Mount Abu - the City of Sun Set. Review on Mount Abu

This is my first visit of Mount Abu with my family & in the month of December (Christmas Vacation) during 28th to 30th, so cold !!!

We went by Gujarat queen train from Valsad to Ahmedabad & by bus from Ahmedabad to Mt.Abu. The journey was very long in distance but when we reached at Abu, we felt very fresh, might be due to the atmosphere of Abu.

A tourist delight Mt. Abu, the city of Sun set is approached by a motorable road from Abu Road. It is a delightful Summer and Winter resort. The salubrious, atmosphere, charming scenery and the treasures of art and nature contended in Mt. Abu.

The places worth visiting were the Nakkhi lake, the famous Dilwara Jain temples, Adhar Devi Temple (Arbuda Devi) and some other temples atop the hills near Mt. Abu, Toad Rock, Trevor’s Tank, Guru Shikhar, Honey moon point, Shankar Math etc.

Places of Tourist Interest

Dilwara Jain temples (3 km from Mt. Abu): The most famous place here is the Dilwara Jain temples suitably called a “ Dream in Marble”.

The visit to the Dilwara temples was good as it was full of beautiful carvings of marble.

The celebrated and world famous Jain temples which have excellent specimens of sculptures art.

The interior of the dome is intricately carved out into eleven concentric and projecting rings giving it a pendant form.

Nakkhi Lake : Like most of the Hill stations this one too has a lake, which is the center of attraction during evenings, and if you like crowds and boating then spend you evenings in and around the lake.

The lake has a motorable road around it and if you like a quite place to enjoy the beauty of nature then better stops and enjoys the view in Peace.

The lake is called Nakkhi Lake and legend says that it was dug by a sage named Balaram Rasiya with his nails (Nakh in Gujarati) and hence the name.

This time we went to the Nakkhi Lake in the evening and the lights looked good, very peaceful. You can enjoy doing boating.

The abiding factor was the ’’pav vada’’ & “softy ice cream” at a shop near the lake.

Guru Shikhar (15 kms from Mt. Abu) : The Highest point of Mt. Abu is Guru Shikhar and the whole valley and nearby planes are visible from this place and that is the reason the Air Force has Radar stationed at the top. It is presumably the highest Radar in this region.

At its top is the temple of Swami Dattatreya, which has foot prints and a big giant bell its toll is heard up to a long distance from here. Here, you can get to wear traditional dresses in just 10 Rs. & you can take snaps for your memory.

Other spots worth visiting are Sunset Point, but if you like to sit quietly then go to this place during daytime and enjoy the view.

In the evenings hundreds swarm the place and it is like one big picnic to witness the sun set. We couldn’t take the snap of Sun set due to clouds.

Adhar Devi Temple (2 kms north of town) : On a high hill (4220 feet) this ancient temple dedicated to goddess, Arbuda “Adhar Devi”, is carved out of a huge rock, the entrance of the temple is very narrow and one can seek entry in a sitting posture.

Arbuda is the patron of the town, who formed the mountain in order to save the sacred cow, Nandi from drowning in an abyss. The black-painted marble idol, riding a solid gold tiger, is claimed to be about 5, 000 years old.

Trevor’s Tank : It is named after the British engineer, who constructed it, Trevor’s tank is a delight for birdwatchers with densely wooded hills that are a haven to pigeons, peacocks and partridges.

Apart from the regular spots the best way to explore any hill station is to walk around the place and if you like to walk then you can cover all the see-spots by foot except Achalgarh and GuruShikhar.

It is fun walking around the lake, one can breathe the pollution free air and have a nice walk. If you are interested in rock climbing then you can try your hand at the Toad Rock near the Lake.

It is a good trek and you can get a bird’s eye view of the lake and its surroundings. The lakeside is full of nature walks and then you can make your own roads if you so desire.

Food : There are so many options – Gujarati Thali, Punjabi Thali, Chinese even U.S. Pizza & Mr. Sam’s Pizza, fast foods etc. The food of “Arbuda hotel” is very nice.

You should visit “Hotel Chacha” at least once, rather than food the location is very nice.

Shopping : This place is good for shopping as unlike other hill stations it is not very costly and you can buy good Rajasthani stuff like Bandhej and Printed Bedsheets etc. at bargain price.

The most interesting place is Chacha’s Museum and you should visit it at least once. It has got some very interesting stuff. There is also Tibetian market.

Accomodation : Due to rush for 31st Dec., mostly every hotel was booked. We were staying at Shreenath Cottage, very nice small hotel but little bit far from the market. The location of our room was very nice & service is very nice, known as “Pandyasaheb’s hotel”.

We got the room for only two days due to 31st December & we want to stay for another two days. So for the last two days we went to “Holiday Inn” hotel, it was my worst experience by this hotel because due to emergency from home, we had to come within one day so we were demanded to give back the last day’s payment.

Hence my advice to all of you that don’t give full payment in any hotel, it’s my personal experience at Abu. Remember always bargain because there is no standard rate of the room. They are charging whatever in their mind.

Anyway, there are also so many other Hotels like Rajasthan Tourism hotel-Shikhar which is atop a hill, Shera Tone Mount View, Aravali in the budget class, Hotel Hillock, Chacha’s Inn and the best and costliest are the Cama Rajputana and Connought House a heritage hotel owned by the Maharaja of Jodhpur.

Getting there : Nearest railway station is Abu Road which is about 29 Kms from the top and all the major trains traveling between Delhi and Ahmedabad stop here. It is about 244 Kms. from Ahmedabad.

Important trains passing through Abu Road are Surya Nagri Express, Delhi Mail, Ashram Express and Rajdhani(Delhi – Ahmedabad) to name a few. You can also go by Bus from Ahmedabad.

Last but not the least, the best time to go there……

Mt. Abu is at its best during rains and it seems that nature has given through wash to the whole place and the clean green hill station is one of the best places to be in. Winters here are chilling but tolerable and you can get good discounts on room rents during winters.

September to November it is pleasantly cold and enjoyable. If you live in Rajasthan or Gujarat even summer season will give the much needed relief from the heat wave during May and June. July and August is the rainy season and winter sets in its full earnest by November.

And if you are going there during weekdays don’t forget to ask for discounts…..

During this visit we had taken the sightseeing tour from the Rajasthan Travels, near the Bus stand.

It has prepaid tours with fixed places they will show.

These guided tours take you mostly to all the tourist spots that they have decided and one gets to know the details also by the guide.

If you have more time and like some place, you can thereafter go there on your own and spend as much time as you want, you can also hire bike for whole day.

At last when we left Mt. Abu, very next day the climate was changed & temperature was decreased around -4 degree centigrade!!! So we couldn't see snow. But Mount Abu is famous for its natural beauty. So enjoy it a lot. We can’t get it in our concrete city.