Haunted or enchanted?

The monolithic structure of Kati Ghati in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh was thought of as an architectural blunder when it was made and locals continue to believe that the architect haunts his work, writes Indrani Ghose

A talented architect gave up his life for the architectural blunder he committed in making this grand monolithic structure. Our ears perked up when local guide Muzaffar Ansari at Kati Ghati — a massive monolithic structure in Chanderi, a medieval town of Madhya Pradesh — began narrating the story of this disappointed architect. Kati Ghati, the term translates to pathway cut out of solid steep rocky mountain.

The story of this unfortunate architect dates back to the year 1480 when Ghiyasuddin Khilji, the Sultan of Malwa decided to take a look at things for himself in the Chanderi state of his kingdom.

Jiman Khan, the son of the then Sultan of Chanderi Sher Khan, decided to do something that would impress the King of Malwa and divert his attention from the ground realities.

He announced to the public that a welcome arch of high-quality architectural splendour has to be constructed. He also laid a condition that the large gate has to be completed in the shortest time possible.

Only one architect among them came up and took up the tough challenge of chiselling the hard stone of the hillock. Before starting the work he set the condition that his men should not be supervised or inspected while they were at work. He wanted his work to be a surprise.

Very soon he proudly presented the giant welcome arch — an 80 feet tall, and 39 feet wide monolithic structure. Jiman Khan inspected his work and was highly impressed. The view of Chanderi Fort through the arch indeed looked great!

True to his word he intended to deliver on time but he suddenly noticed an error in the construction — there was no provision for hinges to fix a door. Without a door in the entrance arch, Chanderi would be under the risk of easy attack by the enemies. This definitely would not please Ghiyasuddin Khilji.

Aghast and shocked at the blunder made in the making of the welcome arch, the architect excused himself from the gathering where he faced humiliation. He never returned.

Locals believe he committed suicide and his soul still haunts the gate. A horror story that is believed even today! Later, to pacify the restless soul they built his tomb near the arch.

Exploring further, we saw steps leading to a room probably meant for guards to keep an eye on possible invasion at the top of the arch. A series of small lines on the rocky surface was some sort of attendance record maintained by the architect to keep track of the workers. What is also interesting today is that this place was the shooting location for the Bollywood movie Stree. It is based on a horror-comedy theme. The last scene of the movie leaves you with an eerie feeling and connects you to this place.