During our Rajasthani travels we decided to get away from
the Rajasthani desert heat and took a trip to Mount Abu which is a hill
station in western India’s Rajasthan state.
The car journey up to the hill station is along windy mountain roads surrounded by mountains and greenery. There is an abundance of monkeys on the road sides ready to pounce on the cars shroud you offer any fruits,especially bananas.
Dilwara Temple
This is a jain temple which was built by Vastupal
Tejpal between 11th and 13th century. The temple intricately carved in Marble
and you will be totally mesmerised by the amazing architecture.
Nakki Lake
Nakki Lake is a manmade lake also known as, Nakki
Jheel. The lake is Located in the centre
of the hill station, and it is surrounded by
greenery, mountains and strangely shaped rocks. The lake has picnic acres, boating and is
surround with many shops and eateries.
Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary
The Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across a distance
of 288 km, the sanctuary crosses numerous mountain highs from 300 m to 1722 m
at Gurashikhar which is considered to be the highest peak in the Aravali
ranges. The sanctuary is the perfect place for trekking, seeing all kinds of
flora and Faunaand igneous rocks with large cavities resulting from the
weathering effects of water and wind.
Guru Shikar
This is the highest peak of the Aravalli Range and
lies about 15 kilometres from Mount Abu. The height of the peak is 1722 meters
from sea level and if you do get a chance to climb there you will get some
breath taking views of the surroundings. At the peak you will also find the Mt.
Abu Observatory and a cave temple of Guru Dattatreya which worships Lord
Vishnu.
Shri Ragunath Temple
Shri Raghunath Ji temple is
a 650-year-old temple set on the shores of Nakki Lake, is dedicated to
Lord Vishnu. The temple has beautiful
Mewar architecture and carvings on the walls and ceilings. The temple is calm
and serene and many followers of Lord Vishnu come daily to offer prayers.
Sunset Point
Sunset Point is an iconic point that is very famous tourist
destination of Mount Abu. Here you can come and watch the beautiful sunset
setting in the Aravali Ranges. It can be reached by car and then a short
distance walk.
For those unable to walk there are vendors who offer horse rides
and trolley rides. The trolley rides are carts that you sit in and they are pulled uphill by the vendors. This is heartbreaking to watch as it takes a lot of strength, hard work and stamina to carry out this work. Some of the vendors were really old and do this daily for a living.
Around the roads reading up to sunset point there are street vendors selling lovely masala chai, roasted and boiled sweet corn and other street foods.
Arbuda Devi Temple
Arbuda Devi Temple is considered the most sacred pilgrim
point of Rajasthan and dedicated to the goddess Durga.It can be come reached by
climbing 365 stairs to symbolise each day of the year are cut into the
mountain. There is a Dhoodh Baori,a sacred well with milk coloured water near
the temple, worshippers believe that the waters is holy. The temple is constructed out of one huge
solid piece of rock and the inner sanctum is reaching by crawling a narrow
cave.
Toad Rock
This rock is known as The mascot of Mount Abu. Toad Rock is one of the most frequented point in the itinerary of all visitors. To see the panoramic beauty of the surrounding lake and greenish hilly regions you can climb up the rock and capture the breath-taking scenery.
Mount Abu Bazaars
There are numerous shopping markets in Mount Abu. You can find traditional Rajasthani handicrafts such as Kota sarees, bangles, linen with Sanganeri print, Jaipuri quilts, and products made of marble, sandstone and sandalwood.
You can also find Rajasthani crafts, paintings, leather goods along with a few Gujarati artworks and local paintings. Costume jewellery, shoes and ethnic clothes stalls line the bazaars.
There are many hotels and guest houses in Mount Abu that offer accommodation in all price ranges. If you want to visit all the above places you will require a minimum of 3 days. We were only in mount Abu for an overnight stay so were only able to visit Nakki, Lake and the Sunset Point and the bazaars. The destination is perfect for a weekend break if you just want to relax with family and get away from the scorching India heat.
You may like to read about the other places I visited in my India travel series:
- 10 Essentials to carry in your hand luggage.
- Top 15 India travel Tips
- Haridwar
- Rishikesh
- Jaipur
- Choki Dhani Jaipur
- Jodpur
- Udaipur
If you enjoy visiting citrus spice and travels and have not signed up would like to receive regular EMAIL updates and a monthly newsletter straight into your inbox please sign up by email. You will find the email signup right at the top under my photo in the side bar.
or click the link below.
this looks so fantastic and a great way to get immersed into a different culture. Such beautiful and vibrant colours!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing. I bet the drive there was interesting... and definitely took a lot of concentration! I'm not a fan of windy mountain driving! lol
ReplyDeletea trip to Mount Abu sounds like a great thing to plan to do. Thanks for introducing me to this great place. Keshia Richmond
ReplyDeleteThose monkeys are awesome. I’d love to visit a place where monkeys roam free. That shopping looks great too.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great journey! We have always wanted to travel to India. Your pictures are amazing!
ReplyDeleteBeauliful clicks of Mount Abu.. I visited this place when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteLovely Pictures. Never been to this place but sounds great and amazing.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard about Mount Abu before. It surely looks like an amazing place. And oh my, look at those colorful clothes and jewelleries at the bazaar! ~ Ola @ WanderWithOla
ReplyDeleteLast year we went to Mount abu. We found Mount Abu to be a very activity oriented hill station. There are temples, sunset points, forests, trekking, shopping options, a lake, heritage places and options galore. Even in the month of June an excellent weather made this trip very pleasant and memorable for us.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to India before but your post has made me want to go, it's so beautiful and colourfu!
ReplyDeleteWhat a picture you paint of India! It looks like an amazing trip!
ReplyDeleteOH WOW these views are absolutely incredible. I would love to visit India xxx
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had an amazing trip, I would love to go back to India one day
ReplyDeleteI think whilst it might be a bit of challenge climbing up and adjusting to the altitude the views from sunset point alone would make it all worth while. It’s great there is horse rides absolve if you are struggling to walk too
ReplyDeleteI love reading about different culture and places and this post is so detailed. I would love to visit India. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIndia has rich culture. I'd love to travel Mount Abu.
ReplyDeleteThat monkey is so cute and the sunset is on point! I love traveling and discovering new places to visit.
ReplyDeleteWOW what a fantastic place to visit, so beautiful
ReplyDeleteThis place looks incredible {as well as incredibly hot!} India is never a place I thought to visit, but after reading this I might have to add it to my travel bucket list.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing for me about these trips is the bright colours, it is the one thing I always remember. I also love that sunset, what an incredible view x
ReplyDeleteWow! Looks fabulous. It's always a bonus to find local crafts as well as beautiful scenery.
ReplyDelete