Nakki Lake

Nakki Lake lies at the centre of Mount Abu, the hill station in the Aravallis, and is one of its main sights. Its name is linked to nakh, nails, from the belief that it was dug out by fingernails. One legend says the gods dug it as a refuge from a demon; another credits Rasiya Balam, a sculptor of the Dilwara temples, who dug it in a single night to win a princess but was refused by the queen. Their shrine stands behind the Dilwara temples.

The lake is about half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. Boating and pony rides are offered, and Toad Rock, shaped like a toad about to leap into the water, can be climbed from the shore. The Raghunath temple and the Jaipur Maharaja's palace stand on nearby hills. Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the lake in February 1948, an event marked by Gandhi Ghat on the shore.