Mahabaleshwar and Me

If you ask a bunch of young kids where they would like to go for a short vacation with friends or family, seldom will you here the place Mahabaleshwar. Mostly it would be Lonavala or Khandala or a small resort to chill out and have a gala time.
Mahabaleshwar lies on the eastern part of the Shayadri range in Maharashtra with a modest population of around 5000 residents and a significant amount of tourists visiting there on frequent bases. Going during the monsoons always brings a peculiar feeling and experience all together. The picturesque roads from Mumbai towards Mahabaleshwar and the scenic backdrops at Mahabaleshwar and places around it just add on to the excitement and fun at which is know as the ‘Queen of Hill Stations’. One of the most significant attractions to me was the Panchganga temple at Old Mahabaleshwar. The climb towards the temple had two other smaller temples. The first one on the way to the Panchganga temple was where it is believed that a small part of the land took shape into a rudraksha seed naturally and people started to worship it and make a temple for it. Right opposite to this small temple is where the Nandi Temple stands in which there is the statue of Nandi to which devout followers whisper in Nandi’s ears believing it would grant their wishes. Just another 50 steps on the stair-cases stands the rather mysterious and famous Panchganga Temple where a lot of devotees come and bathe in a pond placed within the temple. The water that flows in the pond comes from five different river sources and another sixth one which is a hidden river. Climbing back down the hills from the temple, I saw the small huts covered with dry leaves know as ‘neche’ in the local tongue. These leaves are left to dry and later used during monsoons to protect themselves from rain and also keep away heat during summers.
Another breath taking place was the Needle Hole Point, Elephant Point and Kates Point which are different places situated in one place itself (I know it sounds confusing). Its just that there is a rock which looks like an Elephant ( I’m serious) and the gap between the trunk and the cliff is know as the Needle Hole Point (I’m serious again) and the small place above the Elephant is know was Kates Point (Hey! This time I am serious. OK??).
Mahabaleshwar is distinctly known for its cultivation of strawberries and other products derived from this fruit. Strawberry jams, squashes, syrups and out of all the delicious strawberry and cream. Makai or Corn is another crop that is cultivated and is quite prominent among the locals especially the Makai pattice, makai pakoda or the famous Bhutta that we get in Mumbai is boiled and given in cups with a dash of butter and some spices. What seemed to be more astounding or rather funny were the sign boards which had a lot of grammatical and spelling blunders. But when asked a local, he said that the government did not take care of these signs and only the local inhabitants have to spend their own money and put up sign boards. There is a local bazaar that is put up on every Tuesdays and Saturdays on the way to Wilson Point, the highest point in Mahabaleshwar.
All these sights and scenes, the food, the tourist spots amalgamate into a holistic aspect of one of Maharashtra’s tourist destinations. It is quite strange that the MTDC (Maharashtra Tourism and Development Corporation) has not publicised a beautiful and magnificent place like Mahabaleshwar. Other places to visit are the Pratapgarh Fort which is 22 kilometres from Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani which is famous for its educational institutions and is just a half hour drive from Mahabaleshwar.
If Kerala is known as God’s own country and Madhya Pradesh known as the heart of India, I certainly would term Mahabaleshwar as the ‘Queen of all Hill Stations’ not only in Maharashtra but atleast in western India.