Mandu

Mandu, a ruined fortress city on a plateau in the Malwa region, was once celebrated as a centre of Afghan architecture and, more romantically, as the setting for the legendary love story of Sultan Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati. The Jahaz Mahal (Ship Palace), built between two artificial lakes to create the illusion of floating, and the vast Jama Masjid are among the sprawling site's most significant surviving structures.

Roopmati's Pavilion, perched at the city's edge with sweeping views over the Narmada valley below, is tied to local legend of the queen's tragic devotion, and the sheer scale of Mandu's ruins — spread across a large plateau rather than concentrated in a single compact site — rewards visitors willing to spend a full day exploring at an unhurried pace.

Mandu flourished particularly under the Malwa Sultanate in the 15th century, reaching its architectural peak under Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji before later coming under Mughal control, with much of the city's romantic legend tied to the earlier reign of Baz Bahadur.

About 100km from Indore, roughly 2.5-3 hours by road.