Mandor located just 8KM from Jodhpur city, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Mandol having various temple and charming gardens what it attracts the most is the temple of Ravana.
The story goes something like this. The wife of Ravana, Mandodari is believed to be from this very town. What this means is that Ravana is son in law of the Mandore town.
The people of the town actually acknowledge this fact. There is a mysterious cave in Mandore which is believed to be gateway to hell. A lot of people have gone into this cave but failed to find its end.
According to the local legend, this cave is path to hell. They believe that Ravana came to the town from this very cave to marry Mandodari. A lot of people have tried to find the end point of the cave. Some came back after the oxygen level dropped while others could not find the way out and died.
This is why government of India has banned people from entering the cave. A special permission is required to enter the caves. However despite the ban, people who know about this place came to see the cave, even if they can't enter it.
Coming back to the legend, after the marriage of Ravana, some of his relatives are said to have stayed back. You will still find people in Mandore who consider themselves to be descendents of Ravana which includes Maudgil Brahmins.
A very interesting stone, which has carved panels with an idol of Ganpati (Lord Ganesh). 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. It was built by Madh, the son of a Brahmin. The Ravana temple is built in Mahadev Amarnath and Navgrah temple premises in city's Chandpole area where idols of Ravana's main deities Shiva and Devi Kharanna stand.
The story goes something like this. The wife of Ravana, Mandodari is believed to be from this very town. What this means is that Ravana is son in law of the Mandore town.
The people of the town actually acknowledge this fact. There is a mysterious cave in Mandore which is believed to be gateway to hell. A lot of people have gone into this cave but failed to find its end.
According to the local legend, this cave is path to hell. They believe that Ravana came to the town from this very cave to marry Mandodari. A lot of people have tried to find the end point of the cave. Some came back after the oxygen level dropped while others could not find the way out and died.
This is why government of India has banned people from entering the cave. A special permission is required to enter the caves. However despite the ban, people who know about this place came to see the cave, even if they can't enter it.
Coming back to the legend, after the marriage of Ravana, some of his relatives are said to have stayed back. You will still find people in Mandore who consider themselves to be descendents of Ravana which includes Maudgil Brahmins.
Ravan ki Chanvari
A very interesting stone, which has carved panels with an idol of Ganpati (Lord Ganesh). 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. It was built by Madh, the son of a Brahmin. The Ravana temple is built in Mahadev Amarnath and Navgrah temple premises in city's Chandpole area where idols of Ravana's main deities Shiva and Devi Kharanna stand.
Coming back to the legend, after the marriage of Ravana, some of his
relatives are said to have stayed back. You will still find people in
Mandore who consider themselve to be descendents of Ravana.
These people do not burn the effigy of Ravana at Dussehra. Instead these people worship him. Earlier they used to worship Ravana at their house but in 2008, a temple was constructed and the statue of Ravana invoking Lord Shiva was installed.
The statue is six and a half feet tall and made out of Jodhpur sandstone. Since then, the descendents of Ravana worship him every day at this temple. They remember and celebrate Ravana as the great King of Lanka who was blessed by Lord Shiva and considered as one of the greatest scholars of his time.
So when entire India celebrates Dussehra by burning the effigy of Ravana, the people of Mandore stay at home and mourn his death. In fact for last hundreds of years, these people have been performing Ravana’s shradh.
This legend associated with Mandore makes it a must visit place. Apart from the legend of Ravana, there are many other temples to visit at Mandore.
These people do not burn the effigy of Ravana at Dussehra. Instead these people worship him. Earlier they used to worship Ravana at their house but in 2008, a temple was constructed and the statue of Ravana invoking Lord Shiva was installed.
The statue is six and a half feet tall and made out of Jodhpur sandstone. Since then, the descendents of Ravana worship him every day at this temple. They remember and celebrate Ravana as the great King of Lanka who was blessed by Lord Shiva and considered as one of the greatest scholars of his time.
So when entire India celebrates Dussehra by burning the effigy of Ravana, the people of Mandore stay at home and mourn his death. In fact for last hundreds of years, these people have been performing Ravana’s shradh.
This legend associated with Mandore makes it a must visit place. Apart from the legend of Ravana, there are many other temples to visit at Mandore.
No comments:
Post a Comment