Mandore

Mandore (Hindi: मंडोर), is a town located 9 km north of Jodhpur city, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

History

Mandore is an ancient town, and was the seat of the Mandorva branch of the Gurjar -Pratihara dynasty which ruled the region in the 6th century AD by King Nahar Rao Panwar. In 1395 AD, a Mohil princess of the Parihar rulers of Mandore married Chundaji, scion of the Rathore clan of Kshstriyas. This was during the era of rapid ascendency of the Rathore clan, and Chundaji received Mandore in dowry. The town remained the seat of the Rathore clan until 1459 AD, when Rao Jodha, a Rathore chief who united the surrounding region under his rule, shifted his capital to the newly founded city of Jodhpur.

Mandore was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Marwar (Jodhpur State), before moving to Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur.

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.

Mandore (instrument)

The mandore is a musical instrument, a small member of the lute family, teardrop shaped, with four, six courses of gut strings and pitched in the treble range. It was considered a new instrument in French music books from the 1580s, but is descended from and very similar to the gittern. It is considered ancestral to the modern mandolin. Other earlier instruments include the medieval European citole and the Greek and Byzantine pandura.

The history of modern mandolins, mandolas and guitars are all intertwined. The instruments shared common ancestor instruments. Some instruments became fashionable widely, and others locally. Experts argue as to the differences; because many of the instruments are so similar but not identical, classifying them has proven difficult.

Some experts consider the mandore a forerunner to the mandolino (also known as a Baroque mandolin), which in turn branched out into a family of mandolins that includes the Neapolitan mandolin, the Genoese mandolin, and the Cremonese mandolin. Others consider that the mandore and mandolino may have been contemporary, with different names being used in different countries; the mandolino in Italy, the mandore in France. It is also considered a forerunner or close relative of the 17th century mandola.