Mandore Town Near by traveldesk

was the earlier capital of before Rao Jodha shifted base to Jodhpur deeming it to be more secure. Mandore was the capital of the Marwar area from the 6th to the 14th century and went under the name of Mandavyapur at that time. It was Rao Chanda who married a Parihar princess and settled here and the rulers were called the Parihar Rajputs. While the Mandore fort today is in ruins and does not even have a boundary wall, the Mandore Gardens over which the old capital of Marwar was situated are still delightfully exquisite. Built around the royal cenotaphs of the rulers, the gardens have beautiful trees all around, and are further decorated with shrubs pruned in all shapes and sizes along with fountains which dot the landscape. Royal Cenotaphsof all the royal chhatris or cenotaphs which were constructed out of dark-red sandstone, six stand out. The oldest ones belong to Raja Maldeo and Udai Singh constructed in the 16th century to the later ones of Sur Singh, Gaj Singh and Jaswant Singh I all built in the 17th century. However it is Ajit Singh’s cenotaph which was built circa 1724 which is the largest along with Jaswant Singh’s which was built around two score years earlier in 1681. Ajit Singh’s cenotaph in particular is a magnificent monument built as it is close-grained freestone. Ek Thamba MahalThe Ek Thamba Mahal was built by Raja Ajit Singh during his reign from 1707-24. This pleasure palace was quite possibly his retreat away from Jodhpur when he wanted to get away from it all. The palace amongst other things also houses a zenana (women’s quarters), signifying that the royal women accompanied him during his trips here. It also has a small but picturesque garden and the entrance to the palace via the Ajit Pol. Hall of Heroesis a huge hall with magnificent pillars and houses enormous figures of gods and the heroes of Jodhpur. It is also called the Shrine of 300 Million Gods. Ravan ki ChanvariA very interesting stone,which hascarved panels with an idol of Ganpati or Lord Ganesh (the god with an elephant-head son of Shiva the destroyer). Legend has it that Ravan, the demon-god who carried off Sita, the consort of Lord Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana got married to a local girl from Mandore called Mandodri. The stone panel is a commemoration of the wedding. It also has an image of the sun god Surya. A stepwell nearby has an inscription 742 A.D. which was when it was built by Madh, the son of a Brahmin. Panch Kund Mein ChhatriThese are some of the minor cenotaphs located a short distance away from the Mandore gardens. The Panch Kund also contains the cenotaphs of the ruling dynasty before the founding of the city of Jodhpur in 1459, when Mandore was the capital of Marwar. Not as impressive as the cenotaphs located at Mandore gardens, they are unmarked, yet they are worth visiting for those with a keen interest in the history of the place.

Mandore Town Near Jodhpur by traveldesk