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Holy Abu
The Hindu and Jaina sites on Mount Abu are described in the following pages. A list of such sites from the Skanda Purāņa, Prabhāsa khanda, collected by Shri Umashankar Joshi, is added below. It will be seen that some of the existing sites on Abu can be easily identified from this list which, it is further hoped, will enable future students to explore or identify other sites on Abu.
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Abu, according to Skanda-Purāṇa, is ten yojanas in extent and five yojanas in height. The tirthas on Ābu are:The first or the chief (adya-tīrtha) holy place is the Nāgatīrtha, with transparent pure cool waters, established by Arbuda Nāga with the boon of Vasishtha (is it the Nakhi lake?). Vasishṭhāshrama, with the waters of Gomati brought in a kuṇḍa (Gaumukha) by Vasishtha. Vasishtha and Arundhati are worshipped here. Achaleshvara, where the linga came out by breaking open the rock-achala. Mandakini river with kunda to North. Bhadrakarṇa-hrada (lake). Trinetra-linga where stones (of shape of lingas) looking like Trinetra (three eyes or the three-eyed one, i. Shiva) are obtained. Kedaratirtha, where Mandakini meets Sarasvati. Kotishvara, Rūpatirtha. In the north-eastern direction is Hṛshikeshatirtha (Rakhikisan), Siddheshvara, Shukreshvara, Manikarnikeshvara, Paigutirtha, Yamatirtha, Varahatirtha, Chandraprabhasa-tirtha, Piṇḍodaka-tirtha, Shrimātā. Shuklatirtha, Katyayani, staying in a cave (is it Arbuḍādevi?), Pindārakatirtha, Kanakhalatirtha, Chakratirtha, Manushyatirtha (it is said to be a hrada or lake), Kapilatirtha, Agnitirtha, Raktānubandhatirtha, Mahāvināyakatirtha, Partheshvara, Krshṇatirtha, Manuhrada with Mudgaleshvara and Chaṇḍikāshrama. Nāgahrada (Nāgodbhavatirtha). Shiva-gangā (linga)-kunda, Shivalingamaheshvara, Kāmeshvara. Mārkaṇḍeyāshrama, Uddālakeshvara, Siddheshvara and kunda, Gajatīrtha, Devakhatatirtha, Vyasatirtha, Gautamashrama, Kulasamtaraṇatīrtha, Rāmatirtha,
