ou know her as the Queen of the Hills in the Sahyadri Ranges.

Small wonder Mahabaleshwar continues to attract tourists in droves.

Now, the Maharashtra government is even drawing up a plan to promote Mahabaleshwar a tourist spot, and help regain its status as a favourite locale for Hindi filmmakers.

Its cool climate attracts lakhs of visitors each year. 

Interestingly, Mahabaleshwar has not yet been officially recognised as a hill station. This is because of a quaint rule dating back to the British era, according to a senior official in the state tourism department.

This rule stipulates that in order to be termed a hill station, the location had to be at least 5,000 feet above sea level.

Mahabaleshwar falls short of this mark by 300 feet!

This gap has meant a world of difference to the locals who depend on the tourism industry for their livelihood.

But Mahabaleshwar's potential as a hill resort was realised by the British rulers who found the climate suitable for building sanatoriums.

It now has over 120 hotels catering to tourists from various parts of the country, with the majority of them being from adjoining areas like Mumbai and Pune and a large number from Gujarat.

Mahabaleshwar is now an eco-sensitive zone and, as Prithviraj Patil, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation general manager-marketing, says, "Our emphasis is on conserving the flora and fauna of the region which is rich in bio-diversity."

Of course, there is a move to ask Finance Minister Jayant Patil to reconsider the decision to apply 12.5 per cent Value Added Tax -- else this will affect budget tourists who stay at the hotels, says Ajay Khakhar, chairman of Hill Resort Sub-Committee of the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India), the country's premier hotel association.

He also draws attention to the fact that although Mahabaleshwar records the second highest rainfall in the country after Cherrapunji, Assam, its residents pay more water tax than people in nearby Pune city!

So it's your turn now. This summer, why don't you head to Mahabaleshwar?

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