The Chief Minister's Office of Rajasthan on Sunday, 21 June 2026, directed that temples at Mount Abu be catalogued to give fresh momentum to religious tourism at the hill station, tagging Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma in the post.

The post, shared on X, stated: 'Aabu raj rishi-muniyon ki bhoomi rahi hai. Yahan dharmik paryatan ko nayi gati pradaan karne ke liye, mandiron ka suchikaran kiya jae.' ('Mount Abu has been the land of sages and saints. To give new momentum to religious tourism here, temples should be catalogued.')

Context

Mount Abu, located in Sirohi district of Rajasthan, is the state's only hill station and carries deep religious significance across multiple traditions. It is home to the celebrated Dilwara Temples, a cluster of 11th-to-13th century marble Jain shrines widely regarded as masterpieces of Indian temple architecture. The area is also the global headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris spiritual organisation and is historically associated with ancient rishi traditions referenced in the post's hashtag #AapnoAgraniRajasthan ('Our Pioneering Rajasthan').

The directive to list temples is framed as a precondition for structured promotion — mapping existing religious assets before channelling tourism infrastructure investment toward them.

Policy Backdrop

Rajasthan's tourism policy documents since the early 2010s have consistently identified Mount Abu as a priority node in the state's religious and heritage tourism circuit. The current BJP government, which took office in December 2023 under Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, has signalled an intent to accelerate such initiatives as part of a broader push to develop structured pilgrimage corridors.

Across BJP-governed states, temple cataloguing has emerged as a foundational step in creating religious tourism circuits. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have pursued similar documentation drives, linking heritage enumeration with infrastructure upgrades and pilgrim amenity development. The Rajasthan CMO's call mirrors that pattern at the state level.

Stakeholders and Impact

The proposal, if acted upon, would directly affect religious pilgrims, local hoteliers, guides, and priests associated with Mount Abu's temple ecosystem. A formal listing exercise would establish an official inventory that tourism planners, heritage bodies, and private investors could use to prioritise amenity upgrades and promotional campaigns.

For the Jain community in particular, the Dilwara complex already draws significant footfall, but smaller and lesser-known temples in the Abu region remain outside mainstream tourism promotion. A cataloguing exercise could bring these sites into a more structured visitor framework.

What's Next

The immediate follow-up will rest with the Rajasthan Tourism Department, which would be expected to issue orders on the scope, timeline, and implementing agency for the temple enumeration exercise. Budget allocations for pilgrim amenities at Mount Abu in subsequent departmental plans will serve as a concrete indicator of how seriously the directive is pursued.

The post's tagging of CM Bhajanlal Sharma signals that the Chief Minister's Office expects direct executive engagement, potentially accelerating the timeline for a formal government order.