It was my birthday and I wanted to celebrate it in a memorable way and planned a trip to Mahabaleshwar. The name’Mahabaleshwar’ is derived from a temple of Lord Mahadev and three Sanskrit words, "Maha"(great), "Bal"(power) and "Ishwar"(God).The British in order to escape the summer heat of the plains and in their search for cooler pleasant climates, were always looking for mountain tops and plateau for recreation and change. So it happened that Col. Lodwick stationed at Satara, in April 1824 with a contingent of soldiers and Indian guides climbed up the mountain face reaching what is now known as the Lodwick Point. Thus Mahabaleshwar was "Discovered".
Before long we reached a checkpoint where they collect Pollution tax from all vehicles entering Mahabaleshwar. If you want to stay in MTDC or the PWD cottages turn right, otherwise for all private Hotels, turn left. We got a cab which drove us straight into the beautiful campus of the MTDC resort. We had booked a cottage which had spacious rooms with a quaint little verandah.
We freshened up quickly and went to the restaurant to have something before we start our sightseeing. Sumos and other cabs are there at the entrance of the resort, which you can book for sightseeing. They charge around 400-500 for sightseeing. The MTDC cottages are very close to the sunset point or Bombay point . We started walking towards the sunset point. The air was a bit chilly and there was a thin layer of fog all around. Bombay point was nothing special, it was like all other sunset points are. Suddenly, the sky started filling up with dark rain clouds prompting us to beat a hasty retreat. We had just entered our cottage, and we were treated to a heavy hailstorm, which lasted for about half an hour. This effectively brought down the ambient temperature to a very pleasant level.
It had already become dark so we decided to change and cozy up inside the blanket while we kept on musing about good old college days After a scumptous dinner we decided to call it a day and slowly drifted into sleep hearing the pitter patter of rains on the tin roof.
The morning greeted us with the sight freshly bathed leaves, the moist smell of the ground and unseen birds chirping away merrily. We booked a sumo and set out amidst heavy fog towards the panch ganga mandir. Water from five different rivers that is the Koyna, Krishna, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri join in this place. Hence the name Panchganga. They are seen flowing in five stone conduits & joining in one horizontal half channel leading to the Goumukhi cow face spout. Though the Gaomukh it falls in the cistern below.
Next on our itinerary was the Kate’s point. It Offers breathtaking view of krishna valley & deep waters of the dhom dam. Among the waterfalls we visited the Lingamala waterfalls. The Lingamala presents an enrapturing view of cascading water. It disperses from the top of a steep cliff. The water falling down looks like thin silver streaks. It encircles with rainbow colors. We kept on admiring its beauty for a long time.
For lunch, we discovered a wonderful five-table restaurant Grapevine behind Imperial stores in the market place. It is parallel to the market street. A lovely cozy place with some delicious Italian or Thai food!
After a good lunch we headed towards Lodwik point. The sky was overcast and it started to drizzle. Visibility was getting reduced by the second. When we reached Lodwik point, fog had engulfed everything. And wind was extremely chilly and it was freezing us to the bone. We got down from the sumo and put on all the rain gear we had and made our way through the narrow path leading towards Lodwik point. Lodwick Point is named after a General who reached this point in 1824. A monument at the top of the promontory has been erected in his memory. Beyond Lodwick Point is the extreme end of the mountain range known as Elephant’s Head, the overhanging cliff looks like an elephant’s head and trunk, and hence the name.
In the evening we went to the Venna Lake. By the time we reached there it seemed that the whole population of Mahabaleshwar was already there. The lake looked good and we went for boating. Once we were in the boat our digicams worked overtime. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides which looked cleaner and greener after the rain. We played with the water and tried our hands at rowing the boat. We were having a good time when the mist suddenly enveloped us. After boating we sat down with corn cobs, warmed on the charcoal fires, by the side of the lake. You can also have American corn frankies or pakoras, turnips and red radishes. On our way back we stopped at a roadside strawberry farm. We picked up quite a load of real delicious strawberries, fresh from the fields!
The next day after breakfast we started towards Pratapgarh – a hill fort of Shivaji. The road leading to Pratapgarh was full of sharp curves and bends. It would be really dangerous to drive in those parts especially during the rains, but our driver drove like a pro and it was quite an experience for us. After reaching Pratapgarh, we decided to take a guide, which was a wise decision. For me the Pratapgarh trip was the best part of Mahabaleshwar visit, and most of the credit goes to this guide who made us walk through the pages of history with each step we took. Pratapgarh watches over Mahabaleshwar like an old and graying sentry, but its walls, massive gates, and rusting canons are still awe-inspiring.
It had already raining heavily when we started our upward ascent. As we reached the steps of the fort we saw the waters gushing down the steps like a waterfall with strong currents. It was very difficult to climb against the flow, but we enjoyed it like anything.
During the climb one can see the distant sides. Corner bastions support a double bank of fortifications. The rounded main gate also called the’Maha Darwaza’ towers up with vertical slits. The windy rugged rocky heights of Pratapgarh are invigorating and one cannot but help fantasizing about the exploits of the great Maratha warriors under the able leadership of the Great Chattarpati Shivaji. As one climb up the 500 steps one comes across the Bhavani Temple(a local name given to Goddess Parvati) in the Power fort. "Chattrapati Shivaji" built this temple in a religious emergency, as he was unable to visit the Bhavani temple at Tuljapur. It was built in the last decade of the 17th Century. The windswept Bhavani temple possesses a pair of rugged lantern pillars. As we trekked further from the lower fort we came across the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in the upper fort. It is here one can see the ruins of residential buildings and barracks made for Shivaji’s army against the Muslim invaders.
Below the fort there is a tomb dedicated to Afzal Khan the Muslim general of Bijapur, who was killed by Shivaji’s steel-claws or "wagnatch". By the time we reached the top, the weather had cleared and we were fortunate to get a splendid view of the lush green valley and the forts Raigad and Makarandgad. The hills gradually descend to the valleys separating Mahabaleshwar and Kineshwar range on the east and the Konkan valley on the west.
We enjoyed a stunning sunset on our way back with Shayadri range as the backdrop. This trip was just the perfect birthday present I could wish for.