Travel Guide Mandrosoa

Mandrosoa is an encounter with history and nature, cosmogony and the soul of the Imerina. One can attend the activities of the village: manufacture of bricks of terra cotta intended for the construction of the houses, manufacture of fishing rods and baskets, agricultural activities, spectacles, without forgetting the rhythm of the kabosy and the tales which animate the evenings.To the north-east, the vestiges of the fortified village are worth a visit. The hady (ditches and earthen ramparts, or moats) are now planted with banana trees. Near the hady stands the tomb of King Andriandambo, who is said to have the power to stop hail and thus protect the rice crops in this large plain. At the southern exit of the village, in the direction of Ankadivory, an alignment of ancient tombs borders the road. Built in stone and covered with clods of earth, the three tombs aligned side by side are the eternal homes of the ancestors. All around the village, the ground has been cut, sculpted and developed over the centuries into a succession of terraces dedicated to rice fields. To the south of Mandrosoa, a five minute walk on the track, is Ankadivory, a fortified village, surrounded by a circle of a double line of deep hady, 6 m wide and dug up to 10 m deep in some places. Facing the entrance, the perspective directs the gaze towards Ambatonandriana, the sacred rock just opposite. By going up on the earthen wall that separates the two ditches, one can go around the village and appreciate the defensive line that allowed to stop the invaders.To the northeast of the village lies the long stone tomb of the local rulers. Its dimensions are impressive: 20 m long and 8 m wide. Nearby, Ambatonandriana is a fascinating archaeological site. The ascent to the top lasts 40 min, one discovers a superb panorama there. The site evokes Vauban and the "hedgehog defense". The main door, whose access is still visible between two rocks, reminds the entries of Ambohimanga and Imerinkasinina.While going down in the valley to return to Mandrosoa, one can make a detour by the site of Ambohitsiroa ("the most beautiful hill"). The village is surrounded by moats like all the fortified villages of Imerina. One can see, half buried in the red ochre earth, the imposing stone disc that closed the entrance of the fortified village. One thinks of the images of Angkor. This place will fascinate the archaeologists.