A swami (Sanskrit: ?????? Sv?mi [s???mi]) is an ascetic or yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order founded by Adi Shankara, or to a religious teacher. Mount Abu is a popular hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of Rajasthan state in western India near the border with Gujarat. The mountain forms a distinct rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at 1,722 m (5,650 ft) above sea level. It is referred to as 'an oasis in the desert' as its heights are home to rivers, lakes, waterfalls and evergreen forests.