Abu'sTale

Abu’s Tale A K Sharma

The Abode of Gods

Fascination unlimited! That is what Mount Abu is. Right from its genesis five billion years ago, to its mythology, its theology, its topography, its geography, its history, and its mystery, all are magic. The sage Vashishtha not only brought to life the four fiery Rajput clans and showered blessings equivalent to giving 1,000 cows in charity for every night one stayed at his Ashram, for which even Dharamraj Yudhishtir too was counselled by sage Ved Vyas, but also brought the Nandi Vardhan mountain and clothed it with flora from the entire universe. Hence the pine of the Himalayas does not hesitate to respire with the date palms from the desert, in the same salubrious, verdant ambience; the 330 million Gods and Goddesses of Hindu pantheon making it their home and calling it Dev Vada (the abode of Gods); the river Saraswati taking birth from its womb and snaking down underground to appear at the confluence of the three rivers at holy Triveni at Allahabad; the defiant legacy of the Kund (millpond) of the sage Gautam Rishi where the divine Ganga appears once every year on the appointed day in April (Vaishakhi Krishna 1) even in the driest season; the shrine eternal of Acheleshwar Mahadev, the only place on earth where the big toe of Lord Shiva is worshipped; the eternal guardian of the hills Arbuda Devi, where the lips of Lord Shiva's consort fell; the gift of the heavenly hydrologist, the Nakki Lake,

where the return of Lord Shiva and his consort is foretold; the hallowed Agneshwar Mahadev; the sacrosanct tirth (pilgrimage) in the Skandha Purana, the Pindarak Tirth, all and much more are there in Mount Abu to intrigue any visitor in these sacred mountains. It has an enthralling terrain. The myriad rock formation would beat anyone's imagination. Geographically, it is lovingly placed, between the two states of incredible Rajasthan and vibrant Gujarat. A lot of history too is stored here, right from the ancient visitors from Africa, the invasion by the Greek, the Huns and the Muslims, the shelter taken by one of the most valiant Rajput warriors, Rana Pratap, the contribution in Sepoy Mutiny to the first visitor from the European shores, the British army officer Colonel James Todd and many more till date, have glorified the place by singing paeans to this abode of Gods and in the same breath have voiced their concern for its fragile ecology. Rabindranath Tagore eulogised it as well, while passing through the district of Sirohi, where he was the guest of honour of the erstwhile rulers of the state. It was even sanctified by Swami Vivekanand, who stayed here and got the glory of the name Vivekanand. Glittering glory of sanctity has also been crowned by the guru of Kabir, who established the Raghunath Temple and even by the visit of Guru Nanak. It certainly is no exaggeration that it fits the definition to the 'T' of being the destination for all the seasons, destination for all the reasons. Conveniently located, it's a traveller's delight, any reveller's fanciful flight. Right from leisure destination to pilgrim, adventure, education attraction, to polo and soon to be golf tourism! It fulfils the needs of one and all.