India. Mandore

During our stay in Jodhpur, we visited its outskirts - the Mandore Gardens. This area was inhabited by the rulers of the Jodhpur region from the sixth century until the 15th century. Today, Mandore attracts visitors with its temples dedicated to the demon king Ravana and the cenotaphs built in memory of the region's deceased rulers...

Mandore is located about 9 kilometers from Jodhpur, and its temples are quite different from what we saw in the current main city of the region...

The temples are dedicated to Ravana, who, according to the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, was the demon king of Sri Lanka and embodied all evil...

Like any other Hindu god or goddess - there are many in the Hindu pantheon - the demon king has his unique temple and here he is an object of veneration and worship. In Jodhpur, there is a community of Brahmins who claim to be descendants of Ravana, who was an intellectual and a master of various subjects such as music, astrology, medicine, and more...

It is believed that it was here in Mandore, 9 kilometers from Jodhpur, that Ravana married his Mandodari, a Brahmin girl. Therefore, the Brahmins of this place idolize him...

Indian temples always impress with their appearance and carvings...

Next to the temples is a dining hall where we had lunch, sharing one thali between the two of us...

On our way to the next interesting spot, we saw how Indians dry clothes by spreading them out on the asphalt...

We then entered Panchkund Chattriya. Here, 46 cenotaphs - symbolic graves without a body - are located. They were built in memory of people who had passed away... It was believed that the soul of the deceased was transported to heaven by these cenotaphs or their medium. Here, rulers built beautiful artistic pavilions to preserve the memory of their ancestors...