Mount Abu Travel Guide

Mount Abu, Rajasthan’s only hill station sits astride a plateau up in the Aravalli Hills near the south-western border with Gujarat, 4,000 ft above sea level .

Its red-roofed cottages may lull you into believing that this is a part of ye older England but mount Abu’s past is a hoary as the rest of Rajasthan. For here according to legend a huge yagna was conducted by Sage Vashishta who created the four agnikuls out of the sacred flames the fire born Rajput dynasties. The rest of the clans are said to have descended from the sun and the moon.

The descendants of many of the princely kingdoms that governed these Rajput clans built summer palaces in Mount Abu the coolest spot in overheated Rajasthan to escape the heat of the desert. Dozens followed their lead and Mount Abu today hosts not just royalty but also Rajasthan’s burnt out urbanites. There’s also some thing about the cool refreshing air here that kindles romance in many hearts for mount abu is also the top choice for many starry eyed honeymooners.

Everybody who comes here first hears of Nakki Lake. Mount Abu sits around this lake which according to legend the gods scraped from the ground with just their nails. Nakki Lake is also the center or most activities in Abu. After you’ve exhausted the possibilities here visit the numerous temples around.

For some more sightseeing or trekking head towards Toad’s Rock or Sunset Point the latter for its panoramic views. There is also a kiddies amusement part at Sunset Point so you should go there with your family or to Honeymoon Point nearby if you’re just beginning to start a family. At Guru Shikhar the highest peak of the Aravallies one may combine views of the range with homage to Dattatreya Shiva at a small temple there.

Nakki Lake

Boating in Nakki Lake is one of the more charming attractions here. It’s best to negotiate with someone to let you onto the lake early morning. Your hotel staff should be able to help organize this.

There are the usual rowboats at Nakki a few motor boats and even some kitschy stuff such as boats shaped like swans great for a photo opportunity but you’re better off with a good paddle boat and a sound oarsman who after the mandatory rounds and view of Toads Rock, can point out to you different birds by the shoreline close to the forested ridges of the lake. For that alone its worth the effort of getting to the lake at dawn. The early bird may get the worm but you’ll catch the birdsong.

Wildlife Sanctuary

Mount Abu also boasts a wildlife sanctuary 8km from the town and spread voer 288 sq km. The park is another summer draw for during the hot months of march and April, the champa, jasmine, mango and khajur trees that give the animals shade and cover are weighed down with blooms and fruit. Another place of pilgrimage on the birdwarcher’s map with more than 250 species, but leopard, chinkara, sloth bear, wild boar and hundreds of langurs also stalk its grounds.

Pilgrimage Points

The town is home to a number of other temples but the piece de resistance is the Dilware Temples. These marble temples, completed between the 11th and 13th centuries and dedicated to the jain Tirthankaras have the most ostentatious carving your will find in a religious center, with the exception of Ranakput. And yet they are not without a chaste harmony. After the cooler climes, they are Mount Abu’s biggest draw for tourists. The complex is open from sunrise to sunset and closed only during the afternoon. Keep in mind that photography unfortunately is not allowed here.

The ancient Adhar Devi Temple dedicated to the serpent goddess Arbuada is carved out of a rock reached by a flight of a shopping 360 stairs. Arbuada Devi is the patron of the town and its namesake. Nearby a natural spring rushes through a sculpted cows head at Gaumukh marking the spot where sage vashishta is said to have performed the agnikul yagna.

Further away 8km from Mount Abu is the Achalgarh fort built by Rana Kumbha in the 14th century. Check out Mandakini Kund, Achalgarh’s water supply tank, today regarded as sacred.

Boating on Nakki Lake, picnics, Fun at amusement park at Sunset Point and exploring the wildlife sanctuary.

Route from Jaiput NH8 to Beawar via Ajmer, NH14 to Abu Road via pali and Sirohi, hill road to Mount Abu.