Mahabaleshwar - (PuneDiary's Picnic Sports
Section) |
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The name
'Mahabaleshwar' is derived from a temple
of Lord Mahadev and three Sanskrit
words, "Maha" (great), "Bal" (power) and
"Ishwar" (God).
Mahabaleshwar, Queen of all Hill
Stations, is situated at an altitude of
1,372m in the heart of Sahyadri Hills in
Satara District.The jungle of
Mahabaleshwar is thick & produces many
commercial as well as medicinal trees &
plants. The wild life is limited to
foxes, jackals, & wild boars. Deers &
bisons are found in the brahma aranya
area. Panthers are rare. The famous bird
in the urdu poetry, Bulbul is found
everywhere in the plateau. The weather
of Mahabaleshwar & healthy & contains an
ideal of 20% oxygen which is often
agumented in foggy weather of late
summers & early monsoon, when the
pleateau is covered by thick mist. The
water contains a meager percentage of
iron which helps to increase hemoglobin
in the blood. The hill station has a
legendary past. But, some say that the
name 'Mahabaleshwar', which simply means
very mighty God, seems to have a
mythological past.
It was discovered by the governor of
Mumbai - Sir John Malcolm in 1828. And
later established as a Health Resort.
Earlier called Malcolm Peth. It used to
be summer capital of the government.
This place has become a common
destination for Honeymooners, Families
and all those simply looking for a
change from their hectic lifestyle.
Mahabaleshwar is famous for its scenic
beauty and the splendid views of the
valleys and the sea. Things which keep
an impact on ones mind long after
leaving Mahabaleshwar are its Cool
Climate, Video Games and Slot Machines
in the Market, Boating and Horse Riding.
Mahabaleshwar is by far the best of any
holiday spot in Maharashtra for climate,
excursions, sports and many other
activities. Thats why its called "Queen
of all Hill Stations" |
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Mahabaleshwar : |
Also Known As :
Queen Of All Hill Stations |
Location : |
Situated In The Heart Of Sahyadri Hills In Satara District. |
Distance : |
120 kms
from Pune - For Road Map Click Here |
|
237 kms
from Mumbai Via Mahad - For Road Map
Click Here |
305 kms
from Mumbai Via Pune - For Road Map
Click Here |
20 kms from
Panchgani - For Road Map Click Here |
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Private & Govt. Buses are available at regular intervals from
most of the cities. Private taxis also run to and fro from
Mahabaleshwar & Panchgani. |
Nearest
Airport : |
Pune - ( Lohegaon )
( PuneDiary.Com ) |
Nearest Rail : |
Pune is the
convenient railway station at 120 kms
But Wathar is Nearest railway station. |
Average
Climate : |
160
in winter & 300 in summer |
Best Time to visit : |
September to Mid June |
Significance : |
A Delightful Hill Station For People Who Love Boating
And Horse Riding. |
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Some
of the Popular points worth visiting in
Mahabaleshwar are : |
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Arthur's
Seat (1470m) |
Arthur's
Point, named after Arthur Malet.It is 12
kms. away from main market. Said to be
the Best of all points. There was a man
named Arthur Malet who was the first to
come here and build a house for himself
hence the point is named after his name.
It is the only palce which shows the
geographical distinction between the
Konkan and the Deccan territories of
Mahabaleshwar.
Arthur's Seat is Queen of all points.
Some compare the stractification of
rocks on southern side to the world
famous stratification of rocks of the
Grand Canyon of Colarado. USA. It is
facinating to see the barren deep valley
Savitri on the left & shallow green
valley on the right. It is more
facinating to know that Arthur's seat is
the only place showing geographical
distinction of kokan & Desh (Deccan),
two territories of Mahabaleshwar, so
clear & so near. If you go by the steps
you come across a spring known as
Tiger's spring which is supposed to be
the source of the river Savtri.
Immediately below the seat is window
point. You have to go deep by steps to
reach the window point. Kates Point:
Offers breathtaking view of krishna
valley & deep waters of the dhom dam.
From southern side it looks like an
elephants head. There is also an echo
point. |
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Babbington point (1294m) |
2.5 kms.
from main market. Makarandgadh ,Solshi
and Koyna valley can be easily seen
from this point. On the way to Babington
point is the Bishop tank- live streams ,
which are worth visiting.This point also
presents a view of saddle back . |
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Kate's
Point (1289m) |
Here you
find the famous Echo point. It is a huge
rock which stands 50 mts high. It is
about 6 km away from Venna Lake. Founder
of Mahabaleshwar was sir John Malcom he
had a daughter named Kate and this point
is named after her name. Offers
breathtaking view of krishna valley &
deep waters of the dhom dam. From
southern side it looks like an elephants
head. |
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Lodwick
Point (1239 m) |
Elephant's
Head Point as it is commonly called. If
viewed from a specific point one can see
Pratapgad from here. General Lodwick
after whose name this point is named was
the first European to visit
Mahabaleshwar. Long back it was also
called as the Sydney Point. The
surrounding scenery is beautiful. |
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Wilson
Point (1435 m) |
Wilson Point
is also commonly known as Sunrise Point.
It is a vast plateau. There are three
masonary round platforms to see the
sunrise. You are advised to see sunrise
from platform no:2. It is about 1 km
away from Mahabaleshwar Market. When you
are on this point believe it you are
4735 ft above sea level and at the
highest point in Mahabaleshwar. Other
points that can be viewed from this
point are Kshetra Mahabaleshwar,
Connaught Pick Point and Elphinston
Point. You can see sunset also from this
point. |
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Mumbai
Point (1294 m) |
It is
commonly known as Sunset Point. It was
on the old road to Bombay hence the
name. Pratapgadh is seen at the north of
this point. It is one of the most
popular and oldest point in
Mahabaleshwar. Crowd gathers to see the
beautiful Sunset over here. |
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Connaught
Peak (1385 m) |
7 kms. from
Mahabaleshwar market Connaught Peak is
the second highest point in
Mahabaleshwar. Presents panoramic view
of a green carpet. You can see sunrise
as well as sunset from this point. At
its north you can see Torana, Kamalgadh
and Rajgadh. To its east are Pasarani
Ghat and Panchgani. Ajinkyatara is at
the south. To the west is Pratapgadh.
Elphinston Point and Kshetra
Mahabaleshwar are at north-west. It was
formerly known as Mount Olympia. |
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Helen's
Point (1280 m) |
This place
is also known as Blue Valley. You can
see a beautiful water fall at this place
which is followed by River Salshi. It is
4 kms. away from main market. Other
points in this area are Gavalani Point,
Robbers Caves and North coat point. |
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Venna
Lake |
In spite of
being within Mahabaleshwar this Lake has
its own identity, and is capable of
drawing ones attraction towards it. The
main attraction over here is Boating
which is enjoyed by everyone. Venna lake
is covers an area of about 27 acres.
Water supply to Mahabaleshwar is through
this Lake. Prior permission has to taken
for Fishing in this Lake. |
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Water
Falls |
The Venna
falls, the Chinaman's fall and Dhobi's
falls are the three main waterfalls.
Beauty of these falls enhances during
the rainy season.
Lingmala Waterfalls present an
enthralling sight of cascading water as
it scatters from atop a steep cliff into
thin silver streaks, often encircled by
rainbow colors. The other water
falls-chairman and Dhobi, are popular
with picnickers. The former can be
reached by the Carviali Road. Dhobi
waterfall is on a bridle path connecting
Petit Road with Old Mahabaleshwar Road.
A boat ride on the tranquil,
crystal-clear waters of Lake Venna
entices one beyond appreciation. The
cool whispers of the surroundings add to
the serenity of the landscape. |