Time: Oct 1st - 12th, 2024
Places: Triambakeshwara, Shirdi, Shani Shigneshwar, Ajanta, Ellora, Grishneshwara, Bhimashankara, Matheran, Lonavala, Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani
Company: Wife & Daughter
Highlights:
Exactly an year ago, during the same Dasara period, this same itinerary was charted out, tickets booked and just when we were getting set to depart, my office department head planned to visit us in the office from US (since he had no clue about Dasara Holidays, and hence I had to cancel all the tickets. Cut to 2024, we had full 10 days and while being hesitant on using up all the school holidays in vacationing, we thought we might as well finish them while we were there although it was a bit hectic, to avoid one more trip to the same place. Itinerary was kind of straightforward - Train to Manmad, bus transportation till Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, train to Pune, and then self-drive car to cover local places around Pune.
Day 0 (Oct 1st) - Departure from BLR:
Departure from Majestic station on Karnataka Express. I have taken this train the whole distance all the way to New Delhi couple of times and this trip on the same train got back those memories of sitting in the train for close to 2 days! Slept early.
Day 1 (Oct 2nd) - Arrived Triambakeshwar:
Had some nice families sitting with us, and for a change (usually we do not mingle much), we played games like ludo with them - digitally, shared food, chatted, etc. Before we knew it, their stop (a place close to Shirdi) came and they got down. Couple of hours later, our stop Manmad came and we got down. Took an auto to bus stop and a shabby bus (Govt) to Nasik. Then took one more bus to Triambakeshwar. Our hotel was close to the temple, so as soon as we checked in, we went to the temple to ensure we had one darshan. We stayed till close of temple, headed back to the hotel, had dinner on the way and retired for the night.
Day 2 (Oct 3rd) - Nasik, and arrived at Shirdi:
Got up early like 5 am, visited the temple just at sunrise. Not much crowd. Had good darshan. Did our kriyas at temple premises itself. Spent good time near the Jyotirlinga. Then checked out, went to Nasik, had nice lunch at a south Indian Veg restaurant near the bus stand. Hired one auto to show us all the key places in Nasik. The first stop was Ramkund.
This place is really wonderful. We thought it is another ghat but the way they have made it as truly great, with water flowing just about on the feet at some places, at some place it is knee deep, at some places it is waist-high, etc. so one can get wet the way they want! We decided to come back here and spend last few hours, so we rushed to the nearby Sri Kapaleshwar Mahadev temple.
That done, we then went to Sri Kalaram Mandir. Spent some time there and next headed to Sita Gufa (cave). This was really a nice experience. A small cave inside a building where we have to crawl and go. Like an adventure! Before we knew it, we were outside!
Next stop was the place where Surpanakhi's nose was cut by Lakshman. It was again on the river-side but far from Ramkund. We ventured into the rive again but it was not that clean here. There is a small temple which we visited too. This done, our next stop was back to the bus stand. However, we had some time left, so we asked the auto driver to take us back to Ramkund where we could spend some quality time. He agreed after we agreed his extra fare for the deviation.
Back at Ramkund, Paavani & I got into the river this time and had a nice gala 'bath' time in Godavari. It was soothing to feel the flowing river on our body. The weather was perfect too. After about half an hour, the auto guy took us to the new bus stand from where we had booked GSRTC bus to Shirdi. The bus was late, in fact, and hardly anyone in it. Also, it was very slow. Per our initial plan, it should have reached by 7ish but it reached 8ish.
My initial reaction of Shirdi was - it seemed like an International/foreign city! There was the main street where there were many restaurants and each had a splendid sit-out with nice lighting, and it was like we were in Europe suddenly! All this was right opposite to the temple complex! Anyways, our room was booked in temple accommodation and we had to walk a little.
Again, I was taken aback at the acco. Spacious rooms, not very clean but clean enough, and they were charging very less. In fact, tea was Rs 2! I mean what do we get anywhere for Rs 2?! I guess food was free too but we did not go there. We checked in, went to a nearby 'jazzy' restaurant (just for vibes) and had nice dinner. Walked into the temple complex to see 'Shej Aarti' on a TV screen. It was divine. The Aarti went on for a really long time. At this point, we were still not sure where the main sanctum sanctorum was! Anyways, at about 11 pm, we headed back to the room and retired for the night.
Day 3 (Oct 4th) - Shirdi, Shani Shignapur and arrived at Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad):
We had booked our darshan time prior since we were not sure about the crowd during festive time. However, on hindsight, it seemed not necessary since there was hardly anyone one in the queue. The line took us in serpentine fashion and we arrived at the focal point of Saint Sai Baba's main idol (also happens to be, I came to know then, the place of his burial). We then exited and sat right outside under a famed tree. It was cool and beautiful and soothing and wonderful just to be sitting there. We sat almost for an hour. Then we finished seeing all the other temples/idols in the temple premises and exited the premises. We heard about the free Temple Annadanam and made our way there. It was quite far to walk but we made it.
The food here seemed home-made (when compared to the hotel food which we had the previous day), and it was very satisfying. After food, wifey and daughter visited a nearby museum, and soon after, we hired a Maruti van cab to take us to Shani Shignapur, which was close by but took almost 2 hours due to bad road condition. We also took a pit stop on our way and relaxed on traditional highway-style cot!
Soon, we reached Shani Shignapur, which is famous for Lord Shani. There were a number of street vendors who tried to loot us, and tried false tactics to buy Pooja stuff else Shani God will curse, etc.. We just ignored them all and continued our way. The temple itself looks very newly built. Here too we had to walk a lot but it is very well maintained.
In front of Lord Shani idol, we spent some time and meditated. We did not pour oil on the idol like how many of them were doing though. That done, we exited and took the cab back to our acco in Shirdi. We lost our Aadhaar cards in the cab (came to know later that night) but it was not a big deal anyways although it is quite rare that we lose anything at all. Checked out from the acco, had little tea (ice cream for dauhghter) and took auto railway station. Our train was waiting, we boarded and it was a short 2-3 hour journey to Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad). Our hotel was close to the railway station and we walked thither.
Some issue at check-in since I had not confirmed previously so our room for two nights were cancelled. So it was like a fresh application of room, and although room was good, it seemed too pricey. Anyways, at 11:30 pm in the night, we did not have much choice, so chose for 1 night. Retired for the night after booking another hotel for the next night.
Day 4 (Oct 5th) - Ellora Caves & Grishneshwar:
Right outside the hotel, after sumptuous and heavy breakfast and checking-out, an autowallah came up and we negotiated for an all-day rental. He first took us to Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple. Not much queue, so we reached the sanctum sanctorum fast enough but later sat in the area for close to an hour to imbibe the energy.
Next few visits were quick - Vishwakarma Mandir, another couple of nearby local temples including Bhadra Maruti temple, a thirthkund, etc.. Then we went to Ellora caves. Looking at the map itself, we were flabbergasted. There were close to 30 (or more maybe) caves that we had to see. Basically each cave was a cutting into the rock wall of perhaps a mountain or a cliff, except perhaps the middle one which seemed too unbelievable since it looked like someone had drilled a rockyland from top to bottom in the shape of a temple. Yes, read that again and now you know why I say it sounds impossible!
Anyways, we started looking at all the caves to the right of the center and went till the end. We went inside most of the caves but the heat was too much, so walking was a challenge, Even more challenging was climbing some of the 2- and 3-tiered caves. There were Shiva idols, Vishnu idols, Buddha idols, etc. inside the caves. One cannot fathom how anyone can chisel away entire structures to create caves! That would take lifetimes, not to mention the dust particles that will get into their lungs!
Then we came back to the center-piece which was a master-piece. One can go inside and spend an hour just in this one cave! We circumabulated, climbed up, climbed down, sat on the terrace, took pics, stood like a king on the patio, etc.. This was totally worth the visit.
Then we covered the caves to the left of the center. By now, we were bored because the patterns of the caves seemed same! So we skipped a few and soon came to the end of the premises. We bid adieu to Ellora caves and then returned back to the auto who took us to Daulatabad Fort. There was no way we could climb up the hill to see the fort after visiting Ellora. We were already very tired plus it started raining. So just too couple of pics at the entrance and started heading back to the city. Got stuck in torrential rain for some time, waited for it to subside and then headed back to the city.
Bibi Ki Maqbara was our next stop. This is a mini Taj Mahal, and pretty impressive actually although not so glamourous. Had a nice sunset view here. Our last stop was Panchakki, an intelligent way of automated wheat making mill via hydraulics. Considering this was done some 500+ years ago (and it still works), that is quite a feat.
Then, the auto driver dropped us off at our new hotel. Ordered some food, had proper dinner and slept.
Day 5 (Oct 6th) - Ajanta Caves:
Had booked a cab for the Ajanta Caves tour, since it was a 3 hour one-way ride. We had quick, good breakfast at a nearby restaurant and didn't stop anywhere until we reached Ajanta Caves parking. Road was good for most part. From parking, we need to take a shuttle to the actual spot. It is a big canyon with a river in the middle and all along the rocky cliffs, the caves have been excavated. After previous day's Ellora explorations, we already had our share of watching mesmerizing caves, so caves here did not fascinate that much, but the natural setting did. Here too, like Ellora, there are a plethora of caves to explore - from different civilizations, so we walked on and on and on in the heat, and the caves were, in a way, sheltering us from the sun!
Thankfully, on the way back, we took the path that led us to the river, and had a joyous time with the flowing water. Just sitting there, splashing, wading through, and being with the river watching great sights all around. That was the best part of the day.
Return back by car was uneventful except for a road-side tea. Cab driver stopped us off near the railway station. We had good dinner nearby and then boarded our train to Pune.
Day 6 (Oct 7th) - Pune to Bhimashankar to Lonavla:
Reached Pune on time at 6 am. Freshened ourselves as best as we could at public conveniences and our rental car came to station at about 7 am. Drove all the way to Bhimashankar with just one pit stop. Nice drive, especially at the end when we went through meadows and slight inclines.
Quite a bit of steps to climb down to get to Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga temple. But very organized. Not much crowd. Had darshan within few minutes. Sat there in the temple for a long time, almost more than an hour. Then made our way back up the stairs to the car. Had quick bite of corn and maggi as our lunch, little bit of shopping for folks back home and then drove towards Lonavla. Most of the distance was towards Pune, only at the outskirts, we took a deviation and headed towards Mumbai.
At about evening, we reached our hotel which we had booked just outside of Lonavla. Had a nice sunset view from our room. Planned and re-planned for the next few days while daughter watched Frozen movie!
Day 7 (Oct 8th) - Lonavla/Khandala:
Covered all the key places in and around Lonavla and Khandala. First up was the Karla caves. There was some major event going on, and it was heavily crowded. We had to park the car quite a distance away, took an auto half the way up and then climbed the rest. Caves reminded us of Ajanta and Ellora but here it was just couple of them albeit very similar in design and carvings.
That done, we went to Bhaja Caves. Again, there were a number of steps to climb. We decided to skip that. On the way, had nice small roadside waterfalls where we spent quite some time. Then drove to Visapur fort. Not very keen to climb steps in the heat with a bunch of monkeys. So skipped that too, just did sight-seeing from the road itself. From there, went to Lohagadh Fort, again did the same. Continued on towards Bhushi dam. This is a great place, even though not season. Had real fun, sitting on those steps with water flowing all around and over. From there went to Tiger point/Lion Point. This is absolutely amazing and breathtaking place. Edge of cliff literally. Lush greenery all around. Walked almost a kilometer on the cliff side, taking in all the sights.
Finally, went back to our new hotel for the night. Sunset was not so easily visible from this hotel although we could still catch a glimpse of it. Resort had table tennis, carrom and other nice relaxing games, and it was good to unwind with the family. Walked along the residential streets of Khandala to soak it all in. Great dinner at the same resort, and then we retired for the night.
Day 8 (Oct 9th) - Matheran
Left pretty early in the morning at about 8 am. Drove to Matheran. It was a great drive, nice road and scenic all the way. Reached at about 9.30 am after a quick breakfast en route. It was a unique experience to have a car tail us until we climbed all the way - and we had to pay for it (or use their car to climb the hill!). Also, understood that one has to take the pony/horse to reach the downtown from car parking. We only had a half a day, so we decided to visit only few scenic spots until 1 pm. But a horse driver was hell bent upon us to take his pony although we declined. Anyways, just for his sake, we rented two of his pony only until the first scenic spot.
Like many hill stations, there are view points. Our first trek was to Heart Point. Since it was still 10 am, hardly anyone was on the trails or the view points. It was just us three. The pony-wallah thought we will change our minds but we didn't, so he headed back sadly. Good for us, since we could be just by ourselves now. Soaked in the view completely. We then headed to Monkey Point. One more long trek amidst nature. It was surprising to see so many mansions here, especially belonging to erstwhile British folks. Again, nice views at Monkey point. We then wanted to go to Panaroma Point but a local on the way said it was closed. So we crossed over the toy train tracks (lucky to see the train too) and headed to Myra Point. It was beautiful, a valley filled with greenery. This view point was on the other side of the hilltop, so a totally different view. After this, we started walking back towards the car parking via the railway track itself (instead of the walking trails). This was a nice adventure until some monkeys made themselves seen! Thankfully they remained to themselves.
After a while of walking, came across a shanty. Had tea and maggi. It started raining too, so felt like we were on Mother Nature's laps! Spent almost an hour there, and finally got back to our car at about 2 or 3 pm. Drove down the hill and then took a road less travelled (instead of via Pune) all along the western Ghats towards Mahabaleshwar. Once again, a beautiful road, wonderful scenery all around. En route stopped in the evening for a hot drink and then continued on. At times, it was raining but mostly it was good.
On Day 6, I had booked hotel Visava by the river at Mahad. This was about an hour before another hotel which I had initially booked (hence the re-planning on Day 6). Reached this hotel but there wasn't much of river noise to be heard. Anyways, we were exhausted - it was already close to 9 pm. We reached, checked in and retired for the night.
Day 9 (Oct 10th) - Mahabaleshwar
River Savitri beside the hotel Visava is a slow-moving water body. So not much to see. We had a view of the river right from our balcony. Hence, did not spend too much time in the morning near the river. Checked out early, had good breakfast at a nearby restaurant, and we were off to our next destination - Mahabaleshwar.
Once again, as we neared, we climbed several mountains and many scenic roads and waterfalls all along the way. Our first major stop was Pratapgadh Fort. However after parking our car there, we felt we should not spend too much time here since we only had one day. So took some pics from the outside itself and continued on our journey to some naturally scenic spots. Hence, our next stop was Lodwick Point which is kind of famous for Elephant's head point (or something!). A small trek from the car parking and it is fantastic. Beautiful view point. Took a bunch of pics and spent a lot of time here.
Then went into the Mahabaleshwar town. Had our lunch - it was very different style comprising of pizza and pasta. Continued on our journey to Wilson Point. In fact this is a sunset or sunrise point - so nothing great at this place at noon. But it is a wide and empty vast space. But no major view point as such.
Our next stop (via Venna lake where we did not stop) was a place where we had 'multiple view points' - Savitri point, Castle-rock Point, Echo Point, Kates Point, etc.. It became difficult to understand which is which since they are all so closely situated. We parked our car at one location and walked to each of the points. I remember Echo point, Kates point and one more (forget the name too) but dont recall others. Google Maps is not reliable since they seem to be marked very far off. For sure, I remember not going to Arthur Seat point though! At times, there was sunlight but at other times, it was cloudy and raining. Still, we managed to get some good shots of ourselves. Lots of monkeys, so had to be careful. On the way back, we went to a Mapro store and had the famous strawberry ice cream while looking at the strawberry garden - couldn't see any of them since it was not the season!
It was already late by this time. Our last stop was Lingmala waterfalls and it was closing soon. So we had to rush. This is a fabulous place. At the start itself (near the parking area) there is a small falls. But then if you trek for about 15-20 mins, there is a huge waterfalls. In fact, the trek goes right beside it but one cannot see it until one reaches the end of the trek where one can get the full view of the falls. Since it was closing, there were not many people, so we were lucky. Even the stalls were closing but we were lucky to get another shanty where we could get tea and sit beside the rushing stream. One more maggi for the daughter! By now, it was dusk and we felt we had covered most of what Mahabaleshwar had to offer. Got back to the car and reached our final hotel for this trip at Kalasita.
Day 10 (Oct 11th) - Panchgani & back to Pune
The Kalasita room that we had booked was special since it was Paavani's birthday this day. This had an excellent balcony overlooking a scenic valley. The room was indeed exactly how it looked on the photos, which was good. We just couldn't get enough of seeing through the balcony. At night, it was filled with lights on the hills, like polka dots. And in the early morning, it was filled with moving clouds. In fact, the moving clouds made their way inside the room too! It was a great experience indeed! The balcony was wonderful, where you can simply sit and gaze at the view for hours on end.
Alas, we had to get our breakfast at the hotel, so we had to cut short the dream gaze! Soon after, we checked out and this was our last day of the trip, so had to catch the train from Pune back to BLR. Our first stop was Parsi Point which was very close to our hotel. Unfortunately we got caught with Hotel Marketers about Promotional campaign who forced us to buy a voucher for 2-3 years so that we can only go to their hotels across India and outside. After multiple persuasion attempts, they left us. Nothing great to write about Parsi point, perhaps mainly because it was filled with mist.
Our next stop was Tableland. Another mistake done here is that instead of choosing Tableland Car Parking on Google, I just gave Tableland, so had to park somewhere, and climb the hill! Not really necessary but it was fun! This place is indeed very unique - in fact out of the world, considering how land atop is so flat atop and like a table. There is not much atop but like a flat land which offer scenic views everywhere.
Atop, there are couple of mad-made caves (one has to climb down few steps) which is interesting. We explored both of them - Rajpuri and Tiger caves. Story of how these caves came to be itself is very interesting indeed. By this time, it was almost lunch time - so maggi again! Finally we were done with Tableland and we got back to our car.
Our next stop was Sydney point. This is a simple and small view point. Did not spend more than 15-20 mins here. Again, nice views of the valleys and mountains all around. Continued onwards to Pune and came across one more view point called Nagewadi lake viewpoint. There was no one here, so we spent our last few moments of Panchgani, soaked in the western ghats for one last time and headed our way to Pune.
Rest of the ride was uneventful. Great road, great scenery. Closer to Pune, traffic was bad. I had heard traffic in Pune was better but not in my experience. Reached station just about 1 hour before I had to hand over the car. So thankfully everything was as per schedule. Suddenly it started pouring heavily and we got drenched from car to railway station. Our train was on time too. Around 9.15 pm, we boarded the train and I was surprised to find my Engineering Junior friend on the same train. It had been 20+ years since I had seen her. We had had dinner at the railway station, so slept peacefully.
Day 11 (Oct 12th) - Home sweet home!
Got down at Yelahanka itself (instead of Krishnarajapuram, as I had initially planned). Booked a cab and reached home by 1-ish. On hindsight, realized, we could have got down at Mantralayam, spent a day there and returned on Sunday. Somehow, missed to see the train route. Anyways, after 10 days, it was good be to home!
Epilogue:
Well, this was a trip which was made of The Divine, The Man-Made, The God-Made! It started off with the Jyotirlingas. I just have one more left now (Baidyanath) whereas wife and daughter have maybe three more (Somnath and Nageshwar at Gujarat). Then the caves at Ajanta and Ellora were stunning especially considering they were made by Man. And finally what can every surpass the God-Made mountains and scenic valleys and waterfalls! We drank in all that Maharashtra had to offer! Our rooms were well-planned too - mountain view at Lonavala, river view at Mahad, Valley view at Panchgani, etc.. Truly a spectacle and memorable indeed! Most notably, not once did Paavani get car-sick despite all the winding roads. The rented car was good too. No major incidents, no health issues, etc. And for all of that, a big Thanks to the Divine!
