Nakki Lake, Mount Abu

only 2 days in hand. I was flipping through the pages of Srishti, the nature based magazine and came across an article on Mount Abu. I really liked the article and decided to visit Mount Abu in Rajasthan. One of my friends Monika accompanied me.

While on our way to Mount Abu I read a little bit about it. It is the only hill station of Rajasthan, the land of raja-maharajas. It was once the abode of saints and sages and it is believed that around 330 million gods and goddesses used to reside here. Also it is a place where 36 warrior clans emerged from the great Agni Kund or sacred fire pit.  I wondered what a rich history Mount Abu has! It is also an important Jain pilgrimage. After listening to the history I realized that Mount Abu is much more than a summer retreat.

We arrived at Mount Abu in the early afternoon. We were booked in Connaught House Heritage hotel. Its wonderful architecture and pleasant ambiance were simply overwhelming. After refreshing ourselves with tea and delicious snacks we decided to visit the Nakki lake. The climate was pleasant, just like the destination.

We had hired a guide named Shankar who was a nice chap. He told us an interesting legend about the lake according to which it was dig by a Hindu God by his nails and hence was named nakki, meaning ‘nails’. It was very rejuvenating to be at this lake, which offers picturesque views of the surrounding hills. We also enjoyed a boat ride on it. With gorgeous green surroundings in Mount Abu it is hard to believe that this place is in Rajasthan which is  a desert.

The day was drawing to a close and we now moved to the Sunset point, which is located at a short distance from the lake. We were all eagerly waiting for the famous sunset of Mount Abu and here it was. It was overwhelming!

Elated, we came back to the hotel and after a delicious dinner, retired to bed a little early. The next day we were slated to go for Dilwara Jain Temple, Guru Shikar, Mount Abu wildlife Sanctuary and Adhardevi temple.

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Sariska National Park

watching a tiger all set to attack its prey, the poor deer. The scene was overwhelming, full of thrill and curiosity. Didn’t know what would happen next. Although I wanted to help the innocent deer but all I could do was wait and watch. The entire wild drama stretched for almost ten minutes and finally with sheer luck the deer had a narrow escape. I was really happy for the deer.

Well, I am talking about a wildlife show on Sariska National Park, which I was watching on Discovery channel the other day. I liked the show very much and decided to embark on a wildlife journey in Sariska National Park in Rajasthan.

After reaching the Sariska Tiger Haven hotel just outside the Sariska National Park at night, I was eagerly waiting for the sun to rise to begin the wildlife journey. Finally in the morning with hopes in my heart I along with the guide Dara went for morning wildlife safari.

Sariska National Park is a Project Tiger Reserve sprawling over 800 sq km area encompassing hills, valleys, scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, rocks and grasses. Located in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, the Park is a home to a variety of wildlife species.

I along with my well trained guide Saurab ventured deep inside the forest in search of wildlife. With my binoculars I sighted some magnificent bird species and was elated. Other animals I saw were striped hyena, golden jackal, chital, sambhar, nilgai, four-horned antelope. Langur, wild boar and chinkara.

My safari was about to come to a close but my sore eyes were still awaiting the arrival of the jungle king. After a lot of struggle, all we got were the pugmarks of tiger. And now was the time to retrace our steps out of the jungle. With great memories of the wildlife I saw and without any complaints against the Park or its wildlife, I came back thinking ‘there is always a next time’.

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