Chanderi

Chanderi, a small historic town set among the Vindhya hills near the Betwa river in the Ashoknagar district of Madhya Pradesh, is famous across India for one exquisite thing above all: the Chanderi saree, the gossamer-fine, sheer, lightweight handloom woven here for centuries from silk and cotton and shot through with gold and silver zari in motifs of coins, peacocks, and flowers.

• Granted a Geographical Indication tag in 2005, the craft still supports thousands of weavers at their pit looms in the town's lanes, and a visit to the Chanderi Handloom Park or a weaver's home to watch the cloth take shape is the highlight of any trip.
• But Chanderi is also a layered historical town that passed through Pratihara, Malwa Sultanate, Bundela, and Mughal hands, leaving a wealth of monuments scattered across its hills.
• The Chanderi Fort (Kirti Durg), whose origins trace to the 11th century, crowns the ridge above town with its ramparts and the dramatic Khooni Darwaza; the Koshak Mahal, an imposing four-storey palace, was begun in 1445 by Sultan Mahmud Shah Khilji of Malwa; the Badal Mahal Gate stands as an ornamental ceremonial arch; and the Battisi Baoli is a magnificent stepwell of thirty-two flights of stairs.
• The Jageshwari Devi temple and the surrounding Jain shrines add to the heritage.
• The ruined Bundela- and sultanate-era gateways, stepwells, and palaces scattered across its hills reward an unhurried day of wandering, and the small museum displays sculptures gathered from across the region's long and layered history of Pratihara, sultanate, Bundela, and Mughal rule.
• For vegetarian travellers, Chanderi offers simple, hearty Bundelkhand vegetarian fare — dal-bafla, poha-jalebi, kachori-samosa, and local sweets — at the town's eateries.
• The best season is October to March, when the weather is cool and pleasant; Chanderi pairs naturally with Orchha and the temples of the Bundelkhand circuit.