Mount Abu

Mount Abu, at 1,220 m in the Aravalli Mountains of southern Rajasthan near the Gujarat border, is Rajasthan's only hill station — a cool forested plateau that has served as a retreat for the desert-state's royals, priests, and later international spiritual seekers for over 1,500 years.

• The site's defining monuments are the Dilwara Jain Temples (2 km from the main town, 11th-15th centuries, open only to visitors dressed in simple clean clothes without leather items, 12 PM-6 PM) — considered the finest examples of Jain temple architecture in the world and among the finest carved marble structures anywhere.
• The Vimal Vasahi (1031 CE, dedicated to the first Tirthankara Adinath) and the Luna Vasahi (1230 CE, dedicated to the 22nd Tirthankara Neminath) are the two essential shrines: their white marble interiors are carved to a filigree fineness that no photograph captures adequately — hanging marble chains with stone links carved from a single block, lotus domes with 360 carved figures radiating from a central pendant, and wall panels so densely sculpted that every square inch contains a figure.
• The marble carving is widely held to have taken many years and a large workforce of master artisans to complete.
• The Nakki Lake is the town's social centre — a small natural lake (the legend says it was carved by the gods using their nails — nakki means nails) with pedal-boats, the iconic Toad Rock balanced on the shore, and the broad Promenade path that fills with families at sunset.
• Guru Shikhar (1,722 m, the highest point in Rajasthan, 15 km by road) gives a panoramic view across the Gujarat plains to the west and the Rajasthan plateau to the north.
• The Achalgarh Fort and Temple complex (11 km, 14th century Paramara dynasty) is the historical complement.
• The Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya, headquartered in Mount Abu since the 1950s, is one of the world's largest spiritual organisations, with centres across more than 130 countries — the main Peace Hall and visitor centre are open to all.
• For vegetarian travellers, Mount Abu is excellent: as both a Jain pilgrimage centre and an established Indian family hill station with strong Gujarati cultural influence, the entire town is predominantly vegetarian with superb Rajasthani-Gujarati thali restaurants, fresh churma-laddoo sweets, and Gujarati farsan (dhokla, fafda, khakhra) sold at sweet shops throughout the bazaar.
• October-March is comfortable; avoid the April-May peak-Indian-summer rush when the hill station is packed.