Also of interest nearby are the bungalows where Lokmanya Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi met in 1915. *Lohagad:**:
The fort is 100 kilometres away from Pune not far from Junnar and is accessible by road. The Bhimashankar Temple is nearby. *Bhimtemp:**:
Located 122 kilometres away from Pune by road in the north east direction, this temple is close to Shivneri Fort. *Maha:**:
The summer capital of the Bombay presidency, the little town of
Mahabaleshwar, situated 1372 above sea level, was founded in 1828
and is the highest point in the Western Ghats. A relaxing place
to diddle away a weekend and an ideal destination in summer. A
typical colonial town, in spirit closer to Blighty than Marathaland,
with plenty of bridle paths, boating and golf facilities, fishing
spots and trekking trails.
The town is full of lookout points (Bombay Point, Elphinstone Point, Babington Point, Kate's Point) that provide fetching views of the plains and the sea hundreds of feet below. There are also some pretty waterfalls to visit. Far the best pastime to engage in -- eating strawberries. The town's strawberries are probably the tastiest in the world. Rummaging around all the old British buildings and cemeteries makes an interesting diversion too.
There are some comfy places to stay. The Ripon Hotel is an old-style lodging and rather economical at that. Other more expensive choices would be Dreamland Hotel or Fredrick Hotel that can run to Rs 300 to 400 a night. Most hotels are closed during the monsoons, an off season period when Mahabaleshwar is inundated with 6 metres of rain.
Mahabaleshwar is easily accessible from Pune by road and is a 3 hour drive and 120 kilometres north-east of Pune. The MTDC runs luxury buses to Mahabaleshwar regularly from Pune *Panch:**:
The name Panchgani means five hills and the town is surrounded by these hills. It is at a lower elevation than Mahabaleshwar by just a few feet. The drive between the two towns is breathtaking. The town does not have the kind of tourist facilities that Mahabaleshwar. The MTDC office may be able to arrange your stay at their Five Hills lodge. Or you can try the Resort.
Probably the best option would be to stay at Panchgani Club which offers temporary membership. The club authorities can be a bit sticky if you don't have the recommendation of a member; but it is worth a try. Regular buses connect Panchgani with Mahabaleshwar, Pune and Bombay including the MTDC luxury coaches. *Math:**:
Despite the Nikon-laced crowd and the Bombay yuppies blasting
on their boom boxes, Matheran retains a unique charm. This quaint,
old fashioned town is off limits to cars and a cute toy train
up the hillside (grab a window seat) is one way of getting here.
Perched 800 metres above sea level, on a ridge of the Sahyadri mountains, Matheran has some fantastic lookout points. The sizeable Parsi population maintains many of the lodges and hotels.
By road, Matheran is hours from Bombay. You will be forced to abandon your cars at Dasturi Naka, walk the remaining two kilometres or hire a horse or a hand pulled rickshaw. A more enjoyable option is to board a Pune-bound express train(the 6.45 am Deccan Express, for instance) at Victoria Terminus, disembark at Neral and take the toy train. Roughly, a three hour train ride from Bombay.
*Narayan:**:
The sleepy, picturesque village of Narayangaon, in the shadow of the majestic Sahayadri mountains, one and a half hours north of Pune, is the centre of the wine industry in India. The vineyards of two of India's leading champagne and wine manufacturers, Indage and Grover, are located here. The vineyards are in full bloom in winter and by February the grapes are harvested. An expedition in winter or better early spring to see how India makes wine could be rather interesting. It is however important to contact the company to get permission to visit the place
Providing a few facts on the importance of wine in India may be relevant here. Wine had been known about and imbibed in India since prehistoric times. Artefacts of the great Indus civilisation, contemporaneous with Egypt of the Pharaohs have indicated its use. Wine, then known as soma was associated with Indira, the warrior god and the most popular deity of the Hindu pantheon. Soma was drunk at religious festivals.
Macedonian colonies, established in India by Alexander the Great, also propagated wine and it formed an important part of the royal hospitality extended to early European travellers to the courts of the grand Moghul emperors Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jehan, They would be served with the famous wines of Hyderabad, Surat and from the renowned royal vineyards in Maharashtra. India enjoyed the tradition of wine festivals in the 18th and 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, under the British influence, vineyards were also established in Kashmir and Baramati in Maharashtra. At the great Calcutta exhibition of 1884, a number of Indian wines were exhibited and favourably received. Wine festival revelry became extinct in 1890, when the Indian vineyards, as had happened to those in Europe, were decimated by phylloxera-- a wine louse that destroyed most of the vines in the world.
For permissions call Indage, Indage House, 82 Dr Annie Besant road, Worli. Phone: 022-4932298. *Konkan:**:
Pune is not too far from the Konkan Coast and hardly an hour or two out of the city by road you will begin to hit the peaceful beach towns of Western Maharashtra. Do check out our Konkan Coast Guide
*End:**:
