Mount
Abu City Information
The only hill station of Rajasthan
is the thriving oasis in the desert.
This pleasant retreat set amidst the
lush forested hills southern Aravalli
range, this hill retreat owes its cool
climate to the rich floral vegetation
that covers the entire hillside, including
coniferous trees and flowering shrubs.
The only hill station in Rajasthan,
Mount Abu is much more than just a summer
retreat. Its stunning array of exquisite
Dilwara Jain Temples, dating back 11th-13th
century, make it a popular pilgrimage
centre. According to a legend. Abu stands
for the son of Himalayan, deriving its
name from Arbuada, the powerful serpent
who rescued Nandi, the sacred bull of
Lord Shiva, from a chasm. Mount Abu
has been home to many sages and saints.
Most famous of them was Sage Vashishtha
who is believed to have created four
agnikula Rajput clans from a fire-pit
by performing ayagna or fire sacrifice,
to protect the earth from the demons.
You will see a lot of animation in and
around the Nakhi Talab, the lake at
Mt. Abu. Legend has it that the gods
dug it with their nails at a time when
they were feeling thirsty and so the
name Nakhi, since 'nakh' means fingernail.
The lake offers relaxing times - boat
rides and easy strolls along with some
very pleasant walks in the nearby woods.
Worth a look are the strange and fantastic
shapes created due to some erosion on
the rocks of the Aravallis.
The history of Mount Abu is as varied
as the city itself. It was once a part
of the Chauhan kingdom of Rajasthan
and served as a summer resort for the
Rajput kings of the region. After that,
it was leased by the British government
from the then Maharaja of Sirohi for
use as the headquarter of the resident
to Rajputana (another name for Rajasthan).
This place is held in great reverence
by the Jains since Jain scriptures record
that Lord Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara
(spiritual leader) had visited Mount
Abu and blessed the city.
During the British rule in India, it
was the favorite summer destination
of the British, who came here to escape
the dusty, dry heat of the plains particularly
Rajasthan. It also served as a sanatorium
for the troops. The small huts and cottages
here tell stories of those times even
today.
Main
Sightseeing of Mount Abu
Dilwara Jain Temples : These
remarkable Jain temples are MountAbu's
main attraction and among the finest
examples includes two temples in which
the art of carving marble reached
unsurpassed heights. The older of
the temples is the ' Vimal Vasahi
', built in 1031 and dedicated to
the first tirthankar, Adinath. In
the front of the temple stands the
' House of Elephants ', with figures
of elephants marching in procession
to the temple entrance. The later
' Tejpal temple ' is dedicated to
Neminath, the 22nd tirthankar, and
was built in 1230 by the brothers
Tejpal and Vastupal. The carving is
so fine that, in places, the marble
becomes almost transparent.
Sunrise Palace : Situated
on one of the highest points in Mount
Abu is the summer palace of the Maharaja
of Bharatpur. Now it is called the
Sunrise Palace, provides a breathtaking
panoramic view of lush green Aravallis
surrounding it. The 80 years old palace
has a fairy tale charm to it and is
build like a typical british-style
mansion. It has large spacious rooms,
which have been done tastefully and
provides all possible comforts to
the guests. It is popular with honeymooners
as well as those looking for a peaceful
holiday.
Kesar Bhawan Palace : Kesar
Bhawan Palace is one of the oldest
places in Mount Abu, built in 1868.
The Kesar Bhawan was used as a guest
house for visiting dignitories. For
100 years now several Maharajas and
royal guests from the west have been
entertained in Kesar Bhawan. Built
to suit the climatic conditions of
Mount Abu which has an average rainfall
of 150 inches annually, the palace
has closed corridor running around
the building providing it protection
from rain. Each bedroom has its own
private balcony which provide a panoramic
view of the surrrounding hills and
valleys.
Vimala Vashi Temple :
It is the oldest temple, built in
1030 by Vimala Shah, a minister of
Solanki ruler of Gujarat. The temple
is said to have involved a work force
of 2700 men, and taken total fourteen
years to complete. Made of white marble,
it is an outstanding example of Jain
temple architecture.
Jain Community :
The fine specimen of workmanship ,
as seen in its carvings and pillars,
this temple is dedicated to Neminath
- the twenty second Jain tirthankara.
A lot of inspiration and encouragement
went into the construction of this
temple. Built in the ' Solanki ' style
of architecture, this temple has a
breahtaking marble pendant hanging
like a shandelier from the central
dome of the porch.
Luna Vashi Temple :
Built in 1232 by two wealthy brothers.
Its carved ornamentation is even richer,
denser and more delicate. In some
places, the marble carving is so fine.
The doorways of the temples are framed
by ornate pediments and plasters;
the columns are magnificiently carved.
Nakki Lake is virtually
in the heart of Mount Abu and is a
big attraction for tourists. The lake
takes its name from the legend that
it was scooped out by a god, using
only his nails, or nakh. It's a pleasant
stroll around the lake - look for
the strange rock formations. On the
lake there is a dilapidated concrete
boat-shaped snack bar.
Gomukh Temple :
Down on the Abu road side of Mount
Abu, a small stream flows from the
mouth of a marble cow, giving the
shrine its name. There is also a marble
figure of Nandi, Shiva's vehicle.
The tank here, ' Agni Kund ', is said
to be the site of the sacrificial
fire made by the sage Vasishta, from
which four of the great Rajput clans
were born, An image of Vasishta is
flanked by figures of Rama and Krishna.Gomukh
Temple contains images of Lord Rama
and Lord Krishna.
Connaught House
in Mount Abu was the official summer
residence of Sir Donald Field, Chief
Minister of the Jodhpur and now it
is available to tourists and holiday
makers. Connaught House is in a very
good condition. New rooms have been
added to the old cottages. The location
of the cottage gives it a complete
privacy and allow the tourist to enjoy
a quiet and peaceful holiday. The
main market place and the famous Nakki
Lake are walking distance
Mount Abu Museum : The
museum is divided into two sections.
The first section has been adorned
by a diorama of local tribal hut with
their usual living style by adding
a gallery of weapons, musical instruments,
ladies ornaments like barly, damani,
karna, guthma toda, gaga wala thoomar,
kanksi berla, various type of earrings
and garments etc. belonging to hill
dwellers.
The second section has a series of
miniature paintings based on raga-ragnis,
lain images from Sirohi, medium sized
shields, a small canon called 'Topdi'
and some pieces of carvings on local
wood.
The notable collection of this museum,
is the finely carved out statues of
Devdasi or Nartakis (Dancer) ranging
from 6th century A.D. to 12th century
A.D. procured from an ancient township
called Chandravati, 7 kms away from
Abu. There is an image of the Chakrabahu
Shiva having a trishul in one hand
and a khadag in the other and sitting
on Nandi, the bull. On each side of
Shiva are dancing girls.
In the Abu collection consisting
of 404 sculptures, the most distinctive
exhibit is the Vish Kanya (snake goddess)
which is 3 feet high. It is shown
breast-feeding a snake. The figures
are well executed and the attitudes
are impressive and natural. It also
has the Surya (8th century A.D.) found
in Achalgarh, the Shiva (10th century
A.D.) brought from Delwara temple.
The Chanvar Vahini and Laxmi (12th
century A.D.) also from Chandravati
and the Chanmunda (8th century A.
D.). The Sculpture Gallery has some
memorial inscriptions collected from
nearby areas e.g. Chapa's inscription,
(local heroine of Achalgarh)..
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Excursions
from Mount Abu
Achalgarh Fort : This
fort was built by the warrior King Rana
Kumbha, who conquered Mount Abu from
its Chauhan rulers. It lies 5 miles
from Mount Abu. Nearby there are several
ancient temples. Of these, the most
interesting is the 15th century temple
of Lord Shiva.
Guru Shikar : The
peak of Guru Shikhar, the highest point
in Rajasthan, lies about 2 miles beyond
Achalgarh. It commands a bird eye view
of Abu and the surrounding areas. Temples
located in this area are the ' Mira
temple ' and ' Chaumundi temple '.
Adhar Devi Temple :
Three kilometres north of town, some
365 steps lead to this ' Durga temple
' built in a natural cleft in the rock.
You have to stoop to get through the
low entrance to the temple. There are
fine views over Mount Abu from up here.
This temple is one of the favourite
tourist spots of Mount Abu. It is believed
that the image of the goddess was originally
hanging in mid-air, hence the name is
' Adhar Devi '.
.
How
to reach Mount Abu?
By Air : Udaipur is
the nearest airport. Daily flight form
Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur are available
to Udaipur.
By Train : The nearest
railway station Abu Road is about 22
kms from Mount Abu. And well connected
by Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Jodhpur.
By Road : Connected
by very good road to major cities including
road to Delhi, Udaipur, Ajmer and Bundi
etc..
By Road : Well road
connection from all major cities of
South India.
