Bhandardara near Pune

Bhandardara a remote village area, nestled in peaks of Western ghats, is lesser known tourist spot outside Pune. By road it seems to be closer to Nashik
rather then Pune or Mumbai.




Until reaching Bhandardara I wasnt very sure of its worthiness, initial plan was for overnight stay at Bhandardara spend 2/3 hours and then drive towards Malshej ghat.

Infact until Ale Phata, town near Malshej ghat, locals didn't know exact directions for Bhandardara which was supporting & adding onto my apprehension. But was also encouraging that we would be able to get overnight accommodation because it seemed lesser known and well known places were fully booked even before starting from Pune.



After a long 4 hours drive we started seeing signs for Bhandardara and also could see landscape gradually transitioning from dry and brown to pleasant green.
Drive after Rajur, town just before Bhandardara, changed drastically from green farmlands to mountainous terrain.

Weather was bright, sunny and clear i.e perfect for photography. Though dry trails of waterfalls on the far mountains meant lesser interesting views, but some places did have gushing waterfalls.

Speelway gate was first impressive offering of Bhandardara which immediately cleared my apprehension. Very impressive Civil engineering work to control very active water reservoir.

Since we still had to hunt for overnight accommodation, we rushed past Speelway and grudingly compromised onto poorly equipped Hotel Aishwaryam due to time constraint, location of overlooking Bhandardara Dam reservoir and biggest of all its proximity to MTDC Bhandardara resort.




After confirming our booking, we drove back down to base of Bhandardara Dam and enjoyed a small track to overpowering Umbrella falls. Havent seen such strong
Waterfall upclose. Turely captivating sight of HUGE dam and STRONG waterfall.

We went back to Speelway gate, enjoyed the panaromic view along with savouring the Vada Pav and hot cup of tea. I was now convinced that visiting Bhandardara was right choice.




Randha falls, our next stop, has beautiful twin strong waterfalls. Best view is enjoyed by 10 minutes walk to the tip of the cliff, where both falls can be
seen and merging into surprisingly tranquil stream. Top view of waterfalls easily reminds one of Grand Canyon.


On Sunday, inspite of hectic Saturday, we managed to complete our breakfast and start by 9:30 am. After unhappily paying entry fee of Rs 110.00 we started
our drive through preserved area towards Harishchandra garh and Kalsubai.



Rustic Panjra village had uncountable waterfalls and took us almost 30 mins to drive through a very small village. Unlike yesterday it was raining steady and
too many. Omen of good journey ahead.

Kalsubai, highest peak of Maharashtra, and nearby peaks were all covered by mobile clouds but driving around them revealed rich craftmanship of nature.



KonakanKada was our next stop a great location overlooking a dam, thankfully clouds sparsed enough for us enjoy the sight.




Amruteshwar Temple, of God Shiva, is impressively located near a pond and surrounded by hills. Very peace instilling location.

50 kms of loop took us three long hours because of indescribable beauty of nature and countless waterfalls acting as magnet; forcing us to stop, drench and
absorb in the flow.




Malshej, 80 kms from Bhandardara was our next stop, took about 3 hours to reach. Mainly due to backroad drive and the battered roads. Banana, Wheat, Brinjal
and numerous other farms along the routes are worth driving the route.



Around 3:30 pm we reached Malshej, after a quick refreshing break at Atur town. Malshej ghat was covered by thick clouds with visibility of bearly 5 meters.

Route is very narrow and heavy trucks and buses plying on it could easily prove fatal so we had to turn quickly around for safety reasons.

Though nothing like Bhandardara dam, Pimple Joga dam was pleasing with birds flying around and fishing.
Highway 222 connecting Ale phata to Kalyan, is already my faovrite route to drive around.

Click for more Photos

My video capture of Bhandardara on YouTube:

Randha falls Video

Bhandardara waterfalls Video

Kalsubai mountain peak Video

Umbrella waterfall Video

Konkankada Site Video

Nearby Places to see:

Malshej Ghat, Pimple Joga dam, Nashik City, Ojhar and Lenyadri Ashtanvinayak Ganpati temples, Shinveri fort at Junnar, Bhimashankar temple

Directions:
From Pune its about 200 kms, takes about 4 hours due to single lane Nashik Highway (NH-50). After crossing Manchar and reaching Narayangaon, make sure you ask villagers the directions for Bhandardara.
Malshej ghat is 40 KMS after turning left from Ale Phata, which is NH 222, Bhandardara can be reached both ways either continue straight from Ale phata (NH-50) or by taking left towards Malshej continue right and then turning right on reaching Autr town ( about 20/30kms) on NH-222

Vedas flagging Ashthavinayak Ballaleshwar Ganapti temple of Pali

Pali is a popular pilgrim destination due to sacred Ashthavinayak Ballaleshwar Ganapati Temple.
Pali has twin temples of Ashthavinayaks Ballaleshwar Ganapati, DhundiVinayak temple where God first appeared and offered wish to devotee Ballal. Second is the main temple where devotee requested God Ganapati to reside in the village.

DhundiVinayak temple of Pali is one of twin temples of Balleleshwar Ganapati of Pali.and should be the first to visit, idol of Ballaleshwar Ganapati is similar as in main temple. Temple has paintings depicting Ballal's story.

Idol of Ballaleshwar Ganapati is visibly different and stretched horizontly. Though photo it seems to be unusual, but in reality I found it very beautiful compared to other Asthavinayak idols seen so far.

Ballaleshwar Ashtavinayak Temple of Pali is not only the spiritual centre but also hub of economic activity for common villagers. Numerous shops and auto rickshaws are common sight of such places but what impressed me is the business acumen of local community. Self help groups of Pali village not only prepare sweets as prasad but also pickles and traditional Indian snacks like papad etc. at home.

Make sure you buy the delicious sweets and seal the treat.

Though the liveliness is good for both locals and visitors, but certainly robs the peace of other wise peace of the temple and its beautiful surrounding.

Ballaleshwar Ashtavinayak Temple of Pali is located at the foothill of scenic mountain.Temple has wooden interiors with fine artwork and a small hall for devotees to spend peaceful time. Though the hall is open, but sanctum is low on air circulation, but beautiful idol of Ballaleshwar Ganapati pulls your attention away from this petty ignorable item.

About 4 to 5 kms from temple is natural hot water pond at Unhere village, land mark is Dutta temple. Infact there are two - one for male and other for female. Local villagers smartly use it for bathing and surely saving on energy. They should be indeed be awared some carbon credits so that can make sum extra money for sustainence.

However, didnt find anything great about Unhere's hot water pond and wouild advise to ignored if you are short on time.

Drive to Ashthavinayak Ballaleshwar Ganapti temple of Pali is, on State Highway 92, refreshing due to ample of greenery, remoteness and striking assembly of four mountain peaks.

I call them four vedas : Rig, Sama, Yajur, Atharva. Vedas are ancient texts of Sanatan dharma, now popular as hindu religion, remarkably detailing Advaita relationship between macrocosm (God) and microcosm (Human) and offering insightful guidelines on interpreting daily life experiences.

Ashthavinayak Ballaleshwar Ganapti temple of Pali is infact located at the base of these mountains visible nearly all along the drive on State highway 92 towards the temple.

Ballal Vinayak temple is named honouring a devotee boy named Ballal whose continued deep devotion was met with fear of abnormality by villagers and their persistent complaint to father resulted in severe treatment and beating of Ballal. God Ganesh then saved and granted wish to unfaltering devotee. Ballal requested God for his continued presence in the village.

For me real Pali hills should be accredited to this small village instead of Mumbai's Pali Hill, in Bandra, where many Bollywood personalities reside. Weather of real Pali hill is more like Mumbai - typical sultry feeling reminding of Alibag beach at distance of 50 or 60 kms from Ashthavinayak Ballaleshwar Ganapti temple of Pali.

Panshet day trip

Panshet Dam's biggest tourist attraction is the water sports facility.Panshet Dam's tourist can enjoy motor boat, jet sking, rowing in theresevoir etc.
Panshet Dam's water reservoir is called Tanaji Sagar.

Group motor boating is for 8-10 persons. Panshet motor boatinghas two packages and lasts for 15-25 minutes in the silentand secluded hillocks.

But unsophisticated motor boats are noisy and disturbing.Nevertheless they offer a good view of the Panshet dam's wall.Boats are not allowed close to the Panshet dam wall

Surprisingly motor boats ride are in the drinking water of Pune.It is indeed a health hazard.

Kids and Teens have more to do at Panshet dam, it has a micro-small race track with mini-scooters and mini-cars. Panshet Dam vacationers can enjoy teens doing small stunt in the Panshet race track.
Trekkers in Panshet dam have plenty of option and canget good view from height of few hundred feet, but didn'topt for any such adventure since we started late afternoon.

Panshet drive dam is not bad, actually one can easily climb the Panshet dam wall - but its illegal. We didn't climb the wall stleast I didnt want to spoil me outing by getting in legal row

Time to visit
Post monsoon and winter one see plenty of delighful birds on the way to Panshet Dam.

Nearby Places
Panshet Dam's visitors can plan a days vacation to Panshet dam area.
Khadakvasla and Varasgaon dam are within 5-12 kms.

Hisoric Singhgad fort is much before Panshet dam and is normallycrowded. Many people visit Singhgad during weekend for trekkingand jogging.
Farther trail of Singhgad fort offers a breathtaking view of thevalley including the Panshet dam.



Spiritual center of Yoganandaji is also on the way. Organisation was started by author of internationally acclaimed book Autobiography of a Yogi

Directions
Panshet Dam, South West of Pune, is about 45 kms from Pune and takes 1 hour to reach.

Parking charges, Boating Charges, Race Track Charges. Parking charges can be avoided by parking outside the property,while Race track charges arr only for riders.Boating charges cannot be avoided, else there would be hardlyanything to do.

Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar : Kashmir of Maharashtra

Panchgani - 5 hills, Mahabaleshwar - God of great power.
.Hope the travel experience is good Mahabaleshwar guide and Panchgani guide for vacation and tourism. Enjoy the Mahabaleshwar photos and Panchgani photos.
I like to term Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar as Kashmir of Maharashtra.
(Kashmir is considered to be more beautiful than renowned Swiss Alps Ranges).

Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar are ideal location for tourists planning overnight vacation of 2-3 days in the cloudy Sahyadri hills on Deccan Plateau overlooking the mystic blue river waters of different reivers are Venna, Koyna, Krishna etc .... from height of few thousand feet.
For trekking and backpacker Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani offers good terrains to adventure from hill top to the lush green villages along the lake shores.

Bhilar waterfalls of Panchgani

Panchgani is a well set small tourist town with plenty of hotels, lodges, restaurants. Generally people stay at Panchgani during night and enjoy sightseeing of various points like famous Table Land, Parsi point, Bhim Chula, Harrisons valley.

Local travel options include horse cart, private taxi's, bicycle, atuo rickshaws etc
No Panchgani Visitor can unnotice the numerous boarding (resident) schools for kids.
Many parents in Mumbai and Pune aspire their kids to be educated in one of these schools.
Travelling in Panchgani is along straight hill while sight seeing in Mahabaleshar is along a loop.

Kates Point, Needle Hole point is one of the first and most popular places of Mahabaleshwar. Elphinstone Point, Lodwick Point, Wilson Point etc ...many more on-cliff points make Mahabaleshwar vacation excursion slightly adventerous.



For nature lovers and photographers, Mahabaleshwar offers colorful and delightful sights.

Old Mahabaleshwar is a must see for any tourist, spiritual seekers, travellers, historians

Travel to Mahabaleshwar has one additional advantage, apart from scenic beauty - travellers can can also visit gets the 5000 yrs old historic temple of Lord Ganesha.
But spiritual seekers desire more for the pilgrim of the nearby Lord Shiva temple.
Lord Shiva temple in old Mahabaleshwar is one of the 12 Jyotir Ling (intentional Self appearance of Shiva Ling) temples in India.
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Legend goes as that Lord Shiva temple in Mahabaleshwar was built by Dharma Guru of Pandavas of Mahabharata based on vision in a dream. (Mahabharata is the worlds biggest epic and is contexted in Bhagvad Gita - a widely used popular text where Lord Krishna teaches great warrior Arjuna the spiritual gems of Vedantna - seprate comprehensive texts containing reality and purpose of life analysed, studied, practised and documented by ancient Rishis (spiritual scholars) eons before modern civilisation.

Big solid stones of all three temples in Mahabaleshwar very easily overwhlems not only the spiritual devotee but also any visitor.

Historians, Archeiologist, Interior designer can get a education quick tour of ancient Indian culture and construction capabilities.


Walking inside the the Lord Shiva temple of Mahabaleshwar is like travelling few thousand years back in time into ancient India. Temple very impressive from inside a true privilege for a visitor like me.

Panchganga temple of Mahabaleshwar is another must see place for tourists.
Constuction of Panchganga - 5 rivers is also imppressive with open water pool collecting the fresh mountain stream water … visitors of Panchganga temple of Mahabaleshwar can safely taste the sweet water.
Panchganga name signifies the confluence of Koyna, Krishna, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri rivers.
All Five rivers are very aptly modelled in the ancient Panchganga temple of Mahabaleshwar and their refreshing sweet waters being stored for devotees and tourists in open dynamic pool.



Family with small kids and women can equally enjoy Mahabaleshwar as it offers horse riding, boating etc at Lake Venna.
And yes please don’t forget to enjoy the corn fritters - corn vadas.

Visitors interested in history can stretch 30 kms further to visit Maratha kingdoms Pratapgarh fort when Shivaji Maharaj was the king.

15 kms from the fort is Dambhod village which offers spectacular mountaineous views similar to ones in Lord Of the Rings.

Hope it server as Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani guide and help you in tentative trip planning for one day or 2 or 3 days. Enjoy your road trip to Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani

Tolls:

Both Panchangi and Mahabaleshwar have tolls of about INR 30.00 per 4-wheelers and INR 15.00. So around INR 100.00 - INR 200.00 goes on toll (depending on number of people - drivers are spared :-) ).

Good news is that toll receipts are valid for 7 days in Panchangi and Mahabaleshwar, so tourists dont have to pay everyday

Directions:
Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar are in Satara district of Maharashtra state of India.
Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar barely 20 kms apart are located on hill-top.
From Pune or Mumbai take the Mumbai - Pune Expressway and continue on Banglore Expressway for another 120kms.
From village of Wai, ascent of the hill begins and takes to Panchgani.
Near by Places:
Pratapgarh Fort, dozens of cascaded peaks make you feel as in stone age.
Time To Visit:
June to January. I prefer June to September when all hills are lush green due to rainy season
and plenty of waterfalls with easy acess.
Monsoon also wipes out the smoggy pollution of the atmosphere.
Risk of monsoon is that beauty of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani is held hostage by layers of clouds.
Fun to Fly paraglider in Panchgani
Decent Resorts, Hotels and lodging in Panchgani Mahabaleshwar:
MTDC resort, Shreyas Resort, Swiss Country Resort Saj resort, Sumn Raj Resort, Dina Hotel, Hotel Rajesh, Vimal Garden
Economic Resorts, Hotels and lodging in Panchgani Mahabaleshwar:
Madhuban, Regal, Satkar, Hotel Apsara, Hotel Mountain View, Ravine Hotel, Cliff Inn Resorts, Mount Castle Bungalow Resort

Varasgaon Dam : Hawks Nest of Pune

Varasgaon Dam, on Maharashtra state highway 57, is good place for one day holiday outing or picnic near Pune.
Pune tourists, friends and families can plan half a day trip to Varasgaon Dam and half day for Lavasa in cloud clad Sahaydri mountains.
Back packers & trekkers’ don’t have much option for trekking as Varasgaon Dam mainly a drive through & holiday place.

Varasgoan dam is one of the sources of water supply to Pune.

For Pune tourists, secluded and serene Varasgoan village competes with mighty and publicized Lavasa by being host to Varasgaon Dam and of-course its picturesque location.

Pune visitors simply get dragged towards the dam due to easy accessibility to base of the Varasgaon dam.

Pune Visitors can spend 20-30 mins at the base of dam and enjoy the music of water flow and feel awed against the mighty wall of the Varasgaon Dam.

3-4 kms of further, travelers get lured to walk on top of Varasgaon Dam. One can see many fellow tourists strolling and taking snaps.
Pune Back packers can enjoy the beautiful view of the valley with small farms, cloud covered hills and the winding road adding to the beauty.

Beautiful road cutting through the Varasgaon village reminds me of Upstate New York's popular Hawk Nest drive near Port Jervis.
Varasgaon Dam of Pune offers photographers have plenty of options. Friends and families can plan for a day’s picnic to Varasgaon and Lavasa near Pune.
Good quality roads in the hills are indeed for people enjoying to drive. Especially for Punerees it’s driving paradise, but of-course exhibit caution due to sharp turns and hills

Caution:
Roads are narrow, especially through villages, be a turtle and drive slow and steady through them.

On the dam walk carefully due to slippery moss etc. and be very watchful while overlooking the valley, a small fumble can cost your life.

Directions:
Varasgaon Dam of Pune is about 45 kms away from Pune. Lesser known village is 5-10 kms ahead of Mulshi village in the cradle of small hills of Sahaydri mountain ranges.
30 mins ahead of Varasgaon is Lavasa - most talked ambitious modern township, developed by HCC, in the Sahaydri mountains, which claims to be better than the
Sahara group's Amby Valley (project beyond Lonavala).
Sahara group is also the sponsor of Indian Cricket Team. Cricket is India's most popular and commercial sport.

Best Time to Visit:
During or just after monsoon, the hills are lush green and plenty of waterfalls on the way.

Nearby Places:
Mulshi Dam, Tamhini Ghat. Sinhgad fort, Lavasa

Aamchi Mumbai

Southern Mumbai provides grand display of India's vibrancy, dynamism and huge variety. South Mumbai has two tips forming a hand ready to clamp onto the beautiful Arabian Sea. Not sure though why it’s called Arabian instead of some local name. Was it due to influence of Middle Eastern countries!


South Mumbai and Malabir Hill on Google Maps

Between two tips of South Mumbai is world famous coastline – Mumbai’s Queens Necklace. Post dusk when street lamps lit the road; the glittering necklace is displayed audaciously.

Videos

India Travel Channel


Mumbai Kids
Skyline from Malabar Hill
Overlooking Malabar Hill





Marine drive, road along the Arabian Sea coast line, is the neck of the Mumbai’s Queens Necklace. If starts from Nariman Point – southernmost tip of that route and takes you all the way to Charni Road chowpatty(beach) or Girgaum beach - famous for send-off of Lord Ganesha at the end of Ganesh festival and also featured in many Bollywood movies.

While walking on Marine drive you will pass Oberoi hotel, circular Ambassador hotel, Flyover at Marines Lines station, Aquarium, Charni Road beach. All these are non-erasable landmarks which have featured in umpteen Bollywood and other Indian movies across different ages of India.

Spend few minutes on flyover of Marine lines station. Its good place to see the sea, Marine drive and skyline of South Mumbai.

If you really enjoy the walk it can talk up to 2-3 hours to walk on Marine drive pavement.



Close to Charni Road train station is Aquarium, Beach etc. At the beach one can enjoy parasailing, jet skiing, boating, massage etc. This small beach is in the heart of the city hence you will always find lot many people.




For Hanging Garden & Kamala Nehru park, take a cab/bus from the beach. The route is very scenic and takes you to Malabar hill – posh area located on a hill and home to affluent citizens of the country. This premium real estate site of Mumbai has two well known parks for family – Kamala Nehru Park & Hanging Garden




Hanging garden provides a great view of the Arabian Sea. But sadly most of it is obstructed by the tall trees and building. But the glimpse of the Sea from the hill is indeed calming. Mumbai’s Hanging garden has good variety plants, flowers, huge banyan trees. But it’s the plants pruned in animal shape which catches attention immediately.




Lord Hanuman (monkey form), peacock, giraffe, elephant and deer are the shapes pruned by gardeners. I liked giraffe more than others as it stands tall and competes with Mumbai’s sky scrapers.



Kamala Nehru children’s park is right opposite and is famous for its shoe shaped slider. It also provides a breathtaking view of Mumbai’s Queen’s necklace and the skyline.


Other Places to visit:
Babulnath temple, Priyadarshini park, Prince of Wales museum, Jehangir art gallery, Gateway of India, CST Train station, Central Library, whole sale markets in Kalbadevi, Zaveri bazaar, Cutlery market, Crawford market area, Colaba.
Famous Babul Nath temple of God Shiva. Its located on small hill and there are elevators charging INR 2.00 for the needy.
Places to Eat:
While Girgaon chowpatty offers plenty of junk food to eat, but Nariman Point - southern tip and Sukh Sagar area close to Girgaon chowpatty offers plenty of decent and good restaruants to have sumptious Indian food. There are pizza places as well. Make sure to have Kesar Pista kulfi next to Sukh Sagar restaurant.
Directions:
Like New York, trains are best way to commute in Mumbai. You can get down at Churchgate station and take a train from Charni Road station, regardless of whether you return from beach or come down from Malabar hill.

Glowing Evershine of Kandivali

Evershine Park of Kandivali on Google Maps


Thakur Village township of Kandivali (East), Mumbai, provides a quick summary of India’s economic success and change of attitude. Impressive thing is that 15 years ago this area was a flat barren land. Today it’s an Independent Township with multiple skyscrapers of 20-25 floors, luxury shops, malls, restaurants, cinema halls, schools, Engineering, Medical institutes, hospitals and of course lots of parks.

Evershine Park, a small park, is one of the most impressive of all parks. It’s mainly for small kids and many options provided for their enjoyment like regular swings, sew-saw, sliders etc,

A mini train its own train station is also one of the prime attraction, however, it’s a automobile with multiple open coaches

A raised platform offers good view of the park and can serves dual purpose of a performing stage as well. The dual castles on the dias reminds of entrance of Disney Land.

Symmetrical Park’s has two open terraces as well, offering good view of the dias itself.


Colored fountains are the most impressive offerings of Evershine park of Kandivali. All over the park one can see dynamic and multicolored fountains of different patterns. It’s another good item which not only small kids but also grown-ups enjoy.

Small sections with green grass and the periphery of the park caters to people looking for jogging and relaxing on turf.

Mismanaged local cafeteria is one weak point not only due to its poor quality but also the price for the sub-standard quality.

Nirvana Vegetarian restaurant near, Evershine park of Kandivali, is one great restaurant in the area which is about 7-10 minutes walking distance. After long time I really savored restaurant food. In INR 900.00 five adults and a small kid had sumptuous dinner.
Domino’s pizza is also good option, plus there are other street vendors as well

Nearby Places:
Sanjay Gandhi National Park of Mumbai is hardly 15-20 minutes away, local malls, theatre, restaurant, small parks

Time to Visit:
Regardless of month, ensure that you visit around 4:30-5:00 pm, because fountains are switched ON only after dusk. If you go too early you would miss on the colorful spectacle.
I would avoid summers, since Mumbai’s weather is very humid and one gets drenched in sweat too quickly

Directions:
Once in Mumbai, take local train till Kandivali and board auto-rickshaw from the East of Kandivali. In 30 minutes, you can reach the park after crossing the Western Express highway. It should cost you around Rs. 30-40.
Park entry fee is Rs 5.00 per person and additional charges of Rs 50.00 for camera.