Roopmati Pavilion.
Rani Roopmati Pavilion which is also alternately called Roopmati Palace is located on a precipice at a height of 365 meters/1200 feet. From this commanding height, it overlooks the Nimar plains for miles all around.
It can be reached by a motorable blacktop serpentine winding road with a lot of hairpin bends. As per instruction from ASI, tourists are not permitted to take cars up to the top. After parking the cars at the parking lot at the bottom of the hill one has to walk up to Rani Roopmati Place. A shortcut in a staircase of 3 to 4 feet long stones sticking out a wall is also available. Physically challenged people should not take this shortcut.
Road to Roopmati Palace. The railing and top flight of the shortcut staircase are visible at the left bottom of the photo.
Roopmati Pavillion on a hill top.
Due to its location at a commanding height original purpose of some structures must have been built as an observation post and used for that purpose for a very very long time.It is said that Rani Roopmati was a devote worshipper of River Narmada and had her meals only after having a 'darshan' of river Narmada.
As per the legend and intermingled history cum folklore, King Baj Bahadur built this pavilion for his lady love Rani Roopmati. She came here and from its commanding height had a darshan of the Narmada River.
Rani Roopmati Palace is built of red sandstone and has domed chambers at either end of the terrace.
Arched dalans/ chambers and an inbuilt water storage tank give some idea about the architecture and water harvesting technique of that time.
A garden with a lawn has been made by the side of Roopmati Palace. It is a nice place for a picnic.
We did climb to the top of the Roopmati Pavilion. The panoramic view from its commanding height of 2000 feet higher than the surrounding Nemar plains is really awesome. Saw shining water from lots of water bodies made for irrigation purposes but no view, not even a glimpse of the Narmada River.
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