Mahabaleshwar is a beautiful city in Satara district in the state of Maharashtra (India). It is a hill station located in the Western Ghats range. With one of the few evergreen forests of India, it served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj.
Located about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of Pune and 285 km (177 mi) from Mumbai, Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km2 (58 sq mi), bound by valleys on all sides. It reaches a height of 1,439 m (4,721 ft) at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point.
Mahabaleshwar includes three villages: Malcolm Peth, Old “Kshetra” Mahabaleshwar and part of the Shindola village.
Mahabaleshwar is the source of the Krishna River that flows across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The legendary source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Old Mahabaleshwar. Legend has it that Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trimurtis by Savitri. Also, its tributaries Venna and Koyna are said to be Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma themselves. An interesting thing to notice is that 4 other rivers come out from the cow’s mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna. These rivers are the Koyna, Venna (Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri.
- Tourism in Mahabaleshwar
- Old Mahabaleshwar
The old Mahabaleshwar is about 7 km from the Mahabaleshwar and there many places where international tourists can visit specially temples (4500 years old) with examples of old Indian architecture. Beautiful sceneries, natural view from Old Mahabaleshwar is something unique and one of the tourists attractions. Some of the natural views named by the British, who made their holidays in these places during the British Raj.
- Krishnabai temple
Krishnabai temple is situated aside by Krishna river where Krishna river is worshiped. Krishnabai temple is built on the hilltop overlooking the Krishna valley and was built in 1888 by a ruler of Ratnagirion the Konkancoast. The temple consists of a Shiva Lingam and a statue of Krishna. A stream of water falls from a cow-face on a water tank which is knwon as Kunda in Hindi.
- 3 Monkey Point
A route to Arthur’s Seat in Mahabaleshwar there is a natural sculpture of the stones which portraying 3 monkeys of Gandhi ji. So, the 3 nautral sculpture of stones named as 3 Monkey Point. This point can be figure out easily in the valleys.
- Arthur seat point
Officer Sir Arthur Malet (1806–1888) (Not to be confused with British born actor of same name), who sat here and gazed at the Savitri River, where he lost his wife and children in a tragic ferry mishap.
- Venna Lake
Mahabaleshwar has become one of the most popular tourist destination and honeymoon spot for the newly wed couples coming from all over the world. Venna lake has been surrounded by trees on all sides. Further, it is also a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Venna Lake is source of attraction for the international tourists. Tourists can find some budgetary hotels where you can have a view of the Venna lake and famous market of Mahabaleshwar.
- Some other places to visit in Mahabaleshwar
View point
Kate’s Point – Kate’s point is located to the east of Mahabaleshwar and is famous for its view of two reservoirs, Balakwadi and Dhom. The point is around 1280 mts high.
Needle Hole Point / Elephant Point – This point is located near Kate’s point. It is natural rock formation and there is a hole between the rock, that’s thr reason behind its name “Needle Hole Point”.
Wilson Point – The name is given after Sir Leslie Wilson, who was the Governor of Bombay from 1923 to 1926. It is 1439 mtr high and the highest point in Mahabaleshwar.
Pratapgad – It is a fort nearby Mahabaleshwar built by Shivaji Maharaj and popular in History of India as Shivaji Maharaj defeat & killed Afzalkhan who was the Commander of Bijapur.
- Some budget hotels in Mahabaleshwar:
- Hotel Vyankatesh
- Hotel Shreyas
- Krishna Continental
- Regal Hotel
- Girivihar Hotel
- Hotel Dreamland
- Park Plaza Mahabaleshwar
- Valley View Resort
- How to get there?
By Road
Mahabaleshwar is located about 32 km from Wai. It is around 260 km from Mumbai, the state capital. The nearest major city is Satara, around 45 km away, and is 120 km from Pune. Mahabaleshwar is connected by the National Highway 4. Bus services by state-run MSRTC and private organizations connect it by buses from Pune, Mumbai, Sangli and Satara.
By Rail
Nearest railroad is Satara, around 53 km. Nearest major railway junctions include Pune (120 km), Miraj (170&km) and Sangli (165 km). Private cars and cabs, as well as state-run bus services are available in these locations to Mahabaleshwar. Also, a Rail station named Diwan Khavati on Kokan Railway near Khed gives a route of 60 km via Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar not so frequented though.
By Air
The nearest airport is Pune International Airport, serving the city of Pune, about 120 km from Mahabaleshwar. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport of Mumbai is 270 km away.
Source: http://www.excitingindia.in/tourist-spot/
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