Journey to Rajasthan- to Mount Abu

Pics of Gandhinagar, last pic, an artist's profile of Diamond Tower proposed to be built here. Bottom pics: views of mount Abu, and Dilwara temples, Mount Abu.






I would think travelling by car, everyday, almost, and in a rental with a driver you are just beginning to know, can be hectic, very. Our chap, I mean our driver, Ayub, was a quiet soft spoken guy who, I would learn later, preferred remaining with the car in the car park, rather than come along to view the sights..........and I had to plead with him to at least look over the Taj, when we reached there later in our journey..........but this man would not budge, the car park was his favorite place. I am very sure Ayub was aware of insurance cover on cars, so maybe he had some understanding with his boss, the rental owner, never to let the car out of his sight.

And, somewhere after Udvada, Ayub began to drive an average 70 kph, and my request to speed up had no response. Sometimes later, during one of his sojourns in a car park, he explained he drove slowly because long distances stressed him out and driving at moderate speeds balanced out the stress. I did not argue, after all our safety was in his hands, and a stressed driver is the last thing I wanted.

We left Ahmedabad early morning, driving north alongside the Shahibaug suburb, I am not very sure, but we were on the road that led to Gandhinagar , the modern capital of Gujarat state . Gujarat is home of Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of non violence was adopted by Martin Luther King and others, a beacon of freedom values in the twentieth century.

Gujarat is also home to some of the shrewdest business men you can ever come across, here, in my new home, Auckland, most dairies are run by these intrepid people.

Just north of Ahmedabad, the broad boulevards of Gandhinagar are impressive, you realise how Indian ingenuity is second to none.........when they want to do a job well they sure do it. The pictures of this modern city here speak for.................

A modern motorway runs roughly west to east through Gandhinagar, somewhere down the road a sign tells you to take a left turn, and drive north to Rajasthan, with the miles distance of
Mount Abu .

Some hours drive and we were at the Rajasthan border; in 2000, a very decrepit gate and structure where you pay the toll tax to enter. Its hard to imagine we had miles of driving and several days of exploring this fantastic region.........Rajasthan - Raja meaning Princes, sthan meaning region/land.........land of princes!

Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station, a few kilometers north of this state's border, is situate in the Aravalli hills that run through Rajasthan from south west to north east regions of the state. Here, the magnificent Dilwara Temples, interiors in marble with carved filigree work, with the exterior plain stone facade giving no clue of the stupendous interior work, is a must see.

Driving through the semi arid southern regions of Rajasthan, with some hills made up of, or covered with huge pieces of stones, some unique work of the wind, one comes across the hills of Mount Abu of a sudden; the climb transports you to views of forests and valleys below, with signs warning motorists to stop and allow wild life, like bears, to cross the road to avoid panicking the animal! Sudden sharp turns are only safely negotiable by honking approaching vehicles from the opposite direction.

Mount Abu, on a wide but uneven plateau, is, surprisingly, a large town with numerous hotels, to also cash in on the huge number of vacationers from Ahmedabad to the south, the only hill resort for that region. The town center is a noisy place, crammed with vehicles that have to inch their way through the crowd of pedestrians, both machines and humans having little space on the narrow road and getting "bumped" or "nudged" a commonly accepted........ whatever! More restaurants than shops line this road offering Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisine, snacks, icecreams and fast food.

The temples , (above pictures) some distance north of town are approached through a narrow winding road with a car park, opposite the enclosing walls of the complex, an open field- and we found our car coated with dust when we returned...........a grim reminder that things in India can be breathtaking one moment and unbearable the next. Here is a nice link for Mt Abu.

We stayed two nights in Mt Abu, because besides the Dilwara temples, there are other sights, the Shikhar peak (don't let the guides muzzle you that Pakistan is visible from the top), then there is Gaumukh, an all year spring, from the rocks, to be reached by climbing down 600 steps- don't venture there late evening because on the climb back you might encounter a bear or boar!

Next ...................Udaipur!