Mount Abu was described by someone in the 1930s as "a sort of Shimla of Rajputana", a small colonial hill station set, surprisingly, in the deserts of Rajasthan. It has a history that goes back, layer by layer, into the deepest antiquity. Once the tranquil hilltop retreat of meditating rishis, it was considered to be a holy spot, inhabited by no less than 330 million different gods and goddesses. Then in the early 1800s it was developed into a hill station where British officials from the hot, dusty plains of Rajasthan could seek refuge during the summer months, among the eucalyptus forests and oleanders.