Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra

Soaring peaks, breathtaking valleys, lush flora, cool, crisp mountain air, simple and friendly people and the spicy and delicious food! This is Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra’s most popular hill station.
Mahabaleshwar in Sanskrit means ‘God of great power’. This place is indeed rewarding with a mix of old-world charm, natural beauty and modernity.
To me, its more like a weekend getaway… to bask in the lap of nature in monsoons, to relish the juicy strawberries and enjoy the biting cold in winters and a grand escapade from the city heat in summers.

Mahabaleshwar is located in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra at an elevation of 4,440 ft above the sea level. It is at a distance of about 120 km southwest of Pune and 285 km from Mumbai.  Though the distance can easily be covered by car, we always prefer travelling by bus which is a good 7-8 hours journey. This is our way of saving energy to have a chilled-out, relaxed holiday rather than exhausting it driving from one place to the other.
The town itself is quaint and charming but bit overcrowded. Some of the establishments are really old and trace their origin to the 19th century.

Stay: In Mahabaleshwar, you can get hotels suiting all pockets, i.e., from budget hotels to 3 Stars ones. You can get a hotel from where you can enjoy the lake’s view or even in the midst of the Mahabaleshwar’s famous market.

The market is loaded with small shops selling shoes, Kashmiri wear and the famous Pashmina shawls, bags, clothes, handicrafts, artifacts and locally manufactured jams, jellies and fudges. It is mainly famous for shoes and you also get a good bargain. People go crazy buying shoes. Literally!!
Tired after shopping and hungry too? Do not worry as the market has something for every appetite. There are these juice and icecream parlours which serve fresh strawberry juices (or frozen depending on the season) and creams with a dollop of whipped cream on it and a variety of other flavours too.
I always avoid the creamy dollop. This seems to be a clever move as they add an extra spoon of strawberry pieces in my glass while making 🙂
There are Chinese and Indian restaurants if you wish to have a complete meal. There are also carts that serve corn frankies and crispy, out-of-the-pan corn patties with green chutney and tomato sauce. These are the ones which keep calling you for more. And they did keep calling me again and again. I kept eating them as if there was no tomorrow. The cold and rainy weather and smoking hot crispy patties – the combination is incredible!

Venna Lake is one of the major tourist attractions in Mahabaleshwar. It is surrounded by trees on all sides. There are a whole lot of activities going on. You can go boating, horse riding or just laze away by the lake, relishing the yummy bhel, roasted sweet corn, gorging on the crunchy, red, fresh out-of-the-field carrots or just sipping the steaming hot coffee.

Mahabaleshwar has its own history. Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior king, had one of his base here. He constructed Fort Pratapgarh in 1656 which still stands tall. Tourists flock to take a glimpse of this mighty historical marvel.

Besides the town itself, what adds to the beauty of Mahabaleshwar are its rugged mountain ranges and various points. Locals say there are more than 20 points in Mahabaleshwar.
Table-top Point boasts of various Bollywood movies shot there. And it does look like “table-top”. There’s also horse riding and cart riding. Even the kids here have tamed their horses so well. The energy and interest with which they narrate the stories of the movies shot here is phenomenal. And the speed that they ride their carts and the control they have over their horses, is incredible!

Needle Hole Point / Elephant Point is a natural rock formation with a hole in between. Thus the name. Also, the point if seen from a particular angle, looks like an elephant’s head.

Wilson Point is named after Sir Leslie Wilson, the Governor of Bombay from 1923–26. Wilson Point is the highest point in Mahabaleshwar. It is the only place from where both sunrise and sunset can be seen.
The path to the point is really rough. We had to go horse-riding to avoid spraining our legs and moreover, to reach in time for the sunset. The pic below says it all, doesn’t it!!
Apart from these, there are also Monkey point and Arthur Seat point which are famous among the many other that adorn Mahabaleshwar.

We’ve visited Mahabaleshwar in all the 3 seasons. In winters, it is that coy beauty with beaming rosy cheeks… this is a metaphor for the red juicy strawberries that add to the beauty of this hill-station. The sightseeing packages also offer farm visits.

Mapro Foods in Panchgani, seems to dominate the local economy, with every street and corner having a Mapro sales counter. The tour operators also include a Mapro visit in their package. They have a whole array of products like jams, jellies, dessert toppings, crushes, fudges, etc. It has become more like a picnic spot with a lot of snack counters dishing out a variety of sandwiches, pizzas, milk shakes and more to serve your appetite.

Giving a cut-throat competition to Mapro is Mala’s which also runs a parallel market with its products. A visit to Mala’s, and you also get a peek at its jams being manufactured right in front of your eyes… although from a small window.

It’s monsoons and Mahabaleshwar seems to be calling already. It has so much to offer! During every visit, in the battle of my tummy and eyes, my tummy always wins. I always get so stuck treating my palette, that I miss out on the other points and places that I’m still yet to see.
This visit, I’ve promised to do justice to my eyes. Hope I live upto it!