MP cuisine: 25 must-have treats in Madhya Pradesh

ANURAG MALLICK and PRIYA GANAPATHY go on a culinary tour of Madhya Pradesh and come up with this definitive food guide of local eats

Like the proverbial heart of India, Madhya Pradesh’s cuisine too is a reflection of its central location. Bound by Bundelkhand and Mewar to the north, Gujarat to the west and Maharashtra to the south, MP has its own distinct culture and language, though its cuisine borrows some elements from neighbouring regions – be it Gujarati kadhi-fafda and khaman (dhokla) to Rajasthani style dal-baati–churma with a twist and the love for poha stemming from its proximity to Maharashtra and strong Maratha presence. Yet, MP has its own set of dishes and treats unique to certain places.

If Gwalior has its bedai and Jabalpur its badkul, then Burhanpur is known for its mawa jalebis, maande and daraba. Yet, all culinary journeys begin in Indore, the imperial city of the Holkars. “Sir ji, main keh riya hoon, Indore toh chatoron ka shahar hai” (Sir, I tell you, Indore is a city for snackers), exclaimed our driver Jitender. Despite the local fondness for namkeen (savoury snacks) and charkha (spicy) flavours, they love their sweets. So much so, that poha-jalebi is considered as acceptable as macaroni n’ cheese.

Breakfast rests on the four pillars of samosa, kachori, poha and jalebi. Chhappan Dukaan, a precinct of ‘56 shops’, mostly food joints, is Indore’s answer to Mumbai’s Chowpatty. Visitors flock to local food legends like Vijay Chaat House and Johnny Hot Dog. By night, the party shifts to Sarafa, where jewellery shops down their shutters at dusk and food stalls reclaim the streets. Locals and tourists alike feast on garadu (deep fried sweet potato), sabudana khichdi, dahi bada, bhutte ka kees, kachori, desi pizzas, pasta and Maggi, besides desserts like mawa-bati, khoprapak (coconut-based sweet), shrikhand and malpua.

While Indore has its Sarafa, Bhopal too has a Chatori Gali, buzzing with food stalls selling kebabs, paaya (trotter soup) and an assortment of sweets that often end with a Bhopali paan. Most MPSTDC hotels also serve local specialties like Murgh Razala Bhopali (chicken in white gravy), Malwa ka bhatta bharta (baingan bharta), Dal-baati with churma laddoo and Ghuian (arbi) ki sabzi. Here’s a look at 25 typical treats from the region…

1. Bedai
It’s neither a poori, nor a kachori, but something in between. At best, Gwalior’s local snack bedai is a poori stuffed with spiced lentils. Every morning, regulars queue up at SS Kachoriwala and Bahadura, an 80-year-old shop in Naya Bazaar for bedai, samosa, kachori, scrumptious jalebis and gulab jamuns. And while you’re on the foodie trail, stop by at Dilli Parathe Wala at Sarafa Bazaar, Agrawal Puri Bhandar at Nayi Sadak and Shankerlal Halwai’s legendary laddus (which had a big patron in former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee).

2. Badkul
It looks like a jalebi but tastes like a gulab jamun. Yes, it may sound like a puzzle, but Jabalpur’s version of a jalebi is made of khova and arrowroot batter. It is believed that the dark coloured sweet with a spongy texture was invented in 1889 by Harprasad Badkul, after whom it is named.

3. Khopra patties
A specialty from the western MP region of Malwa, khopra patties are golden-hued deep-fried aloo bondas with a stuffing of khopra (grated coconut) and dry fruits like cashews and raisins! Insanely delicious, it’s served with green mint-coriander chutney and red tamarind chutney. Try it at Vijay Chaat House in Indore or Amrit Sweets in Dewas.

4. Shikanji
Not to be confused with Delhi’s lemonade of the same name, Indore’s shikanji is a thick, milkshake enriched with dry fruits. It is regarded as a concoction created by Nagori Mishthan Bhandar in Bada Sarafa, which still churns out a limited batch daily. Since it is a blend of various ingredients, it is called shikanji (literally ‘mixture’) made from kesar, elaichi, javitri, jaiphal, kishmish, mattha and milk reduced for 12 hours and cooled for another 12 hours before being served cold.

Shyam Sharma ji from Beawar in Rajasthan started a small sweet shop 35 years ago and called it Madhuram as he wanted a short and sweet name. Sporting a Krishna medallion, the cheery mustachioed owner, personally ladles out shikanji for visitors. “Aise gatak ke mat peena, ismein alag alag taste khojna!” (Don’t gulp it. Savour it slowly to discover its different hidden flavours). First shrikhand, then rabdi, dry fruit and milk. Affable Sharma ‘uncle’ literally force-feeds guests fluorescent green petha pan, another sweet invention.

5. Gajak
A signature sweet from Bhind, Morena, gajak (sesame brittle) is mostly made of roasted sesame or peanuts and cashew, with jaggery and ghee. Nutty, crunchy and a snack that keeps you warm, gajak is a winter specialty with shops lined with these goodies. Anyone travelling to the region is expected to return with a mandatory pack. In Gwalior, Ratiram Gajak or Morena Gajak Bhandar are trusted for their quality products.

6. Poha
Poha or tempered beaten rice is the go-to brekker across MP. But unlike the Maharashtrian style poha, the Indori poha is much lighter with less use of oil and spices. It is topped with sev or mixture, chopped onion and coriander and served with a wedge of lime. Usually paired with hot scrumptious jalebis, you got to try it to believe it!

7. Doodh-jalebi
In the winter months, you’ll often see milk being reduced in large kadahis (vessels) outside sweet shops and hot jalebis dunked in it and served. A Khandwa specialty, the town’s famous son Kishore Kumar often longed to leave Bombay and go back to his roots. His common refrain was, “Doodh-jalebi khayenge, Khandwa mein bas jayenge.”

8. Bhutte ka kees
Maize, or bhutta as it’s locally called, is a common staple. Farmers harvest it and bring it by the tractor-loads to be sold on highways. Locals love it roasted on hot coals as a snack, with a smear of lime, salt and chili. Across Malwa, it is eaten as bhutte ka kees, made with grated corn (keesna means to ‘grate’), roasted in ghee and cooked in milk with spices. Sarafa Bazaar in Indore is the place to have it.

9. Dal-bafla
The traditional bread is bafla, a small ball of wheat dough. However, unlike Rajasthan’s fried baatis, the bafla is typically boiled in water, roasted over dung cakes on an iron griddle and dunked in ghee. It is served as a thali meal with dal, kadhi, aloo sabzi and chutneys of garlic and coriander, often rounded off with laddus. At Hotel Sai Palace near Mangalnath temple in Ujjain, turbaned stewards serve an unlimited meal for Rs.200. Their original eatery Hotel Rajhans at Sarafa in Indore was started 40 years ago by Shri Gyan Chand ji Raka.

10. Dal-paniya
Corn is also used to make paniya or maize flour cakes, sandwiched between aak ka patta (leaves of Calotropis gigantea) and cooked on an open fire of dried cowpat. Best enjoyed at Hotel Gurukripa in Mandu, paniya is slightly bigger and flatter than a bafla, but served with the same accompaniments – dal, sabzi. onion and chutneys.

11. Chakki ki shaak
Another popular local delicacy, Chakki ki shaak is made of steamed wheat dough cooked in a curd-based gravy. Tapu, a local variety of wheat, is also used to make sweet cakes that are used in religious occasions and festivities.

12. Sev
Sev is a savoury noodle-shaped snack made from chickpea flour paste seasoned with spices, sieved and deep-fried in oil. It is of varied thickness and is consumed as a stand-alone snack across MP or as a garnish on poha, mixtures or chaats like bhel puri and sev puri. Each region has its flavour variants – from Ratlami sev to finer Ujjaini sev. In Ratlam, you get long (clove) flavoured sev while in Indore, the lasuniya (garlic) flavoured sev is the rage. Shops sell a mind-boggling assortment of sev – palak (spinach), tamatar (tomato), dhaniya-pudina (coriander-mint) and hing (asafetida).

13. Sabudana khichdi
Sabudana or pearl sago is used to make khichdi (though its consistency is not like porridge but drier like poha or upma). At Indore’s Sarafa bazaar, Sanvariya Seth mixes the sago pearls by hand, tossing in some chopped onions, coriander, chili, lime juice and sev. He’ll even customize its spiciness for you.

14. Maande
In the region of Khandesh abutting Maharashtra in southwest MP, the erstwhile Mughal bastion of Burhanpur is legendary for its maande (roomali rotis), hand stretched and tossed with flourish at roadside stalls. The workers dexterously fling the rotis on to the upturned tava and then to the take-away counter, where it is neatly folded into rectangles and taken home.

15. Daraba
Burhanpur’s signature sweet, though not so well known outside, is daraba, made of sugar, semolina and ghee whipped together into a fluffy consistency. The word daraba could be derived from the act of beating. Local INTACH convener and owner of Hotel Ambar Hoshang Havildar says the sweet used to be really soft and smooth earlier. “Isey ghoy ghot ke, ghot ghot ke banate they (They used to beat it for hours). It was so fine, if you touched it to your eye, you wouldn’t feel a thing.” Sold at Milan Sweets, it is relished during the annual Balaji ka Mela on the banks of the Tapti river.

16. Burhanpur Jalebi
Unlike regular jalebis, the Burhanpur jalebi is made of mawa (khoa) and is quite popular at food stalls stretching from Bohri Mohalla to Minara Masjid in Mumbai or Mominpura in Nagpur during Ramzan. Thick and a little chewy, some add arrowroot to bulk it up, but it’s best enjoyed fresh in its city of origin at Burhanpur Jalebi Centre. Deep-fried to a chocolate hue, it is dunked in sugar syrup before being dished out to patrons.

17. Batla kachori
While kachoris are popular all over the country, in Indore it’s stuffed not with spiced lentils, but with batla (green pea). The best place to have it is Vijay Chaat House, started in 1969 by Dayashankar Thakar of Surat. Their flagship shop D Harishankar Dhanjibhai Bhajiyawala has been running in Surat since 108 years!

18. Kadhi-fafda
Another Gujarati touch, fafda (chickpea flour crackers) is typically served with kadhi or buttermilk based curry. Locals swarm shops like Shri Balaji Chaat Corner in Indore, dipping their fafdas in the tangy curry and biting into fried green chilis!

19. Fried khaman
While khaman (or dhokla as it’s better known) is universally loved, in western Madhya Pradesh it is also available in a fried version and sprinkled with chat masala. While regular khaman is made from besan, for the fried version only Surti khaman is used made from chana dal as it’s firmer and handles deep frying much better.

20. Baalam kakdi
In Mandu and its surrounding regions, there’s a giant cucumber called baalam kakdi, which is served with salt, chilli and lime. Unlike regular cucumbers, it is lemon green in colour with a soft and fleshy pulp and a texture that’s more like steamed squash.

21. Khorasani Imli
Malwa’s ancient capital Mandu is home to giant baobab trees, gifted by the Caliphs of Egypt to the sultans of Mandu sometime in the 14^th century. Known as ‘dead-rat tree’ and ‘monkey-bread tree’ owing to the fruit’s strange shape and its popularity among simians, it is locally called Khorasani imli (tamarind from Khorasan, ancient Persia) and makes a good souring agent for curries like imli ki kadhi. It is deseeded and sold in packets by local vendors, along with other seeds, barks and agro produce.

22. Mawa Bati
Similar to a stuffed gulab jamun, the mava-based dough is filled with mava, dry fruits and nuts, deep-fried till brown and lightly soaked in sugar syrup. Sometimes, it is dusted with desiccated coconut powder.

23. Garadu
If Delhi loves its aloo chaat in winters, Indore goes weak-kneed for garadu, a tuber from the yam or sweet potato family. Cut into cubes and deep fried, it is sprinkled with chaat masala and a dash of lime before being devoured by locals.

24. Kadaknath
Another local specialty is a sooty country chicken called ‘Kadaknath’ endemic to the region. Charcoal black in colour, its blood is believed to be just as dark with even its skin tone being purple-grey. A connoisseur’s delight, this extremely rare fowl is sold at twice the price of a regular country chicken. However, it is not available on regular restaurant menus and patrons must procure it before it can be prepared!

25. Batteesee Chutney
Richard Holkar, royal scion of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, renovated the queen’s royal seat Ahilya Fort in Maheshwar and revived its weaving and cultural traditions. A gourmand, he also authored ‘Cooking of the Maharajas’ in 1975 and often joins his guests for conversations over a drink or meals. His creation, the legendary ‘Batteesee Chatni’ is a secret recipe involving as many as 32 ingredients. Ahilya Fort is also the perfect base for foodies to enjoy a Maheshwari maalish (massage) along with Maheshwar scrambled eggs (with onion, tomato, coriander), grilled baam (local river fish), chilled soups of carrot, ginger and sweet lime, homemade walnut and sunflower seed bread, banana upside down cake, besides Richard’s exclusive collection of cardamom and citrus preserves.
 

FACT FILE

Vijay Chaat House
6-9, Chhappan Dukan, Indore Ph 0731-6541710
75/5, Bada Sarafa, Indore Ph 0731-6541709
http://www.vijaychaathouse.com
What to eat: Khopra patties, matar kachori, samosa, fried khaman

Madhuram Sweets
27, Chhappan Dukan, New Palasia, Indore
Ph 0731-253 0555
http://www.madhuramsweets.com
What to eat: Shikanji, Pan Mithai, sweets

Amrit Sweets
AB Road, Bawadiya, Dewas
Ph 07272-258580
What to eat: Poha, jalebi, samosa, kachori

Hotel Sai Palace
Sunder Van Dhani, Mangalnath Road, Ujjain Ph 9009293944
Near Rajkumar Hotel, Freeganj, Ujjain Ph 0734-4061888, 9009004830
What to eat: Dal-bafla thali

Hotel Gurukripa
Main Road, Mandu
Ph 98930 43496, 94250 34837
What to eat: Dal-paniya thali

Ahilya Fort
Ahilya Wada, Maheshwar, West Nimar 451224
Ph: 011-41551575 Email: info@ahilyafort.com
http://www.ahilyafort.com
What to eat: Batteesee Chutney, Maheshwari scrambled eggs & more

Milan Mithai
Main Branch, Gandhi Chowk, Burhanpur
Ph 07325-252315, 252295
What to eat: Daraba

Burhanpur Jalebi Centre
Subhash Chowk, Burhanpur
Ph 98262 72490
What to eat: Mawa jalebi

Authors: Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy. This is the unabridged version of the article that appeared on 7 Feb 2018 on National Geographic Traveller India online. Here’s a link to the original piece: http://www.natgeotraveller.in/food-trail-in-madhya-pradesh-25-must-have-treats/  

 

 

 

 

Royal Gwalior

From grand palaces and historic forts to scrumptious food and music celebrations, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh has much to offer, discover ANURAG MALLICK and PRIYA GANAPATHY 

After winding up Urwahi Road past mammoth rock cut sculptures of Jain tirthankaras, we stood awestruck by the sight of bright blue mosaic tiles and bands of quirky yellow ducks and blue elephants on the stony façade of Man Mandir Palace atop Gwalior Fort. Babur described it as ‘the pearl in the necklace of forts of Hind’ while Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of India famously proclaimed “The Gwalior fortress is the key to Hindoostan”. Lying at the crossroads of North India, the historic city was a coveted prize and a strategic outpost on the trade routes that fanned from Delhi to Malwa, Gujarat and the Deccan.

The majestic fort crowns Gopachal Parvat, the solitary sandstone outcrop of the Vindhyas rising above the plains. Once a hill where cowherds lazed, it became a quiet nook for ascetics. Sometime in the 8^th century Suraj Sen, a Kachhwaha Rajput chieftain, lost his way while on a hunt in the forest. Tired and thirsty, he encountered the sage Gwalipa on this secluded hill. The saint gave him water from a pond, which not only quenched his thirst but also cured his leprosy. In gratitude, the prince built a protective wall to prevent wild beasts from disturbing the sage’s yagnas and a palace for himself. While the miraculous pond was called Suraj Kund after the king, the city that grew around the fort was named Gwalher after Gwalipa the saint.

Over the years, smoothened by time and myriad tongues, Gwalher became Gwalior, in the same manner that the Sahastrabahu temple of the Kachhwahas got corrupted to Saas Bahu! But there was good reason for it. Built in 1092 by King Mahipala, the shrine was named after and dedicated to the ‘thousand-armed’ Vishnu, ardently worshiped by the queen. Since the prince’s wife was a Shiva devotee, a separate shrine was built for her beside the Vishnu temple. Collectively, they were called Saas-Bahu Mandir, referring to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law’s temples.

In a similar vein, Teli ka Mandir, the loftiest and oldest surviving structure within the fort has little to do with oil-mongers but was originally called Telangana Mandir on account of its Dravidian spire. Gwalior Fort is a treasure trove of history. While it is common knowledge that the zero was invented in India, the earliest written record of the numeral is an inscription in the Chaturbhuj temple dating back to 876 CE.

The Pal dynasty of Kachhwahas and the Gurjar Pratiharas controlled Gwalior initially, but the fort changed hands with alarming rapidity, slipping from the grasp of Delhi’s first Turkic Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak to Iltutmish. After the Delhi Sultanate collapsed at the end of the 14th century, independent regional kingdoms sprouted, including the Tomars, under whose reign Gwalior soared to great heights.

Periods of war and bloodshed alternated with interludes of peace and stability, when the sound of music drowned battle cries and the clash of swords was forgotten in the rhythms of poetry. The credit for developing Gwaliori Dhrupad, considered one of the purest forms of Indian music, goes to Tomar Raja Man Singh (1486-1516). Musicians from across the country descended on Man Singh’s opulent palace Man Mandir.

Two of the most famous musicians in medieval India, Baiju Bawra and Tansen trace their roots to Gwalior. At one time, nearly half the musicians in the Mughal imperial court came from the city. Books preserved in Jai Vilas Mahal recount legends of how Baiju Bawra and Tansen could light oil lamps by singing Raga Deepak; cause rain by singing Megh Malhar; make flowers bloom by singing Raga Bahar; hypnotize deer with Raga Mrigaranjini or melt a stone slab with Raga Malkauns. Tansen, originally one of the nine jewels of Man Singh’s court, later became one of the navratnas (nine jewels) of Akbar’s court. When the maestro died, Akbar ordered all musicians in the country to join the funeral procession.

Thousands still flock to Gwalior every year in December for a weeklong music celebration in memory of Tansen not far from his 16^th century tomb under the shade of a tamarind tree. As per local tradition, aspiring singers often chew the tamarind leaves for a sweet voice. Tansen’s raised rectangular memorial was humbled by the grand mausoleum of his spiritual mentor and Sufi mystic Sheikh Mohammad Ghaus Shattari. With lace-like screens, his massive square tomb was capped with a large dome.

Akbar borrowed more than the city’s prized poet laureate; he also found in Gwalior’s mahals (palaces) and chhatris (domed pavilions) the inspiration for Mughal architecture. While Man Mandir was a private pleasure palace, Man Singh built another palace for his doe-eyed Gujar queen Mrignayani at the base of the hillock. Gujari Mahal now houses an archaeological museum, with a rare 10^th century statuette of Shalbhanjika the Tree Goddess, kept under lock and key in the curator’s office.

Sadly, after the death of Raja Man Singh, the Tomar dynasty was swept aside. Ibrahim Lodhi captured the fortress after a two-year long siege but Babur wrested Gwalior after defeating Lodhi at the Battle of Panipat in 1526. Not known for his appreciation of Indian architecture, the founder of the Mughal Empire was struck by the loveliness of Man Mandir. He noted, “Man Singh’s palace is a wonderful edifice. On every side are cupolas, each covered with sheets of gilded copper. The outer walls are decorated with glowing tiles.”

Under Humayun, the Mughals lost the fortress to Sher Shah Suri but Akbar reclaimed it. However, the palace that once resounded with song and laughter, echoed with the anguished cries of prisoners. The underground realms and pleasure pools where maharanis once gossiped turned into chambers of torture. French traveller Bernier noted horrific accounts of the prison. From Akbar to Aurangzeb, state prisoners were dulled with poppy and left to decay and die a slow painful death.

Among the few who left the prison alive was sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind Singh. Imprisoned unjustly, Emperor Jahangir was forced to order his release at the insistence of his beloved queen Nur Jahan. Seeing the plight of captive princes and fellow inmates, the Guru said he could not leave alone. The Mughal emperor decreed that as many prisoners who could hold on to the Guru’s robe would be released. Overnight, tassels were attached to the Guru’s tunic and thus 51 other people were set free. Not far from the celebrated Scindia School atop the fort, Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod celebrates this incident.

After Aurangzeb’s death, anarchy prevailed until Mahadji Scindia, founder of the Maratha empire seized the fort in 1765. Always at odds with the expansionist British, the Marathas fought many battles eventually losing the fort in 1780 before they faced a complete rout in 1843.

Public sentiment had built up so much against the British that a handful of soldiers in Meerut sparked off a nationwide rebellion in 1857. Gwalior once again changed hands as Tatya Tope, Rao Saheb Peshwa and Rani Lakshmibai took hold of the fort. The Rani of Jhansi died fighting valiantly against the British at the fort’s southern base, Phool Bagh. Ironically, the Scindias sided with the British and received handsome rewards which fueled a construction frenzy of opulent palaces and mansions in Gwalior.

Jai Vilas Mahal, styled after a palace in Versailles stands in Lashkar (a Persian word meaning ‘camp’), an area once occupied by army battalions. Forty rooms of the 400-room European style mansion are maintained as the Jiwaji Rao Scindia Museum, with royal artefacts and opulent dining sets on display. The highlight is a gigantic pair of Belgian chandeliers in the Durbar Hall and a silver train in the dining room that ran on a miniature track dispensing post-dinner cognac, dry fruits and cigars!

Madha Rao Scindia I, founder of modern Gwalior built the Phool Bagh where a temple, mosque, gurudwara and Theosophical lodge stand testimony to the city’s secular ethos. The king also started the Gwalior trade fair in 1905, the biggest fair in Madhya Pradesh. Music aficionados will find it worth their while to visit Sarod Ghar or the Museum of Music, set up in the ancestral house of the legendary maestro Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, father of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan.

Nearby, the place where the British Army Unit 34 encamped during Second World War is called ‘Thatipur’, its numerical reference lost on locals. In the syncretic air of Gwalior, Ramtanu Pandey becomes ‘Miyan’ Tansen and a fearless Gujar village belle Nanhi becomes Mrignayani the queen. Unperturbed by the burden of history, Gwalior juggles its various influences with panache and typical Bundelkhandi swagger.

FACT FILE

Getting there
Gwalior Airport is located at Maharajpur, 10 km north-east of the city and is connected by flights from several cities.

When to go
The month-long Gwalior Trade fair is held between the second week of January and February. Tansen Samaroh is a 5-day classical music festival held in December.

Where to Stay
Deo Bagh
The royal summer house of the Yadavs facing the nine-chequered garden Nau Bagh is run as a heritage hotel by Neemrana. The 25-acre property has lovely gardens, cenotaphs, pavilions and two 18^th century Maratha temples.
Ph +91 751 2820357 www.deo-bagh.neemranahotels.com

Usha Kiran Palace
The 120-year-old colonial era palace with twin towers is run by the Taj Group as a heritage hotel and has hosted luminaries like the King of England.
Ph +91 751 244 4000 www.tajhotels.com

What to Eat
Try the local favourite bedai, a poori stuffed with spiced lentils, besides gajak (sesame, sugar and ghee sweet) from Ratiram Gajak and Morena Gajak Bhandar. Regulars queue up early morning for samosa, kachori and sweets at SS Kachoriwala and Bahadura, an 80-year-old sweet shop in Naya Bazaar. Also check out Dilli Parathe Wala at Sarafa Bazar, Agrawal Puri Bhandar at Nayi Sadak and laddus at Shankerlal Halwai.

Authors: Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy. This article appeared as the Cover Story in the April 2016 issue of JetWings International magazine. 

Gwalior: Sweet strains of music

In Gwalior, the home and resting place of legendary Indian classical musician Tansen, ANURAG MALLICK and PRIYA GANAPATHY explore the ancient city during Tansen Samaroh and find that art and culture continue to flourish here

Not too far from the 16^th century tomb of Tansen, Pandit Abhay Narayan Mallick’s dhrupad rendition filled the air on a clear December night. Unlike the black tie affair of an opera, Gwalior’s culture aficionados had turned up unabashedly wrapped in blankets, mufflers and monkey caps to brave the winter, yet, united in their love for classical music. Over the weeklong Tansen Samaroh, the country’s top classical singers and performers regaled audiences in a city that was home to medieval India’s most celebrated musician.

The elevated rectangular platform enshrining Tansen’s tomb rested under the shade of a tamarind tree. Its bitter leaves were considered miraculous and local singers often chewed it for a sweet voice. Tansen’s memorial dwarfed in front of the mausoleum of his spiritual mentor and Sufi mystic Sheikh Mohammad Ghaus Shattari. The large square tomb capped with a large dome, hexagonal towers in the corners and delicately latticed walls resounded with notes late into the night.

Nearly 500 years ago, the voice of Tansen similarly echoed through the galleries of Man Mandir, the palace of Tomar Raja Man Singh (1486-1516), high up in the fort atop Gopachal Parvat. It is said the court poet could light lamps with Raga Deepak and his Raga Malhar could bring down the rains! Tansen later became one of the navratnas (nine jewels) of Akbar’s court. He sparkled, drawing gasps of awe, much like the brilliant azure, ochre and emerald green mosaic tiles on the façade of Man Mandir Palace adorned by whimsical bands of yellow ducks and blue elephants.

The rambling Gwalior Fort is dotted with several mahals (palaces), chhatris (domed pavilions) and shrines like Sas Bahu Temple and Teli ka Mandir, besides the exquisite Jain rock cut sculptures carved into the hillside. En route to the reputed Scindia School, Gurudwara Data Bandi Chhod celebrates the release of Guru Hargobind Singh from the fort, along with 52 other inmates. Gwalior is also associated with Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi who died fighting the British at the southern base of the very fort at Phool Bagh.

At the hillock’s northern base, Man Singh built Gujari Mahal for his doe-eyed Gujar queen Mrignayani. Currently serving as an archaeological museum, its most prized exhibit is the 10^th century statuette of Shalbhanjika, excavated at Gyaraspur. We retired to the royal comfort of Deo Bagh, Neemrana’s heritage hotel facing the nine-chequered garden Nau Bagh, located in a quiet campus with two 18^th century Maratha temples, cenotaphs and arched pavilions.

For any visitor, Gwalior is worth exploring leisurely over a few days. There’s a lot to see – from the Vivaswan Surya Mandir to chhatris of the Scindias to Jai Vilas Mahal, still used a Scindia residence. Forty rooms of the 400-room European style mansion are open to public as the Jiwaji Rao Scindia Museum, with Belgian chandeliers, opulent dining sets and royal artefacts on display.

And where art and culture flourished, can cuisine be far behind? Like music, Gwalior takes its food seriously too. Regulars line up in the wee hours at Bahadura, an 80-year-old sweet shop in Naya Bazaar for the local favourite bedai, a poori stuffed with moong and udad dal (lentils), besides laddus and gulab jamun. Locals love eating out – from samosa, kachori, jalebi and rabdi at SS Kachoriwala or a pure veg thali in Agrawal Puri Bhandar at Nayi Sadak or assorted parathas at Dilli Parathe Wala at Sarafa Bazar.

The city also nurses a sweet tooth with laddus of Shankerlal Halwai made famous by Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the legendary gajak (crispy sesame, sugar and ghee sweet) of Ratiram Gajak and Daulatram Gupta’s Morena Gajak Bhandar. Indeed, in the city of Tansen, sweetness is in the air…

Authors: Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy. This article appeared in the December, 2015 issue of JetWings magazine.