Journey through India’s ancient sites and stunning nature, seeking the tangible spirit of Coleridge’s dreamlike Xanadu.
Xes are complicated. Well, the most well-known X at the moment is Elon Musk’s X.com. Once Twitter, this social media platform is complicated for sure: it is a place which ignites fire, passion, social and political trends and is the hotspot for global news and controversies.
But most of the time, X feels like a crossroad, a point of intersection, a multiplication, an expansion. I mean you can literally go anywhere from the intersection; all directions are open. Which is the correct one though?
For me, X is an expansion of my imagination. It’s the X factor, the mysterious person I discovered in my childhood: Madame Xanadu, the sorceress from Phantom comics. Xanadu stood for a mysterious, fictional world, an uncommon word with a letter that I haven’t often used; not many commonly used words start with X. It was the scarcity that forced Xanadu to embed itself in my memory.
Later, during my graduation days, Xanadu resurfaced in the verses of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan,” a fragment of a dream that painted new landscapes: “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan a stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran through caverns measureless to man…”
Like Timbuktu, Xanadu knocked my head again. This needed to be found, a paradisical place that was perhaps a figment of imagination, perhaps a reality.
Turned out that Xanadu was a reality, the summer capital of Kublai Khan’s vast Yuan dynasty. Shangdu, or Xanadu or the ‘Upper Capital,’ near the windswept plains of Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in China. North of the Great Wall, this place designed by a Chinese architect on the principles of feng shui, a seasonal retreat where Mongolian steppe traditions embraced Chinese urban planning. It’s a real place, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a railway line under construction, promising to connect it to Beijing. WOW, a place that has emerged from the mystical realms of Phantom to find a place on Earth, totally visitable in the future.
But while I wait for this visit, can I find Xanadu within the landscapes of India? Yes, perhaps I have been to this heavenly place many times in the country.
The flowing grace of the Ganges, carving its path through ancient mountains, resonates with the image of the sacred river Alph, perhaps in the mystical reaches of the Himalayas.
Could Kubla Khan’s stately pleasure-dome echo in the grand palaces that grace every corner of India, their marble halls whispering tales of emperors and their desires for earthly paradise?
I imagine the “gardens bright with sinuous rills” mirroring the meticulously planned Mughal gardens, their fountains playing a timeless symphony amidst the fragrant bloom of jasmine.
Could the “incense-bearing tree” be found in the fragrant sandalwood forests of the south, its aroma carrying ancient secrets on the breeze?
And the “caverns measureless to man”… surely, the vast cave systems of Meghalaya, shrouded in mist and legend, hold a similar sense of unexplored wonder.
Perhaps the “portable cane palace,” described by Marco Polo, finds a different kind of echo in the nomadic tribes, their vibrant tents and bamboo homes a testament to adaptability and a life lived in harmony with the land.
And the “ancestral voices prophesying war”… could those be the echoes of ancient battles still resonating in the forts and ruins scattered across India, whispering stories of empires won and lost?
My Xanadu in India isn’t a single, identifiable place on a map. It’s a feeling, a confluence of breathtaking landscapes, ancient history, and the lingering echoes of dreams. It’s the serenity of a Himalayan valley at dawn, the intricate carvings of a forgotten temple, the vibrant chaos of a bustling marketplace, the resilience of a nomadic community. It’s the whisper of ancient stories carried on the wind.
The real Shangdu in Inner Mongolia calls to me, a tangible link to the historical Xanadu. It’s a road I long to travel, not just to find ruins and history, but to discover the echoes of a poet’s dream in the heart of a land that has always inspired awe and a sense of the sublime. My journey to Xanadu, I suspect, will be a lifelong exploration of the beauty and mystery that our planet holds.
I’m participating in #BlogchatterA2Z
You may like to read
Uttarkashi: Where the Ganga’s Sacred Journey Begins
Shivneri Fort: An Epic Hike to Shivaji Maharaj’s Birthplace
Chambal Valley: Outlaws, Temples & Tales of the Ravines
Meghalaya’s Secret Caves: A Spelunker’s Journey
Khajuraho’s Temples: The Erotic & The Divine
Assam Awaits: Explore the World of Ahoms, Exquisite Weaves, Butterflies
Mandu: Symbol of Love
Jaipur: Pink City Through My Lens
Exploring Majuli, The Shrinking Island in Assam
Walk Through Amrit Udayan, the erstwhile Mughal Garden, in Delhi
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.
Queen of Treasures 
What a beautifully woven tapestry of imagination, history, and nature! I love how you’ve connected Coleridge’s dreamlike Xanadu to real-world locations in India, each brimming with their own mystique and wonder. This post feels like a confluence of poetry and reality!
LikeLike
Am not much of a poetry person but this seemed like reality, how beautifully the poem and the world around us is connected.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This piece was like a dream woven into words. I love how you took Coleridge’s mystical Xanadu and found its echoes in India’s landscapes. The way you linked the Ganges to the sacred river Alph felt poetic and profound. Your descriptions of the Mughal gardens and the City Palace transported me to those places, even though I haven’t been there yet. The imagery of incense-bearing trees and fragrant sandalwood forests added such a sensory depth to the narrative. It’s amazing how you blended history, nature, and literature so seamlessly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now I’m daydreaming about tracing those “caverns measureless to man” in Meghalaya and finding my own slice of Xanadu here
#BlogaberryDazzle
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am a Phantom fan, and Xanadu always intrigues me. I love the way you found it for real and the places you compared to in India. Except for the Jaipur Palace, I have not been to the other places. I have been to Meghalaya but not into a cave. Timbuctoo was my favourite password when I started using the internet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW. What a password. I didn’t even know it was a real place until I grew up😊
LikeLike
Ambica , you captured my imagination with your lyrical writing filled with fantastic comparisons between the beautiful heritage from different corners of India and the mystical Xanadu.
I hope you get to travel to Xanadu soon and I shall be able to read more about it from your posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Inshallah! 🙏 I hope so too. Let there be ease of travel 😜
LikeLike
Ambica , you captured my imagination with your lyrical writing filled with fantastic comparisons between the beautiful heritage from different corners of India and the mystical Xanadu.
I hope you get to travel to Xanadu soon and I shall be able to read more about it from your posts.
LikeLike
Ambica , you captured my imagination with your lyrical writing filled with fantastic comparisons between the beautiful heritage from different corners of India and the mystical Xanadu.
I hope you get to travel to Xanadu soon and I shall be able to read more about it from your posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved this one…Xanadu is such a dreamy metaphor! I think India’s landscapes do hold that otherworldly charm, especially when you’re off the tourist trail.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This beautifully captures the magic of India’s hidden gems! I’m inspired by how travel can awaken wonder and create meaningful memories. It reminds me to seek those dreamlike moments with my family whenever we can.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exquisite writing! I hope you get to travel to all these places soon, Ambica! Adding them to my travel list as well!
LikeLike
The exotic locales in India that you have presented throughout the writing are definitely a traveller’s delight. And now the metaphor of Xanadu, through Coleridge’s reference, takes the whole experience to an almost dream-like experience. Definitely the most beautiful thing I’ve read since morning.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks 🙏
LikeLike
Your post has underlined the fact once again that I haven’t travelled even a bit within my own country. The photos you shared and parallels you drawn with the Mongolian verse are so good! Simply loved it.
LikeLiked by 4 people
You know India is full of beautiful places, even around you. Don’t need to go far, just around. Happy discovering!
LikeLike
This was such a magical read! I loved how you connected the idea of Xanadu with real places in India, it made me see them in a whole new light. Your words truly capture the wonder hidden in everyday landscapes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a fantastic combination of history and travel! I would love to visit Mongolia one day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reading the blog title my first thought was that you’re gonna talk about Harshita Nanda’s book Xanadu. But this turned out to be virtual tour of India. Thank you for letting me know about these places, Ambica 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me be honest I was little confused in the begining as what exactly you are trying to convey may be that is because of my not so good sense of imagination…. slowly and steadily I started making sense and finally I started understanding and now I can say its like a dreamlike feeling for me and more because these days I really dont get time to explore much physically. Love you a Ton !!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have drawn wonderful parallels; India, with its beauty and diversity, cannot have Xanadu in one place; it is indeed spread across. Lovely pics accompanying your thoughts made this a more interesting read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your post captures the enchantment of those hidden Indian havens so beautifully ; it truly felt like discovering my own Xanadu. Your vivid descriptions make me want to pack my bags and explore each dreamlike spot at dawn!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I came across word “Xanadu” last year and now your blog rejevenated my memories about this word and the chapter I wrote.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s nice to know! Where did you write this chapter?
LikeLike
I have just a few words to say here- lyrical and magical.
Your blog post was all things beautiful. The way you related Coleridge to our own country and its vast landscape and so many real places. I revisited a few of them through your blog
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you enjoyed the experience of browsing through our beautiful country. Glad Xanadu resonated with you.
LikeLike
After reading your post I’m wondering where I could find my Xanadu. India has so many beautiful places to explore and you never fail to introduce us to new ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Xanadu is all around you, just step out and you will find the beautiful world of ponds, gardens, flowers…pretty world 😛
LikeLike
A lyrical, imaginative journey blending poetry, mythology, and Indian landscapes—this piece beautifully redefines Xanadu as both a mystical dream and a tangible, soulful experience rooted in real places.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I initially couldn’t understand but as I was reading i understand the essence and i really love how you’ve equated poetry to reality.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are absolutely right. Xanadu in India is not just one place. There is so much beauty around. We only have to keep our eyes and hearts open.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a beautiful ode to India!
LikeLiked by 1 person