The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~John Keats
This was one of the most peaceful Diwali we have had in recent times. Of course we were not in Mumbai but far away in a small quaint picturesque paradise called ♥Bhandardara♥.
I did my booking a couple of weeks in advance at MTDC Mumbai office and just managed to get rooms for the trip. My 2001 Zen Vxi did the rest as we zoomed away towards Nasik Highway.
Where is Bhandardara & How do you reach there ?
It is around 180 kms from Mumbai by road. Igatpuri appx. 45 kms on Central Railway is the nearest railhead.
By road, you bypass Igatpuri and move ahead towards a village called Ghoti where you have to take a right. ENSURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH PETROL AS THERE ARE NO FURTHER FILLING STATIONS. Once in the village do inquire for Bhandardara and also note this is your last purchasing destination. After this there are hardly any shops for next 30 kms.
Once you cross the railway fatak, the new world begins ...small hills dotted here and there, And small water bodies beneath them, cosy small villages snuggling besides these water bodies and sheltering beneath the umbrella provided by these small hills ..ahh Poetry.
The air is pure and the road narrow twisting-n-turning its way upwards thru the plethora of hills. You might almost miss the green MTDC sign boards pointing towards the LAKE VIEW resort, if you are not alert.
MTDC Lake View Resort
Perched at the top of a small hill directly overlooking the Arthur Hill Lake is the MTDC resort awaiting your arrival.
Tucked away from everywhere, this lil holiday resort surrounded with lots of lovely spots for the avid traveller is set amidst scenic forests ...ahh Painting !!
You have a variety of rooms to suit your budget from 600 (standard rooms) to 2000 bucks cottages. The cottages are fabulous having an excellent view of the lake below and lots of privacy.
The canteen is decent and one can survive the food here, as it is one has no option. Do carry snacks, fruits etc with you.
Arthur Hill Lake
Imagine getting up in the morning and looking at a vast lake spread between mountains covered with fog and sun rays streaming thru ...
Pure and natural; pristine and calm; unperturbed by the children jumping in and out of it - the lake is magnificent and majestic. It is more than 20 kms in length and serpents its way crisscrossing thru the mountains.
There are no steps leading down to the lake, one has to just walk down using the small ’pagdandis’ some of them are pretty steep. And since the lake is long there are plenty of unexplored lonely spots covered with rocks - Nude swimming is easily possible in mornings. Else you can just relax for hours on rocks and splash water with your legs and feed the fishes swimming in clear water around you.
Boating is available and provided by localites (only 2 boats). These wooden boats are the kinds used in travelling and manned by the owner so all you have to do is sit back and relax as he oars his way thru the lake.
Amriteshwar Temple & Ratangadh Fort
This temple is situated appx 50 minutes boat ride away and one has to walk thru fields for 10-15 minutes to reach the actual temple. This temple is supposed to be 1000 years old and looks older. The temple is beautiful and full of rock carvings and gives that feeling of being in a place long forgotten. It is approachable by road as well but I recommend the boat.
The 50 minutes one-way ride is beautiful as you pass forests, swamps, trees growing in the lake and experience the Kerala boat-stop culture !! Yes the boat used to stop at certain boat-stops and people would appear from nowhere and get in or get out practically in the middle of nowhere ....
Behind the temple are huge mountains and one of these mountains has the Ratangadh fort as its crown. This favourite fort of Shivaji is now a 2-3 hours climb and there is no place to stay at top. But one can stay in a huge cave almost at the top (info provided by a friend who has stayed on top of this fort for 2 nights) which has the most beautiful view available of the lake and valley below.
Other things to do
@ There is the Randha Falls which had a decent water fall cascading down 45m and the water was aplenty in November.
@ There is the Konkankada a huge valley - which we did not check out
@ The highest peak of Maharashtra - Mt. Kalsubai is close by and we watched it while driving back
@ But the real things to do are:
> Just sit under a tree and watch the lake be with yourself and take in the fresh unpolluted air.
> Take a swim in the lake (Hey women can join in too) or just paddle in water and get wet.
> Get up early in the morning and check out the fog on the lake it was WOW !!
> Close by is the Wilson Dam at a height of 150m - a lovely picnic spot
> Watch the Sun set behind the lake and the Holi riot of colors in the sky ..
> Go for walks at night (inside MTDC) especially when the power goes off - Check out the unpolluted sky. It seems to have been stripped and unveiled to unfold its beauty to the naked eye. Within a few minutes you will see a Meteor (shooting star)
> This being Amavasya (Diwali night), the arm of the Milky way was clearly visible - yes our very own Akash Ganga. How many of you have actually seen it ??
Bhandardara is completely non-commercialised. No shops, restaurants etc - so if you are looking for shopping this is not your place. But it has plenty of night life all you have to do is walk out to check out the sky, hear the water symphony against the rocks, the sound of crickets etc.
Do carry a torch with you and ask for candles from the reception. Carry enough snacks with you if you are the type who gets hungry often whilst travelling. Have enough camera rolls and batteries with you. The localites are a friendly lot and can be your information warehouse.
DO NOT POLLUTE THE PLACE IN ANYWAY PLEASE. LET IT LIE THE WAY IT IS ...