Mount Abu
Rajasthan'S Only Hill Station; Home Of The Dilwara Jain Temples · Mount Abu, Rajasthan
Rajasthan's only hill station, on a plateau in the Aravalli hills near the Gujarat border at about twelve hundred metres, cooler and greener than the desert below. It draws large numbers of visitors from Gujarat and Rajasthan escaping the summer heat, along with honeymooners, and it is a sacred place for Jains and Hindus. Its great treasure is the Dilwara temples, a group of Jain temples built between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, plain outside and inside carved in white marble with a delicacy almost unmatched anywhere in India: ceilings, pillars and arches cut into lace. They are open to non-Jain visitors only in the afternoon, and photography is strictly forbidden. The town centres on Nakki Lake, with boating and a promenade, and Sunset Point is the evening gathering place. Guru Shikhar, the highest point of the Aravallis, is a short drive away. Mount Abu is also the headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual movement. It is crowded in summer and at Diwali, and quiet in the winter months.
Nakki Lake Road, Mount Abu, Rajasthan, 307501, India
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the Dilwara temples are open to Jain worshippers in the morning and to non-Jain visitors only in an afternoon window, traditionally from about midday to early evening, every day. Nakki Lake, Sunset Point and the viewpoints are open all day, with boating in daylight. Guru Shikhar and Achalgarh are open in daylight. The sanctuary has gate hours and may close for part of the monsoon. Traps: arriving at Dilwara in the morning, and hitting ghat-road traffic on holiday weekends. Confirm Dilwara's hours before going.