Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station, sits astride a plateau up in the Aravalli Hills near the southwestern border

Its red-roofed cottages may lull you into believing that this is a part of 'Ye olde England', but Mount Abu's past is as hoary as the rest of Rajasthan. For here, according to legend, a huge yagna was conducted by Sage Vashishta, who created the four agnikuls - the Rajput fire-born dynasties. The rest of the clans are said to have descended from the sun and the moon. The descendants of many of the princely kingdoms that governed these Rajput clans built summer palaces in Mount Abu, the coolest spot in overheated Rajasthan to escape the heat of the desert.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Nakki Lake - Mount Abu sits around this lake which, according to legend, the gods scraped from the ground with just their nails. Boating in Nakki Lake is one of the more charming attractions here

For some more sightseeing, or trekking, head towards Toad's Rock or Sunset Point, the latter for its panoramic views. There is also a kiddies amusement park at Sunset Point, so you should go there with your family, or to Honeymoon Point nearby, if you're just beginning to start a family.

Guru Shikhar- the highest peak of tile Aravallis, one may combine views of the range with homage to Dattatreya (Shiva) at a small temple there.

Wildlife Sanctuary - 8 km from the town and spread over 288 sq km.

Dilwara Temples- These marble temples completed between the 11th and 13th centuries and dedicated to the Jain Tirthankaras, have the most ostentatious carving you will find in a religious centre, with the exception of Ranakpur. And, yet, they are not without a chaste harmony.

Adhar Devi Temple- dedicated to the serpent goddess Arbuada, is carved out of a rock reached by a flight of a whopping 360 stairs. Arbuada Devi is the patron of the town and its namesake. Nearby, a natural spring rushes through a sculpted cow's head at Gaumukh, marking the spot where Sage Vashishta is said to have performed the agnikul yagna.

Achalgarh Fort - built by Rana Kumbha in the 14th century. Check out Mandakini Kund, Achalgarh's water supply tank, today regarded as sacred.