Today I am going to explore the famous hill station in Rajasthan, Mount Abu. Situated on Guru Parwat, the highest peak in the Aravalli ranges, Mount Abu is the only hill station in Rajasthan. It takes about four and a half hours to reach here from Ahmedabad via Mehsana, Palanpur and Sidhpur. Since its winter, I cannot find any greenery around though the Aravalli ranges are usually not as dry as the Vindhya ranges. Aravalli lies across Palanpur in Gujarat to Delhi’s administrative centre ,the Raisina hills . It is about 4000 feet above the sea level. Mount Abu is a beautiful hill station which is around just 19km in length and 6km across. People here look similar to the trees which are thin and tall.
As I go up the hill, I start wishing I had worn my sweater as it gets extremely cold and bone-chilling. I start feeling hungry since the only food I had on the way was a light snack. I start searching for authentic rajasthani cuisine after leaving my bag at a nearby hotel. Kamal, a guide promises me to show me around for 300 rupees. We reached ‘Rajasthani Bhojanalaya’ a restaurant.Since I wanted to know more about the food here, I get the owner to agree to help me out. The first delicacy brought in front of me is ‘daal baati churma’. It is a kind of roti cooked in tandoor after mixing the flour with dal, potatoes, chillies and other ingredients. It was so tasty that I finished it in a jiffy. The owner then presented the next item on menu – bajra roti and kofta curry. I decide to ignore the amount of ghee poured on it. A kadi which is prepared with thick yoghurt is poured on it and eaten as a chaat. Again a mouth-watery dish!
Although it is a small town, there are around 80 Hindu temples and Jain monasteries here. Most of them were built between 18th and 19th century. This place has a great historical importance in the history of the Arya/Rajaputra and Mughal dynasties. But it is now more famous as a tourist destination these days. I decide to visit the Dilwara Temple first. It is a Jain temple built in the 18th century. I walk around on the cold marble flooring, relishing the beautiful sculptures on the walls of the temple. My next destination is Sree Somnath Mahadev Mandir where i can see a beautiful pond full of red fish that gathers as soon as they find a shadow. The most astonishing sight is that of monkeys who in spite of the large gathering of tourists seem to be well behaved. I enjoy my visit to the beautiful temples of Ganesha and Durga. Standing at the Ganesha and Durga Points, the breath taking view of Aravalli covered with fog and the Rajasthan valley is something you cannot afford to miss.
