India Travel
Dilwara temples of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Jains consider temple building to be an act of devotion, and without fail their houses of worship are lovingly adorned and embellished, But even by Jain standards, the Dilwara temples. 3km northeast of Mount Abu (daily noon-6pm; free; no leather, cameras, transistors, tape recorders, or menstruating women), are some of the most beautiful in India. All five are made purely from marble, and the carving, especially in the two main structures, is breathtakingly intricate, unparalleled in its lightness and delicacy. Each litde section stands on its own as a work of art, inspiring a stunned response from even the most temple-jaded tourists. For sheer aesthetic splendour, only the temples at Ranakpur 200km northwest come close.
The oldest temple, Vimala Vasahi, named after the Gujarati minister who funded its construction in 1031 AD, is dedicated to Adinath, the first tirthankam, whose image sits cross-legged in the central sanctuary guarded by tall statues of Parshvanath (the 23rd tirthankam). Although the exterior is simple, inside not one wall, column or ceiling is unadorned; the work, carried out by almost 2000 labourers and sculptors, took fourteen years to complete. Eight of the forty-eight pillars in the front hall form an octagon that supports a domed ceiling arranged in eleven concentric circles, alive with dancers, musicians, elephants and horses. Within the sanctuary and the cloisters that surround it, small shrines, countless pillars, brackets and wall niches are imaginatively decorated, and each section of the roof is adorned.
The later Neminath temple imitates that dedicated to Adinath, but its carvings are yet more precise and detailed. The large dome over the entrance hall is unprecedented. Friezes etched into the walls depict cosmological themes, stories of the jains (saints) and grand processions. Sculptures near the entrance porch commemorate the temple’s patrons, the two brothers Vastupala andTejapala. Said in legend to have discovered a huge treasure, they were advised by their wives - also portrayed here - to build temples, and funded many on the holy hill of Shatrunjaya in Gujarat.
The remaining three fifteenth-century temples are less spectacular. Although the Adinath temple - not to be confused with Vimala Vasahi - which houses a four-and-a-half-ton brass image of the tirthankam, has some fine carving, much of it unfinished; the one consecrated to Parshvanath has ornate ceilings and jinas etched into the outer walls, and is topped by a high grey stone tower.
To get to Dilwara, you can charter a Jeep (Rs50), or take a place in a shared one (Rs4), from the main junction at the southeastern end of Mount Abu’s polo ground. The walk up there is also pleasant, though many prefer to save their energies for the downhill walk back into town.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
The Town of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Mount Abu has a significant number of religious sites but all are some way out of town. Nearer the centre, Nakki Lake is where everyone converges in the late afternoon for pony and pedalo rides, and to dress up in fake peasant clothes to have their photos taken. Of several panoramic viewpoints on the fringes of town above the plains, Sunset Point is the favourite - with its hordes of holiday-makers, peanut sellers, camel drivers, cart pushers and horse owners, it has to be the noisiest and least romantic place imagmable to watch the sun sink over the horizon. Honeymoon
Ranakpur North of Udaipur in Rajasthan
The complex of Jain temples at RANAKPUR, 60km north of Udaipur, is the largest of its kind in India, boasting marble work on a par with that of the more famous Dilwara shrines at Mount Abu and Shatrunjaya near palitana in Gujarat. Unlike the latter two hilltop sites, however, this sacred spot is hidden at the base of a wooded valley. The land, deep in the Aravalh range, was originally gifted to the Jain community in the fifteenth-century by Rana Kumbha, the Hindu ruler of Mewar. Ranakapur's isolated position has kept it well off the foreign tourist trail, but if-you're working
Accommodation of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
The steady stream of pilgrims and honeymoon couples ensures that Mount Abu has plenty of hotels. Lots of them offer luxuries for newlyweds in special "couple rooms"; the Samrat International, for example, takes pride in its curtained four- or six-poster beds and deep marble bathtubs, and even boasts swings for two in some rooms. Though in low season you can live in stylish comfort for little more than you might otherwise pay for rock-bottom accommodation, prices rocket in high season (April-June & Nov-Dec), reaching their peak during Diwali (Oct & Nov).We have indicated below where the difference in seasonal rates
Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Rajasthan's ruling caste, the "twice-born" Rajputs, trace their mythological origins back to a powerful fire ceremony, or yagna agnikund, conducted by the sage Vashisra after the fall of the Gupta empire in the eighth century AD. The ritual is believed to have taken place at the top of a huge rocky massif in the southwest corner of the state, near the present-day border with Gujarat. More than a thousand years later, the British, attracted by the same outcrop's cool air and clear light, founded a sanitarium on the high plateau at its centre. Thereafter, MOUNT ABU became a permanent hot-season
Arrival and information of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Mount Abu is accessible only by road. Aim to spend as little time as possible in the grim bazaar town of Abu Road, the nearest railhead, where travellers pick up buses for the forty-five-minute ascent from the plains. Entering Mount Abu itself, you have to pay a Rs5 fee. Passengers arriving at the main bus stand in the southeast of Mount Abu are swamped by hotel touts and would-be luggage porters pushing pram-like trolleys. Turn right to get to the more expensive hotels, such as the Mount Regency; left for the large central polo ground, the main bazaar, budget hotels and
Junagadh and around in Gujarat
The friendly small town of JUNAGADH (also spelt Junagarh), around 160km from Did (via Veraval), is an intriguing place, with a skyline broken by domes and minarets and narrow streets whose shop fronts brim with spices piled in high powdery pyramids. It's fun to amble through the town's lively bazaars, and with a mixture of Buddhist monuments, Hindu temples, mosques, bold go this archways and mansions — not to mention the magnificent jain temples on Mount Girnar -Junagadh is an exciting city to explore for anyone with an interest in architecture and a taste for history. From the fourth century BC
Eating and drinking of Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Mount Abu's predominantly middle-class Indian visitors arc typically hard to please when it comes to food, so standards are exceptionally high and prices low in the numerous restaurants dotted along Nakki Road. Competition is stiffest between the squeaky-clean pure-veg Gujarati thali joints, most of which have indoor seating, but you can eat top-notch south Indian snacks and spicy rice-plate meals al fresco at the terrace cafes between the bazaar and the lake, and there are plenty of busy ice-cream stalls towards the waterfront. The classier hotels serve alcohol, also available at the wine and beer shops opposite the Veena at
Mount Girnar in Gujarat
Rising to a height of over 1100m, Mount Girnar, a steep-sided extinct volcano 4km east of Junagadh, is a major pilgrimage centre for both Jains and Hindus, and has been considered sacred since before the third century BC. Buses leave from Junagadh's local depot hourly, dropping passengers at the mountain base from where five thousand irregular steps lead to the summit. It's best to start the ascent, which takes at least two hours, well before 7am when the scorching sun rises from behind the peak. The path climbs through eucalyptus forests before zig agging across the sheer rock face, and
Mount Harriet and Madhuban in The Andaman Islands
The richly forested slopes of Mount Harriet make for decent exercise and can easily be done as a day-trip from Port Blair. You can take one of the hourly passenger ferries from Chatham to Bamboo Flats or, if you want to have your own transport on the other side, there are five daily vehicle ferries from Phoenix Bay. From Bamboo Flats it's a pleasant seven-kilometre stroll east along the coast and north up a path through trees hung with thick vines and creepers to the 365-metre summit, which affords fine views back across the bay. An intermittent bus service runs
Around Udaipur in Rajasthan
You'd need to have a lot of time on your hands to see more than a fraction of the ruins, palaces, temples, forts, lakes and wildlife sanctuaries that abound in the countryside around Udaipur. Day-trips northeast of the city can take in the important historic temples of Nagda. Eklingji, Nathdwara. and Kankroli along NH-H towards Bhihwara, or the peaceful wooded surroundings ot Ranakpur and Kumbalgarh. which also make appealing stopovers before you join NH-15 en route to Jodhpur. Renting a car saves time, but regular and efficient local buses, as well as private tour companies, serve both routes.
Keoladeo National Park Practicalities East of Jaipur in Rajasthan
Cycle rickshaws are the main form of transport within the city, but fares for he long haul in and out of town soon mount up, and it makes sense to rent a bicycle, either from your hotel (around Rs35/day) or the shop on NH-11 outside the Spoonbill Restaurant. If you need to change money, head for the State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur. Binarayan Gate (Mon-Fn 10am-2pm, Sat 10am—noon). Bharatpur's bus stand is in the west of town near Anah Gate, just off NH-11. If you're arriving from Fatehpur Sikri, get off well before, when the bus stops at the crossroads
St Thomas Mount in Tamil Nadu
According to legend, St Thomas was speared to death (or struck by a hunter's stray arrow) while praying before a stone cross on St Thomas Mount, 1 lkm south of the city centre, close to the airport (take a suburban train to Guindy railway station, and walk from there). Our Lady of Expectation Church (1523) is reached by 134 granite steps marked at intervals with the fourteen Stations of the Cross. At the top of the steps, a huge old banyan tree provides shade for devotees who come to fast, pray and sing. Inside the church, St Thomas' cross is
Moving on from Mount Abu in Rajasthan
Buses leave Mount Abu for Abu Road every hour until 9pm; Jeeps leave when full (from opposite the bus stand), and taxis are available on request (from the junction at the southeastern corner of the polo ground; Rs200 for a full car). For train travellers, there's an information and booking office, or "Out Agency" (Mon-Sat 9am-1pm S 2-4pm) directly opposite the police station, next to the bus stand. It has quotas for services to Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, but not Jodhpur, so if you're heading northeast towards Jaisalmer, you'll have to head back down to Abu Road railway station
Little Mount Caves in Tamil Nadu
St Thomas is said to have sought refuge from persecution in the Little Mount Caves, 8km south of the city centre (bus #18A, #18B, or #52C from Anna Salai), now 200m off the road between the Maraimalai Adigal Bridge and the residence of the governor of Tamil Nadu. Entrance to the caves is beside steps leading to a statue of Our Lady of Good Health. Inside, next to a small natural window in the rock, are impressions of what are believed to be St Thomas' handprints, created when he made his escape through this tiny opening. Behind the new circular church
East of Udaipur in Rajasthan
The belt of hilly land east of Udaipur is the most fertile in Rajasthan, watered by several perennial rivers. Although you need your own vehicle to penetrate the countryside, the historic town of Chittaurgarh, which preceded Udaipur as the seat of Mewar's rulers, is easily accessible by bus. Further east, clusters of crumbling temples mark the sites of still older cities. In the far southeast, the heartland of the princely state of Kota, palaces and forts in Kota and Bundi stand sentinel over fields of wheat, groundnut, castor-oil plants and opium poppies. A prime crop here for centuries, opium is
Travel details in the Rajasthan
Trains Jaipur to: Agra (2 daily; 7hr); Ahmedabad (2 daily; 14hr); Ajmer (5 daily; 2-3hr); Alwar (7 daily; 2hr 35min-4hr); Bikaner (3 daily; 6hr 30min-1 Ohr); Calcutta (2 daily: 29hr); Chittaurgarh (2 daily; 7hr 40min-8hr 15min); Chum (3 daily: 5hr 20min); Delhi (8 daily; 4hr 20min-6hr 30]; Jhunjhunu (3 daily; 4hr 40min-6hr); Jodhpur (4-5 daily; 5hr-6hr iOmin); Kota (3 daily; 3hr 45min); Mount Abu (3 daily; 8-9hr); Mumbai (2 daily; 16hr 30min-22hr); Sawai Madhopur (2-3 daily; 2hr-3hr 20min); Sikar (5 daily; 3hr); Udaipur (2 daily; 10-12hr). Jodhpur to: Abu Road (3 daily: 5hr); Agra (2 daily; 13hr); Ahmedabad (3 daily; 10hr);
Hindu temples in Rajasthan
Beyond the Brahma Kumaris University, about 3km northeast of town, a flight of more than four hundred steps climbs up to Adhar Devi temple (dedicated to Durga), cut into the rocky hilltop. The milk-coloured water of the Doodh Baori well at the foot of the steps is considered to be a source of pure tnilk (doodh) tor gods and sages. A further 8km northeast, the temple complex at ACHALGARH is dominated by the Achaleshwar Mahadeo temple, believed to have been created when Lord Shiva placed his toe on the spot to still an earthquake. Its sanctuary holds neither an image of
Practicalities of Ranakpur North of Udipur in Rajasthan
Ranakpur is a bumpy three-hour journey on regular buses from Udaipur. You can also get here from Jodhpur, via the market town of Falna on NH-14, and there are a couple of express connections to Abu Road. If you're intending to visit Kumbalgarh as well, though, think about trekking between the two sites, which are separated by one of the few remaining forested areas in the Aravallis. As Kumbalgarh is on the top of the range, it's much easier to hike from there down to Ranakpur, but guides may be arranged through The Castle Hotel for the six-hour uphill climb
Bikaner The City in Rajasthan
Its worth spending a day or two just wandering around Bikaner, watching dyers at work, visiting the ancient Jain temples, and exploring Junagarh Fort. Bikaner is also famous for its skilled lacquer work and handicrafts, sold in the bazaar for a fraction of Jaisalmer's inflated "tourist prices", and for its hand-woven woollen shawls and blankets. The best place to buy the latter is the Abhivyakti shop just inside the main gate of the fort.
Temples Eastn of Jaipur in Rajasthan
There are five hundred temples in and around Pushkar; many had to be rebuilt after pillaging during the merciless rule of Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb (1656-1708), while others are recent additions. Some, like the splendid Vishnu temple, on your right as you enter the village from Ajmer, are out of bounds to non-Hindus. Pushkar's most important temple, Brahmaji Mandir, houses a four-headed image of Brahma in its main sanctuary. Raised on a stepped platform in the centre of a courtyard, the chamber is surrounded on three sides by smaller subsidiary shrines topped with flat roofs providing views across the desert west to