each time I crossed this small place. If you have a window seat, you can have a view of the monument located there at the height of the hill called the Vedisa-giri. I knew that the Sanchi monument is one of the oldest surviving monuments in India. Still, despite so many years of passing this way, I could not really make it to the hills to have a detailed visit of the site. It was to happen this time, in end June 2021, after 24 years of my first sight of the place.



I knew that as per the records of history, the Buddha himself had never visited Sanchi (Sanci, as it was known in the closest translation). The Sanchi stupa was basically the contribution of the third Mauryan Emperor Aśoka. When Aśoka was entrusted with the responsibility of governing the province of Ujjaini, he came in touch with Vidisha, a rich and patronising town of the Magadhan Empire. Aśoka came across Devi, the daughter of a merchant from Vidisha and an ardent Buddhist (in some sources, she herself is known as Vidisha). Though he married her and had two children -- Mahendra and Sanghamitra, it is believed that Vidisha did not follow Aśoka when he returned to Pataliputra, the capital of the Mauryan Empire when he was to take over as the Emperor. She had joined the Sangha. As Aśoka turned Buddhist later, he looked for a quiet and serene site for setting up a stupa and a monastery for spearheading the spread of Buddhism across the world. He chose Sanchi near Vidisha, specifically the hills that were known as Vedisa-giri.

In the British-colonial times, Vidisha was known as Bhilsa. Vidisha railway station was Bhilsa station, and till date, the railway station code is BHS

My Drive to Sanchi

My journey to Sanchi from Lucknow was a long one, which turned out to be a drive of 611 kms. It would have been longer if I had chosen better roads after Khurai in Madhya Pradesh. Somehow, the road distance between Lucknow and Bhopal is approximately 100 kms more than the rail distance. There is an option of going via Sagar but if you take the Jhansi route to Sagar, it will add up another 70 kms to the distance to drive.

My route was Jhansi - Lalitpur - Malthone - Khimlasa - Bina - Khurai - Pathari - Vidisha. Pathari was a difficult village to cross but it was a beautiful place. While returning, I avoided this place and took the Sagar Marg up to a point near Rahatgarh and then turned towards Khurai (again a village route but the ride is much smoother).

Coming from the Kanpur side, Jhansi is yet to get a bypass as the work is still under progress. One has however got the option of going straight to the NH44 and then proceed towards Lalitpur. But, again, that will be round-about. As such, it is not a very difficult task to sail through the Jhansi city, except for two to three traffic lights points. I always prefer to go through Jhansi and join NH 44 at Bijauli. Even the road through Jhansi Cantonment is being four-laned now.

It was a good drive, not very fast but not very slow. I could not get the advantage of the long flyover to bypass Kanpur because of some traffic diversions due to the President's visit of the city on that day. That delayed my timings. With a departure from Lucknow at 5.30 am, I reached Jhansi at 11.25.

After the fantastic NH 44 (the North-South Corridor) all the way till Malthone from Jhansi, the roads are below average in their standards and maintenance. You will be running at a considerably slower pace, crossing small towns like Khimlasa, parts of Bina and Khurai. Khurai has a bypass and you can catch the Sagar - Bhopal Marg from there. I took the Pathari road and it was leading through beautiful landscape and villages. Pathari appeared to be difficult to cross because of work in progress on roads. But once you join the Sagar - Bhopal Marg, it is superfine surface though a two-lane undivided carriageway. Vidisha, again, has a long bypass before it takes you to Sanchi. There are no tolls in this entire section, except one near Raisen/Bhopal.

The plan was to settle at the MPTDC Gateway Retreat in Sanchi by evening. Though I did not book rooms, I had enquired about availability of rooms with them on the previous day itself.

The Retreat at Sanchi was good, well-planned, but it can be better maintained too:



The next day was for visiting the Sanchi stupa and the surrounding monuments... There was also Sir John Marshall Archaeological Museum to visit...so dinner and rest for the rest of the day...

[Vipin Kumar]

The second day...

Straight to the ASI site, Sanchi's famous "stupa one" stands in its full glory:



The dharmachakra adorning the top of the gateway has lost all the twenty-four spokes and much of the circle. As the British archaeologists discovered the site in 1912, the gateways were fallen on the ground. One can notice how the gateway is fixed there with iron holders now.

This brick stupa came into existence in the third century before Christ, during the reign of the Mauryan Emperor Aśoka (269 BC - 236 BC). Originally, it was a mere brick stupa and a stone column. Later, in the second century B.C., the Sungas added a stone encasing and balustrades at the ground and a higher level of the stupa. They also added a stairway to the stupa. In the first century B.C., the Satavahana kings further embellished the structure by adding four lofty gateways to this stupa. The Satavahanas had also imported four images of the Buddha from Mathura (probably from what became famous as the Mathura School of Arts) and placed them on the berm behind each of the gateways (as seen in the picture above). Later, the rulers of the Gupta dynasty (380 A.D. onwards) too added more stupas to this site.

There are tendencies to date Aśoka Maurya's ascension to power to 273 B.C. Historians generally maintain that his consolidation of power was complete only after four years of being designated as the heir. So, for history documents, Aśoka's reign was from 269 B.C. to 236 B.C. There are accounts that he killed ninety-nine of his brothers -- sons of Bindusara Maurya -- though this could be easily an exaggeration. But these accounts definitely point to a big struggle for power that might have taken place from the time Bindusara fell ill and died. Nigrodha Kumar, whose father was killed by Aśoka in the struggle for power, was already a Buddhist monk and it is widely believed that his humaneness towards Aśoka was a great influence on Aśoka to embrace Buddhism. Historians generally reject the story of a sudden transformation of Aśoka into Buddhism in the aftermath of the battle of Kalinga.



The frontage of stupa 1:



The stone encasing:



The balustrade at the upper level:



The front gateway from the other side, one of the most memorable images from all history documents and books. The spokes and the a major part of the dharmachakra are all lost forever:



The Buddha images inside the gateways (most of the images had lost the head -- the test of times):



This image has the head part joined later, as perhaps it was found there:



When the British archaeologists discovered the site, it is reported that the stone balustrades were seen as fallen on the ground.

Even the Aśokan pillar was fallen and broken into about five pieces in all. The lowest part is still there in its original place, right from the third century BC:



This was one of the two Aśokan pillars which adorned a stone capital at the top in which four lions sat back to back. This pillar capital is identical to the other one which was found in Sarnath. The difference between the two lion pillar capitals is that the Sarnath one has a dharmachakra engraved on it whereas the Sanchi one does not have it.

The lion capital found in Sarnath is recovered as such, without any damage (I am yet to go and see this one). It is kept at the archaeological museum at Deer Park at Sarnath. The pillar which was found as sunk into the ground in Sarnath is recovered and is kept at its original site.

There are two other lion pillar capitals seen in India's jurisdiction today, one at Vaishali and another one at Lauriya-Nandangarh, but both have single lions sitting at the top. While the Vaishali pillar has the lion at the top sitting intact, there is said to be a little damage on the face of the lion seen on the top of the Lauriya-Nandangarh pillar. The latter carries inscriptions not only by Aśoka but also by Aurangzeb, a clear indication that the later rulers followed the tradition of using pillars to convey their messages and preserved the ancient structures. The Allahabad Aśokan pillar carries edicts of the Gupta king Samudragupta also.

My next visit should be to Lauriya-Nandangarh, located in the West Champaran district of today's Bihar.

Another two pieces of the pillar of Sanchi kept at the site itself:



Yet another part, with inscription in the Aśokan Brahmi script, as preserved in the Sir John Marshall Museum at the foothill:



The famous four-lions capital, again broken and preserved at the Museum:



Under certain maintenance process:



The inverted lotus that was at the base of the capital:



The description, important, for this is one of only two:



Historians and archaeologists believe that the geese seen on the base are a mark of Greek influence. In fact, the Mauryan court had Greek representatives. It is said that even the idea of pillar and rock edicts are borrowed from the Greek tradition.

Another two gateways -- again, several parts of them are lost... the women depicted here are said to have western hairstyle as a mark of the Greek touch:





Stupa number two, a contribution of the Gupta times:



Structures of Greek influence... Parthenon was already built far away in Greece by this time:







Another small temple... it is believed:



A typical ASI place overall...



The remains of the monastery... the floor plan is still in order:



The ancient footsteps to the hill and the stupa:



View from the hill:



It is said that it was from this Vedisa hill that a contingent led by Mahendra (or Mahinda, as Aśoka's son was later called in the Sri Lankan Buddhist traditions) left for Sri Lanka for spreading Buddhism there. Aśoka is believed to have allowed him to be a monk for he feared that if Mahendra had lived in the Magadhan Empire, someone would have attacked him. Even Kunal (Kunāla in ancient sources), the most favorite son of Asoka and Asandhimitra and known for his beautiful eyes, was ordered to be blinded and then killed in Taxila by Tissarakha, Aśoka's later wife who had tried unsuccessfully to woo Kunal... Though Kunal was not killed, he was indeed blinded. As the legends have it, the designated killers could not kill him ultimately due to his good nature... Kunal did wander since then and finally reached Pataliputra blind, accompanied by his wife Kancanamāla. Aśoka was saddened to learn about the tragedy that had befallen on his son...

Historian Romila Thapar provides us the intricate details of these incidents and tells us about the sources from where we know them in one of her earliest books, written in the late 1950s, Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas.

[Vipin Kumar]

Before coming down from Vedisa-Giri, one would see a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple here. Sanchi is a place highly patronised by the governments of many foreign countries including Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka. The third Secretary-General of the United Nations, U-Thant of Burma, and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Sirimavo Bandaranaike were said to be important foreign dignitaries to have visited this site.



And of course, we know about the place:



It is said that the then Director of the Archaeological Survey of India, Sir John Marshall, lived in a house near the Vedisa hill for seven years around 1912. It is this house that accommodates the Museum today.



A sati pillar in front of the Museum:



An Aśoka stambha from the Gupta era with again the dharmachakra all broken:



A sculptural piece that decorated the temple walls:



Another piece:



As the British archaeologists found the site in 1912:



Possibly some of the most exciting moments for the archaeologists:



It provides a comparative view of then and now (see the stone encasing and the gateways as fallen on the ground):



The day was indeed too humid and it was time enough to retire for lunch. Though there are some dhabas nearby, the MPTDC Gateway Retreat itself is one of the best places for food.

[Vipin Kumar]

A good lunch and a post-lunch drive to Bhopal and further to Indore. The stay was to be at Indore, in the city. Indore was to be the centre from where the Maheshwar and Mandav trips were to be undertaken. I was not keen on having stay at either of these places. I was fine with the idea of driving back to Indore in the evenings.

So, on the road to Bhopal... one can take either the Salamatpur route or the Raisen route. I took the latter, as the roads appeared to be fantastic. Though Bhopal has a bypass, I preferred to traverse through the city.

It was quite an empty route for a long way...



The Bhopal - Dewas - Indore stretch was extraordinarily smooth and a delight to drive. But at the same time, I saw several accidents on the way; may be, people speed up too much in these places.

A point for tea en route...



A milestone there... SH 28; this was after I crossed Sehore:



Reached Indore by 8.30 and settled in the hotel... it was an easy place to exit from the city as well.

The Third Day...

The next day morning, with a slow start after breakfast...

The famous AB Road that takes one from Agra to Bombay:



I had driven all the way on this fine highway sometime ago, via Dhule, Nashik and Igatpuri:



Around 112 kms, I was at Maheshwar. Sahastradhara where Narmada flows in many streams:



The Maheshwar Fort of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar on the banks of Narmada:



The frontage of the Fort:



Another view of the frontage:



From the inside:



A colonnade:



Another structure within the small Fort complex:



The Narmada ghat, two sides...



Narmada flows here in full:



Lunch at a simple place in Maheshwar town itself... My next destination was Omkareshwar, around 70 kms away from here. I left the place when it was four in the evening. The road to Omkareshwar is in good shape.

On the way, I came across a meter gauge railway line which was the Khandwa - Mhow - Indore line. It is kept for gauge conversion (one of the last sections of meter gauge to be converted, I believe). I saw the Omkareshwar railway station too, after the mammoth Narmada bridge. The station is functional but I heard no train had passed that way in the last one year. It is a station with no trains. A short stop there, to visit this railway station, Omkareshwar Road:



The Khandwa side... this was a section on which some important long distance trains used to run, including the Secunderabad - Jaipur Express, a little more than a decade ago. The semaphore is dysfunctional away there:



It was possible, even in 2005 I think, to travel by meter gauge all the way from Secunderabad to old Delhi this way. As a student in Hyderabad, I used to regularly see the Jaipur Express leaving Secunderabad.

It was a fine surface to drive those remaining 12 kms to Omkareshwar:



Omkareshwar was not crowded at all, may be due to the circumstances in which many people do not prefer to travel. There was the foot bridge across:



A view of the Narmada flowing through the rocks:



That was all for the third day of the travelling. The drive back to Indore had ghat sections where I got heavy rains in utter darkness. The road was totally unfamiliar to me, so I was very slow and managed to reach Indore by 9.30 pm.

[Vipin Kumar]

The Fourth Day of the journey was for visiting Mandu, the abandoned capital of the Sultanate of Malwa (fourteenth and fifteenth centuries A.D.).

Again the plan was to travel to Mandu from Indore in the forenoon and return to Indore in the evening.

The start from Indore was delayed beyond 11. In fact, I regretted doing this once I reached Mandu at 1, for Mandu had more to offer to tourists.

The road is again the AB Road a long way. The last 23 kms was through villages and had a wonderful ghat section climbing the plateau. While entering Mandu, one will get a ticket and for the whole day one can park the car anywhere in the "city".

The Sultanate of Malwa was independent of the Delhi Sultanate, though later the Mughal Emperor Akbar had annexed this region to his territory.

The MPTDC has two retreats and restaurants in Mandu. Those who wish to stay there can book rooms in advance here, because these places are always full.

The first place of visit was Ashrafi Mahal (I did not particularly appreciate the way these ruins have been maintained):



This was the Tower of Victory inside which there was the tomb of Mahmud Khalji:



It was in the form of ruins:



Tomb of Mahmud Khalji, as written there anyway...





Ruins...



All broken down:



Towards the next...



Jami-Masjid was one of the most imposing of the structures here. It can be seen opposite of Ashrafi Mahal:



An outside view of Jami-Masjid:



Jami-Masjid -- the ASI speaks:



Jami-Masjid looked like the structures that I have seen in pictures of the central Asian monuments:











It was on so many pillars:







One side of the Jami-Masjid, before moving to the next monument:

[Vipin Kumar]

The next monument to see was Hoshang Shah Gori's tomb. Hoshang Shah Gori, a Sultan of Malwa (1406 - 1435 A.D.), himself was a great builder.

Moving out of Jami-Masjid, towards its rear:



The gateway to the Hoshang Shah Tomb:



As exited from Jami-Masjid:



Tomb itself:



The tomb resembled the Taj Mahal of Agra. It is stated that Emperor Shah Jehan had sent four major architects to visit the Hoshang Shah Gori Tomb in order to study the white marble structure before finalizing the architectural design of the Taj.

The frontage:



The complete monument:



An arrangement for gathering of people on one side of the monument:



Importantly, this resembles the patterns of Hindu temple architecture:



Lunch was over-due by then. So, MPTDC...

After a good meal, I drove to the Delhi-facing Ghadi Darwaza. It was not possible to go up there. So, just a distant snap:



I further drove to the famous Jahaj Mahal but once reached there, decided against going inside because it was quite full of people and would take time. No risks... So, drove further south towards the fabled Rani Roopmati's Pavilion, past the Baz-Bahadur palace...



"Pavilion" is spelt differently... so is "Rupmati"... A view of the Pavilion, this could be seen even from the plains while approaching Mandu:



Somehow I skipped the Baz-Bahadur Palace. I am sure I would have visited this place provided there was more time. But the Pavilion was worth enough and required time... a view of the plateau from the steps of the Pavilion -- Baz-Bahadur Palace can be seen far:



The views from the Pavilion were stunning:



A view of the plains... endless plains:



Edge... the sacred Narmada can be seen (Devi Ahilya could see Narmada from her Fort in Maheshwar, but that Fort is just on the river bank):



A structure from above:



Time was to be found for a visit of Lohani Caves. This is again close to Jahaj Mahal:



Rest, the pictures must say... the caves:



A closer look:



There was the breath-taking ridge, but before that, a few broken structures:



Another pillar...



From the edge of the pillar, the landscape below...



Another side:



We must move to a place from where the valley opens up...

[Vipin Kumar]

Once on the ridge, the whole volcanic plateau unfolds with its valley...



The uneven landscape...



Yet, the plateaus end symmetrically, more than three, one after the other...



And a real edge...



These points were a sort of culmination of the trip. They make a really good scenery tour...

On the way back to Indore, same route. But a brief stop-over at the Nilkanta Mahadeva Temple where it is said two live "nagas" reside... since I did not go inside, I did not see. Yet I have a picture of the premises of the temple that is situated down below these structures here:



Another snap from the way, on the way back...



My return was planned as Indore - Bhopal - Sanchi for the fifth day, and Sanchi - Lucknow for the sixth day. It was a good drive back. On the way, a stop-over at the Indian Coffee House in Jahangirabad in Bhopal:



The stay overnight was at Sanchi, at the MPTDC Gateway Retreat again.

Before Sanchi, on the Bhopal - Sagar Marg...



Sanchi railway station needs a mention, for there is a special board in which "Sanchi" is written in the Aśokan Brahmi script too. I made a brief visit there because there was time before breakfast and the station was too close to the Retreat:



Some of the rural roads I had to cross on my way to Jhansi from Sanchi...



This was after the turn just a few miles before Rahatgarh (I avoided the Pathari section while returning):



A small town and settlement:



Towards Khurai - Khimlasa - Malthone....:



I had left Sanchi at 10.10 in the morning, and reached Lucknow at 11.20 in the night. I drove pretty slowly, especially on the rural roads, for there was much to look around.

Some points about the trip:

I avoided going into the middle of people and crowds in all the places of visit. As such, Madhya Pradesh was not recording many numbers in Covid-19 cases.

I regretted not having enough time to spend in Mandu. In fact, I under-estimated the time required to visit this place. I missed the Jahaj Mahal due to crowds.

I would have preferred a better weather condition throughout. Most of the days remained humid.

The GPS pushed me into a narrow market in Bhopal while traversing through the city. So, while returning, I avoided it with the help of the staff at the Indian Coffee House.

Sanchi was one of the most exciting places of this visit. My next trip must be to Lauriya-Nandangarh. Though I studied about epigraphy and the importance of the Aśokan pillars from my old history classes, this trip has made me plan further trips to visit the other pillar inscriptions.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[abtyagi]

MP is absolutely stunning. And looks like this particular itinerary is perfect to cover it in 6-7 days. I believe it must have been a bit hot?

I try to do Bangalore-Delhi at least once a year, and MP has always been the motivation. So hopefully in October, I will try to follow your itinerary. Bookmarking it. Thanks again for sharing it.

[kiran_aithal]

Nice detailed travelogue and very good photos.... Thanks!
A few years back, I had driven down a good stretch of this AB highway from Mumbai to Indore and it is a very good highway with not much traffic (at least after Nashik). I liked Indore city and the way it was planned and maintained.
Contrast to many govt run tourist dept hotels, I found MPTDC hotels maintained really good. Visited Ujjaini and Omkareshwar and other nearby places.. But missed Sanchi and Maheshwar .. May be next time.

[HP-BHP]

Excellent travelogue. It brought back so many memories for me. You made my day man .

I have travelled to all these locations when I was a kid (I belong to City of Lakes: Bhopal) and these places are amazing.

Anyone who is planning to go around Indore / Bhopal section should plan to visit Pachmarhi once for at least 5 days (especially if you like to trek/roam around a lot on foot). There are very few places in India that can offer such "sukun" (peace).

In any case, MP is the Heart of India. Remember MP Tourism ad:

MP Ajab Hai, Sabse Gajab Hai:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh5GYlhugJk

[VT-RNS]

Excellent trip and detailing. Thank you so much, Vipin!

I have myself discovered parts of MP over the last year. Visited Khajuraho in Nov, and then drove through the state back to Mumbai. During that drive, we did stop at the Sanchi Stupa but that was about it. It is then that we decided to come back for more.

Just 2 weeks back, I had to travel to Bhopal for a family function, and although I couldn't spare the whole week to make it a holiday, I did visit Maheshwar.

The idea was to visit Mandu, Omkareshwar & then head to Bhopal. But unlike yourself, we had heavy rains, so decided to plan for another trip and head to Bhopal straight.

Vipin, you have provided a great reference to plan a trip for a week around these places.
And your train reference is spot on. As a kid, we would often take Punjab Mail and the spots like Sanchi, Khandwa, Vidisha have some great memories attached.

PS: Why did you not want to stay in Maheshwar? Would have allowed you to visit Mandu & Omkareshwar then instead of returning back to Indore each day?
I do agree that you dont have 5* hotels in Maheshwar (except the heritage hotel) but I would have choosen a 3* to save us the drive back & forth.

[no_fear]

@Vipin Kumar

Kudos to your trip. I really loved the history you have added to your write up. I covered a small bit of MP by car in 2017 and I have been fascinated by the history and the palaces / forts of the state. Your write up on Ashoka was fantastic and I googled up the story of Tishyaraksha. It sounds so similar to the Greek myths.

Maheshwar has been on my list, especially since I found out that the Ahilya Fort is now a hotel and you can take evening boat rides on the Narmada.

Thank you for posting this travelogue. This was very refreshing and informative.

[Exhuberance]

Great travelogue and inspiration for a road-trip the next time I visit my hometown Lucknow.

There are many amazing places in M.P. - I really like Panna, Kalinjar fort, Chitrakoot area and more such gems (including Khajuraho of course) that take take you back millennia in time.

[Stribog]

Amazing historical travelogue, the photos were also top notch.

Definitely this trip is on my own to-do historical drive.

Btw Mandu was around far before it became the capital of the Sultanates, the Paramara made it their capital before they were overthrown by Khilji. Have only read about the Roopmati pavilion (thank you Amar Chitra Katha), first time seeing it in pictures.