I visited Mt. Abu from 9th March to 11th March, because I had too. My wife wanted a break and I love her so could not disappoint her. Initially her brother Vishwas was to join us with his family but he could not. SO we went there with our Son Saumitra. Mt. Abu has absolutely no scenic beauty to enjoy, just few very peculiar points, like the ever boring sun set point, some rock which apparently looks like a frog so you have to agree to it.Few temples scattered around which are supposedly monuments of Art. Yes, I forgot to mention that it also has a lake with boating facilities. ( Big deal, Ahmedabad also has Kankaria Lake !) However the toast is taken by the Dilwara Temple, supposedly built by businessmen from Gujarat in memory of somebody. They keep on harping and advertising that there is no money taken as entry fee. Then you have a long queue which is then taken inside by one Brahmin / Pundit who keeps on babbling and the main focus is how XXX Crores of Rupees were spent in constructing this part of temple, and then he makes you roam behind him, explaining how many more cores of rupees were spent in constructing some other part of the temple. The way of explaining things tells you the focus of this religion..money money and more money. All the time he keeps on giving you mundane and unverified figures of money spent , even the barely visible boards start with mention of how much money was spent. They do not even bother to focus on the purpose (may there was nothing ) of erecting these temples. The sole purpose of erecting those temples was to keep on telling generations how much money this gentleman had. So this nonsense finally terminates when the Pundit / Brahmin makes you cough up money, apparently out of you own wish before he allows you to squeeze out of narrow opening to end your ordeal. When you move out, the person who had kept your mobiles, cameras and bags asks for random sums of money for returning your goods. Now here also there is no pre defined amount, which is written visibly and let the people know the applicable rates for keeping these goods in custody. The same story repeats when you go and ask for your foot wear. Money money and more money. I am okay with paying money but they should display it, collect the same amount from everybody. Lack of transparency and deceitfully making money is another nature of the Jain Community which is on display here. You feel sick and like vomiting by the time you reach the outskirts of this temple. They could have been very upright and honest, put up an entry fee board ( for feeding the Brahmins ) , fees for keeping your belongings and footware. But then it would have been very much unlike the Jain Community today. They continue to milk people in deceitful manner. So folks enter this Dilwara temple at your own risk and cost.
Then there are more boring points like the Honey Moon point, from where you just stand on a cliff and watch nothing below you. You go there just because it is a spot and you are taken by the tour operator. The view is more or less identical when you are about the land or take off from a flight is some second tier city.
I did not even bother to go to the most boring of all sun set points, which is on display every day beautifully from my house !
Achal Garh, Guru Shikhar and Arbuda Devi are some other places of religious importance. They are just like any other temple which are in abundance across every village and city around every corner. SO it does not really make sense to expend your energy in going at these places.
Mt. Abu does not even have any scenic beauty like the Himalayas to boast of, just barren land and the old weathered Aravallis, that's it. So folks if you are just going for the weather, then give a second thought. You might sit in your Air conditioned Bed Room whole day, go for stroll with your wife and watch sun set from the terrace of you building and have candle light dinner. It would be surely more enjoyable.
But all said and done, if you wife asks you to take her to Mt. Abu then do take her despite whatever I have written. Making her happy is more important than anything else !
