Lord Shiva in an abode with Islamic Inscription, Nilkanth, Mandu

What happens when you visit a place and see the most unexpected. That’s what happened to me when I visited Nilkanth Palace Temple in Mandu. I was traveling from Maheshwar to Mandu when I stopped by to catch a valley side view on the outskirts of Mandu. Initially, I thought that it was yet another temple that people were visiting in the auspicious month of Sawaan ( July). I climbed down the steps to find the temple made of red stone which was built in Islamic Style and resembled more of a palace or a meeting court. Apparently, it was originally a Shiva Temple which was demolished and a pleasure house was constructed by one of the governor’s of Akbar’s court and over a period of time Shiva made his way back into his original home.

There is a small tank in front of the entrance which is connected to a labyrinth that guides the water to the valley. One look up and the Islamic inscriptions in Persian/Urdu can be seen on the top of the building as well as the archway. While the primary Shivaling is in the central hall, there were other idols in the adjoining rooms. I climbed up the stairs from the side of the temple to the terrace to get closer to the waterfall behind the temple. Inspite of all the crowd and noise, there was a sense of peace around.