Things you can do with the Maha Map:

• Locate your current position and look for places to visit nearby or within a comfortable radius.
• If you are going to some place, you can find more places to see on the way or near the destination.
• Or just visually browse and admire the beautiful places to see in Maharashtra!
• Each placemark, when clicked , would show a photograph and a link to the post on the blog which would have more details on the place.

Click on map below to start exploring “the Maha Map”.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Introducing the weekend planner

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The rivers fill up considerably during the monsoon months and the small dam overflows giving a very picturesque sight. During the summer months, the rivers turn green with algae, but green algae too can look very appealing to the eye!

How to go to Sangameshwar Temple from Pune: If you a well-versed in the areas around Pune, then all you have to do is take the road to Sasvad from Hadapsar, reach sasvad, take the turn towards Narayanpur (Balaji Temple), then you will cross a narrow bridge, to the right of which you would see the temple (The view in the first photo above). A small chance of a confusion here. From sasvad, there are multiple exits to narayanpur. If you take the last one, it kind of bypasses the small town and hence you won’t go on this bridge. So, if you see a river on your right and then you come to a fork with a playground on your right and the route to narayanpur is on the left, you have missed this place. So, all you have to do is to take the right into Sasvad and you till get this bridge within 200 m. If all the above doesn’t make sense, follow the map below. Also given is a snapshot from Google Earth.

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We were there at around 4.30 in the evening and the mild breeze combined with the absolute calm made it a wonderful experience. The temple’s Shikhara (dome) had hundreds of small sculptures of deities carved over many layers. They looked pretty worn-out, but the sculptures could be clearly identified.

You can walk down to the river bank on all the sides and we even found one painter deeply engrossed in painting the river view along with the smaller shikharas on the side. The temple has two huge deepmalas on either side. Not sure when they are lit up, but if they are, it would be an impressive sight from the bridge. There is a colourful (and quite bigt) Nandi inside the temple.

Our original plan was just to visit this temple, but having come so far, we first went to the Balaji temple and then came here on the way back from Pune. The Balaji temple is a very short drive of around 10-12 kms from here. Just outside the temple, we saw a crumbling house. It was surprising to see a tata Sky dish on it. The house looked like it miht crumble just by the weight of the dish!

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The Ganapati idol is huge and one cannot miss it when you are on the NH4 as you reach the Somatane Toll Plaza.There is a parking place just before the entrance gate. You have to climb around 179 steps to reach the top. Though the number 179 looks a lot, the climb isn’t anything to worry about, as you don’t even feel it OR this number is not just the steps to the base of the idol, have to check on this.

This a birla family establishment and the idol was sculpted/created by Maturam Verma and Nareshkumar Verma of Pilani. The idol is 54 feet high, placed on a 18 foot pedestal which is 45 feet wide. As you may noticed (and was written there), all these dimensions were planned in such a way that they add up to the number 9, considered auspicious. The status faces east. We were there in the evening and hence couldn’t get good photos of the front side. But the metallic surface finish of the idol would look great in the early morning light. So, plan a trip in the morning if you are looking for good photos. This place is also well let up (visible from the expressway too) at night.

From here, it is a few kms drive across the expressway (through an underpass) to Shirgaon Sai Baba temple. This temple was built as a replica of the Shirdi Sai Baba temple. The architecture is meant to resemble the original temple at Shirdi. All the daily aartis done at Shirdi are also performed here. Kakad Arti – 5.15 Am, Maha Abhishek – 7 AM, Noon Arti – 12 noon, Dhup Arti – 6.15 pm and the Shej Arti at 10 pm. The temple remains closed from 10.30 pm to 5 AM.

Prasad is available from 12 noon to 3 pm at the Anna Chatralaya, which is an architectural marvel by itself. So, for the ones who find it difficult to make the trip to Shirdi, this is a good alternative, just like the Narayanpur Balaji temple is for Tirupati.

How to go to Shirgaon and the Ganpati Temple: Both these places are just before the Somatane toll plaza on Mumbai Pune old highway (NH4) , around 3 kms from Dehu Road. If you go through NH4, you have to pay the toll of around 26 INR. if you want to avoid it (and explore some inner roads in the process), take the left before the expressway exit and go through Kiwale and Gahunje to Shirgaon.

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Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Hadshi Temple – Pandurang Kshetra, Sathya Sai Trust

Ghorwadeshwar caves are believed to have been carved around the 3rd century A.D. The places is protected now. There are many prayer halls on the top with the biggest one being converted into a Shiva shrine.

How to go to Ghorwadeshwar Caves: The caves are located just before the toll plaza near Somatane on Nh4 (coming from Pune). You can easily miss the base. Watch out for an arch with some steps going onto a hill. Another landmark is a giant water tower on the right. If you have crossed the water tower, you have missed Ghorwadeshwar. Once you open up the below map, switch to satellite mode. I have marked the destination right at the base of Ghorwadeshwar. You should be able to see the steps leading up to the cave.

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What i thought would be a short 20-min walk to the top turned out to be close to an hour’s climb. But, nothing difficult about the climb. There are proper stairs until the half-way, maybe around 200 of them. Once you reach the half-way point, you will come to some sort of a rocky plateau, which is a good place to catch you breath if you intend to go forward OR enjoy the view, click photos and start the walk down! There is nothing else so high in the surrounding and hence you can spend hours watching the traffic go through the toll plaza. Of course, you get a good (albeit a little far) view of the huge Birla Ganapati. From the photos i had seen on other blogs, this place is super-green during the monsoons and would be a great option for an evening trek.

I was here with Lokesh and he, not being a regular at walks/treks, needed some rest mid-way. But, we were determined to go on. A lady at the chai-stall advised us to continue from here on, not on the main path, but on a small side track, which she said would be much easier. There are no stairs from the mid-way to the caves, but a wide-enough eroded mud path which can be tricky to climb during the rains. But, judging by how the side-track looked, Lokesh felt that the lady had tricked him! But, i would advise the side track any day, as it was far more interesting and fun to climb. Yes, it is a bit narrow at some places, but it is a gentle slope and a fall wouldn’t cause much damage. The third photo below can give you a comparison between both the paths.

On this trail, we heard a constant bell sound closing in on us. Then, we found that it was a cow which was also climbing up to the cave temple. It must have been a regular looking at its fitness and the ease with which it was climbing!

Once you cross the mid-way, you start to see the caves (a portion of it). They are at two levels. At the bottom level, you have two sections and then you continue on around the mountain to the top.

Once you reach the caves, you will come to a fork. Turning right on the fork will take you to the main set of caves. These caves face westward and hence are beautifully lit up at evening. Also, you get a good view of the expressway. One of the caves has been converted to a shrine which has a shivling inside. There are lot of water storage tanks dug into the ground.I heard that this place gets very crowded during mahashivratri.

Going beyond these caves will take you to a route to the top, but we didn’t proceed as a) it looked too narrow and b) we had more places on the agenda.

If you take the left on the fork, you go to one set of broken caves, which i presume is being used by the priest. Nothing much of interest there.

A good place for an energetic walk and nice views for an evening outing!

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Pataleshwar Cave Temple and Jangli Maharaj Mandir in Shivaji Nagar
2. Birla Ganapati and Shirgaon Sai Baba Temple

1. The most peaceful of the sights is the weathered fortress on the shores of the sea in the town of Malvan. There are limited places to stay, but the destination ensures that you can stay clear of crowds.
2. Sawantwadi works well as a hub to visit places like Amboli and the Nagartas waterfalls. The monsoons are no more looked upon as a daunting season to travel. With some amount of attention to the leeches, enjoy the relentless rain from a balcony and enjoy a good book in Sawantwadi.
3. The ‘Dashavtaar’ art form of Sindhudurg is famous for its ritualistic dance and drama style. During festive occasions, the temples host shows for the locals and travellers. This 11^th century art form is a great opportunity to get connected with traditions.
4. Kunkeshwar Temple – The temple was built in 1100 A.D and was frequently visited by the famous warrior, Shivaji. For those who are not looking for a spiritual connect, Kunkeshwar is also famous for coconut, palm and mango plantations and a variety of seafood.
5. Tarkarli – The search for an isolated beach, unhindered by touristy crowds is finally over. Enjoy this narrow beach stretch with some great Konkani food and options to tent on the sandy stretches.
6. Shiroda Beach – Sparkling blue water and a destination that is replete with nature & wildlife, this beach is great for those who have a sense of adventure. The salt deposits and the Cajurina plantations are a delight for travellers here.
7. Karvi – Karvi is a small village in the Amboli range of mountains which is famous for a type of flower that blooms once in seven years. A short hike is the best way to go searching for these flowers. Ensure that you have a local with you!
8. Hiranykeshi – A place dedicated to Lord Shiva, Hiranykeshi is great to go during Shivaratri when pilgrims come from far away to pay homage to the temple here. The colourful festival is great for photo-opportunities.
9. Dhamapur Lake – Spread over 5 acres, the Dhamapur Lake is situated on the Western part of the district. Many local tourists visit here for the lure of a peaceful destination with some fun activities like boating.
10. Moti Lake – Sawantwadi town has yet another attraction amidst the green landscape – Moti or ‘Pearl’ Lake. This looks brilliant by the night.

So if you are looking for a peaceful holiday away from the rush in Mumbai, the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra offers a variety of places, the most relaxing being the unassuming beaches.

This guest post was written by Mahindra Homestays, who have a range of homestay accommodations throughout India and run the popular India Travel Blog. They have a collection of Sindhudurg homestays.

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Then, we went to Pataleshwar Cave Temple and Ayappan hill temple near Dehu Road. These two were on the radar for quite some time as we had passed these two temples en-route to many other places.

The first big trip of 2011 was a weekend trip to Murud. This set a nice precedent for 2 more trips to the Konkan region over the year. The murud trip had many beach visits including Murud beach, Kashid beach, Aakshi beach and the imposing Janjira sea fort (post pending!).

The next Konkan trip happened soon after, with a 3 day trip to Diveagar and Harihareshwar. The Diveagar beach is one of the best on the coast (among the one closer to Mumbai/Pune) and the coastal drive from Diveagar to Shrivardhan is too beautiful to be described!

In March, i went on a trek to Tikona fort along with colleagues. We started pretty early in the morning and it was a good decision as it got very hot by around 10. The trek to tikona fort is moderate, but offers wonderful views of the surrounding areas including Lohagad fort and Pavana Dam. Also, the final ascent on the stairs is wonderful.

Then, we had a get-together of friends at Splendour Country club. This was my second visit to the place (post pending!) and it is quite a mixed bag. The condition/cleanliness of the infinity pool depends on your luck, but the location is awesome.

There was a weekend when Vidhya and Akshara were out of town. So, i went on a local sightseeing trip to places which Vidhya might not come along. I went to Shinde Chhatri – architecturally good , bur was undergoing renovation, a butterfly park about which the lesser said the better and then to Chaturshringi Hill Temple, a gem of a place within the crowd of the city(posts due!).

Saturday was gone and i went for something more adventurous on the Sunday – a trek to Kalavantin Durg (post due!). This turned out to be most exhausting day of my life. But, not because of the nature of the trek. It is an awesome trek and the final climb on the rock-cut steps (some more than a metre high) is mind-blowing, particularly for the slightly-acrophobic ones like me!

The monsoon had arrived and it was time to go-green! Our first monsoon trip was to the ever-enchanting Neelkanteshwar temple. If you have never been there, make sure you do (not in the summer though). A place straight out of Amar Chitra Katha, you can not only admire the natural beauty of its location, but also learn a lot about indian mythology.

Though very scenic, i try to avoid lonavala and its surroundings during the monsoon as it gets very crowded and insane. A trip to Korigad fort where i had pass through Lonavala reaffirmed my faith in avoiding the place. Korigad fort though was a revelation. Relatively easy to climb and in midst of nature, it was a wonderful trip with friends.

No monsoon is complete without a visit to Tamhini Ghat and thoseghar waterfalls. I have been so many times to these places and yet, i am not tired of them. The visit to tamhini was, as always, combined with a visit to the broken roads of Chalkewadi windmill farms.

Then came a visit a beautiful temple in a beautiful place – hadshi temple. One photo of this temple on some forum convinced me to pay a visit and i wasn’t disappointed and neither have been all the people to whom i have recommended this temple. I have been there twice, once during the monsoon and another time just after – on a clear and sunny day.

We tried yet again on 15th August to go to Raigad fort, but our calculations proved wrong once again with a 3.5 hr wait for the cable car. So, we had to return (for the second time) with just a view of the cable car and the mighty fort beyond the horizon.

But, all was not bad with the trip. We came back through Varandha ghat and we got to see the best of what Varanda is famous for. Outstanding greenery as far as the eye can see and more waterfalls than we could keep count of!

Then finally, in October with some meticulous planning, we were able to see the king of all forts, Raigad fort (post due!). It was worth the wait, as this fort is an exemplary example of the might of the Marathas. The amount of history within the walls of his fort is amazing. We had combined a trip to Raigad with another new destination on the konkan, Karde beach.

End of 2011, beginning of 2012, lots to look forward too. Starting with a trip to Rajasthan, courtesy my company. So, what’s in plan – Malshej Ghat, Bhadandardara, Ganapatipule or Goa, some lesser known temples around Pune, Shivneri fort and more…

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. New Year Weekend Trip to Daman
2. Trek to Korigad Fort near Aamby valley, Lonavala
3. Trek to Purandar fort – in the rain

First a lesson in Geography! When we started research on places to go for the new year weekend, one of my friends suggested Daman & Diu, which was immediately lapped up by all as a visit to an Union Territory seemed as exotic as Kilimanjaro for all of us And so began the process of finding out the details. A simple google search gave the usual suspects – Daman Fort (moti and nani), Diu fort and some gardens. Next, we moved to Google maps to plan the exact itinerary based on the distances. Having zoomed on to the forts in Daman, i next typed in Diu fort. I was in for a shock. the maps applications zoomed out and kep on scrolling westwards and over the sea (and lots of sea!) and finally zommed into the Diu fort. I kind of blamed it on google. It was then i realized that Daman & Diu, though being a single entity in terms of a UT are hundreds of kilometres apart – 600 kms apart by road and around 300 by sea! If you already knew this, be proud. If not, be happy that you learnt something new

Where is Daman and how to go there? Daman is to the north of Mumbai and it would take (approx) 3 hrs from Mumbai and around 7-9 hrs (depending on how much you get stuck in Mumbai traffic) from Pune.

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Beaches in Daman: There are two beaches in Daman, Devka beach and Jampore beach. An amusement park is also there at Devka beach, but we found that most of the play-area items were broken or in a condition that you wouldn’t want your kids to go near them. We went to Devka beach a little after noon and the water had receded a long way. This was the first time i had ever seen the effect of tides. I had never seen a low tide before. Devka beach is a very rocky beach and not considered safe for swimming or wandering into, particularly during high tide.

Jampore beach is a much better option. A very clean beach with soft sand, Jampore beach also has many sporty things to do. We went there early in the morning and the light was just beautiful. The water was still coming in slowly and it was amazing to watch this.

Mirasol lake garden, a few minutes drive from Devka beach, is a nice place to spend the evening with family and kids. There is also the Mirasol water park next to it. The lake garden is an artificial one with all the elements of so-called paradise – a lake, many bridges on it, boating and even a swan boat! There is also a toy train going around the garden.

Daman is split into two by the Daman Ganga river- Moti Daman (big) and Nani Daman (Small), though Nani Daman is much bigger than the moti one! Moti Daman is entirely inside a fort, a beautiful one. Driving inside the fort is like driving inside a movie set. The portugese influence is very visible in the architecture in the dwellings inside the fort. Driving on the narrow road outside the fort will take you to the lighthouse. We went a bit late in the night, otherwise, you can climb up the light-house for a wonderful view of Daman. Jampore beach is close to Moti Daman. Both the sides are connected by a bride. You can also take a boat ride from one side to another.

The pier/sea front on the Nani side is beautiful. The main highlight is the fort of Nani Daman right next to the river bank. The church of Our Lady of the sea is the main building inside the fort.

The boats anchored on the river banks change position based on the tide. When we were there (around evening), it was low-tide and all the boats appeared beached on the river bank.

There are many sandbars which get exposed during low tide and you can take boat-trips to each of them. Depending on the distance you want to travel and also whether you want to get down on the sandbars (more time), the price ranges from INR 20 to around INR 50 per person. We just went for a short 15 min ride into the sea. The evening breeze was awesome and we also got good wide-angle views of both Moti and nani Daman

and of course, the last sunset of 2010 on the Arabian Coast. This should also go down as my first encounter with the Arabian sea as i don’t remember anything from my only prior trip to Mumbai (when i was in 2nd class!)

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. The year 2011, in travel

Ramdara Temple is an old temple with idols of many deities. The main shrine is that of Shiva, but the statue is famous for the idols of Ram, Lakshman and Sita. Next to the temple is also an ashram of Shri Devipuri Maharaj also known as Dhundi baba. The temple also has am impressive Nandi. There is a small pond next to the temple. The location of the temple along with the abundance of trees in the vicinity makes this place very calm and beautiful.

How to go to Ramdara Temple from Pune (Magarpatta): Ramdara temple is around 20 kms from magarpatta city. Go on the Solapur Highway (towards Solapur), cross Hadapsar, proceed towards Manjiri. Once you cross the toll gate, you will cross a bridge. Just after the bridge, you should see two boards (on the left of the road) pointing to the right, one having “Loni Kalbhor” and the other “Ramdara Mandir”. Take this turn, proceed into the village for around half a km, take the first right in the chowk and this road goes directly to the temple (and nowhere else!). The landscape changes a lot within this 7 km and the latter part is kms of emptiness on either side of the road. You don’t see temple until the last minute as it is hidden within few hills and the last turn will take you to a big parking lot covered by trees.

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The temple as such is very colourful and the right light will make it enjoyable to take photographs. The trees in the area (as there are no other trees in the vicinity) attract lot of birds. On the whole, a relaxed drive to a beautiful place.

Similar Places Around Pune:

1. Balaji Temple at Narayanpur Village
2. Bamnoli Village near Satara

How to go to Harihareshwar from Pune: Harihareshwar is around 190 kms from Pune. Irrespective of whether you are staying at Diveagar or Shrivardhan or harihareshwar itself, the easiest route to take would be through Tamhini Ghats, then Mangaon on the goa highway, then the road to Mhasala (it is called as Masla and not as masala as we were referring to, when asking for directions!) and then onwards to Diveagar (turn right at a fork) or Harihareshwar (turn left). The stretch from the goa highway down to the coast is also a ghat section and pretty remote. So avoid a late night trip on that.

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I had heard a lot about the pradakshina marg and was more interested in that rather than the temple. So, the religious/tired among us decided to stay back at the temple and the rest went on this tour around the temple. The steps start right behind the temple. Check with anyone around the temple about the conditions of the tide as it is quite dangerous to go on this train during high tide. The trail starts off with around 60 steps – 60 long steps and then you have to climb down around 140 narrow steps (a beautiful cut in the cliffs) down to the sea.

We were there at the wrong time of the day, just after noon and hence it was not good both in terms of energy as well as good photography. Otherwise, the 60 steps are not much of a hassle and they offer great views of the harihareshwar beach. The coastal rock formation just at the bottom of the stairs are amazing. We had to pull ourselves out of the place ( as we had a long drive back to Pune) , otherwise we would have spent the entire evening monkeying around on the rocks. Also, my research about the pradakshina marg was incomplete. I thought that it would be from within the temple and photography would not be permitted. So, i left my SLR back in the car and took along a compact camera, which doesnt work that well in such conditions.

As you go around the cliffs, you see lot of interesting sea caves. The waves were quite strong and the splashing of the waves against the rocks was wonderful to look at. I definitely want to go back in the monsoons and see how bad/beautiful the conditions are here. The whole Pradakshina should take around 30 mins with minimal stops and comes back in front of the temple on the beach. If you do visit the temple, don’t forget to go on this trail

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