Raja Rani Mahal

• Renowned earlier for its palaces and havelis, Chanderi is once said to have had as many as 260 mahals. 
• Today, however, only about 43 of these remain. Situated in the Andar Shehar, the Raja Rani Mahal or the Raj mahal is actually composed of two separate palaces. The imposing Raja Mahal is a seven storied structure which has now been attached to the smaller Rani Mahal. 
• The two are though built in completely different styles and clearly do not belong to the same time period. The two inscriptions found in a Bawdi within the complex are illegible but the style of calligraphy points to the Khilji period.

• This implies that the Raja Mahal must have been originally built by the Khilji rulers in the 15th century. 
• The Rani Mahal, however, appears to be an earlier construction. The upper portions of both the Raja and Rani Mahal, which are in the Bundela style, indicate that these structures were repaired and built upon in the 17th century when the Bundelas came to control the region. 
• Reeling in a state of disrepair previously, efforts are now on to restore and preserve the palaces. KhiljiSerai This serai or rest house was built during the reign of GyasuddinKhilji by QaziibnMehran. Although in ruins today, the towering minarets betray the structure’s majestic past. 
• The building consists of an arched colonnade surrounding a central courtyard with the remains of three distinct gates and possibly a fourth one.