Achalgarh fort (Achalgarh), Rajasthan

Achalgarh is a fort situated about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north of Mount Abu, a hill station in Rajasthan, India. The fort was originally built by the Paramara dynasty rulers and later reconstructed, renovated and named as Achalgarh by Maharana Kumbha in 1452 .The first gate of the fort is known as Hanumanpol, There are some features of historical and religious importance in and around the fort. Achaleshwar Mahadev Temple is just outside the fort; the toe of Lord Shiva is worshipped there and a brass Nandi is also located there.
Near the fort is the beautiful Mandakini Lake, which is encircled by rocky hills, and rock walls with images of a Rajput king and buffaloes representing characters from a legend which tells that once the lake was filled with ghee and the watering hole of demons were disguised as buffaloes until they were shot by Raja Adi Pal.

Timing: The fort is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Most popular museum of Mount Abu is Government Museum, which is also known as Mount Abu Archaeological Museum. One of the sections of the museums houses a collection of musical instrument, weapons and ladies ornaments like karna, guthma toda, gaga wala thoomar, karna, barly, kanksi berli etc. Other section has miniature paintings on raga-raginis, shields, lain images from Sirohi, small cannon called topdi etc. The intricately carved statue of Devdasi (dancer) is one of its most notable items. It dates back to the time between 6th and 12th century AD. Chacha Museum is another popular attraction of the city. This shop or museum has an exquisite collection of Rajasthani handicrafts and textiles and was opened 37 years ago. The Shiva Temple This is the temple of Achaleswar Mahadev built in the 9th century, commonly called the Shiva temple.In this temple, the toe of Lord Shiva is worshiped. Legend goes that the sage Vasishtha once lost his cow Nandini in a deep gorge near the mountain. Searching for it, he is said to have tried to move the mountain here. Lord Shiva then extended his toe to steady the mountain and prevent it from toppling. Because the toe saved the people of this region from destruction, the toe of the Lord is worshipped here. Lord Shiva also helped rescue Nandini by filling the gorge with water from the river Mandakini so that it could float up to the top. In the temple,there is also a natural Shiva linga and various other idols sculpted in sphatic, a stone which looks like crystal. A pit, seen here is believed to go all the way down to Patala, the Netherworld. There is a brass Nandi weighing about 4 tons, in front of the temple. Nandi is a bull and Lord Shiva’s vehicle. It is also an epitome of power coupled with righteousness. The stone buffaloes Near the Shiva temple, there is a pond. 3 stone buffaloes stand in the water. These lifelike statues look quite impressive. There is a fable attached to this too. The pond was originally filled with Ghee. 3 demons would come disguised as buffaloes and drink up the ghee until the king spotted and killed them.


BEST TIME TO VISIT :

In Summer : March to June 25 °C - 45 °C

In Monsoon : July to September 22 °C - 37 °C

In Winters : October to February 05 °C - 22 °C

HOW TO REACH ?

By Air :The Jaipur Airport is situated at Sanganer, 7 km (domestic terminal) and 10 km (international terminal) from the main city. It connects the city to all the major parts of India.

By Road :There are some express buses which connect various cities and towns of Rajasthan such as Bundi, Kota, etc. to Jaipur.

By Rail :Here are three main railway junctions including Jaipur, the main station; Gandhinagar and Durgapara.