Art and Culture in Mandsaur

Mandsaur lies in Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh . The Mandsaur has a rich cultural heritage preserved over the ages. A highly distinctive, individualistic touch to the crafts of Mandsaur is a result of long heritage of tradition of Mandsaur. The culture of Mandsaur is significantly influenced by Gujarati and Rajasthani culture. This is because of their geographic proximity to these two regions. Some traits of Marathi culture is evident in the culture and traditions of the city due to its long associations with Maratha rule.


The rich cultural heritage of Mandsaur with the availability of the raw material have played vital role in booming the stone crafts. The region is famous for the excellent stone craft. The Hinglajgarh Fort is the best example of the craftmanship of sculptures in this part of Madhya Pradesh. Mandsaur is renowned in the world for silk-weaving and is also famous for its hand printing which is generally done using vegetable dyes. Tie and dye chunris are the specialty of Mandsaur. Mandsaur is also admired for block printing, leather products, jEwellery & lead based articles and cane and bamboo craft work.

Religion and Festivals in Mandsaur

Mandsaur has a mix of different religions. The major Religion in Mandsaur is Hinduism. The percentage of hindus is 76 % while that of Muslims is 22%. The rest of the people constitutes Christians as 1.5%, jains as 2% and rest .5 % consists of Buddhists (<0.5%), Sikhs (1%).

Famous Dance Forms of Mandsaur

Lavani which came through the Marathas is a widely practised form of folk music in Mandsaur. The Shringari Lavani (erotic) and Nirguni Lavani (philosophical) constitute the two of the main forms practiced here. The Bhils of Mandsaur have their own folk songs which are always accompanied by dance. The devotional music of the Nirguni is very famous here. Legends of Raja Bhoj and Bijori, the Kanjar girl, and the tale of Balabau are the popular themes for folk songs. Swang, a very popular dance form in Mandsaur, has taken its roots that go back to the origins of the Indian theatre tradition. Men enacted women's roles. As custom prohibited women from performing in the dance-drama form. Swang depicts suitable theatrics and mimicry, accompanied alternatately by song and dialogue. It has a dialogue-oriented character rather than movement-oriented. Heeda song is sung by Bhils and are associated with the cattles. Chandrawali song sung on auspicious occasions by women in the area are associated with Krishna's romance.

Handicrafts & Paintings of Mandsaur

Mandana wall and floor paintings is quite famous in entire Malwa region including Mandsaur. White drawings are done in contrast to the base material consisting of a mixture of red clay and cow dung. Peacocks, Buddhist swastika, Cats, Lions and chowk are some of the popular motifs made on the walls. During the annual period when Hindus remember and offer ritual oblation to their ancestors, young girls of Mandsaur make a ritual wall paintings, sanjhya. Mandsaur miniature paintings are renowned for their intricate brushwork.


Hand block printing and carving on stones are two important crafts of Mandsaur. One can find number of stone masonary workshop in this region specialized in crafting stone scluptures of various types. Further there are also silk weaving centers in Mandsaur creating variety of silk clothes. Tussar silk or Kosa silk of the region create a rich and sober look.