Guru Shikhar

Guru Shikhar
गुरू शिखर

Aravalli Range as seen from Guru Shikhar
Highest point
Elevation 1,722 m (5,650 ft)
Listing List of Indian states and territories by highest point
Coordinates 24°38′59.5″N 72°46′34.5″E / 24.649861°N 72.776250°E / 24.649861; 72.776250Coordinates: 24°38′59.5″N 72°46′34.5″E / 24.649861°N 72.776250°E / 24.649861; 72.776250
Geography
Guru Shikhar

Rajasthan, India

Parent range Arbuda Mountains, Aravalli Range

Guru Shikhar, a peak in the Arbuda Mountains of Rajasthan, is the highest point of the Aravalli Range. It rises to an elevation of 1,722 metres (5,650 ft).[1] It is 15 km from Mount Abu and a road from there leads almost to the top of the mountain.[2]It is named Guru - Shikhar or 'the peak of the guru' after Dattatreya, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and a cave at the summit contains a temple dedicated to him, plus one dedicated his mother, Anasuya, wife of sage Atri nearby.[3]

Adjacent to the temple is the Mt Abu Observatory operated by the Physical Research Laboratory. This observatory hosts a 1.2m infrared telescope and also several Astronomy experiments.[4]

History

Entrance to the small cave temple atop Guru Shikar.

The Agnivanshi lineage claims descent from Agni of Yagya at Guru Shikhar, the Hindu god of fire. Four Rajput clans are considered to be Agnivanshi: the Chauhans, Paramara, Solanki, and Pratiharas.

The Arbud Dynasty was ruled by Rajput clad called Parmar, and it is believed that it was originated from Agni Kund at Guru Shikhar. In 1778 AD, Prithviraj Chauhan, the last Hindu emperor of India, climbed along this broad road to consummate his marriage with the daughter of Prahladan, the founder of Prahladanpur, which for the last 2-3 centuries is known as Palanpur. Prahladan was the younger brother of Dharavarsh Pramar, the mighty ruler of Arbud, located at Mount Abu.

References

  1. ↑ Kohli, M.S. (2004), Mountains of India: Tourism, Adventure, Pilgrimage, Indus Publishing, p. 29, ISBN 978-81-7387-135-1
  2. ↑ Singh, Sarina (2009), India 13, Lonely Planet, p. 230, ISBN 978-1-74179-151-8
  3. ↑ "Guru Shikhar — Highest Point of Aravali in Rajasthan". Mount Abu Official website. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
  4. ↑ Astronomy & Astrophysics Division (A&A) . Retrieved 2 January 2013.


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