image. In this style, the mandapa is the
name for a hall of the temple that is usually
between the entrance hall (ardhaman-
dapa) and the main hall (mahamandapa).
Mandara
In Hindu mythology, the name of a
sacred mountain where the minor
god Kuberaand his court reside. In the
myth of the Tortoise avatar, Mount
Mandara is identified as the churning-
stick used to churn the ocean of milk
(the mountain’s tremendous size makes
it an effective churn).
Mandir
(“home”) In northern India, the most
common name for a temple in which
the image of a deityhas been installed
and consecrated for worship. Although
such temples often have facilities for
congregational worship, social life, or
cultural events, the building’s primary
function is to serve as the home for the
deities assembled there and considered
the temple’s real owners.
Mandodari
In the Ramayana, the earlier of the two
great Indian epics, Mandodari is the
wife of the demon-king Ravana, and the
mother of Indrajit, Atikaya and
Akshakumara. Despite being a loving
and loyal wife to Ravana, Mandodari
continually advises him that he has
done wrong in kidnapping Rama’swife
Sita. She pleads with him to come to
terms with Rama before it becomes
necessary to fight. Ravana refuses to
do so, because of his pride and his deter-
mination to avenge the insult to his
sister Shurpanakha, who has been
mutilated by Rama’s brother Lakshmana.
In the end, this stubbornness costs
Ravana his life.Mandu
Hilltop fort in southwestern Madhya
Pradesh, about seventy miles south of
Indore. Although Mandu is deserted
today, it was the capital of a small king-
dom until the sixteenth century, and
was eventually assimilated into the
Moghul empire as a vassal state. DuringMandara
Rupmati’s Pavilion, Mandu.