Chanderi Chanderi ( Hindustani : चंदेरी , چندیری ) is a town of historical importance in Ashoknagar District of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India . It is situated at a distance of 127 km from Shivpuri , 37 km from Lalitpur , 55 km from Ashok Nagar and about 45 km from Isagarh . It is surrounded by hills southwest of the Betwa River . Chanderi is surrounded by hills , lakes and forests and is spotted with several monuments of the Bundela Rajput s and Malwa sultan s . Jainism at Chanderi . The Chanderi area has been a major center of Jain culture . It was a major center of the Parwar Jain community . There are a number of Jain places nearby - Gurilagiri ( 7 km ) , Aamanachar ( 29 km ) , Bithala ( 19 km ) , Bhamon ( 16 km ) , Khandargiri ( 2 km ) , Thuvanji ( 22 km ) and Bhiyadant ( 14 km ) , and Deogarh , Uttar Pradesh ( 20 km , across the border ) . At a distance of 19 km from present Chanderi town is situated the Buddhi ( old ) Chanderi . Buddhi Chanderi is situated on the banks of Urvashi river . It is believed that the Chaidnagar mentioned in Puranas is same as Buddhi Chanderi . There is a myth that when Raja Nala left Damayanti asleep in the forests of Narwar she moved through dense forests and reached Chaidnagar protecting her self from wild animals . The route through forests from Narwar to Chanderi is very short . A number of 9th and 10th century Jain temples are there in Buddhi Chanderi attracting thousands of Jain pilgrims from all over the country . The Jain Bhattaraka s of Mula Sangh , Balatkara Gana had a center at Chanderi that flourished for several centuries . The lineage , as constructed by Pt . Phulachandra Shastri is as following : A branch of this lineage continued at Sironj . List of Jain temples at Chanderi : History . Chanderi is located strategically on the borders of Malwa and Bundelkhand . History of Chanderi goes back to the 11th century , when it was dominated by the trade routes of Central India and was proximate to the arterial route to the ancient ports of Gujarat as well as to Malwa , Mewar , Central India and the Deccan . Consequently , Chanderi became an important military outpost . The town also finds mention in Mahabharata . Shishupal was the king of Chanderi during the Mahabharata period . Chanderi is mentioned by the Persian scholar Alberuni in 1030 . Ghiyas ud din Balban captured the city in 1251 for Nasir ud din Mahmud , Sultan of Delhi . Sultan Mahmud I Khilji of Malwa captured the city in 1438 after a siege of several months . In 1520 Rana Sanga of Mewar captured the city , and gave it to Medini Rai , a rebellious minister of Sultan Mahmud II of Malwa . The Mughal Emperor Babur captured the city from Medini Rai and witnessed the macabre Rajput rite of jauhar , in which , faced with certain defeat and in an attempt to escape dishonor in the hands of the enemy , women with children in their arms jumped in a fire pit to commit suicide , which was made for this specific purpose , against the background of vedic hymns recited by the priests . Jauhar was performed during the night and in the morning the men would rub the ashes of their dead women folk on their forehead , don a saffron garment known as kesariya , chew tulsi leaves ( in india tulsi leaves are placed in the mouth of a dead body ) , symbolizing their awareness about impending death and resolve to fight and die with honour . This method of fighting & dying for the cause of retaining honour was called " SAKA " . In 1540 it was captured by Sher Shah Suri , and added to the governorship of Shujaat Khan . The Mughal Emperor Akbar made the city a " sarkar " in the " subah " of Malwa . According to Ain - e - Akbari , the autobiography of Akbar , Chanderi had 14000 stone houses and boasted of 384 markets , 360 sapcious caravan sarais ( resting place ) and 12 , 000 mosques . The Bundela Rajputs captured the city in 1586 , and it was held by Ram Sab , a son of Raja Madhukar of Orchha . In 1680 Devi Singh Bundela was made governor of the city , and Chanderi remained in the hands of his family until it was annexed in 1811 by Jean Baptiste Filose for the Maratha ruler Daulat Rao Sindhia of Gwalior . The city was transferred to the British in 1844 . The British lost control of the city during the Revolt of 1857 , and the city was recaptured by Sir Hugh Rose on 14 March 1858 . Richard Harte Keatinge led the assault , for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross . The city was transferred back to the Sindhias of Gwalior in 1861 , and became part of Isagarh District of Gwalior state . After India ' s independence in 1947 , Gwalior became part of the new state of Madhya Bharat , which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on 1 November 1956 . Geography . Chanderi is located at . It has an average elevation of 456 metres ( 1496 feet ) . coor title dms | 24 | 43 | 12 | N | 78 | 07 | 48 | E Demographics . India census , Chanderi had a population of 28 , 313 . Males constitute 52 % of the population and females 48 % . Chanderi has an average literacy rate of 62 % , higher than the national average of 59 . 5 % ; with male literacy of 72 % and female literacy of 52 % . 17 % of the population is under 6 years of age . Access . One can easily visit Chanderi via Accommodation . The Tana - Bana 3star hotel , Hotel Shri kunj and the Amraee Rural Heritage Resort in Pranpur , a village 3 km from Chanderi , are among the many accommodation facilities available in and around Chanderi .