Jahaz Mehal

Situated between two artificial lakes, the Munj Talao and Kapur Sagar, Jahaz Mehal is one of the popular attractions for tourists visiting Mandu, an ancient fort city in Madhya Pradesh. Standing tall on the narrow strip of land between the two lakes, this magnificent palace gives an impression of a majestic ship that is floating gently above the surface of the lake water. Owing to its unique structure and magnificent architecture, Jahaz Mehal also known as ship palace is recognized as a prime tourist hotspot in Mandu.

Visitor information-

• Famous for: architecture, history, tourism

• Timings: 6 AM to 67 PM on all days of the week.

• Entry Fee:

• Indian tourist: INR 5

• Foreigner: INR 100

• Video camera: 25

• Visiting duration: 1 to 2 hours.

Traveler's tips:

• As the temperature gets high in Madhya Pradesh in summer, plan a trip to Mandu in winter or monsoon.

• Carry light snacks and enough water.

• Try to visit during sunset time.

• To know about the history of Mandu and Jahaz Mehal in detail, take a guide.

• This palace involves plenty of walking and climbing up the stairs, which might not be able easy for old people and kids.

History:

Jahaz Mehal was built during the reign of Mandu Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji, somewhere around 1436-1439, to accommodate his 15000 concubines. This magnificent pleasure palace was constructed to keep the women belonging to the royal consortium hidden from public view. Here, Sultan's consorts enjoyed a life of luxuries and opulence. In1617 Mughal emperor Jahangir visited this magnificent ship palace with his favorite wife Nur Jahan and later described his experience of staying in this place as 'a wonderful assembly'.

Architecture

Standing at a massive height of 110 meters and only 15 meters in width, Jahaz Mehal is a double-storeyed, rectangular structure situated between two water bodies. Boasting four domed pavilions, terraces with Turkish style bathing pools, numerous arches, step ways, and incredible water structures within its premises, Jahaz Mehal is a marvelous piece of Afghan engineering work. The palace has an entrance from the east where the main gateway has a recessed Gothic arched marble opening which s flanked on each side by 6 smaller pointed-arched gateways. The ground floor of Jahaz Mehal has tree huge halls connected by corridors with small rooms at the end. Each of the three halls has attached pavilions at the rear, overlooking Munj Talao. Besides, two pools in the terrace, the ground floor of the palace also has a three-meter deep blooming flower-shaped swimming pool with plenty of seating area. Fringed with arches of different designs, all the passages, windows and entrances look stunningly beautiful.

Things to do

Explore the awe-inspiring Malwa influenced architecture and designing of this 120-meter long ship palace.

Visit Taveli mahal, a former stable inside the Jahaz Mehal, which has been converted into a modest museum post-restoration. The small museum displays artifacts from the history of Malwa.

Enjoy a stunning sunset view from the terrace of the Jahaz Mehal. The gleaming rays of the sun reflecting off the lake water constitute one of the most enchanting views one could experience in a lifetime.

How to reach?

• By flight: One can easily get a private car or local bus for Jahaz Mehal in Mandu from Devi Ahilya Bai Airport, Indore, which is around 90 km away.

• By train: The nearest railway station of Mandu is Indore, which is connected with most of the major cities of India.

• By bus/road: Important cities around Mandu are Dhar (40kms) and Indore (95kms). Direct buses are available from Indore to Mandu from where you can navigate the place on foot. From Mandu bus stand the distance of Jahaz Mehal is nearly 5 km.

Best time to visit

It is accessible throughout the year so it can be visited in any season. However, the best time to visit Mandu is from October to March as this period experiences pleasant weather. With occasional rainfall, monsoon is also a good time to plana trip to Mandu.

Nearby attractions

The fort town of Madhya Pradesh, Mandu has many beautiful places to visit for tourists such as:

• Hindola maha

• Jami masjid

• Roopmati's pavilion

• Neel Kanth palace

• Baz Bahadur palace

• Champa Baoli and Hammam

Plan a trip to Mandu to be intrigued by the phenomenal architecture and beauty of Jahaz Mehal.