Gaumukh Temple

Overview

The Gaumukh temple is a Saint Vashishth temple built in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. The name of temple means the ‘mouth of the Cow’ as the word ‘Gau’ means cow and ‘Mukh’ means ‘mouth’. Legend has it that Saint Vashishth performed a yagya here, where the four major Rajput clans were formed. The Agni Kund is a tank which is the site of the sacrificial fire used by Saint Vashishth in the yagya from which the four clans were born is present here.It is believed that whatever one pours into Agni reaches the celestial deities.

About The Temple

The Gaumukh Temple is located around 5 kilometers from the Hanuman Temple situated in a wild valley that is reached by climbing down over 700 steps. The area is covered with very thick forest and visiting the place after dark and in rainy season is not recommended without proper information and local guidance .The Gaumukh Temple is also popular for religious pilgrimages and meditation. If devotees wish to experience some of the local religious culture of Mount Abu region, they must visit the Gaumukh Temple. Earlier it was popular only for ancient sages and saints to meditate. But now the Gaumukh Temple is a popular tourist destination.

The temple got its name from a nearby natural spring that flows through a carved cow’s head. Cow is a sacred animal, nearby the temple you will find a spring that is believed to have emerged from the mouth of a rock that is shaped similar to a cows head. There is a large marble statue of a cow that has been built, as a representative of Nandi, Shiva's vehicle, and the stream of water flows from its mouth. Statues of Nandi and Saint Vashishth are present along with Lord Ram and Lord Krishna.

Legend and Stories

The Sage Vashishtha lived here with his wife and the wish fulfilling cow, gifted to him by the Devas, after they obtained it from the churning of the ocean, with eight other jewels! He is credited to have brought Nandi Vardhan Mountain, the youngest son of Himalayas, to Mount Abu. The incredible flying snake, Arbud Naag, who brought the gargantuan mountain from the South on its back, demanded the mountain to be named after him as "Arbudanchal" for the recognition of his services in bringing the great mountain from the South to its present address.

As usual the British could not pronounce the tongue twister hence tarnished the glorious name to Abu. As the bard of Stratford on Avon would have commented, 'what is there in a name', the change of name to Abu could not diminish the grandeur of these mountains. Wonder of wonders is that in these ranges the Pine of Tundra and the Date Palm of desert amicably grow side by side. Being the oldest mountain ranges in the world they are the right candidate to be honored as the cradle of civilization. It is the place where Lord Rama came to have his schooling hence it is no doubt the Alma Mater of Lord Rama. It is the fountain head of the origin of one of the three sisters of Triveni, the Sarsawati, who meets her other two sisters, the Ganga and the Jamuna at Triveni at Allahabad, after travelling sub-terrain for a long distance.

It is authentically mentioned in Van Perva of Mahabharata, where Sage Ved Vyas sways Dharma Raj Udhishtar to spend one night at Vashishtha Ashram, and further enlightens that a night's stay at the Ashram would bless him with the blessing, equivalent to giving one thousand cows in charity.

Nearby Places to Visit

Dilwara Temple
Nakki Lake
Achalgarh Fort
Guru Shikhar
Government Museum
Raghunath Temple
Brahma Kumaris Peace Hall and Museum
Adhar Devi Temple

Accessibility

Airport

The shrine is located 2 km away from Mount Abu. Dabok Airport is the nearest domestic airport from Mount Abu which is located in Udaipur and is approximately 185 kilometres away from the city. The airport is well-connected with Indian metro cities.

The Ahemdabad Airport is widely connected to different parts of the country and is the second nearest airport from Mount Abu (221 kms). A prepaid taxi or auto can be hired to reach the destination.

Railways

Mount Abu railway station is well-connected to different cities in India like New Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The Abu Road railhead lies on the long Delhi-Ahmedabad railway line.

Some of the popular trains are Porbandar Express, Jodhpur Express, Ajmer Express and Ala Hazrat Express. A pre-paid taxis, auto or bus can be hired to reach the temple which is just 26 kilometres picturesque drive away.

Road

Many government run (Rajasthan State Transport Corporation) buses operate from nearby cites to Mount Abu. In addition to a number of state transport buses, many private buses ply regularly to this hill station. There are deluxe, semi-deluxe and air-conditioned buses from Jaipur and Abu Road.

Temple Address

Gaumukh Temple, Mount Abu,
Sirohi District, Rajasthan,
Pincode – 307501.