Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Rajasthan rolling - 2 (Mt.Abu)

Rain followed us from Ahmedabad all the way to Mount Abu, a distance of 245kms.
We left Ahmedabad at 0700hrs and had a pleasant drive to Mount Abu with good roads all the way. All along the way we saw pilgrims walking and cycling in groups, some carrying flags on
their way to the Ambaji temple 45kms off Mt.Abu, for a jatra that is held annually on full moon day.
Villagers on the way provided food and shelter to the pilgrims.
As we climbed up we drove through clouds near the top.
In the Puranas, the region has been referred to as Arbudaranya, ("forest of Arbhu") and 'Abu' is a derative of this ancient name. The legend is that a serpent named "Arbuda" saved the life of Nandi - Lord Shiva's bull, hence the mountain is named "Arbudaranya" after this incident.
The town of Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, is located at an elevation of 1220 meters. It has been a popular retreat for the Rajasthanis and neighbouring Gujaratis for centuries. Mount Abu is home to a number of Jain temples.
The Dilwara Temples are a complex of temples, carved of white marble, that were built between the 11th and 13th centuries AD.
The mountain is also home to several Hindu temples, including the Adhar Devi Temple, carved out of solid rock; the Shri Raghunathji Temple; and a shrine and temple to Dattatreya built atop the Guru Shikhar peak.
Checked in at Udaigarh Hotel, had some Punjabi food for lunch and set out for the famous Dilwara temples which were around 5kms away. These temples built by Chalukya between the 11th and 13th centuries AD are famous for their stunning use of marble. The five legendary marble temples of Dilwara are a sacred pilgrimage place of the Jains. The entry timings at the temple for visitors is 12pm to 6pm and no mobiles or cameras are allowed inside. This rule has been enforced after the Government take over who now have a big say in the affairs of the temple along with the trust.
Then we drove to the Nakki lake which is supposed to have been dug out by the Gods with their nails! Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in this lake on 12th February, 1948 and Gandhi Ghat was constructed.
It was Ganapati visarjan day and most of the Ganapatis in Mount Abu were being brought for
immersion with a lot of song and dance.
Started raining again so got back to the hotel and spent a quiet evening listening to news that it is raining heavily in Udaipur where we are heading for tomorrow!

Rajasthan rolling -1

13 comments:

  1. i didnt know ppl walked to ambaji too... and i love the way the arrangements are made by so many people enroute!

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  2. Wow , Mount Abu has been in my wish list for a long time now . Nice captures .

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  3. Some Real beautiful Captures !! Great Post ~~

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  4. Mount Abu is in our wish list too .Great pictures specially that of Nakki Lake and Ganesh Visarjan.I wonder why Govt takes over Hindu ,Jain Temples and their trusts .

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  5. Been to Rajasthan so many times but always missed this place somehow! Wonderful account!

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  6. A wet, but fun time! I especially love the Nakki Lake, it looks beautiful with the mist descending on it. So where next did you go in Rajasthan?

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  7. We have started going on short trips mostly to the places visited by the L&M on work, but Mt.Abu is certainly going to be a holiday destination. I remember walking through clouds in Meghalaya too.

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  8. Loved the 5th, 6th, and 8th pic... :)
    Awesome ones...

    Love,
    Indie :)

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  9. This reminded me of my many sojourns to Mt Abu from Jamnagar. The most memorable one was in 2001 on Sharad poornima utsav at Samvit Ashram.

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  10. awesome pics, especially those of mount abu in snow. did u not visit samvit giri as well?

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  11. Sigh ! Punjabi food once again ;-) I have never been to Mt.Abu and it is on my bucket list for sometime now. Hope to visit it soon !

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