Gaumukh
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 the bull Nandi, Shiva's vehicle.
The tank here, Agni Kund, is said to be the
site of the sacrificial fire, made by sage Vashistha,
from which four of the great Rajput clans were
born. An image of Vashishtha is flanked by the
figures of Rama and Krishna.
Delwara Jain Temples
The Temple complex includes two temples with
exquisite marble carvings. The older of the
temples is the Vimal Vasahi, built in 1031 by
a Gujrati minister named Vimal. It is dedicated
to the first tirthankar (Jain Teacher), Adinath.
The central shrine contains an image of Adinath,
while around the courtyard are 57 identical
cells, each with a Budhdha like cross-legged
image. Forty eight elegantly carved pillars
from the entrance to the courtyard. In front
of the temple stands the House of Elephants,
with figures of elephants marching in procession
to the temple.
The later Tejpal Temple is dedicated to Neminath,
the 22nd tirthankar, and was built in1231 by
the brothers Tejpal and Vastupal. Like Vimal,
they were ministers in the government of the
ruler of Gujarat. Although the Tejpal temple
is important as an extremely old and complete
example of Jain temple, its most notable feature
is the intricacy and delicacy of the marble
carving. It is so fine that, in places, the
marble becomes almost transparent. In particular
the lotus flower that hangs from the center
of the dome is an incredible piece of work.
It is difficult to believe that the huge lacelike
filigree started as a solid block of marble.
The temple employs several full-time stone carvers
to maintain and restore the work.
Adhar Devi Temple
The Adhar Devi temple, about 3km north of town,
is chiseled out of a huge rock reached by a
flight of 365 steps. You have to stoop to get
through the low entrance of the temple. It is
a favorite tourist spot.
Sunset Point
Of the various points around the town, Sunset
Point, 1.5 km from the tourist office of Mount
Abu, is the most popular. Hoards stroll out
here every evening to catch the setting sun,
the food stalls and all the usual entertainment.
Is is a one kilometer walk from the road to
the viewpoint or you can hire a horse. Honeymoon
Point, 2.5 kms northwest on Ganesh Road, also
known as Andra Point, offers an enchanting view
of the verdant plains and valleys. The place
looks most beautiful during the dusk hours.
The route to Honeymoon Point goes past the Nakki
Lake.
Guru Shikhar
At the end of the plateau, 15km from Mount Abu,
is Guru Shikar, the highest point in Rajasthan
at 1722m. A road goes almost all the way to
the summit. At the top is the Atri Rishi Temple,
complete with a priest and good views all around.
Achalgarh
The Shiva Temple of Achaleshwar Mahandeva, in
Achalgarh, boasts a number of interesting features
, including what is said to be a toe of Shiva,
as well as a brass Nandi (Shiva's vehicle, a
bull) and, where the Siva Lingum would normally
be, there is a deep hole that is said to extend
all the way down to the underworld. Just outside
the temple beside the car park, three stone
buffaloes stand around a tank, while the figure
of a King shoots at them with his bows and arrows.
A legend states that the tank was once filled
with ghee, but demons, in the form of buffalos
came down and polluted the ghee until the king
shot them. A path leads up to the hillside to
a group of colorful Jain temples, which all
have fine views over the plains.
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