Around Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is most famous hill station in Maharashtra. If you go 30 years back & take some survey, it was the favorite honeymoon destination for many couples. Now its more of long weekend gateway.. The purpose of this article is not to cover what to see in Mahabaleshwar as you can get it on many websites.. This article is about, What can you cover along with Mahabaleshwar.

Ganesh Templ at Wai

Wai : This is a beautiful town nestled on the banks of Krishna River. Dhundi Ganesh temple in this village is very famous. Also if you have some extra time you can visit Dhom Dam which is 12 kms from Wai. You can also spend some leisure time on the banks of Krishna river.. This village is on the way to Mahabaleshwar, so after spending some time here, you can move to Mahabaleshwar via Panchgani.

Ajinkyatara Fort - Satara

Satara: If you have been from Wai Panchgani road to Mahabaleshwar, try this one some time. Satara has very good Aundh museum which showcases things from Maratha history. One can also visit Ajinkyatara fort & enjoy amazing view of Satara town from the top. So if you dont want to spend all your days in Mahabaleshwar you can spend a day or two exploring  Ajinkyatara & river Krishna. Kandi Pedha & mawa of Satara are very famous, so dont miss them..

Kaas Plateau: This is the second longest table land in Asia. This fabulous plateau is home to many plant

Kaas Plateau

species. Sep-Oct is the best time to visit. Its a fantastic destination for leisure day & only 20 kms from Satara. One can cover the Kaas plateau & head straight to Mahabaleshwar on Kaas Mahabaleshwar Road.

Panchgani: Its on Wai -Mahabaleshwar road.well known for its natural beauty, tabletop point, boarding school & Aamir khan's bunglow. In fact Panchgani is another hill station within itself. You can enjoy the weather tourist points & strawberries here..

All the above mentioned places can be visited when you are travelling on NH4, now lets have a look at what NH17 way has to offer..

Pratapgad Fort

Pratapgad: If you are approaching Mahabaleshwar from NH17, you have to take diversion from Poladpur. A very famous fort of Pratapgad is en-route. This fort is must visit to understand the fort architecture of great Maratha King Shivaji maharaj. Dont forget to enjoy lunch of Bhakari & drink buttermilk inside the fort.

So, If you visit Mahabaleshwar often, on your long weekends.. club these places with your trip & enjoy some  amazing new destinations..

  

Ghats of Konkan

    Konkan is perhaps the greenest belt of Maharashtra.. This narrow strip called Konkan is between Arabian sea & Mountain range of Sahyadri. Sahyadri Mountain range runs parallel to coast of Konkan.. One has to cross the Sahyadri to reach Deccan plateau.
   There are many ghats connecting Konkan to the Deccan plateau. These all ghats are true paradise for riders & drivers. Especially from July to February travelling through these ghats is real treat to your eyes.

   National Highway 17 runs through entire length of Konkan starting from Mumbai & National Highway 4 runs parallel to the prior but is on the other side of Sahyadri. If you travel from Mumbai to Goa.. You will come across many ghats Khandala Ghat, Bhor Ghat, Tamhini Ghat, Par Ghat, Ambenali Ghat, Kumbharli Ghat, Amba Ghat, Karul Ghat, Amboli Ghat, Fonda Ghat. Apart from these ghats connecting NH17 & NH4 you have to cross Kashedi Ghat & Parshuram Ghat. If you are travelling north of Mumbai thats in Thane district, you will come across Malshej Ghat & Thull Ghat. In this post I am not going in depth, but will limit the contents just to 2-3 line introduction of these Ghats.. In fact separate article on each ghat can be written as these ghats host many tourist attractions, dams, forts, sancturies & beauty of nature..

Khadala Ghat:
  This is between Khopoli & Lonavala, this is very famous ghat. After construction of express way, it doesn't look like ghat though. Many tourists visit hill stations of Khandala & Lonavla. One can see Lohgad & Visapur forts guarding the ghat.

Tamhini Ghat

Tamhini Ghat:
  This ghat connects Kolad & Mangaon with Pune. A very beautiful & green strip especially from august to november. Mulshi dam on this route is becoming popular tourist destination.

Bhor Ghat:
  Historically important ghat connects Mahad with Shirwal. This route is surrounded by many dams namely nira-deoghar, bhatghar and Veer.



Parghat & Ambenali Ghat:
  Again a very famous strip. Konkan side till pargaon of this ghat is usually called Parghat whereas the road in after that is called Ambenali ghat. This ghat connects Poladpur in konkan with Wai in satara district. Many places of interest like Pratapgad fort, tapola sanctury & hill station mahabaleshwar.

Kumbharli Ghat

Kumbharli Ghat:
  After entering Ratnagiri district, this is the first ghat that will connect you to NH4. This ghat is between Chiplun & Karad. Huge Koynanagar dam is in close proximity of this dam.

Amba Ghat:
  This very prominent ghat, is a national highway NH204. Connector of two important cities Ratnagiri & Kolhapur. This ghat starts from village called Pali on NH17.

Phonda Ghat:
  This ghat runs between Kankavli & Kolhapur.

Amboli Ghat:
  This is perhaps the southernmost ghat in Maharashtra. It connects Sawantwadi with Belgaum. A beautiful hill station Amboli is nestled on this route.

Parshuram Ghat:
  This Ghat is beween Khed & Chiplun. Famous temple Of lord Parshuram is atop this route. One can have amazing view of Vasishthi river.

Malshej Ghat

Malshej Ghat:
  Again one more very famous picnic spot. This route is famous for Flamingos which come here during rains. There is also a wonderful resort called "Flamingo resort" atop this ghat. One can do Harishchandragad trek from here.

Thull Ghat:
   This route connects Kasara & Igatpuri..




So, Here is the brief introduction of all important ghats in Konkan. All my driving/ riding lovers friends.. take out ur machines & conquer them all.. & dont forget to write ur experiences..

Weekend in Pune

Pune, the upcoming IT hub in Maharashtra is also a cultural capital of Maharashtra. This city is worth experiencing as a traveller. The city that has huge history & was center of Indian politics in 17-18th centuries, offers many places worth visiting.. This post is mostly covering places of historical importance:

Shanivarwada:
   Built by first Peshwa Bajirao First, at the heart of Pune this palace is really huge & as strong as Maratha regim at the time of Bajirao. When built this palace of Peshwa's had 6 floors. Today only bastions & protecting wall of palace exists, but the laser show in the evening is really worth watching.

Sinhagad:
  Few Kms away from Pune, this fort has great historic importance due to gallant attack of Tanaji Mallusure to conquer it from Mughals. This fort has become more of picnic spot & is usually crowded in rains.. The view of Pune city from the fort is amazing

Kelkar Museum
  Fabulous collection of many artifacts from indian history. It also has a place called Mastani mahal which will certainly take you back to 18th century.

Lal Mahal:
  Shivaji maharaj spent his childhood in this palace, but this palace is more famous for the attack on Shaistekhan executed with great finess by Shivaji maharaj & his selective maratha troops.

Kasba Peth Ganpati:
  Idol of Lord Ganesh in this temple was found in 17th Century. This Idol was then placed by Shivaji maharaj in Kasba Peth as Gram Daivat of Pune. This temple is very close to Shanivarwada.

Parvati:
  Small hillock very close to Pune city. Parvati hosts temple built by Peshwa & a museum displaying artifacts & weapons used by Peshwas of Pune.

Dehu:
  Known for great sant Tukaram maharaj. This place has very high imporatnce in Warkari community. Sant Tukaram maharaj is still worshiped as a great sant by entire maharashtra.

Army Tank Museum:
 Pune is important place for western command of Indian Army. There is a tank museum developed by Indian Army & artillary department in Pune, showcasing many models of tanks, guns, shells etc. One can see pattern, arjun & many more well known tanks here.

Sarasbaug:
 This is a huge garden developed by Peshwa's. Situated near Swargate ST stand. Sarasbaug hosts beautiful Ganpati temple built in a small pond.

There are many more places in & around Pune like Vrundavan, Shinde Chhatri, Alandi, Chaturshrungi, Peshwe Udyan, Theur, Ranjangaon, Chakan Fort etc.. but this I will cover in some other posts. Apart from Places of historical & cultural importance, there are many other attractions near Pune.. but those we will see on some other weekend..
 

Jammu Jammu Jammu...

Many people travel to Jammu for paying visit to famous shrine of Mata Vaishnaodevi.. So here are few places to combine some touring along with pilgrimage..

In my previous post, I have already mentioned about combining wetern himachal with Vaishodevi Yatra. So now we will focus on places within J& K.. Here is  7 day plan.covering some interesting places near Jammu.

Day 1: Reach Jammu tavi railway station & travel to Katra on the same evening. Katra is a basecamp for Vaishnodevi. Take rest after reaching Katra tomorrow you have to walk 26 kms.

Day 2: Start early in the morning if you are planning to walk all the way to temple.. There are other options also. you can ride a horse, or you can go in doli or you can take a chopper. But I personally will recommend walking..
           Dont forget to visit adhkunwari at half way..
           It will take between 3-5 hours to reach atop..
           Facilities en-route are fantastic ample shops & snack corners, sheds for resting, drinking water, clean toilets etc.. So no need to worry about anything.. just keep saying Jai Mata Di & keep walking

           Many people believe the yatra is not complete without paying visit to Bhairavnath, which is 2 kms ahead of Mata temple. You can cover entire thing in one day & come back to Katra for dinner comfortably.

Day 3: Now you have two options: Travel to Patni top & take rest at this beautiful hill station or relax in Katra, but I would suggest the first option..Dont keep very high expectations from Patni top, but I personally liked the place.. & if you visit in Nov - Feb you can enjoy the snow.

Day 4: Take rest at Patni top.

Day 5: Travel to Shivkhori caves.. Its an awesome experience.. Shivkhori is naturally fromed cave of the length more than 500 mtrs.
          As you start walking further inside the cave, the path gets narrower.. & finally when you reach the end point, you can see a huge auditorium. Its amazing experience..

Day 6: Come back to Jammu.. Do some shopping.. You can visit Raghunath Temple, Palace & Museum etc.

Day 7: Start Return Journey..

Western Himachal - unexplored & interesting..

Himachal Pradesh is one of the favourite tourist destinations in India & most of the Indians might have been to Shimla - Kullu - Manali for there Honeymoon if you take 15 years back data..

But a small state of Himachal Pradesh has many more beauty spots.. In recent past tourist inflow has increased in these places.. In this post i will take you through western circuit of Himachal Pradesh.. This is a perfect circuit for those who want to combine some tourist places along with pilgrimage at Vaishnao Devi..

One can travel till Jammu & then to Katra by State transport bus. Katra is a base village for visiting Mata Vaishnao devi temple.. After darshan of Vaishnao devi One can take a bus for Dalhousie..

This is the beginning of your Western Himachal circuit.. One has to travel for around 6 hours to reach spectacular town of Dalhousie. Dalhousie is nestled on the descend of the hilli region of Himachal Pradesh. It hosts many Boarding schools & colleges. Apart from that, it is a starting point for many treking routes & thats the reason Youth Hostel has their big accomodation facility here..

Its a perfect place for relaxation.. Just go there.. stay for 3-4 days roam around in the market or mal road.. Appreciate the beauty of nature.. thats it.. but if you are picnic spot fan.. then Dalhousie will disoppoint you..

If you read places of interest on any website.. it will typically display satdhara, panchkula, ajit singh smarak, kalatop sanctury etc.. I personally didnt find them worth visiting.. but the view of town from panchpula is amazing..

From Dalhousie one can visit Chamba & Khajiar. Again Chamba is not worth travelling if you are picnis spot fan.. but if you love the beauty in simplicity offered by nature you can cross all possible roads in Himachal.. Its amazing experience..

Khajjiar is interesting even for those who love Spots.. The soucer shaped ground of Khajiar is too good.. & its delight for those who love to click pictures in various places & angles & poses..

One can also do paragliding in Khajiar.. But be blunt at bargaining.. They may start from 2500 & come down to 1000 bucks..

After visiting Dalhousie - Khajiar & Chamba you can continue your journey to Dharamshala. Most interesting place to visit near Dharamshala is Mclodganj which is home to his holiness Dalai Lama.. The tibetian monestry at Mclodganj is amazing & if you are lucky enough you can see the Lama himself..

Then you have two options either go to Manali & then to Delhi or restrict yourself to Western himachal & take NH70 for jalandhar then on NH1 travel to Amrutsar where one can visit Golden Temple, Wagha Border, jaliyan wala baag etc..

The whole trip from Mumbai - Jammu - Vaishnao Devi - Dalhousie - Khajiar - Chamba - Dharamshala - Amrutsar - mumbai will take around 10 days if you take flight for jammu & then from chandigarh / delhi to Mumbai..

But if you go for relaxing 2 weeks is ideal time to spend in this circuit..

The Colourful Quandrangle of Rajasthan

Rajasthan is a famous tourist destination & people from various countries come here to enjoy rich Rajasthani culture, Royal palaces, sand dunes, forts, folk & food...
So you will find huge amount of pages written about Rajasthan on web.. Thats why I wont be writing much about beauty of places in Rajasthan but will just try to putforth how one can plan the trip..

Amer Palace Rajasthan

The first point of our quadrangle is Capital of Rajasthan thats Jaipur.. Its in the eastern part of Rajasthan & at a driving distance from Delhi.. If you are travelling from Mumbai there is good connectivity by trains & plane..

Jaipur being an ancient city there are many places of tourist interest amer palace & amer fort, meherangad fort, hawa mahal, jal mahal, pink city, jantar mantar, museum to name few..
You can also go on shopping spree... in rajasthan emporium.. one can look for beautiful carved articles, colourful bangels, saree, 100 gram rajai etc..

In Jaipur, Dalbati is must have.. One can plan visit to Agra from Jaipur before proceeding to next point of quadrangle i.e. Bikaner.. I advice 2 days of stay in jaipur & 3rd day if you want to visit Agra

Junagarh Fort

Second point Bikaner is around 350 Kms from jaipur, & in the northen part of Rajasthan..
One can cover Ajmer & Pushkar on the way.. In Ajmer you can visit famous dargah of Ajmer, & Pushkar hosts only temple of lord Brahma & is famous for Gulkand & Pushkar festival..
It takes around 6-7 hours to reach Bikaner from Jaipur.. Roads are in very nice condition but.. try to reach Bikaner before sunset.. This route is little deserted..

Our second point Bikaner is very famous for Bikaneri Bhujia & rasgulla.. Start your day in Bikaner with Chhotu-Motu ka rasgulla.. & then head straight to Bikaner palace & Bikaner fort.. after visiting these places.. One should visit Bharni mata temple which is around 15 kms from Bikaner.. Dont miss this one.. Besides Bharni mata temple, you can also visit camel farm.. One day is sufficient to visit interesting places in Bikaner but if you have extra day.. no harm in spending..

After visiting  Bikaner travel to the western end of Rajasthan.. thats jaisalmer.. This is perhaps the most amazing point of our quadrangle.. Golden sand.. spectacular golden jaisalmer fort. & an evening on sand dunes & then night in a tent near sand dunes collectively make jaisalmer a must visit place.. You can try ker sangri, gatta laddu here.. I wont go in much depth as I have written separate post on Jaisalmer.. One can halt at Pokhran on the way from Bikaner to jaisalmer.. I recommend at least 3 days in Jaisalmer

Jodhpur city

Now lets move on to Point no 4.. thats Jodhpur.. Jaipur is Pink city, jaisalmer is golden city & colour of Jodhpur is blue.. Again a very beautiful fort of jodhpur is must visit.. taking round in jodhpur market is also great fun.. One can eat many rajasthani delicacies in Jodhpur.. One shouldn't miss Pyaj kachori, mawa kachori, ghevar, Gajak to name few.. Distance between Jodhpur & Jaisalmer is around 300 Kms..

Now one can opt for completing the quandrangle by returning to Jaipur by travelling around 350 Kms more.. or one can travel southwards to Udaipur.. Another spectacular city in rajasthan.. or if you have ample days you can travel jodhpur - mount Abu - Udaipur..

Mount Abu is very beautiful hill station on the border of rajasthan & gujrat.. Whereas Udaipur offers places like chittodgarh, palace of maharana pratap, haldi Ghati, & many beautiful lakes..

So.. plan your trip.. winter is coming closer.. thats the best season to visit rajasthan.. Again my recommendation is to plan at least 10 -11 days to complete the quadrangle & atleast 14 days to add Udaipur also.. If possible, hiore your separate car instead of travelling by public transport....
and VVV Important point... dont forget your camera.. there are many things worth capturing..

Harishchandra gad trek

Finally............. summer is over & every trekker's favourite season has arrived.. Its raining & time to spend your weekends in lush green sahyadri ranges..

This year's first rainy trek was harishchandra gad... We went for the two days trek on 26-27 June..
for visiting Harishchandra Gad one has to start early in the morning.. we met at Thane railway station at 6:30 am & took the train for Kalyan.
After getting down at Kalyan check whether you are carrying all the necessary food & medicince.. if anything is missing Kalyan & Murbad are last two stops where you can purchase things..
Take any State transport bus passing through Makshej Ghat from Kalyan depot which is very close to the Kalyan railway station.

aboard the ST bus & enjoy around 2 hours ride till Khubi Phata.. If you dont know Khubi phata, tell the conductor to guide you.. Khubi phata is just 10 minutes after you pass malshej ghat tunnel..

Get down at Khubi Phata & you will see a big water reservoir to your left.. You have to cross this & head to the village called Khireshwar.. its around 4 kms walk.. You may find a jeep travelling to Khireshwar, these guys will take you to the village in 10Rs per person..

You can have a breakfast at Khireshwar & start the climb.. anybody will guide you to the way to the fort..

Way to the top is pretty clear & very few chances of you getting lost in the forest.. just keep following arrows drawn by other trekkers.. We took 2 Hrs before we reached a rock patch. This is the only section where you have to be bit careful.. Its not huge.. it takes 20 - 25 minutes max to cross this rock patch..

And once you cross the rock patch.. you can enjoy the treat of tea / nimbupani ..You can also take halt for lunch after completing rock patch section as, you have crossed more than half of the distance..

After this point you have to cross 4 hills to reach the fort. Just keep following arrows, there is a chance of getting lost in this section.. so keep an eye on arrows.. after crossing 4 hills you can see the ancient rock carved temple.. thats it... you have reached the top. Now your next plan of action would be to look for an accommodation.

There are some caves around this temple, where villagers will arrange for your accomodation.. If everything is full, there is a small cave near Kedareshwar Shiv Linga. So book your cave & have a great time roaming around.. njoy the nature... njoy waterfalls..
  Dinner can be arranged by the villagers staying atop. Our friend Bhagwanta, who stays atop arranged dinner & next day's breakfast & tea for us.. We were carryig some kerosin.. so we also njoyed campfire..

  Next day.. thats day 2 one can visit Konkan kada & taramati pinacle.. We visited only Konkan kada.. If you are visiting Harishchandra gad you should not miss Konkan Kada.. After visit to konkan kada we had our breakfast & started descend..
  It takes around 2 hours to come down to khireshwar.. then come till khubi phata or travel 5 more kms to Madh village to catch the bus to Kalyan..
  Happy monsoon & happy trekking

weekend planner - Around Mumbai - Bhandardara

Bored of going to Lonavla, khandala, matheran ? Mahabaleshwar is too far to visit in just two days? want to discover new place? Here it is, not very new to everybody but for some its new..

Just 60 Kms away from Nasik & 180 Kms from Mumbai, this beautiful place will definitely be admired by you. The perfect season to visit is rainy season, thats from july to september. One can also plan in the month of december to february..

If you are starting from Mumbai, travel on Mumbai - Agra national highway till Igatpuri. Igatpuri is considered as hill station, but personally I didn't find it too attractive... After crossing Igatpuri, take right turn for Bhandardara. For accommodation Igatpuri provides more options compared to bhandardara, but staying at Bhandardara, is ultimate experience.

So move further, after taking right turn you will have to cross market of small village called Ghoti, cross the market & at the end of the market take one more right turn. You will reach the checkpost where you have to give toll. after going 7-8 kms ahead there is yet another right turn. & then there is a single road to bhandardara, keep following it till you reach there.

Bhandardara dam is very beautiful & if you get chance to stay at MTDC or anadvan at Bhandardara, nothing like it... both the hotels are placed on amazing locations & in rainy season it feels heaven. Enjoy the beauty of dam. Anandvan resort provides good option of buffet lunch. So after enjoying rains, clouds & beautiful dam you can enjoy food & then head for the next spot.. Konkankada point, if you are travelling with your wife / girlfriend & want to have romantic drive, this is the place for you. I wont recommend bike ride because the road is through forest, but if you are in car, dont miss Konkankada point. Its mere 23 kms drive but its beautiful, especially during rains.

After visiting Konkankada point, come back to Bhandardara & if you have got accommodation here then end your today's travel here & relax.

Next day you can visit many spots near Nashik viz. Jawhar tribal kingdom, ankai-tankai forts, coin museum in Nashik. One more amazing thing is, you can combine this travel with Shirdi. So this rainy season, plan trip to this less explored hill station & write your experiences for others.

Ashtavinayak plan for 3 days

Many people in Mumbai go for ashtavinayak yatra on their own vehicle so here I present 3 different options to do Ashtavinayak yatra first option is 3 days with ashtavinayak + few more places, second one is completing within 2 full days & third one is for those who want to do it in record time... In this post I will write about option 1.


Lets see how can we combine Ashtavinayak + few places on its way in 3 days..

Day1: Start early morning & head staright to Khopoli via Panvel on old Mumbai Pune high way. There are two temples near Khopoli Viz Pali & Mahad visit Pali first which is very close to Khopoli. You can take another route NH17 after panvel & take left for Pali, 10 Kms before Kolad. Ganpati of Pali is called Ballaleshwar. Visit this temple & then head start for mahad.

Mahad is 30 Kms from Pali. Being close to Khopoli these two temples are crowded on weekends. So if you are travelling on weekend, my advice would be start as early as possible to cover these two temples.. & don't forget to enjoy malai peda & malai mava at Pali & variety of papads & pickles.


If you really want to enjoy the journey, reach Pali latest by 8:30 Mumbai Pali is 2:30 - 3 hour journey. & reach mahad latest by 10:30. So you can avoid rush. Ganpati of mahad is called Varadvinayak.

You can have breakfast at Mahad & proceed further towards Pune. Join express highway at Khopoli & reach Pune. After reaching Pune head straight to Solapur Highway. You are entering Pune from North west & you have to go to South east so cross the city & reach Solapur highway. You can visit Dagdu sheth Halwai ganpati in Pune. I will suggest take lunch in Pune . If you can travel some extra miles, you can visit Dehu which is near Pune, but if you want to visit Dehu, leave express way at Pimpari - chinchwad, visit Dehu & then go to Pune city & then to Solapur road.

On Solapur highway there are total 3 temples. First on the way is Theur. After joining Solapur highway you will reach Theur within an hour. There is a left turn on this highway where you can see direction board for Theur. Don't miss Sugercane juice, & figs outside Theur temple. You can also visit Vrundavan, small Samadhi of Ramabai, wife of great Madhavrao Peshwa, its at walking distance. Madhavrao Peshwa died
in this temple. Ganpati of theur is called Chintamani.

After visiting Theur, come back to Solapur highway & head towards Solapur once again. After crossing another 40 Kms, You will reach village called Chaufula. From Chaufula take right turn. From here you have to travel another 25 kms to reach Morgaon. If you travel as per schedule you should reach here by 7:30 pm.

Visit Moregaon temple, enjoy dinner & stay here.. Many people in moregaon provide accommodation in their home itself. Its good idea to stay here.. Just enjoy maharashtrian food & end your day here. Morgaon ganpati is called Mayureshwar.


Day 2: Enjoy breakfast of Kande Pohe at morgaon & start your travel. Travel 19 kms ahead of morgaon to visit Jejuri. Jejuri is famous for Khadndoba temple. The temple is on small fort called Malhargad. But you have to climb 250 steps to visit this temple & the temple is usually crowded. Avoid white clothes, as they will surely become yellow due to turmeric people use there. Check your timing, You should complete Jejuri darshan latest by 11:00 am.

After visiting Jejuri, come back till Chaufula for heading to the next temple Siddhatek. Keep moving towards Solapur. After driving for another 45 minutes you will reach Patas, from here take left for Daund. Cross the town of Daund & you have to travel 18 more kms to reach Siddhatek. Few years back there was no bridge over the river at siddhatek, so tourists had to take ferry, but now bridge is operational & your vehicle will go right in front of entrance of the temple. Visit the temple & have delicious zunaka bhakar after the darshan. Zunaka bhakar of siddhatek is very famous. You can take a dip in the river near the temple & then enjoy the meal, the river is safe for swimming, of course if you know swimming. But check time again You should leave Siddhatek at 3:00 pm max. The ganpati we visited is called Siddheshwar.

After visiting Siddhatek, come back till daund & instead of going back to Patas take road for Kashti & belwandi. From belwandi take left for Shirur. This is straight road till Shirur.( If you enjoy country ride You can take MIDC pipeline road from kashti instead of going to Belwandi. ) From Shirur, take left for reaching our next temple Ranjangaon. Ranjangaon temple is on this highway itself & you can see the huge hoarding of Mahaganpati. Check the time if you are well ahead of time i.e. its before 5 pm. You can visit vadhu budruk, here is the Samadhi of Chhatrapati Sambhaji maharaj. Now you have three options, either stay in lodge at Shikrapur or travel to chakan or travel to Pune. If you are not comfortable with small lodges / economy accommodations, I would suggest, stay at Pune. If you are fine with small accommodations you can stay at Shikrapur or Chakan . You will reach chakan in an hour from Shikrapur. Now at end the end of day 2 you have visited 6 temples & two more are remaining.



Day 3: Start early & head to Narayangaon via Chakan. From narayangaon take left after crossing Narayangaon & on crossing few Kms, you will reach Ozar. Visit Ozar temple & don't forget to buy kandi pedha from here. After Ozar, travel to last temple Lenyadri which is just 9 kms from Ozar. At Lenyadri You need to climb 200 steps to visit the temple, but these days Palkhi service is available. Before leaving don't forget to Buy fresh grapes from farms on the way to Lenyadri.


Here, your ashtavinayak darshan is complete. But If you have started in time, you must have some hours left. Don't worry you can utilize them very well. Travel to Junner which is 6 kms from here & visit another very divine place, birthplace of Shivaji maharaj, beautiful fort of Shivneri. If you have time, visit the fort & you can start your return journey.


Travel from Junner to NH222 which you will join near Otur, you need to travel through Ganesh Ghat. From here travel through beautiful Malshej ghat till Murbad & then to Kalyan, & then to Mumbai via Mumbai - Nashik highway. Remember Lenyadri to Mumbai is long stretch of around 4 hours so start early. Malshej is beautiful in the day, you can enjoy the amazing beauty of nature so travel in a day (In the night its little unsafe as its narrow & deserted).


So plan you tour now & contact me @ kaustubhkhare@gmail.com or 9820031162 if you have any difficulty in planning or need any help. Please write me any improvement suggestions for my further posts. Even if you want to plan your trip on bike its good expedition for beginners.


Best months to travel are November to March avoid April may as its too hot... you can travel in rainy season as this complete region is low rain belt.

Ratnagiri and around..

Few months back I had written a post with title Guhagar & around in same blog.... This time I am taking you bit more southwards to Ratnagiri.. Entire coast of Konkan is beautiful & it will be disrespect to the beauty if I write single post on complete coast...

So here comes Ratnagiri for you.. You might have searched some sites till now & read names like ratnadurg, thiba palace, patit pavan mandir, mandvi beach.. but as always my attempt would be to add some offbeat things..

so.. my first suggestion would be keep 4 days if you want to travel to ratnagiri.. ofcourse one can cover even in two days but 4 days would give you real relaxation & joy....

While going to ratnagiri dont follow the usual NH17 track it becomes boring at times.. So leave the NH17at goregoan & follow the road for mandangad. This is country side road & travelling through Ambet - mhapral bridge & kelshi - Anjarle - Karde to Dapoli is fun. From Dapoli go to Dhopave which is 30 Kms from Dapoli. From Dhopave, load your car / bike / bus into ferry boat & go straight to Anjanvel.. If you have time.. dont miss Gopalgad & lighthouse near fort.

After visiting fort you can take next break to Guhagar beach which is one of the most beautiful beach in Ratnagiri district. One can also visit Vyadeshwar temple on the way.. There are many places between guhagar & ratnagiri, if you want to visit them, take halt at guhagar as you will get many options for stay here.

Day 2 start in the morning.. take left turn from Vyadeshwar temple.. After travelling 6 kms take right turn.. This road heads to Velneshwar & hedvi.. two beautiful places. Velneshwar is 18 kms from Guhagar & Hedvi is 25 kms from Guhagar. At Velneshwar visit beautiful beach & ancient temple of lord Shiva. From velneshwar move further to Hedvi. There are three things to see here, first is Dashbhuj ganesh temple in hedvi, small but beautiful Hedvi beach, & bamanghal.

Further ask for the road to Bhatgaon, dont join NH17. Bhatgaon is another 45 kms from here. The bridge is constructed over Bhatgaon creek. This road from Guhagar to Bhatgaon & further till Ganpatipule is amazing. You will surely enjoy the ride.

If you have time & you are fort enthusiast you can visit Jaigad before proceeding to Ganpatipule... You need to run few extra miles but then the location of fort is great...
Further you will reach at ganpatipule after travelling some 25 kms further... Ganpatipule is famous for Ganesh temple & its beautiful beach.. visit the temple, then go to the beach... look around & if you think its to crowded for you to enjoy.. dont waste time here.. just start your vehicle again & travel 3 kms further to Bhandarpule.. stop in this village and enjoy your private beach... very clean, calm & beautiful..........

From here you can opt to stay at ganpatipule or travel to Ratnagiri town for accomodation.
In ratnagiri town you have many places to see.. you can visit mandavi beach, ratnadurg, bhagwati fort, thiba palace, patit pawan temple, house of lokamanya tilak.. but one more must visit spot is Aare-Waare beach.. This is yet another virgin beach.. must visit near ratnagiri.

If you have one more day.. or dont want to see many places but want to relax.. still you have fantastic option nearby.. just 18 kms from Ratnagiri town is Pawas.. typical Konkan village. The math of swami swarupanand here is very good.. One can enjoy numerous Mango products manufactured locally by Desai brothers at Pawas.

Hope you will plans to visit these places.. if you have time on the way back you can visit dervan near chiplun, shivtharghal which is 24 kms away from NH17, or you can take diversion at Poladpur to visit Pratapgad...

If you need any help in arranging a trip or info about specific locations.. feel free to contact me at kaustubhkhare@gmail.com or call me at 9820031162