The prominent color is Red. Red Earth. Ripe Red Strawberries - rows in fields and heaps in inviting baskets. Red Roses in profusion. Red Roofs. Red Radishes.
Activities include the whole gamut of things-to-do that are possible on a hill station - bhutta chomping, channa munching, sugarcane-juice gulping, strawberry / carrot / red radish crunching, strawberry milk-shake overload (since you don’t get it that fresh or that nice in Bombay or Pune!), and the usual brouhaha of stalls thrown in for carnival spirits and festive fun.
The Mahabaleshwar Bazaar is a riot of color and delights the eye - the famous walking sticks with a "snake head" (one of my cherished possessions as a tiny tot). slippers, chikki, fudge, chana, jelliy sweets, jams, honey, croquet items, wicker items - here half the fun lies in trotting around after dark when the shops are lit with warm incandescent colors.
Evenings are best spent about the Venna Lake, which is 4 kms from the bazaar. Apart from satisfying the above mentioned gastronomic passions, and also some sporting fun at the game stalls, the ride on the lake is soothing - nerves switch off one by one and the sun sets over your worries leaving a warm afterglow.
A rather pointless point, but Indian hill-stations are full of ’points’ - these are places on the edge of the hill-station’s mountain plateau where the trees part to reveal breathtaking views of the surrounding valleys - seeing too many is pointless because the views are very much the same from a lot of them and really only differ by small indistinguishable features. Thus, though 38 in all, some of the popular view points to be visited in Mahabaleshwar are Wilson Point (Sunrise Point), Connaught Peak Point, Kate’s Point, Arthur Seat, Bombay Point (Sunset Point) and Lodwick Point. These names can be understood if one notes that during the British Raj this was the summer capital of Mumbai province.
Arthur’s Seat, the best point has a platform over the Savitri Valley (a sheer drop of about 2, 000 ft) and is about 12kms from the main market. Named after Arthur Malet it is Mahabaleshwar’s most famous point overlooks the densely forested valley and offers the most beautiful and picturesque views of both Konkan (the costal strip) and the plateau beyond the mountain ranges ("Desh"). The thick jungle for miles and miles around is called ’Brahmaranya’. An interesting observation from this point is to watch a coke bottle-cap or a paper plate when tossed down with full force actaully lifts up and sails in the air skyward bound! As this is a favourite pastime of all tourists there must be a lot of rubbish lying 2, 000 feet below, in the Savitri valley.
Connaught Peak which is the second highest peak of Mahableshwar. It offers a panoramic view of the Venna Lake and Krishna Valley. It was first known as Mount Olympia and was a favorite spot for horse riders. The Duke of Connaught was so enchanted by its majestic view that he desired association of his name with the spot! Hence in 1880, Mount Olympia became Connaught Peak.
Mount Malcolm is Mahabaleshwar’s most well-known landmark from the days of the Raj. The residence of Sir John Malcolm the country house built in 1839 now lies forgotten and forlorn.
Morarji Castle, for the history buffs, is a British edifice which served as a temporary home for Mahatma Gandhi in 1945.
Kate’s Point is also called ’echo point’ where tourists shout themselves hoarse instead of gazing at the silent countryside, which seems to mock them with its exemplary silence. No, not even chirping birds - perfect silence, unless when you-know-who drop by for hearing revbrations of their own yells. The Krishna River is a ribbon as it winds its way through green and brown fields.
Old (Kshetra) Mahableshwar is an ancient religious place nestled amidst a clearing of the forest. Magnificent stone temples with history though not well preserved. History books say Chatrapati Shivaji and his mother Jijabai visited Mahableshwar to seek spiritual advice from a learned Brahman staying here. In this temple, called the Panchagana, a cow head carved in stone pours water into a tank and it is believed to be the origin of five holy rivers Krishna, Veena, Koyana, Savitri and Gayatri.
The Hanuman Mandir is said to be the resting-place of the saint, mystic and Shivaji’s teacher Swami Ram Das (1635). These groups of ancient temples in old Mahabaleshwar can be reached by turning right on the Duchess Road off Elphistone point after passing a cute house called Dingley Dell on the right side (the name is straight from Charles Dicken’s classic The Pickwick Papers!).
If you happen to wake up early in Mahabaleshwar you discover that it is chilly and totally dark and the the road is empty. But it is a good time to start out for Pratapgarh Fort a most historic monument built by Moropant Trimbak Pingale built this fort in 1656 AD at the command of Chatrapathi Shivaji. The engaging mythology that draws crowds here is that it was the venue for a "peaceful" meeting between Shivaji and Afzal Khan, the mighty general of the Adilshah of Bijapur, where attempted treachery led to slaying of Afzal Khan. Drive down to the the foot of this hill and start climbing to the fort over 500 serpentine winding steps. During the climb observe the distant corner bastions which a double bank of fortifications. Impregnable. The trek rewards you with a great view of the area and on the windy rugged and rocky heights your heart swells with exhilaration.
From the entrance ’Maha Darwaza’ first comes the windswept Bhavani Temple in the fort, with rugged lantern pillars. Shivaji built this temple for a religious emergency as he was unable to visit the Bhavani temple at Tuljapur in the last decade of the 17th Century.
You will be able to return well before the sun blazes fiercely after your last gaze at Shivaji’s statue at the Bale Killa and the fluttering saffron flag. Incidentally if you have been lazy you can see the same view through telescopes mounted at Arthur’s Seat Point for five rupees.
During the rainy season, an unbelievable six meters of rain lashes this place, and houses are clad with think kulum grass to protect them. Lot of British-built, Parsi-owned bungalows now lie unused and forgotten, glass and stone with overgrown moss and lichens, you pass them by without a second thought.
I stayed at the homely Strawberry Country Resort, a cottages and mud paths type of hotel located on the Mahabaleshwar - Panchgani road and somewhat close to the Venna Lake. I used to dine at Hirkani Gardens, serving good Maharashtrian thalis, which I used to dive into while watching the overlooking strawberry fields.
Idyllic trekkers have ample places for sidewalks from the main points - the Gayatri Point is on the way to Arthur’s seat, Lingmala Falls, apart from the cascade during and just after the monsoon, has sights to offer on the way - a profusion of spring flowers blooming is a must-see, the Elephants Head and the highest point the "Wilson-Point" is a huge bare rock that offers spectacular sunrise views.
Mahabaleshwar balances itself on a strange equation - it is not for the reclusive (check out Panchgani if you want to Lose Yourself), and it is certainly commercialized and over-populated on weekends, but its charm for aam-junta lies in strawberries, horse riding, bhutta chomping, boating, listening for your-own-echo and generally frolicking in a manner not possible in Panchgani.
For me it is an area full of beautiful walks after which you do not tire and an area still dense in forest cover which inspires poetry.