Aesthetic, picturesque, ravishing, chilly, mostly cloudy are some words
that best define Mahabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar is a small hill station in the
state of Maharashtra, India. I visited this place on 26th June,
2019. I travelled there by taxi. If you want to travel economically there are
bus services you can opt. It takes about almost 7 hours to reach Mahabaleshwar. I
took off from Santacruz, Mumbai around 9 am and reached the hotel at 6:00 pm.
We halted at Lonavala also for some sightseeing. The route to Mahabaleshwar is
mesmerizing. There are a plethora of green lush trees along the Western Ghats which
makes the drive more beauteous.
There are many hotels available in this area. I stayed at
Eden Villa it is a homestay which is close to Mahabaleshwar. Try to stay in a home stay
because at first, they provide you scrumptious home cooked food and secondly, they
will guide you in a better way. The caretaker of the home stay made us a
delicious dinner. When I reached Mahabaleshwar it was raining heavily. Don’t forget
to take an umbrella or a raincoat. They will be your savior for this trip.
 |
| Outside area of Lord Shiva temple |
The next day I started my trip for sightseeing. There are
numerous points in the hill station but most of the times the view is not
visible. I started with the famous temples at old Mahabaleshwar. There are
three temples which are an example of historic Indian architecture. The temples
are Lord Shiva temple, Panchganga Mandir and Krishnabai temple. The Krishnabai temple
worships the Krishna river. There is a statue of Lord Krishna and the river falls
through a cow faced structure into a ‘Kund’ (a small pit). Photography is not
allowed inside the temples.
 |
| Bull at Panchganga Mandir |
The next place was Elphinstone Point. It was discovered by Dr.
James Murray and it overlooks two valleys Koyana and Savitri. The view is
breathtaking. You can see clouds moving around the lush green Ghats. I could
only enjoy the view for mere 10 minutes. After that the clouds covered the
whole area and everything became invisible.
 |
| Clouds and the Western Ghats |
After that I went to Connaught Peak. It is the second
highest peak in Mahabaleshwar. There was no tourist when I visited this place. I
was awestruck by the route. Lush green trees, snow white fog, chirping of birds
and the serenity made this route enthralling. As I reached the top there was
nothing to see as it was all cloudy.
The next point was Lodwick and Elephant head point. Both these points have the same route and they are quite nearby. These points are ideal for sunrise and sunset. The point has a memorial for General Peter Lodwick who first visited this place in 1824. It is at a height of 4067 mts. There is nothing much to see except a memorial. Elephants head point/ needle point gives view of a mountain which is elephant shaped.
 |
| ElephantHead Route |
 |
| Misty Route |
 |
| Lodwick Point |
The next point was Venna Lake. It is a small lake with many
eateries nearby. Boating facility is also available. When I visited Venna Lake boating
was closed. It is always crowded and it can be avoided if you don’t have enough
time.
The most striking place to visit in Mahabaleshwar is Mapro.
It is a food processing company. They have various products like candies,
sharbats, jams, sauce available with them. Along with this they have a restaurant
that serve delicious sandwiches and pizza. This place is always super crowded.
Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani are famous for strawberries. You
will many strawberry plantations along the route. Try the strawberry cream from
Bagicha(restaurant).
 |
| Mapro Garden |
 |
| Strawberry Cream at Bagicha |
