Monsoons in the Abode of Gods.[ 07/09/2020 ]

 Monsoons Mount Abu in the year of the Pandemic 2020.

Paddy Bridge

This year, we had a few showers in lengthy intervals during July. They recorded only 6 inches of rain. August, the rainfall was erratic, and we had most of our rainfall at the fag end of the month. We observe an increase in climate change every year. Rainfall has become more variable, extreme, and catastrophic. We are now into the first week of September and yesterday the rain gods took it upon themselves to rain down cats and dogs. The torrential downpour for an hour and 30 minutes flooded not only our streams but the roads and all our water bodies, our two dams Lower Khodra and Upper Khodra dam the Nakki Lake overflowed, sending cascades of water down the hillsides. 

The met report now states our retreating monsoons are in play. Guess we will see a few thunderstorms before it finally peters out.

The tourists who were descending and those climbing the hill were in awe of the spectacle they witnessed. I’m posting a few pictures sent to me via WhatsApp about the events of yesterday.

Paddy Bridge

Tourists



Below are videos sent to me per kind favour Ms Trina.

Trina on the dam 

Per kind favour Ms Trina 

Mount Abu 6 Sept 2020

Received vis WhatsApp

Summer Festival Mount Abu 2019

Summer Festival 10 and 11 May 2019 Mount Abu.

Tourists take part in the events offered to you by the Mount Abu folks. The summer festival will start tomorrow and will end on the eleventh evening.

Summer Festival Mount Abu 2019.

Mount Abu Toll Naka Fraud exposed2 22 Sept 2018.

Fraud nexus exposed at Mount Abu Toll barrier.

Reality or an Illusion Mount Abu Toll Naka.

More than one lakh was collected by the Anti-Corruption Bureau from workers during a recent search at the Mount Abu Toll Naka. The ACB Bureau has received complaints concerning mismanagement by the people assigned to this position. 

This operation showing the relationship between the employees and manning the entry of motor traffic into Abu comes as no surprise to us Abuites. Abuites are relieved that action has been taken and that this heinous unlawful collecting lining these people's coffers has been revealed.

Inquiries are being conducted to determine the scope and depth of this criminal duplication of the money nexus. 

The main problem is that when unaccounted money exceeds 100,000 rupees on a regular day, it's difficult to predict they exchanged how much on weekends and holidays when thousands of people come to Abu.

We'll keep you updated when new information becomes available.

Click to read the local news, ACB raid on Mt Abu

Summer Festival 2018 Mount Abu.

A Local Wonder, Mount Abu’s Enchanting Summer Festival 2018

Nestled within the picturesque splendour of Mount Abu, the tiny hill station will come alive this year with its much-anticipated Summer Festival, which will begin on May 11th, 2018. While it lacks the grandeur of Goa’s lively carnivals or the extravagance of Brazilian festivals, the Summer Festival is nothing short of amazing for the people.

Behind the scenes, the town officials’ painstaking preparation and the local community’s committed efforts have converted this event into a spectacle that reflects the spirit of Mount Abu. They carefully designed the settings for the various activities to provide competitors and spectators with spectacular views of the surroundings.

Mount Abu will witness a unique combination of ethnic acts as the sun sets. Each event offers an experience that corresponds with the ethos of the hill station, from fascinating performances to informative discussions. The town administration has planned these activities at strategic locations to ensure that tourists may take part in the celebrations while also enjoying the breathtaking splendour that Mount Abu offers.

They urge tourists to pay particular attention to official notifications specifying the timetable of events and their corresponding venues. This guarantees that every attendee may make the most of their time and experience the festival’s many cultural activities.

The Summer Festival in Mount Abu ensures more than amusement for those fortunate enough to mount the hill and become a part of this celebration—it gives an opportunity to make lifelong memories in the lap of the gods. This event is a must-attend for everyone looking for a genuine and enlightening experience, thanks to its unique combination of local traditions, cultural acts, and the natural splendour of Mount Abu.

So, if you find yourself lured to the picturesque highlands of Mount Abu this May, don’t miss out on the Summer Festival. Take part, enjoy the cultural variety, and take home lovely memories from the Abode of the Gods.

                                               

New Year’s Eve and New Year in Mount Abu

Happy New Year from the Abode of Gods

Happy New Year from the Abode of Gods

New Year’s Eve and New Year in Mount Abu

New Year’s Eve in Mount Abu. "The Abode of the Gods" is one of the best places in Rajasthan to be for the New Year Celebrations.

Never one to miss its Winter Festival held every year. Abu prepares with loads of events for the locals and for our esteem tourists who make it up the hill. New year's last celebrations are held at Polo ground. For those who are not taking part in the Winter Festival, hotels, and other hotspots offer package deals to tourists to celebrate. The fireworks at the stroke of midnight are the beckoning call where the old year is booted out and we welcome the New Year. I from the abode wish all a brighter and stress-free year 2017.

INDEPENDENCE DAY Gate way of Mount Abu Bursting

Mount Abu straining with the influx of thousands of tourists.

JANMASHTAMI, as predicted, saw thousands of tourists thronging the streets of Mount Abu. The steady stream of traffic from early morning till late into the night posed a herculean task for the medical team and the staff at the Toll barrier. A very large percentage of those who made their way into our home town had never heard of the expression Swine flu.
I shot the Video above on the 15th of August 2009. I was on my way to the Leopard’s Lair Resort Bera, to meet my old friend and companion Thakur Devi Singh. I really wonder how long each tourist had to wait before he saw the pearly gates of this paradise of ours.

On my return today, from hearsay I gathered that hundreds of tourists had to return for lack of accommodation. I believe that Abu Road at the base of the hill landed with this unexpected windfall of tourists.
Today there was a mass exodus of these gracious guests of ours some with happy memories others well, not so happy ones of this unique hill station Mount Abu the hill covered in GREEN, its monsoon cloak.

Traffic on Independent Day

Plummy on a misty hillside

 cloaked in green

Mount Abu THE ELUSIVE CROCODILE

A Crocodile, in the placid Nakki Lake, has been making headlines in the local news of Mount Abu, It’s been sometime now that one of the world’s greatest predators should have made it’s way into the lake which is the hub of tourist attraction .Boating had come to a grinding halt as physiologically the tourist populaces have a morbid fear of this wily predator. The local authorities had been working around the clock to ensnare this crocodile but were not able to lure this sleek crock into their iron cage or their nets spread out along the banks of the lake. Crocks were introduced into Abu some years ago after this beautiful hill station was declared a sanctuary in the early sixties. Crocks were put into Trevor’s tank some years ago, probably as a tourist attraction, or who can tell as an experiment to see how well they adapted to this terrain. This crock I believe had made its way from a shallow lake near Palace Hotel called “Sant Sarovar”. The monsoons this year were way out, Abuites were really thankful to the rain gods for the respite that followed after the harrowing non-stop downpour for almost 20 to 25 days, the streams that were bone dry, are now alive with tiddlers and crabs. There’s speculation as to whether this crock will ever be netted, the special teams that were sent from one or two other places in Rajasthan left behind their iron cage and equipment and departed. The crock is having a ball of a time, a lake full of fish and now and again a goose or a duck that inhabit the lake that are fattened by the tourists.Now that the hullabaloo has finally died down life around the lake has resumed it’s normal routine. There’s speculation as to where this crock has disappeared, I visited the lake umpteen time early mornings noon and late in the evening to snap this elusive guy but did see hair no hide of him. He’s probably shacked out in the undergrowth surrounding the property of his Highness of Jodhpur (The Lake Palace). If and when he does re-appear I’ll let you folks know of it. I did take some wonderful photos of the lake and of Abu in general and have posted them on my web site http://ainsleyster.googlepages.com/home

Mount Abu The Grand Finales of Polo played in"TREVOR'S OVAL" Abu 15thApril 2006

The revival of Polo Mount Abu

Spectators and tourists from all corners of Abu gathered at Trevor's OVAL for the polo match Grand Finale. I’m posting some photographs taken by me of this last lap. Happy viewing.

Grand Finale of the polo match

Grand Finale of the polo match

Grand Finale of the polo match