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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 from the heat
of Rajasthan and neighbouring
Gujarat for centuries. The Mount Abu
Wildlife Sanctuary was established
in 1960 and covers 290 kmē of the
mountain.
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 oldest of these is the Vimal
Vasahi temple, built in 1031 AD by
Vimal Shah and dedicated to the
first of the Jain Tirthankaras. The
Lun Vasahi Temple were built in 1231
AD by the brothers Vastupal and
Tejpal, who belonged to the Porwal
Jain community. They were ministers
of Raja Vir Dhawal, a local ruler of
Gujarat.
The Achalgarh fort, built in the
14th century by Rana Kumbha of Mewar,
stands nearby. It encloses several
beautiful Jain temples, including
the Achaleswar Mahadev Temple (1412)
and the Kantinath Temple (1513).
Nakki Lake is another popular
visitor attraction of Mount
Abu.There is the Toad Rock on a hill
near the lake. Raghunath Temple and
Maharaja Jaipur Palace are also on
hills near Nakki Lake.
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. The world headquarters
of the Brahma Kumari order of lady
renunciates is also located here, as
is the World Spiritual University of
the same denomination. There is also
believed to be a footprint of Vishnu
on top of Mount Abu. The Durga
temple, Ambika Mata Temple lies in a
cleft of rock in Jagat, just outside
of Mount Abu. |