The Achaleswar temple at Mt Abu and the fascinating story of the attacking bees

 6th December 2023

Mt Abu

As usual, I was confused, I had understood that we were going walking to Guru Shikhar, which is the highest point on the Aravallis near Mt Abu, but instead we were here.  

The colourful elephants at the entrance did not raise my enthusiasm to go in.

I peered through the covered tunnel passage to see this.  Still not enthused enough to remove shoes and go in, I hung around outside initially until Arjun hurried back out and said that we were being given a history talk of the place by Mr Daivat Singh of Sirohi!  

And so in I went and was so glad I did, as we were enthralled with some great storytelling  of legend and history of the Achaleswar temple, told with humour, personality and objectivity.

The previous night at dinner, Nino,  had shared some legends of Mount Abu - Arbuda the serpent who saved Nandi over here, and another one about how Devi Parvati's lips (arbuda) fell here, and hence Arbuda, became Abu....

And now, we heard of the legends related to this temple.  The region was prone to tremors and instability and the local chieftains prayed to Kashi Vishwanath, who stabilised the hills by placing one toe...and so it moved from chal  to achal or stability.  (The deity within is not a typical lingam but a toe like protrusion in a hollow. The hollow is the hole caused by the toe if I got it right, and goes all the way to naraka)

The legendary bees of Mount Abu

Another Alauddin Khilji story.  As he was making his way from Ahmedadabd, his henchmen mentioned about the riches of  the temples of Mount Abu, and so up he came with his 1200 plus horsemen, looted Delawara temples and set his sight on Achaleswar.  The local warriors were only 100 strong, and decided that rather than dying and causing bloodshed at the temple, to go and meet the incoming troops head on, and so off they went, fighting ferociously - and miraculously the angry bees of Abu came buzzing along and attacked and stung the Khilji forces, and only them...making them turn tail, surrender arms and basically leave the place.

I mulled and pondered and decided those must have been those rock bees - Apis dorsata - the "rajput" bees - aggressive defenders of their territory!

The surrendered arms and other weapons were melted into a Trishul and offered at the temple, the account goes.  

The bees of the rocks of Mount Abu also caused another hair raising adventure, which I read here.

Re-discovering the beautiful marble carvings

These marble carvings seen below were hidden behind chunaam and plaster and revealed only in 1979 by accident!  Mr Daivat and even Priya remember the chunaam pillars and facades.  Some "damage" accidentally displaying what was under.  Since then, they have been slowly and carefully cleaned and the beauty revealed.

Whether this was done to protect the pillars from harm or it was an act of careless beautification was unclear.  It's quite astonishing how there is so little documentation at institutional level...everything is word of mouth.  Quite contrary to the British obsession with classifying and documenting?

I admired the delicate filigree-like rosettes, monkeys, Devis, apsaras and assorted figures around the doorway.  Marble slabs, whittled away with perfect artistry.

There are two new restored figurines - find them.

And these delicate drawings, with bricks underneath

I was fascinated with this lovely couple - welcoming smiles - a Very Greek beard (according to me).  Is this Agni, and is that a lightning bolt in his hand, I wondered... hmm but no potbelly of Agni, the ears look like that of a Learned man...so anyways I do not know who he or the beautiful lady are.

I loved the aesthetics of this.  The arms of the dancers bring a movement, and made my eye travel upwards.

OK, now this waist is unreal.

There was a crooked house...In today's context...Koteswar would be appropriate.

Achalgarh fort..way up there.

And so we emerged out from the 13th century again, back to 21st century India, greeted by a different kind of Nandi, 

and Lucky's Wax Museum! 

Anyways, the moral of this story for me was never judge a temple by the well meaning beautifications outside.

We wound our way up some beautiful Aravali landscapes - scrubby, with small lakes in the valleys.

We shared a ride with Arjun and Gapi in their little chariot that Arjun hustled around the hill curves with skill and casual ease (while I kind of hung on) - we were now up on our way to Guru Shikar - the highest point in the vicinity, where we encountered further 21st century Indian architecture and garbage (lack of) management.

It was advisable to keep one's eyes on the distant vistas and admire the spectacular views.

In averting my gaze from the foreground muck, I almost missed the Brown Rock Chat sitting on the rock and posing this way and that.  She cheered me up, but also made me feel so shameful...how we spoil things for every creature on this planet, uff!

The delightful Wordsworth Lodge was where we headed for lunch.  The website has the Wordsworth story in a nutshell.  Some lovely pictures too.

There is a romantic history behind this lovely Boutique Hotel, hidden on a forested foothill of Gurushikar, the tallest mountain in the Aravali Range. In 1965, an English woman named Diana Wordsworth, a collateral descendant of the poet William Wordsworth, travelled to India to work on a film about the Ganga and fell in love with the country and with a colonel in the Indian Army, Buddha Sen. The couple resolved to retire together and began a search for a likely spot in one hill station or another. At a chance meeting with Fateh Singh Rathore, who would one day become India’s best-known defender of the tiger but was then a young game ranger stationed at Mount Abu, he suggested they consider Rajasthan’s best-known hill station, instead.

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​He helped them find the perfect spot on which to build their home. It was designed to complement the unique landscape by a rising young Mumbai architect named Rumy Shroff, but Fateh helped with every aspect of its construction. Sadly, the colonel passed away before the house was finished and when Diana Wordsworth died in 1984 she left it to Fateh whom she had come to see as her surrogate son.​

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Now, Fateh’s son, Dr. Goverdhan Singh Rathore, has lovingly restored and renovated Wordsworth Lodge so that visitors can experience for themselves the spectacular views and serene natural surroundings just as they were more than half a century ago.

I sunk into a chair on the verandah surrounded by trees, breathed the foresty air and watched.

I was also being watched.  A grey langur mother and baby stared, alert to danger.

A Treepie watched, hoping for some morsels.

And it was on to lunch - and then much confusion about walking or driving to Trevor Tal, or back to the hotel etc etc.

 

Birding at Mt Abu

 

5th December - grounds of the Lake Palace Hotel

This was midday after we checked in - we had the place to ourselves and wandered down to the little pons at the entrance.

Blue skies and clean air...we hung on to that - so precious.  Michaung had finally blown away from Chennai, after dumping some 430mm of water in 35 hours, we read.  

The city was more or less submerged. The water and lakes had reclaimed what was rightfully theirs.  Where could we pump the water - it would go from this street to the next... 

It was hard to comprehend that nightmare while we were here.

The little lake where we saw wagtail and lapwings on the rocks and moorhens in the water.  Not much else though.

Nakki lake "baba" carriages.

Nakki lake in the evening setting sun.  Nice and peaceful, not too much bird life.  

Gandhi's ashes immersed here - I read online - dont know if it is accurate - but there is this Gandhi "ghat".

Toad Rock - behind the palms reminded me of the RV rocks and their names.

The palace all lit up the we returned.  A beautiful sight

Wed 6 Dec 2023 8:14 AM checklist - Indian yellow Tits and Oriental Turtle Doves were the highlight of my morning stroll.

7th December - The red-breasted flycatcher flitted among the trees, in the morning, and a brown-headed barbet called in the evening.  

We did not see the Green munia - despite searching for it at two locations.

Trevor's Tank list.  

eBird -- Sterling Mt Abu -- 04-and -5 Dec-2023

Sterling Mt Abu 
04-Dec-2023 
4:35 PM 
Traveling 
0.87 km 
58 Minutes 
All birds reported? Yes 

30 Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 
15 Laughing Dove (Little Brown Dove) 
8 Red-wattled Lapwing 
1 Changeable Hawk-Eagle 
1 White-throated Kingfisher 
5 Rose-ringed Parakeet 
1 Ashy Drongo 
4 Red-rumped Swallow 
2 Red-vented Bulbul 1 Indian Robin
15 Jungle babbler 
35 House Sparrow
1 Gray Wagtail
1 Little Cormorant

Number of Taxa: 15

We walked down from Sterling onto Pilgrim Road. A casual stroll after an afternoon snooze that followed an overnight train journey that reminded us that India had over one billion people. People who are generally courteous and adjusting, but with no sense of 'personal space'. Interestingly, no in your face aggression that I was mentally steeling myself for, as we jockeyed for seats and luggage space in an overcrowded compartment, with the usual negotiations for those lower berths.

What a help to have Vish lift those bags with ease. 😄

So, it was good to be out and on our feet, relative quiet, and bird song A little nullah flowed by the roadside.

It was a sunny evening with clear blue skies. In contrast to the battering my dear Chennai was receiving at the hands of Cycline Michaung. I missed Vish, working in hazy Mumbai, whom we left behind.

Cacti, lantana, neem, palm trees dotted the rocky hill face. 

 

The Changeable Hawk Eagle was the highlight of our stroll. Sitting in a neem tree, while the babblers moved in agitated fashion all around.

5th December bird checklist

The CHE flew across the nullah - we probably startled it, and fixed us with a glare.  The parakeets and babblers feasted on grains put on the temple wall, buffaloes with immense horns made their way up the hillside, and we stayed out of their way.

We were off to the other side of Mt Abu - closer to Delwara temples,  later in the day.   

The havelis of Fatehpur

April 6th 2017
Fatehpur, Rajasthan

Travelling on work throws up all sorts of surprises.  So it was on a hot, sandy morning at Fatehpur, where a bunch of us had travelled to from Jaipur, in search of farmers.  I had not had the time (or inclination I have to admit) to look up Sikar or Fatehpur on a map.  On the road, the boards indicated that we were on the Bikaner highway.  The Bikaner boards reminded me of our Rajasthan trip from a couple of years ago - the carcass dump of Jorbeer,  beautiful cranes of Kichan, the havelis of Phalodi, the Thar desert, kher sangri and bustards.

It was a usual chaotic scene, with transport in all shapes and sizes, from slow moving camels to large lumbering trucks, all jostling for space on a road that was definitely several sizes too small for all of this.

We arrived and hurried or rather, scurried, across avoiding the sand that was being whipped up by the hot winds, when I saw this large, decrepit and desolate haveli on the opposite side of the road.

Turns out, we were in Shekhawati lands, the area in north Rajasthan, where wealthy Marwari merchants built their homes, in the eighteenth century or thereabouts, only to begin to move away to other parts of the country, including Madras, to escape from invasions as also to grow their fortunes.

Two havelis, next to each other, and I was both amazed, and saddened.

The board read, "Kedia Haveli".  But it was in total neglect, it seemed.  Political and movie posters were stuck across its pillars, and front facades.  

The Kedia haveli, according to Wikipedia,

The haveli has two chawnks or courtyards a garden with fountain at back and Naals on both sides; the wall paintings are traditional. It has a library and modern baths. It was first haveli in Fatehpur to have electricity (via generators) and called Bijliwali Haveli. In 1931 AD Sitaram Kedia was married to the daughter of Bajaj family of Bisau. On this occasion Rao Raja Maharaj Shri Kalyan Singh Ji Bahadur of Sikar Thikana came to bless the couple. Seth Shree Bohitram Kedia brought an aeroplane (popularly called 'Cheel Gadi' or eagle craft) to scatter invitations printed on handkerchiefs for all and flower petals on His Royal Highness. Pleased with the courtesy and respect His Royal Highness granted the family of Seth Shree Bohitram Kedia permission  to wear gold ornaments below their waist (a privilege that only royals enjoyed in that era).
Although most rooms are locked one can visit the haveli free of any charge, courtesy the Kedia family.

On my return I found this better picture of the entrance in Wikimedia, and looks like it was opened up for the photograph.  But the posters are still there.

Traces of the freehand wall murals can be seen.  Shekhawat wall murals are well known.

Fatehpur has other important havelis it appears.  Saraf, Fatehchand and the Nandlal Devra havelis.

The last mentioned has been restored, now serves as a homestay, cum artists revival project, spearheads the restoration of the havelis, and much more.

See the link http://www.cultural-centre.com/.  Sadly, since I knew none of this before hand, and we returned to Jaipur that evening, I could not visit any of the others.  Lack of any data connectivity at Fatehpur meant all my learning and discovery happened later.

Moral of this story for me is - always do your homework before you travel.

Bustard population less than 300 now

Bustard population less than 300 now - The Hindu

The population of Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered species, is estimated to be less than 300 now and its numbers are declining owing to alteration of its habitats due to industrialisation, mining and agricultural practices, the government on Friday said.

“The Great Indian Bustard is one of the critically endangered species of birds in India and is confined in six states — Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

“Population of this species is estimated to be less than 300. The population of this species is declining due to alteration of important bustard habitats due to industrialisation, mining, intensive agricultural practices, etc,” Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar told Lok Sabha in a written reply.

He said that the Gujarat government has submitted a Species Recovery Plan of Rs 187.13 crores for a period of ten years for Great Indian Bustards to the Union government for financial assistance during 2014-15 and the proposal has been examined by the ministry.

He said that the proposal for rationalisation of Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary was received by the ministry which was recommended by the Standing Committee of National Board for Wildlife in its 36th meeting.

“The recommendation of the Standing Committee has been forwarded to the Maharashtra government,” Mr Javadekar said.

He said that the species has also been identified as one of the species component under “recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species and habitats” of the centrally sponsored scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habibats.

Financial assistance of Rs 65.36 lakh and Rs 110.63 lakh has also been provided to Maharashtra and Rajasthan in the current financial year for conservation of the species, he said. - PTI

The Rao Jodha Desert Rock park

11th Jan 2015

As we finished our tour of the fabulous and awe inspiring Mehrangarh fort, Shobha and Sheila mentioned the Rao Jodha Park, where Pradeep Krishen was behind an effort to "rewild" the areas around the fort.

it seemed like an interesting place to visit, and so off we went to the Visitor Centre, located below the fort, where we met enthusiastic Sachin, a naturalist involved in this project.  It was humbling to see his passion and knowledge about what was being done.

In 1890 or thereabouts, this was how the rocky outcrop appeared.  (Painting by GF Lamb, from the British Library)

It seems that in the 1930s one of the previous rajas of Jodhpur decided to green the hillside, and scattered seeds of Prosopsis juliflora, all across his state.  We now know that this imported mesquite is hardy and drought resistant and while it provides an endless supply of fodder and firewood, it takes over the countryside, not allowing anything else to grow.

Sachin told us how in 2006, the Fort Trust began this nature park project and the biggest challenge was how to eliminate the Prosopsis whose roots go deep into the stone.  After many failed methods, they finally got a set of sandstone miners, who actually chisel in and physically remove the plants.

It is an ongoing process and not complete by any means.

The map with the layout of the park can be seen here.

Just past the Visitor's Centre is  a set of experimental gardens, with different soil types and different plant types.

The ramparts stretched upwards, and even in January, it was now hot as the midday sun more than warmed us.  It was a bad idea on our part to come here just before lunch, because (atleast for me), a lot of what Sachin said was eaten up by my need for lunch, and therefore I am in no position to recount the names of all that we saw!

Was this the Goondi - Cordia graham ?  If it is, it has red fruit which is gelatinous and full of water 

Sachin explained that the Jodhpur area had volcanic rock, and the sands in the various parts of desert Rajasthan were different from each other.  We admired the beautiful hues of the molten rock piled up.

This was the rock from Jaisalmer - more yellow, which would explain the differences in the colours of the two forts - Jaisalmer and Mehrangarh.

I do not recall the name of this shrub.....

But this I recall is bui - Aerva javanica - a desert cotton shrub which we subsequently saw in the Thar, used to fill pillows and mattresses in this part of the world.

This too I don't recall.

Unknown yellow

We were in the desert in the late winter and many of the flowers which would be seen in spring - say Feb/March - were absent.  The Rohido (Tecomella undulata) is for early birds like us, flowering in late winter, its bright red blossoms unmistakeable.

Also referred to as Marwar Teak, the wood is highly prized and I think it is protected.  

Another unknown beauty

The lake near Jaswant Thada is also part of the Park, and was home to many migratory birds.  We saw wigeon, pintails, coots, water hen, cormorants and kingfishers while we waited.

Photos by Sheila

On the next morning, Shobha, Raji and Sheila went back to the Park and went down to the trail by the old water aqueduct.  These are the pictures Sheila took.

It was cool and quiet, they said, and it was a refreshing walk, with Sachin once again filling them with details!

The characteristic thor - Euphorbia caducifolia - which is a succulent but not of the cactus family.  The base provides protection for little creatures from predators, so its a good place to hang around if you want to see some smaller wildlife.

Lovely views of the fort

Some parts of the duct had water.

I would love to visit again, in a different season, and next time I promise myself to take better notes!