Adhar Devi Temple of Mount Abu

Mount Abu is a one of the rare places where people visit not only for tourism, but also for religious interests. The hill station is considered to be an important holy place, with legendary stories of all the Hindu Gods and Goddesses having visited the place at least once. Hence, while visiting this holy mountain, one can find many sacred and historically important temples at different hill tops or caves.
 
The Adhar Devi Temple also known as Arbuda Devi Temple, is another mentionable historical shrine located at around 3kms from the main Mount Abu town centre. It is situated inside a natural mountain cave, among the dense forest of the Aravalli range. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga and has many small and big idols of Maa Durga inside the building. The way to the temple is pretty steep, with 365 rocky steps carved out of the mountain, finally leading to a squeezed crawl through the narrow entrance of the cave. At the entrance there is a painting of Lord Ganesha in saffron and white on the left rock, while painting of Hanumanji stands on the right rock. A black painted marble of the Goddess on a tiger adorns the Garbaghiha and is believed to be a 5000 years old sculpture.

As per popular legend of the locality, the “Adhar” or lip of the Goddess fell at this spot. It is said that a devotee with heartfelt faith and belief can be blessed with a vision of Goddess Durga hanging in mid air.
 

Important Things to Remember

Suitable footwear should be worn to climb up to the shrine and old people are recommended to avoid the steep climb. The scenic beauty amidst which the temple stands is quite breathe taking. The entire Mount Abu town is visible from the top. Local tour operators have this temple within their itinerary. Hence cabs and cars are available for a visit to this place.