Mandore is a suburb and historical town located 9 km north of

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

city in the

Jodhpur district Jodhpur district () is a district in the State of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Jodhpur is the administrative headquarters of the district. As of the 2011 census, it is the second highest populated district of Rajasthan (out of 33), ...

of the north-western

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

History

Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Gurjar Pratiharas of Mandavyapura, who ruled the region in the 6th century CE. Even after the disintegration of the

Gurjara-Pratihara The Pratihara dynasty, also called the Gurjara-Pratiharas, the Pratiharas of Kannauj or the Imperial Pratiharas, was a prominent medieval Indian dynasty which ruled over the Kingdom of Kannauj. It initially ruled the Gurjaradesa until its vi ...

empire, a gurjar family continued to rule at Mandore. This family formed an alliance with the Rathore chief

Rao Chunda Rao Chunda Rathore was the 12th ruler of Marwar, a kingdom in northwestern India. His reign saw the consolidation of Rathore rule in Marwar, through his diplomatic and military prowess. Early life Chunda's father Viramdev died in a battle agai ...

(r. c. 1383-1424) to defend its chiefdom against the

Tughluq dynasty The Tughlaq dynasty (also known as the Tughluq or Tughluk dynasty; ) was the third dynasty to rule over the Delhi Sultanate in medieval India. Its reign started in 1320 in Delhi when Ghazi Malik assumed the throne under the title of Ghiyath a ...

of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

. Rao Chunda married a Pratihara princess of Mandore, and received the Mandore Fort in dowry; the Fort served as his family's capital until 1459 CE, when

Rao Jodha Rao Jodha Rathore (28 March 1416 – 6 April 1489) was the 15th Rajput chief of Rathore clan who ruled the Kingdom of Marwar in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He was the eldest son of Rao Ranmal (Rao Ridmal). He is known for his illustri ...

shifted it to the newly-founded city of

. Rao

Ranmal Rao Ranmal (1392 – 27 October 1438), also called Ran Mal or Ridmal, was the Rathore ruler of Marwar from 1428 to 1438. A notable expansionist and skilled warrior, Ranmal is also noteworthy for having twice served as regent of the kingdom of ...

Rathore secured the throne of Mandore in 1427. In addition to ruling Mandore, Ranmal also became the administrator of

Mewar Mewar, also spelled as Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasth ...

to assist Maharana Mokal (father of

Rana Kumbha Kumbhkaran Singh (1417–1468), popularly known as Maharana Kumbha, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar in medieval India. He belonged to the Sisodia clan of Rajputs. It was during his reign that Mewar became one of the most powerful politic ...

). After the assassination of Maharana Mokal in 1433, Ranmal continued as administrator of Mewar at the side of Rana Kumbha. In 1438, Rana Kumbha decided to end the power sharing arrangement and had Rao Ranmal assassinated in

Chittor Chittorgarh (; also Chitror or Chittor or Chittaurgarh) is a major city in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It lies on the Berach River, a tributary of the Banas, and is the administrative headquarters of Chittorgarh District. It wa ...

and captured Mandore. Rao Jodha, son of Rao Ranmal, escaped towards

Marwar Marwar (also called Jodhpur region) is a region of western Rajasthan state in North Western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. 'Maru' is a Sanskrit word for desert. The word 'wad' literally means fence in Rajasthani languages. Engl ...

. Approximately 700 horsemen accompanied Rao Jodha as he escaped from

. Fighting near Chittor and a valiant attempt to bar the pursuers at Someshwar Pass resulted in heavy losses amongst Jodha's warriors. When Jodha reached Mandore he had only seven people accompanying him. Jodha collected whatever forces he could, abandoned Mandore and pressed on towards Jangalu. Jodha barely managed to reach safety at Kahuni (a village near present day

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

). For 15 years Jodha tried in vain to recapture Mandore. Jodha's opportunity to strike finally came in 1453 with Rana Kumbha facing simultaneous attacks by the Sultans of

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

and Gujarat. Jodha made a surprise attack on Mandore. Jodha's forces overwhelmed the defenders and captured Mandore with relative ease. Jodha and Kumbha eventually settled their differences in order to face their common enemies, the Muslim rulers of Malwa and Gujarat. Mandore was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of

(

Jodhpur State Kingdom of Marwar, also known as Jodhpur State during the modern era, was a kingdom in the Marwar region from 1243 to 1818 and a princely state under British rule from 1818 to 1947. It was established in Pali by ''Rao Siha'', possibly a migran ...

), before Rao Jodha moved it to

, where he built

Mehrangarh Mehrangarh is a historic fort located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India. It stands on a hilltop, rising about above the surrounding plains, and the complex spans 1,200 acres (486 hectares). It was initially built around 1459 by the Rajput ruler of ...

. Mandore remained as royal cremation grounds, where Devals of all the Kings of Marwar till Maharaja Takht Singh were built. From Maharaja Jaswant Singh-II onwards,

Jaswant Thada The Jaswant Thada is a cenotaph located in Jodhpur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was built by Sardar Singh of Jodhpur, Maharaja Sardar Singh of Jodhpur State in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II, and serves as the c ...

became the royal cremation ground.

Monuments

The historic town boasts several monuments. The now ruined Mandore fort, with its thick walls and substantial size, was built in several stages and was once a fine piece of architecture. A huge, now ruined, temple is a highlight of the fort. The outer wall of the temple depicts finely carved botanical designs, birds, animals and planets. The fort has been adopted by

Museum Trust under "adopt a heritage" scheme of Indian government for preservation and conservation. The 'Mandore gardens', with its charming collection of temples and memorials, and its high rock terraces, is another major attraction. The gardens house the ''

Chhatri ''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely ser ...

s'' (cenotaphs) of many rulers of Jodhpur state. Prominent among them is the ''chhatri'' of Maharaja Ajit Singh, built in 1793. Ravan temple is another attraction at Mandore. It is believed to be the native place of Ravan's wife

Mandodari Mandodari (, , lit. "soft-bellied";) was the queen consort of Ravana, the king of Lanka, according to the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. The ''Ramayana'' describes her as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is extolled as one of the ''Panchakanya'', ...

. Ravan is treated as son in law among some local

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s. The Mandore Gardens also house a government museum, a 'Hall of Heroes' and a Hindu temple to 33

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

gods. Various artefacts and statues found in the area are housed at the museum. The 'Hall of Heroes' commemorates popular folk heroes of the region. It contains 16 figures carved out of a single rock.

Fairs and festivals

* The Rao Festival * Hariyali Amavasya * Naag Panchami * Veerpuri Mela * BhogiShell Parikrama

References

External links

Mandore Garden
{{Historical places of Rashtrakuta Jodhpur Tourism in Rajasthan Cities and towns in Jodhpur district Tourist attractions in Jodhpur

History

Monuments

Fairs and festivals

See also

References

External links