The unique features of Jodhpur’s Mandore Gardens transport visitors to an entirely different world. Then it reminds you of so many other beautiful places around the world, giving you a sense of deja vu. If anything, this garden is underappreciated among Jodhpur’s tourist attractions. We must also admit that it is underutilised. While Jodhpur’s Mehrangarh Fort is one of the best-kept forts in India, the Mandore Gardens, on the other hand, are in desperate need of attention.
Entrance to the Mandore Gardens of Jodhpur
We won’t suggest that the Mandore Gardens’ entrance is particularly impressive. In front, there is a parking lot where you can leave your car. You will arrive at the garden’s gates after a little walk. With many sellers lined up on both sides of the parking lot, all the way to the garden’s gates, it is somewhat crowded. However, as soon as you reach the Mandore Gardens in Jodhpur, it will feel as though you have entered another world. Because the first thing that will greet you is the enormous expanse of greens and the unexpected tranquilly. The Cenotaphs are accessible via the interior road. But you must first walk a short distance to get to the cenotaphs. Again, as you walk this path, you might find some sellers on either side of the road leading inside selling trinkets, bangles, and other everyday items.
The monkey forest of the Mandore Gardens of Jodhpur
The Mandore Gardens contain a considerable number of trees. As you continue through the Mandore Gardens and draw closer to the centre of the garden, you will start to notice several monkeys perched on these trees. There are also some black gorillas. Additionally, as you continue walking, the groups become bigger and there are more monkeys all around you. They can be seen in bunches strolling along the road, chasing one another, jumping from one limb of the tree to another, and generally acting like monkeys. If you choose to ignore them and continue on your way, they are likely not going to hurt you because they are accustomed to human presence.
These monkeys’ appearance amidst the vegetation made me think of Ubud’s Monkey Forest. I decided to refer to this area of the garden as the “monkey forest” of the Mandore Gardens in Jodhpur for that reason.
We slowly made our way past them in order to get to the Cenotaphs, and our young one was a little terrified but much more interested in the monkeys. Someone was approaching with a large number of bananas and feeding the monkeys, as we saw. He appeared to be a frequent traveller. However, a word of caution. Nevertheless, these monkeys aren’t the ones that bite. But you should still use all the caution you would normally exercise in a place where there are so many monkeys. Never give them food. And resist the urge to make friends. Avoid trying to take their images too closely unless you want to run the risk of having your camera stolen.
The cenotaphs in the Mandore Gardens of Jodhpur
You will begin to catch glimpses of the Maharajas’ cenotaphs as you proceed into the monkey habitat. Cenotaphs are designed in such a way that, from a distance, one would mistake them for temples. We genuinely believed for a while that we were mistaking some temples for Cenotaphs after visiting several ancient temples, such as the Mahabalipuram Shore Temple, the Lepakshi Temple, and the Temples of Kolar. These cenotaphs’ architecture is considerably dissimilar from that of the cenotaphs in Jaisalmer, such as the Bada Bagh or Vyas Chattri. You can clearly detect a fusion of Hindu and Jain architectural features in the cenotaphs. There is a huge structure that serves as the chattris (cenotaphs) marker. Additionally, they have a tall spire, or shikhara, on top of them. Which primarily accounts for their resemblance to temples. They also have a fire chamber with pillars and a dome. Fine sculptures, such as tiny carved elephants and lions, may be found on the chattri’s walls. The Chattri of Maharaja Ajit Singh, which was built in 1793, is one of the most well-known. A memorial honouring the dedication of Sati by numerous ladies following the death of Ajit Singh is located close to the chattri. Another large Chattri, this one belonging to Maharaja Jaswant Singh I, stands nearby. It features an octagonal base, a towering dome, and a sizable Pavillion. This cenotaph stands out for its stunning symmetrical design. Here, you could easily spend an hour. Awe-inspiring for photographers If you love photography, you’ll particularly appreciate taking pictures of cenotaphs from all perspectives from the inside out. We also did.
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Mandore Fort
A little hill appears at the garden’s conclusion. The remnants of the Mandore Fort can be seen from the summit of this hill. The former capital of the Mewar kingdom was Mandore. But as time went on, the monarchy began to feel the need for greater security, especially against the advancing Muslim armies. So they made the decision to build the Mehrangarh Fort. Strategically speaking, Mehrangarh Fort is situated on considerably better grounds. It certainly offered a much better and safer arrangement because it was perched on a higher hill with excellent views of the planes in all directions. As a result, Mandore Fort was abandoned after the construction of Mehrangarh Fort.
Tips on visiting the Mandore Gardens of Jodhpur
- Mandore Gardens is easily accessible by car from any place in the city. Alternatively, you could hire a cab service in Jodhpur for the day so that you can explore Jodhpur’s other attractions as well as the Mandore Gardens, like we did, such as the Mehrangarh Fort, Jaswant Thada, etc.
- Visit early in the day or later in the day after 4:00. Jodhpur has warm days all year round, even in the winter.
- Bring enough water with you to drink. Within the gardens, there is no supply of drinking water. Occasionally, you can see somebody selling water, but you have to be lucky to run into one.
- You can also take some time to unwind by lounging around in the garden’s fields. Although I can understand that with so many monkeys around, eating might be a challenge.
- You should exercise caution when near the monkeys in the garden, as was previously stated. Avoid provoking them or making friends with them.
- If you visit this park in the evening, make sure to leave before it gets dark because there isn’t much illumination inside the park.
- As a sign of respect, you must remove your shoes when entering cenotaphs.
- The gardens are accessible from 8:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m.
- The garden doesn’t charge a fee to enter.
- Nevertheless, there is a museum on the grounds of the garden, and admission to the museum costs INR 50.
If you are planning to visit Mandore Garden in Jodhpur, then you can book a taxi in Jodhpur for your great experience.
