Koshak Mahal

• The chronicler Mohammad Kasim in his book the Farishta writes that Sultan Mehood Shah Khilji attacked and defeated Sharki Sultan Mehmood of Jaunpur at Kalpi in the year 1445 A.D. 
• After the victory when he returned to his capital in Mandu the Sultan expressed that they should celebrate their victory in the form of a seven day celebration. 
• At that time he also ordered a seven story building and a village to be called Zafrabad constructed near Chanderi for the advent when the sultan would visit. 
• It had been said that the Sultan ordered the construction of the KushkMahal as a civil project to help the population of Chanderi.

• At this time in Chanderi there was a shortage of work and many were unemployed. Using his victory in battle as a pretext the sultan ordered the construction of Koshak Mahal to give the people of Chanderi work and pay. 
• 100s of workers spent years building this fanciful Mahal. Koshak Mahal is located four kilometers from Chanderi off the Isagarh Road. 
• The monument is erected on four pillars and is 116 square feet in size. Each story is 15 feet high and the verandahs are 43 by 43 feet wide. The two main door entrances are 45 feet high and 26 feet wide. The width of the walls is 10 feet thick. 
• Every story has six doors and one window. The architect of this palace has blended and incorporated the styles of the Malwa Islamic, Iranian, Afghani, and Indian Vedic architecture forms. 
• At one side the monument is decorated with lotus flowers and on the other side betel leaves. As one enters the palace staircases from both sides lead up to each story. 
• At the doors of each staircase are a few lines inscribed in Farshi and Nask script. As the structure exists today there are three fully constructed floors and a fourth half constructed. 
• There are conflicting stories as to if the Koshak Mahal's planned seven stories were ever completed. Some argue that the project was never completed, while others say that all seven stories were built but only three and a half exist today.
• It has been told that during the 1930s and 40s the Koshak Mahal went through a restoration project. Workers from Chanderi who helped clear the palace state that there were vast amounts of large stones inside and outside the monument that were surly parts of upper floors. 
• It has also been said that after the events of 1857 the British Army instigated the demolition of many palaces and Mahals in retaliation against the royalty and aristocracy who had attempted revolution against them. 
• The Koshak Mahal was one of the buildings that was cannon shot by the British Army. Another story that is associated with the Koshak Mahal is that when construction of this monument began and the first story was almost complete the problem of lifting the very large and thick stones to the second story arose. 
• To overcome this problem the first story was covered with dirt and an incline hill on four sides served as a ramp for the large stones to be hoisted. So as each story was complete it was buried and not until the project was fully finished that cleaning was done to reveal the whole building.