Rajasthan
SOUTHERN
R AJASTHAN
Rajasthan
GETT iNG T HERE
& A WAY
Rajasthan
MT A BU
and blissfully tranquil hotel with an inviting
pool, rambling gardens and winter camp-
fires. The spacious rooms in stone buildings
all boast their own palm-thatched terraces,
balconies or pavilions, and assorted wildlife
and botanical art and photos. Nonguests
can dine in the restaurant (lunch/dinner
₹850/1100), where good standard Indian
fare is the pick of the options on offer, have
a drink in the cosy Chowpal Bar, or swim in
the pool (₹400). Room rates plummet from
April to September.
8 Getting ̈There ̈& ̈Away
From Udaipur’s main bus stand, catch a Rana-
kpur-bound bus as far as Saira (₹57, 2¼ hours,
at least hourly), a tiny crossroads town where
you can change for a bus to Kumbhalgarh (₹30,
1 hour, hourly). That bus, which will be bound for
Kelwara, will drop you at the start of the ap-
proach road to the fort, leaving you with a pleas-
ant 1.5km walk to the entrance gate.
The accommodation we list is within walking
distance from the bus drop-off.
The last bus back to Saira swings by at 5.30pm
(and is always absolutely jam-packed with vil-
lagers). The last bus from Saira back to Udaipur
leaves at around 8pm.
To get to Ranakpur from Kumbhalgarh, head
first to Saira then change for Ranakpur (₹14, 40
minutes, at least hourly).
A day-long round trip in a private car from
Udaipur to Kumbhalgarh and Ranakpur will cost
around ₹1500 per car.
Ranakpur
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At the foot of a remote, steep, wooded es-
carpment of the Aravalli Hills, Ranakpur
(camera/video ₹100/300; hJains 6am-7pm, non-
Jains noon-5pm) is one of India’s biggest and
most important Jain temple complexes. It’s
75km northwest of Udaipur (and an easy day
trip), and 12km west of Kumbhalgarh as the
crow flies (although 50km by road, via Saira).
The main temple, the Chaumukha ̈Man-
dir (Four-Faced Temple), is dedicated to
Adinath, the first Jain tirthankar (depict-
ed in the many Buddha-like images in the
temple), and was built in the 15th century
in milk-white marble. An incredible feat of
Jain devotion, this is a complicated series
of 29 halls, 80 domes and 1444 individually
engraved pillars. The interior is covered in
knotted, lovingly wrought carving, and has a
calming sense of space and harmony. Shoes,
cigarettes and leather articles must be left
at the entrance; menstruating women are
asked not to enter.
Also exquisitely carved and well worth
inspecting are two other Jain temples, dedi-
cated to Neminath (22nd tirthankar) and
Parasnath ̈(23rd tirthankar), both within
the complex, and a nearby Sun ̈ Temple.
About 1km from the main complex is the
Amba ̈Mata ̈Temple.
Buses from Udaipur and Saira will drop
you by the entrance to the temple complex,
before continuing past Shivika Lake Hotel
(2km), and then going on to Jodhpur.4 ̈Sleeping ̈& ̈Eating
Shivika ̈Lake ̈Hotel ̈ GUESTHOUSE $$
(%9799118573, 285078; http://www.shivikalakehotel.
com; r ₹600-1600, tent ₹1200; ais) Less than
2km beyond the temple complex, Shivika is
a welcoming, rustic, family-run guesthouse
that provides free pick-ups to and from the
bus drop-off at the temples. You can stay
in small, cosy rooms amid leafy gardens or
safari-style tents. Beautiful Nalwania Lake
is a short scramble up a pathway from the
guesthouse. There’s a swimming pool beside
the lake, as well as a sprinkling of tables
and chairs where guests can eat breakfast.
Boat trips on the lake are also available. The
menu (mains ₹100 to ₹150) is mostly Indian
and very tasty.Ranakpur ̈Hill ̈Resort ̈ HOTEl $$$
(%286411; http://www.ranakpurhillresort.com; Ranakpur
Rd; s/d from ₹2000/2500; ais) About 3km
beyond the temple complex, this well-run
hotel has a lovely pool in grassy gardens,
around which are attractive, air-conditioned
rooms sporting marble floors, stained glass
and floral wall paintings.8 Getting ̈There ̈& ̈Away
There are direct buses to Ranakpur from the
main bus stands in both Udaipur (₹70, three
hours, hourly) and Jodhpur (₹109, four to five
hours). You’ll be dropped outside the temple
complex unless you state otherwise. Return
buses start drying up at around 7.30pm.Mt Abu
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Rajasthan’s only hill station sits amongst
green forests on the state’s highest moun-
tain at the southwestern end of the Arav-
alli Range, close to the Gujarat border. Quite
unlike anywhere else in Rajasthan, Mt Abu