Mesmerizing Mahabaleshwar - Day 1 - Within City Limits

In the August 15 long weekend we visited the 'Queen of Sahyadri Hills' - Mahabaleshwar, this is one of the bigger hill stations of India. But this is very different to the others.

Aug 13 Saturday 2011 - We left Pune around 7 am in the morning in our own vehicle. We took the Mumbai - Bangalore Highway (NH4) and drove towards Bangalore. The weather was fantastic and road was as smooth as butter.

NH4 - As pretty as ever

We drove through the Kambhatki Ghat which was beautiful in the rains. This is one way so you can overtake any slow vehicle as on the way there are many trucks which can not drive fast. After crossing this Ghat we had breakfast in a roadside MacD, the hot cappuccino was really needed.






Through Kambhatki Ghat




A View from the running car (a bit out of focus)

After the toll plaza, we had to take a right turn after around 40 Kms under the bridge - there is a board pointing towards Panchgani, Wai and Mahabaleshwar. On the way, if you look carefully and if the weather permits, you can see a cluster of windmills on far left.






Cluster of Windmills at a distance

We drove through a road which are full of huge Banyan Trees, there is a fork from where the right will take you to Wai and the straight to Panchgani/M'shwar. Since Wai was planned for a visit on the day of return, we proceeded towards Panchgani.  

Big Banyan Tree near Wai






Road towards Panchgani


 

Trees provide shelter and shadow

After crossing Wai, the road started to wind up and the nature started to unfold itself in front of us. It was drizzling at that point of time but we did not really mind. There were greenery all around. Small cascades were running like a silver blaze through the lush.






Pune - Mahabaleswar Road - a beauty to drive on

We parked our car once and had some photo sessions there. This should be considered as the first view point on the tour!!

Not yet in Panchgani but the beauty is exposed

View of the valley - sun playing hide and seek

  

Krishna River Backwaters

 

On the road again

 

Sliver blaze - the beginning

We reached Panchgani around 9.30 am!!! It does mean that I drove pretty fast through the highway. We checked in to our Hotel - Hotel Gitanjali which was pre-booked.


After having some 'real breakfast' we started to find out what to do for the rest of the day. After much of a bargaining we hired a car (since I was not willing to drive) which would show us the some places in Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. There are 4-5 different sightseeing tours for varied durations, the details are as below.


Tour 1  - M'shwar Darshan ( Old M'shwar, Arthur's Seat, Window Point, Tiger's Spring, Malcolm Point, Echo Point, Hunting Point, Castle Point, Savitri Point, Monkey point, Marjori Point, Elphinstone point) - but this tour remains closed during the monsoon due to zero visibility. This is a non-monsoon trip for 5 hours.


Tour 2 - M'shwar Darshan (Kate's Point, Echo Point, Needle Point, Bhilar Waterfalls, Mapro Garden, Strawberry Garden, M'shwar Market, Venna Lake). This is 4 hours tour.


Tour 3 - Pratapgad Darshan for 4 hours.
Tour 4 - Tapola the Mini- Kashmir Darshan for 5 hours.
Tour 5 - Panchgani Darshan (Parsi Point, Sydney Point, Table Land, Ghatjai Temple) for 2 hours.
Tour 6 - Wai Darshan (Ganesh Temple, Dhom Dam and Lake, Kashi Vishweshwar Temple) for 3 hours.


We proceeded towards Mahabaleshwar through the Pune-Mahabaleshwar Road. On the way we made a stop at the Mapro Garden. This is the factory of the famous Jam/Squash brand 'Mapro'. The garden itself is small but the main attractions are the Mapro products. You can taste the Jams/Squashes/Crushes/Sweets, anything you want for free. We did try some strawberry crushes with milk and found it so amazing that we bought some back home. The popularity of the brand is really justified.

Backside of the Mapro Garden

There are fishes in the pond

Background

Mapro Shop inside the garden

Live tasting counter

We drove towards the Kate's Point. You have to take a diversion on the right (if you are driving towards M'shwar) and through a really narrow road we proceeded towards Kate's Point. I do not have much words to say - all the 3 points are very close to each other with a gorgeous waterfall - the views from all these points are breathtaking. The valley below with Krishna river and the lush green along with the mist created a heavenly atmosphere. I am really falling short of the Superlatives here.

On the way

If you go on the left you will find the Echo Point. It may echo here at other times but since it was very windy it did not, but the place was so scenic that the you wouldn't bother.


A View from the Echo Point



And another..



The point itself..


From Echo Point, Kate's Point is straight ahead and the most beautiful. There are some small tea-shops which claim that many celebrities have visited this place. This point offers an unhindered view of the valley at both sides.


View from Kate's Point



The Dam beneath

Krishna river zigzagging through the valley

A View of the greenery from Kate's Point

From Kate's point one waterfall is visible which actually comes down from Needle Point. You can go to Needle Point through a small walkable road. The waterfall is only visible in Monsoon but does not bear any name.

From Kate's Point - first view

From a slightly different angle - with the surroundings

I woudn't stop clicking

Needle Point is a valley from where this waterfall is originated. People gathered here and dipped there feet into the water. The water was cool, we also removed our shoes and got down. Here I made a blunder. I dropped a battery of my camera into the water and it immediately got washed away!!!! We came to those shops at Kate's point and very luckily found some batteries in a shop there. We came back again and took some snaps. It started to rain.



Way to Needle Point from the Kate's Point



View from Needle Point

Kates's Point, as seen from Needle Point

This is spring which is the source of the waterfall straight ahead

The needle point valley, it started raining

Another view from Needle point

On the way back, we stopped at Strawberry garden. Though it was no season of Strawberries, but we had a 'Strawberry with Cream' which was heavenly. We were advised that the strawberry season is post-monsoon.


We proceeded towards Mahabaleshwar and visited the Venna Lake. The Lake was playing a hide and seek game with us - once it was visible and the very next moment it was covered in mist. Awesome!! But not many snaps here as it was not visible at all.

The lake - getting covered

Pune - Mahabaleshwar Road, just besides the Venna Lake

Boating under the mist, an adventure in itself

After Venna lake we proceeded towards the M'shwar city. We roamed around the city to get a feeling of the same and also had a sumptuous lunch there. The market is quite big and lengthy. The weather was like an 'ON-OFF' switch in regards to the rains.



Market Area M'shwar






M'shwar Bus Stand


Now we were heading towards Panchgani. We passed the Venna Lake where the weather remained the same. Enroute we stopeed at one point and our cabby advised us to get down and follow a narrow road to view the Lingamala Waterfalls. We came across a small valley from where we could see the Lingamala. This was glorious. I really love waterfalls and Lingamala surpassed even the over -expectation. Roaring sound, milky white water and the magnificent surrounding made us completely spellbound. We got completely drenched due to the rains but still stood there for long. To see the water throwing itself from a great height and then gets converted into mist is an experience of the life.

Lingamala Waterfalls

Lingamala and a small one

The surroundings were also full of the tiny falls

Lingamala - the waterfalls gave birth to a rivulet

The same rivulet has become a tiny river

From Lingamala when we started to Panchgani, we first came across a point from where the Bhilar Waterfall is visible.

Bhilar Waterfalls - You can not go near to it, what a shame

We were by this time with our hearts full of joy but minds short of words.We proceeded towards Panchgani. We stopped at Parsi Point.


Parsi point is another point offers great view of the valley with Krishna river zigzagging itself through the green hills. There is a small village (Chikli) down there where there is a temple visible. We were told by a local that there was a scene shot from the film Omkara.

View from the Parsi Point

Another view from the Parsi Point

And another - covering different angles

Chikli Village - the film Omkara was shot here

The next destination was Sydney Point which is again very close to the Parsi Points. It also offers great view but from a slightly different angle. The plus point for sydney point is that it offers the view of the Panchgani town from the top which is really beautiful.

View from Sydney point - very windy

Another view

Panchgani Town from Top

I was really excited when we started for Table Land but I was completely disappointed with the same. It is supposed to be Asia's second largest Table Land and the place and I heard a lot about this place, but in my opinion, is completely ruined due to the commercialization. The horse carts, man-pulled rickshwas all have spoiled the natural beauty of the same. It is too dirty too!!! I have read somewhere in the newspaper later that due to this uncivilized commercialization the flora and fauna of the plateau have completely been destroyed. This is really sad. The snap below does not do justice to it, but the area is realy really vast.

Table Land in monsoon

A view of Panchgani town from Table Land

We did not spend much time here (and we could not too as it was raining so much with ferocious wind that it was almost next to impossible to stand there). Before we came to hotel we wished to The New Era Boarding School just out of curiosity - we just wanted to check how the place where the famous movie Taare Zameen Par was shot looks like in real. It is located in a serene ambience, nested in between the tall trees making itself invisible from the outsiders.

New Era Boading School - became more famous with Taare Zameen Par

Once we are back in P'gani, we took some rest and in the evening we roamed around the quaint little town. There are loads of walking routes where you can inhale the purest of oxygen.

The Day 2 will cover the Pratapgad Fort.