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 km² 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.
Transportation
The nearest railway station is at Abu Road,
in the lowlands southeast of the mountain. The station
is on the main Indian Railways line between Delhi and
Ahmedabad.
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Mount Abu had
a population of 22,045. Males constitute 58% of the
population and females 42%. Mount Abu has an average
literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average
of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy
is 55%. In Mount Abu, 14% of the population is under
6 years of age.
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