Dhinodhar Hills, Sacred volcanic hills in Nakhatrana Taluka, India

Dhinodhar Hills are volcanic hills in Nakhatrana Taluka, rising from a flat sandstone plain and made of dark volcanic rock with columnar formations. The overall shape forms a circular ring with a depression at the center, giving the site a crater-like appearance when seen from above.

The hills formed over millions of years as a magma intrusion cooled underground and was gradually exposed by erosion of the surrounding rock. In 1821, a local leader built a shrine at the top to honor a revered ascetic, marking the start of the site's role as a place of worship.

The hill's name comes from the legend of Dhoramnath, whose penance earned it the title "the patience bearer". At the summit shrine, a red-smeared conical stone is said to have supported his head. Outside stands the ascetic's fire, lit for three days in Bhadrapad, when the monastery's head, the Pir, worships and receives homage from neighbouring villages. At the foot of the hill, rice and wheat flour sweetened with sugar are cooked and distributed at Janmashtami and Navratri.

The climb starts near Nani Aral village and ends at the 386-metre summit, where the Dhoramnath shrine stands. A trekking competition has been held here each year since 2011, between December and January. From the top, the Great Rann and the Chhari Dhandh wetland are visible, and the view is clearest after good rainfall.

Although the surrounding landscape is made of sandstone, the rock of the hills belongs to a completely different geological period. Visitors who look closely at the exposed surfaces can spot the long, regular columns that form when magma cools slowly deep underground.