Saturday, December 15, 2007

26 to 28-Jan-2007 Pratapgad, Mahabaleshwar

We had visited Mahabaleshwar before. That time, we got the info of how to visit Pratapgad. I am always interested to see different forts. This time, we took opportunity of a long weekend.
Mahabaleshwar is famous as a hill station. It is also famous for strawberries. There are plenty of strawberry fields in Mahabaleshwar. The strawberry saplings come from California, US.
From Pune, one can take state transport buses to Mahabaleshwar. The frequency is good. The comfort is also decent. One can drive down the Satara road. Just before Satara (approx 30 KMs), a diversion takes us to Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar. From Mumbai, we can directly come to Mahabaleshwar through Kokan.
26-Jan-20078:00 AM Started from Pune
We had reserved our journey in MSRTC. We started from Pune station. The bus goes to Swargate and then goes out of Pune via Katraj. It is good to book the journey in advance. Usually Mahabaleshwar is crowded as it is very near to Pune.
10:30 AM Reached Mahabaleshwar
Bus journey to Mahabaleshwar from Pune is about 2:30 hours via Panchgani.
12:00 PM to 5:30 PM Sightseeing in Mahabaleshwar
We had booked MTDC cottage from Pune. It is not advisable to go to Mahabaleshwar without booking any place to stay. From bus stand, we went to the cottage. The cottage is from British era. The British had major presence in Mahabaleshwar.
After having our lunch, we took a taxi for sightseeing. There is no other option but to hire a taxi. The taxis have formed their union. They have regulated (on the higher side) rates as well.
The taxi took us to various spots in Mahabaleshwar. Arthur seat point, Old Mahabaleshwar, Elephanthead point, Jam factory, etc. It finally dropped us at MTDC.
27-Jan-20079:00 AM Bus to Pratapgad
On the previous day, we had booked our journey to Pratapgad at the MSRTC counter. 2-3 buses leave Mahabaleshwar for Pratapgad. Apart from MSRTC, private taxies also take you to Pratapgad. However this option is very costly.
We took the 9:00 AM bus to Pratapgad. The bus stopped in between at a boutique so that people can buy articles.
10:30 AM Reached Pratapgad
Finally, we reached the base of Pratapgad. There is a masoleum of Afzal Khan. He had come to kill Shivaji with a huge army. However, his army could not manoeuvre in the thick forest and mountainous region. Hence he invited Shivaji for a friendly meet. Shivaji came prepared by wearing a armour inside his cloths. When Afzal Khan asked for an embrace, he tried to crush Shivaji. Shivaji took out a dagger and pierced Afzal Khan's stomach. All his intestine came out. There was a skirmish amongst the guards. Shivaji's men overpowered the opposition. Soon a signal went out to Shivaji's army hiding in the thick forest. They mercilessly attacked the opposition army. Shivaji gave a dignified burial to Afzal Khan.
Recently, some Muslim groups tried to use the masoleum to incite religious sentiments. The government has sealed the place.
On the fort, we saw Bhavani mata mandir. There are few canons kept inside the temple. Shivaji maharaj was supposed to be very much attached to this temple. A place where palace was supposed to exist. We saw a cliff where traitors were punished. A traitor's hand and feet used to be tied. He used to be packed inside a bag. The bag used to be thrown down the cliff. Even if he escapes, there was no way he could survive as vultures would do their job.
One of the loyal servants of Shivaji became a traitor. His left foot and right hand were cut off keeping in mind his past service. Left foot so that he should not be able to climb a horse. Right hand so that he should not be able to wield a sword.

From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07


From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07


From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07


From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07


From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07


From Trips - Pratapgad Jan 07




12:30 PM Started back to Mahabaleshwar
Since the bus had given us only about 2 hours, we rushed back to the base of the fort. We came back to Mahabaleshwar.
6:30 PM Sunset at Bombay point
From MTDC cottage, Bombay point is nearby. From this point, one can see sunset.
We walked approximately 2 kms to Bombay Point for sunset. Initially, there was not much crowd. However, as the sunset time neared, suddenly the crowd appeared from nowhere. It bacame difficult see the sun!
Since we had to walk back nearly 2 kms, we hurried back to MTDC cottage.
In the night, we did some shopping. Mahabaleshwar is famous for the leather articles.
28-Jan-200710:00 AM to 1:00 PM Sightseeing
Since we had booked the tickets for the evening bus, we had to pass our time. Hene we left the cottage, booked a cab to see some of the places again. Arthur Seat Point being one of them.
5:00 PM Start for PuneWe took the evening bus to Pune. There was huge rush. Whoever did not reserve seats had to stand. The buses are also loaded with strawberry baskets.
In Mahabaleshwar, one gets to eat other berries e.g. mulberry during these days.
Afterthought
Mahabaleshwar could have been developed into a more professional tourist spot. There is a lot of natual beauty. It is accessible from major urban centers Pune and Mumbai. The facilities can be improved. Public transport can be made much more efficient and affordable. The accomodation can also be improved. All those major tourist attractions can be made more safe and tourist friendly.
We see that a lot of natural forest has been encroached upon. Some part goes to strawberry plantations.
Even the strawberries can be made a big industry.

6 comments:

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  3. Pratapgad Fort is really amassing place. Find more information about Pratapgad Fort at http://www.touristsafari.com/forts/pratapgad-fort

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  4. Nice blog post. A famous hill station in the Western Ghats, Mahabaleshwar is one of the few remaining evergreen forests of India. For travellers accommodation, there are plenty of Mahabaleshwar hotels in choose from.

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  5. Hello Rahul, Very nice post, getting feel like roaming in the Mahabaleshwar. Enjoyed it. :)

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  6. Wow such a nice place, i really want to visit. Thanks for sharing amazing post. Keep sharing. Keep it up. Click here : https://goo.gl/9Xk7Wy

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