Torna Waterfall Rappelling

Rapelling or abseiling is the activity that involves descending down from a height using just a rope. Add to rappelling a waterfall and you get waterfall rapelling. In waterfall rapelling, we rappel alongside a waterfall. The force of cold water makes this even more thrilling. When trekdi announced their waterfall rappelling at Torna, I registered on their website and paid the amount.

We started from F.C. College in a private van and reached the base village Velhe. This is also the start point for trek to Torna fort. The trail was lush green due to the recent rains and there was a small but forceful waterfall on the way. We took a detour from here onto another trail that will lead us to the waterfall we were going to rappel at. The actual trail leads to torna fort from this waterfall, but we did not take that trail.

After steep climb on a small hill, we reached a plateau. All of us gathered here for a round of introduction. We got introduced to the rapelling equipments and the technique of rappeling. We could see the waterfall that we were going to rappel along, so from here we got a demonstration of rappelling performed by one of the member of Trekdi.

We started the activity in batches of 5. I was in the second batch. I got tied with all the safety ropes. During the instructions, it was told that we need to hold the rope on the right hand as loose as possible and not hold it tight. I was quite confident as I was being let off the cliff. However, as I was descending down, I just could not keep the right hand loose as was told. The edge was slippery as well, so I missed one step and off I went solely on the support of the ropes. The instructor asked me to leave both the hands off the ropes. I was hold tight by the ropes. Thanks to the good equipments and safety taken by the group, I was never afraid that I will fall down. I got hold of the ropes again as required. And slowly started to descend down. The feeling of descending side by side a waterfall was just amazing. I stayed for some moments in between to just feel the gushing flow of water on me. Within minutes I was down the 125 ft fall. I trekked up back to where we started the rappeling activity. I made friends with a group of 3 other guys.

We started to explore the area around the plateau. We spotted another two big waterfalls and decided to trek to the base of one of them. we trekked down a fall as high as the one we rappelled down.




As we reached below the waterfall, we stood directly below water falling 125 ft down. The force was tremendous and feeling was awesome. We spent a lot of time over there just bathing in natural water.

The guys were getting hungry by now, so we decided to make way back to the base village of Velhe. We trekked back the trail we had started from, passing by the small waterfall that I mentioned above. We had lunch at the village and passed time talking waiting for the rest of the group to come back.

We made way back to Pune once everyone was back and done with their meals.

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Kaas - Bamnoli: Maharashtra's Valley of Flowers

In tourism, Mini is very big and popular. There are places like mini-Kashmir, mini-Switzerland all over India and places like Little India, Little Italy, China town all over the world. when the real place is very far away, we look for its miniature version close by. There is a mini-Kashmir in Aarey Colony in Mumbai, Tapola in Mahabaleshwar. There is mini-Switzerland in Khajjiar and Kashmir is called India's Switzerland. Switzerland itself has a miniature Switzerland in Lugano !!

In this list, Kaas should be added as mini-Valley of Flowers. Kaas plateau is called Maharashtra's Valley of Flowers.

After our trip to Sajjangadh, the next day we started off to Kaas. As we leave Satara and reach the tunnel, instead of going straight, we need to take the right which takes us on the road to Kaas and Bamboli. A few kilometers into this route, we can get a view of the entire Satara with the Ajinkyatara fort on its back.

As we move along the road, there is great view all around us with stretches of land turning into huge mountains. The road itself turns into a straight road on the top of another montain. It is a big stretch of plateu on the top of a mountain.

We came to a place where there were lots of cars parked and people were enjoying the surroundings. We parked our car and went to enjoy this valley of flowers. There is a stretch of the plateu which is filled with tiny pink and purple flowers. The flower itself are very small but with millions of them lying on the ground, the plateu turns into a beautiful bed of flowers.

After spending about an hour there, we moved ahead towards Bamnoli.

Bamnoli is a village at a corner of the Shivajisagar Lake or Koyna Backwaters. The lake is simply majestic. Its huge with hundreds of square kilometers of water. There are boating facilities here which take you to the various places within the lake. The prominent among them are the Triveni Sangam, Shiva Temple and Tapola.

These are all motorboats which seat around 10-15 people. By this time, it was time for lunch. But, there were very few options available for lunch here. The hotels take around 1 hour to prepare the lunch after we place an order. There were no options for Jain lunch as well. We took the food that we had brought along. We booked the boat with another family. We had to wait for some 20 minutes as there was quite a rush by now.

The boat ride was nice and long and reminded me of the boat ride from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. At the start of the ride, it feels good to be riding on the water and enjoying the scenery around. However, when the ride is long and into a big lake like this, after some time, we are surrounded just by the water. You can just see water everywhere. There is no sight of land. And, this is the time that the boat ride turns a bit boring looking at just water and nothing else. I wonder how people spend days and months at sea.

Luckily, the water sickness did not last long and we anchored at Shiva temple after about 1/2 hour. The location of the temple was excellent with the cool breeze and fresh water all around. The statue of Ganesh over there is very nice.

After spending about half an hour, the boat took us back to the Bamnoli village.

Enjoying the sights and some waterfalls on the way, we drove back to Pune with the memories of 2 days spent in lovely places.

Click here for Useful Travel Information

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Kaas Bamnoli - Useful Travel Information

Summary:

1. Maharashtra's Valley of Flowers. Millions of tiny flowers blossom after the monsoon.

2. Shivajisagar Lake - An enormous lake with boating.

Click here for detailed Travelogue

Routes:

When you reach the tunnel at the base of the Ajinkyatara mountain in Satara, do not cross the tunnel and take a right turn before that. You are on your way to Kaas. The road from Satara till the end is in good condition.

Place Km Time

Satara - 000 - 10:15
Kaas plateu - 022 - 11:10
Bamnoli - 037 - 15:23
NH4 Highhway - 079 - 17:15
Pune - 184 - 19:00 

View Kaas - Bamnoli in a larger map

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Sajjangadh: Useful travel information

Useful Travel Information about Sajjangadh:

1. Samadhi of Swami Samarth Ramdas

2. Spectacular view of the mountains around and Urmodi Dam.

3. The gates to the fort close after Sunset and open after Sunrise. So, it will be better to reach there accordingly.

Detailed travelogue on Sajjangadh

Routes:

When you reach the tunnel at the base of the Ajinkyatara mountain, cross the tunnel and take a right turn after that. You are on your way to Sajjangadh and Thoseghar. The road from Satara till Sajjangadh is narrow and typical village roads, but motorable.

Place Km Time

Pune    000  14:10
Sajjangadh   128 17:15
Sajjangadh   128 18:35
Satara  144 19:30

Map:

View Sajjangadh in a larger map

Links:

http://www.shrisamarthsevamandal.org

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Sajjangadh

It was a long weekend and we decided to make trip to Thoseghar/Chalkewadi/Sajjangadh and Kaas near Satara. Thoseghar is famous for its big fall and few minutes away are the huge wind mills set up by Suzlon. We started off from Pune and headed off straight to Satara via the old Katraj Tunnel.

At this time of the year, the entire stretch of this road is made beautiful by small yellow flowers on both sides of the road.

We reached Satara in few hours and asked for directions to the ST stand in Satara so that we can get good directions to the Thoseghar falls from there. On reaching the ST stand, we inquired for the direction to Thoseghar and an autowallah asked us to follow him as he claimed he is going the same way. However, at a major junction, I felt like taking the right and and it turned out to be the right way. This road is along the base of Ajinkyatara mountain that overlooks Satara. Upon inquiring a couple of times more we reached a small tunnel. Immediately after the tunnel is a T-junction. There was a board telling the direction to Thoseghar on the right. There was another board declaring that the road to Thoseghar is not good !!

We continued in the direction of Thoseghar anyways. The road from here is narrow and typical village road in Maharashtra. There were a few more signs indicating that we were headed in the right direction. when we reached another diversion, we thought it better to ask the people for the right way. They told us that the road is not good ahead and advised us against going to Thoseghar. We decided to try Sajjangadh instead which is close by. We asked for the directions and headed to Sajjangadh.

View from the base of Hill

In a few minutes we reached the base of the Sajjangadh hill. The road is good and motorable upto the top of the hill. We reached the parking place by 5:15 in the evening. After climbing up a few hundred steps, we reached the Samarth Ramdas temple over there.

Sajjangadh is the place where Swami Samarth Ramdas, the spiritual guru of Raja Shivaji spent a lot of time and went to Samadhi. The temple has display of articles used by Swami Ramdas. There is a small cave beneath the main mandap of the temple where Swami Ramdas used to meditate. The temple is home to lots of pupils who live and study there. This temple also has a place to stay overnight. If you intend to stay it will be better to call them in advance.

View from top of the Sajjangadh

After offering the prayers we were headed back, when I though of checking the backside of the temple. And it turned out that the view from there was just awesome. It was time for SUnset, so I went back to the temple and asked Deepal and Kalpak to come on to the backside to enjoy the view. The windmills can also be viewed from here, but from a far distance !!

We waited for the Sunset and enjoyed the fantastic atmosphere over there. There is a spectacular view of the Urmodi dam from here. After the sunset we headed back to the car. The main entrance to the fort is closed from Sunset till Sunrise. So, it is best to reach there only during the daytime.

Click here for Useful Travel Information

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Mahabaleshwar: Hotel Valley View Review

During our recent trip to Mahabaleshwar, we stayed at the Valley View hotel. It was recommended by Ritesh, one of my tennis partners. He had stayed their in his previous trips to Mahabaleshwar. He made the booking on phone.

Once we reached Mahabaleshwar, everyone hit the pool. The best thing about the pool here is that it is indoor and temperature controlled. So, there was no worry of cold water and anybody catching cold. All the kids enjoyed a lot swimming in the warm water. The elders played a small game of water polo. At the end, we just spent time sitting in the warm water of the pool, chatting and having fun.

The next best thing about the hotel is its food. We had the unch first after swimming. The food is typical Gujarati and Marwari fare. There was lots of variety in terms of sweets, vegetables, etc. We had special Jain vegetables made for us. All the items were delicious. The waiters were courteous and overall service was prompt. The chinese dinner too was lip-smacking. The best was left at the end. The pineapple souffle was too good. Deepal asked for the recipe and made it for me in two days at home :).

There are some indoor games like carrom, table tennis, board games at the top floor of the hotel. There is also a pool table and a few video games at the ground floor. The condition of all these was great unlike at some other places where such facilities are not maintained well. The valley view from the top floor is nice. And when the clouds surrond the hotel, it is a great feeling.

We stayed in a non-AC room as the weather was pleasantly cold outside. The rooms were clean and well maintained. The room was big enough for a family of four to accomodate easily. Apart from the big anouhg bed, there is also a sofa-cum-bed which is very convinient. During the day it serves as sofa and at night as bed for the kids. So, there is no need to ask for an extra bed. The room service too was good and prompt. There is another section of the hotel which houses AC rooms. This section has been created exceptionally well. All the rooms are valley facing and this is the picture of the hotel you see on their website. The interior of this side of the hotel is done very well.

The not so good part of the hotel is its location. It is located near what looks like slums. I have no idea about how this came about to be, whether the slums first or the hotel. But, this could be turn off for some people. Once you enter the hotel, though, there is no indication of the slums around. As mentioned earlier, the interiors are exceptional and the feeling once inside it that of some 3 or 4 star hotel. The hotel is also some 10-15 mins walk from the main market and the bus stand.

Overall it is a great place to stay with its great food, great service, great interiors and the cool indoor swimming pool.

Click here for the map of the hotel.

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Mapro garden at Panchgani

This is a very famous company based in Panchgani/Mahabaleshwar. Their products include Syrups, Squashes, Candies, Jams and Crushes. More information is on their website here http://www.maprofoods.com/.

The best part about going to mapro garden is that they have a separate counter for tasting their products. You can try out all their products here. They make a small glass of everything for you to taste. We tried out a few and found the new custard apple syrup delicious. We also liked their "kacchi keri" Falero candies.

Click here for the map of Mapro Garden.


© Paras Doshi, 2009.

A perfect family weekend in Mahabaleshwar

We had decided on family outing with two of my friends. Two of my tennis partners also joined and a plan was made to have a family outing in Mahabaleshwar. The best part about developed hill stations like Mahabaleshwar is that they have excellent hotels, food and loads of activities for all age groups. All the kids were very excited about the trip. They were eagerly waiting for Saturday to arrive and start the trip.

We started off in 5 cars at 7 in the morning. We took the old Katraj tunnel route and the drive was smooth. After a small break for food after the tunnel, all the cars drove off to Mahabaleshar. Being off season, there was less traffic as we approached Panchgani. This made the drive even more pleasant on the ghats.

Once we reached the Valley View resort, everyone hit the swimming pool. It was a temperature controlled indoor swimming pool. So, there was no worry of either rains or the cold weather outside. The kids enjoyed the company of each other and elders enjoyed a game of water polo.

Now it was time to have lunch. The lunch was excellent and had lots of variety. It was difficult to choose what to eat at any point of time.

The hotel had a superb view of the valley from its top floor. We started with a round of 'Judgment' card game and after a few rounds the weather outside started changing. The clouds were coming towards us and in no time the entire hotel was engulfed in the clouds. So, we decided to take a walk in tha hotel's garden outside. We next decided to go to the Venna lake.

When we reached there, the entire place was covered in fog and visibility was hardly few meters. We hired 3 boats and went for boating. It was just magical to boat when there was hardly anything else visible around. Myself and Dharam, tried out hands at boating. It was quite a task to get the row move the way it should in the water. Deepal and Kalpak also tried their hands and it was lots of fun.

All the kids took a round of horse riding. after having corn butta at the lake, we headed off back to the town. It was dark by now and the market was bustling with people. It was difficult to believe that there are so many people in Mahabaleshwar in this off-season. The ladies did lots of shopping and the kids spent their time playing various games in a games shop.

The dinner again was wonderful and the everyone enjoyed chinese food and excellent deserts.

We played a round of Tambola. One of the kids, Krina, managed to win away the first three prizes, while I managed to win the first full house.

The next day, I woke up early morning to catch Sunrise at Wilson point. I was not disappointed at all. The view and the rising sun looked magnificient from that area. The area itself is very huge and you can catch a glimpse of the Sunrise from almost 180 degrees of area and not just a narrow patch. To add to the beauty, immediately after Sunrise a really huge patch of dark clouds surrounded the Sun and the sky looked just fabulous. After taking some more snaps, I moved further and snapped a beutiful bird a liitle further away. I called up Jayesh and he was ready to join me in further ventures. So, I picked him up near the hotel and we moved towards Bombay Point which is famous for its Sunset.

So, we made to to the Sunset point early in the morning !!! And we were again rewarded by some great pics of the Sun rays coming through the dense forest. We also got a great view of the Pratapgadh from there. We moved back and went to the Elephant Head Point. We can't take the car straight to the Elephant head point. We need to park at a place and walk about 15 minutes to reach the point. On the way is the Loardwick point, but we gave it a miss. The Elephant Head point again was really beautiful and it gave us the view of the Konkan side of Mahabaleshwar. we got clear skies and beautiful view of the entire valley from this point. Over here, I saw a really peculiar mountain formation. From the picture below, it looks like that the camera was shaken while taking the picture of some post-processing was done on the picture, but there are actually three identical mountains one behind the other that can be seen from here.

Another interesting thing happened here. While looking at the konkan side, I saw a man climbing up the hill. The same man met us while we were on our way back to the car. The man walks up the mountain for 10 km everyday to come to work at Mahabaleshwar. It was really humbling to see how people still have to walk such long distances early in morning for work. We gave him lift in our car till the market. We reached the hotel in time for the breakfast.

After the breakfast we checked out of the hotel and made way towards Arthur Seat Point. On the way, we paid homage at the Shree Mahavir Swami Jain temple near Hotel Uday. Just before we reached the Marjorie point, the entire area was surrounded in dense fog. We took a small break at Marjorie point and headed towards the Arthur Seat Point. There too, the entire place was foggy. We parked the cars and walked about 10-15 minutes to reach the point. After spending some time in the fog, we returned back. The next destination was for lunch at Mapro Garden.

The Mapro Garden was full of people which were hard to find at other places !! We ordered Pizza and Sandwitches. While, it was being prepared, we checked out the latest offerings from Mapro. They have a very nice system wherein they allow us to taste their products before we buy. We found the Custard Apple really good and their new Falero excellent as well. We bought lot of stuff from them. Had lunch and headed to the OnWheelz Amusement park at Panchgani.

On the way, we took a small break at the Parsi Point. This is a point not to be missed as well, as the view is simply superb.

OnWheelz is a new amusement park which has opened at a beautiful location in Panchgani. It has lots of rides like Rainbow, Dashing car, Mini train etc. We took a unlimited rides pass for the kids, and they enjoyed it to the max. We had to drag them out of the park as it was getting dark and we had to move back to Pune.

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Mahabaleshwar: Useful Travel Information

Mahabaleshwar is very popular hill station which is visited by over a million people every year. So, most people know about this place. There are numerous packages that are offered to visit it. There are hotels of all ranges, from simple to the most luxurious variety available.

Best Time to visit:

This is a frequently visited place, so if you want to have the best of weather and lesser of crowd, then go sometime in August / September. Only disadvantage at this time is that you won't be able to see or taste strawberries. For that, the best time is after December.

Here are some useful must do activities:

1. Points: Don't miss these points. Wilson Point, Bombay Point, Elephant Head Point, Arthur Seat Point, Parsi Point and Kate's Point.
2. Indoor Swimming Pool: The hotel Valley View has an indoor swimming pool which is best for the Mahabaleshwar weather. They also have a package through which you can only use the swimming pool which can be helpful for people staying in other hotels.
3. Mapro: Shop at Mapro. Their products are really good and they bring new innovations. However, if possible avoid having lunch or dinner over there, as they only offer Pizza and Sandwitches and that to too expensive.
4. OnWheelz Amusement Park: This is really a must do if you have kids with you. The rides are meant for kids and are not of full size. So, adults will not enjoy them as they would in a full amusement park.


See below the map of important points in Mahabaleshwar.


View Mahabaleshwar in a larger map

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

View from various points in Mahabaleshwar

This is the view from are some of the prominent points in Mahabaleshwar.

1. Wilson Point

2. Bombay Point

3. Elephant Head Point

4. Parsi Point

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

OnWheelz Amusement Park at Panchgani

This is a new amusement park opened at Panchgani. It has about 15 rides for all ages. However, we found that the size and speed of the rides, the elders would find it very simple. But, for the kids upto teen age group will enjoy all the rides a lot.

There are two packages:

1. Unlimited - For Rs. 350 for adults (above height 4.4 ft.), the passholder can use any ride as many time as required. The price for kids is Rs. 200.

2. Entry - For Rs. 100 for adults and Rs. 50 for kids, this pass gives the entry and two rides free for one time. For additional rides there is a charge of Rs. 50 per ride for adults and Rs. 30 per ride for Kids.

Some of the rides are:

Ferries Wheel, Free fall, Rainbow, Octopus, Striking car (Dashing car), Break Dance, Sun-n-Moon, Tsunami, Monotrain.

This is a must do if you are travelling with kids.

Click here for its video.

Address & Contact Nos:

Survey No. 7, Taighat, Panchagani-Kundal Road, Behind Sanjeevan School, Panchagani.

Ph. No. (02168) 242012/13/14.

The location of the park is superb with excellent view of the valley. For the exact location, refer to the map here.

View OnWheelz in a larger map

Travel Tip: Win win with Kids

When you travel with kids, there are situations when kids demand something or the other, chocolates, ice cream, toys and so on.

Since they are seeing something new, or in some new place, or some one else doing something, they wish to do the same. But, this may not be good for kids and hence you want to avoid it. How to do that?

On our recent trip to Mahabaleshwar, we were 10 elders and 10 kids. We were having lunch at Mapro Garden. It was an open space and after having lunch, the kids were just playing about while the elders were waiting for their pizzas. Some kid saw people eating ice cream and got an idea of having an ice cream. The idea spread virally in the group and most of the kids (about 8-10 yrs olds) started demanding ice cream. Due to the weather, most parents wanted to avoid ice cream.

I asked the leader of the group of the kids that you have two options. Either to goto amusement park (which was planned for later that day) or have ice cream. Get the count of how many people want to goto amusement park and how many want an ice cream. Some of the parents chipped in with votes for ice cream and as expected all the kids voted for amusement park. The issue was resolved. The kids promptly forgot ice cream.

The main thing about this idea was not the example of showing carrots, but the fact that the kids got a challenge which they won. They managed to get more people to vote for Amusement park. Hence they were happy with the outcome.

Not only give them options, but also a task to get their favourite option win.

Travel Quiz: Sunrise or Sunset

The Sunrise and Sunset points are the most famous point at all the hill stations. There is something magical about this daily event that we can never get enough of it. The sky always looks great at this time and it is one of the best time to capture some really beautiful photographs.

So, here is a simple quiz. Guess whether this is a Sunrise or Sunset moment?

Put your answers in the comment below.

Thomas and Friends in Pune

The small kids have a clear preference for toys based on gender. While, the girls prefer the dolls, the boys tend to like Cars or any mode of transportation. The Joshi's Museum of Miniature Railways will definitely appeal to boys, and surely give loads of fun to girls and elders alike.

Located in the heart of Kothrud, the Joshi's museum houses India's biggest miniature City, with a Railway Station, Roads, Flyovers, Mountain, Lake, Restaurants, Swimming Pool, Circus, TV Tower, Revolving restaurant, Hot Air Balloon, a Drive-In theatre and a night sky as it appeared when railways was first introduced in India. This is a remarkable effort which has been recognized by the Limca Book of records.

The museum is located in a one storey building which houses a toy store, its workshop where all the models are created and the area which houses the miniature city. The live train show is held every half an hour livening up the whole model city in the backdrop of the story of Bunty and Bubbly who get lost in the city and explore various parts of the city.

As the story progresses, the various types of trains in the city from age old, engine trains to the latest ICE trains come alive and wander through the city. The miniature cars and the bikes travel through the city. A building catches fire and an ambulance arrives to help. Many such situations are created and we are taken through the wonders of the creativity that made this miniature city possible.

The ground floor houses a real life minitaure airport with its main building, control tower, planes and helicopters, cars parked on the buildings and many more models related to an airport. Various train models from ICE train to Jungfrau train. If you happened to buy a Jungfrau miniature model on your trip to Switzerland, it was probably manufactured right here in Pune.

We got a chance to look at their workshop, also located at the ground floor and get a preview to their latest inventions in miniaturization.

The ground floor also houses the toy shop, which sells apart from model trains, cars and planes, an excellent collection of toys for the young people which you will not find in shopping malls.

If you want to take your kid to the real world of "Thomas and Friends", its right here.

Click below to view a small clip of the show.



Useful Travel Information for visiting Joshi's Miniature Railways Museum

Location:

Click here to see the map of the Museum

Ask for Karishma Society if you can't locate the place when you are near this area.

Charges:

For anyone above 3 years of age, the entry fee is Rs. 25. Its free for kids below 3 years.

Timings:

The musuem is open at different times throughout the week. On weekends, it is open from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. It is best to call and check the timings before visiting.

You easily spend about 1½ hour at the museum including the miniature city show.

Link:

http://www.minirailways.com

Look back at our Rich culture

When we look at our daily life, it is surrounded by items manufactured en masse, from the clothes to food, home furniture to vehicles. Look at anything that we consume, there is nothing unique about it. Everyone else is using the same thing. At such time, when we get a chance to look at the unique items that were used by people in bygone times, we relaize how rich our traditional lifestyle was.

We got a look at the daily life of Indians since 12th century in the Raja Kelkar Museum located at Shukrawar Peth. Its a one-man collection of over 21,000 artifacts by Late Padmashree Dr. D.G. Kelkar. It reflects the richness of the daily life through day to day items like ovens, vegetable cutters, coconut scrapper, carved doors and windows, toys, foot scrubs and combs used by women, traditional clothes and ornaments. What is unique about these items is the creative way by which each item is created. The vegetable cutter is in various shapes of peacock and other birds, the foot scrub with handles depicting elephants in a combat, Sindur boxes in animal motifs and human figures, rare earthenware made of chinese clay and so on.

These items are collected from all over India including Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra and Kashmir. Each of the item is unique and created with lot of imagination. Today's plastic items are a far cry from these mundane but invaluable pieces of art.


A remarkable section dedicated to Ivory displays perfume bottles, chess boards, a full door and a statue of Jesus Christ made of Ivory among other items. There are numerous statues made of marble and other stones of dieties of various Indian religions. A section is dedicated to the toys from the bygone era. Another section is dedicated to the arms and ammunitions.

The section that I enjoyed the most was floor full of musical instruments. There are lots of instruments in different forms and shapes relefting indian craftsmanship. From the old age Mayur veena to the earliest radios and Yamaha piano, the collection has some unique instruments. There is a three sided tanpura and five headed Tabla. Also there are two tablas made of glass instead of the wood. Instruments used by famous personalities like, Bal Gandharv's Tamboori. Pannalal Ghosh's flute, P.L. Deshpande's Sarinda add to the attraction of the collection.

One of the main attraction is the reacreation of the Mastani Mahal. The legendary story of Bajirao and Mastani is famous all over Maharashtra. The palace that Bajirao created for Mastani was dismantled and recreated in its original glory in this museum.

At the normal speed, the museum can be covered in about one and half hour and if you spend time to appreciate the creativity of the skills of our people, then it will take much more time to cover the whole museum.

If you want to show yourself and your kids our rich culture, then this is the place to go.

Useful Information about Raja Kelkar Museum

Location:

Click here to see the location of map.

Links:

http://www.rajakelkarmuseum.com/

Charges:

In addition to the charges mentioned on the website,

Rs. 150 for camera
Rs. 75 for mobile camera

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Lake near Wanawadi

It is always a pleasure to have guests at our home. We always look for places that can be visited within the city limits. There are the usual places like museums, temples, shopping streets (M.G. road and Laxmi Road in Pune) and the new funky malls. However, these are places that are found in all the cities and probably the guests want something better. We are lucky to have this nice park very close to our home. We have not only taken our guests but also friends who live in Pune but are not aware of this park.



Within a five minutes drive from our home, we reach the park that we have visited many times now and always enjoy going back again. The main attraction is boating. Instead of going all the way to Lonavala or Mahabaleshwar for boating, we can enjoy some nice time boating right next to our home. The park has both peddle boats and row boats.


Another attraction is a hanging bridge over the lake. It gives some anxious moments as one goes over it. The kids enjoy going again and again over it once they get a hang of it. There are quite a number of ducks floating on the lake at any time. There are lots of fishes found in some parts of the lake. Many people come over to feed them early in the morning. There are many different varieties of birds found around the lake. I am not into serious bird watching, else I could have indentified the species of the birds. But, it could be a paradise for any bird watcher. There is an open space where people can just sit around and enjoy the cool environment while the kids play around. There is a play area for kids with some slides and swings, but is not in very good condition.

Overall its a little paradise in the middle of all the hustle bustle of the city.




Useful Information on visiting the park.

Route:

Click here to see the exact location of the lake.

Since this park is within the complex of S R P F, you will need to go through one of the main gates of the complex. The guard at the gate will ask you about where you want to go. You can ask him a permit to visit the lake. If convinced, you will be permitted to enter the complex.

Charges:

Entry for the park is Rs. 5 per person. The boating charges are Rs. 15 per person. There is sufficient parking available for 4 wheelers and 2 wheelers.

Trivia:

Aamir Khan's Mangal Pandey was partly shot here !!

Details and maps of all the Jain Temples in and near Pune

Below is the list and addresses of all the Shwetambar Jain Derasars/Temples in Pune. See the Google Map with locations of more than 25 derasars.

1	Akurdi	Shree Sambhavnath Jain Mandir, Vitthalwadi, Akurdi, Pune.	020-27656983
2	Akurdi	Shree Vasupujya Jain Shwetambar Trust, Akurdi, Pune.
3	Alandi	Shree Shankheshwar Parshwanath tirth, Devachi Alandi, Pune.
4	Alandi	Shree Nakoda Parshwanath Jain Temple Trust, Alandi, Pune.
5	Balaji Nagar	Shree Vimalnath Swami Jain Mandir, Rajkiram Bunglow, Opp. Pawar Hospital, Balaji Nagar
6	Balaji Nagar	Shree Sheetalnath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Balaji Nagar, Pune - 43.	020-24476742
7	Bhawani Peth	Shree Shankheshwar Parshwanath Shwetambar Jain Mandir Trust, 1201, Bhawani Peth, Pune - 42	020-26351756
8	Bhawani Peth	Shree Kesariya Parshwanath Jain Temple Trust, 382/2, Bhawani Peth, Kumar Galaxy, Pune - 42.
9	Bhawani Peth	Shree Satavisa Jain City Group, 113, Kalpataru Plaza, Bhawani Peth, Pune - 42.
10	Bhopla Chowk	Shree Jain Shwetambar Rajasthani Samaj Trust, 1690, Bhopla Chowk, Camp, Pune - 1
11	Bhosari	Shree Shantinath Jain Mandir (Ghar Derasar), Alandi Road, Bhosari, Pune.	020-27122147
12	Bibwewadi	Shree Lake Town Jain Sangh, Lake Town, Bibwewadi, Pune.
13	Bibwewadi	Shree Vimalnath Swami Jain Shwetambar Temple Trust, Opp. Bibwewadi Police Station, Bibwewadi, Pune - 37.
14	Bopodi	Shree Sambhavnath Jain Mandir, Bopodi, Pune
15	Budhwar Peth	Shree Sudharma Swami Jain Shwetambar Murtipujak Sangh, 508 B, Budhwar Peth, Pune - 2	020-56025960
16	Budhwar Peth	Shree Chintamani Parshwanath Jain Mandir, 338, Budhwar Peth, Pune - 2.
17	Chinchwad	Shree Adeshwar Temple Trust, Chinchwad, Pune
18	Dapodi	Shree Shantinath Jain Shwetambar Mandir Trust, Dapodi Gaon, Pune.
19	Dehu Road	Shree Vimalnath Jain Mandir, Dehu gaon, Pune.	020-27692682/3.
20	Erandwane	Shree Vasupujya Swami Jain Temple Trust, 5/9, Erandwane, Near Nal Stop, Pune - 4.
21	Fatima Nagar	Shree Munisuvrat Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Plot No. 20, Fatima Nagar, Pune - 13.	020-26821420
22	Ghorpadi	Shree Mahavir Jain Mandir, Gorpadi Bazaar, Near Bus Stand, Pune.	020-26372745
23	Golibar Maidan	Shree Sambhavnath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Maniwal Bunglow, Near Golibar Maidan, Camp, Pune - 1.
24	Guruwar Peth	Shree Godi Parshwanathji Temple Trust, 110 B/111, Guruwar Peth, Pune - 42	020-24474767
25	Guruwar Peth	Shree Shantinath Bhagwan Temple Trust, 321, M. Phule Peth, Shanti Nagar Society, Pune - 42.
26	Guruwar Peth	Shree Adinath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Rushabh Jain Group, Porwal Bhavan, Guruwar Peth, Pune - 2.
27	Hadapsar	Shree Sheetalnath Bhagwan Jain Mandir, Trimurti Colony, Nr. Sadhna Society Gate, Akashwani Kendra, Hadapsar.
	Hadapsar	Shree Sheetalnath Bhagwan Jain Ghar Mandir, Kothari's Home, Sadhna Society, Hadapsar.
	Hadapsar Phursungi	Shree Sheetalnath Bhagwan Jain Mandir, Phursungi Gaon, 1km. away from IBM office, Phursungi.
28	Juna Pulgate	Shree Sheetalnath Shwetambar Jain Derasar
29	Kalyani Nagar	Shree Munisuvrat Swami Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Near HSBC, West Ave., Along the river side, Kalyani Nagar, Pune.
29	Kasarwadi	Shree Naminath Shwetambar Jain Sangh, Kasarwadi, Pune.
30	Katraj	Shree Agamodhaarak Devarshi Jain Agam Mandir Trust, Agam Hill, Katraj, Pune - 46.	020-24318654
31	Katraj	Shree Viralayam Shwetambar Jain Derasar,	020-24319057,24317874
32	Katraj	Shree Shatrunjay Temple Trust, S.No. 94, Katraj Kondhwa Road, Pune.	020-26962144
33	Khadki	Shree Mahavir Swami Temple Trust, Juna Bazaar, Khadki, Pune - 3.
34	Khadki	Shree Munisuvrat Swamiji Maharaj Temple Trust, 24 Juna Bazaar, Khadki, Pune - 3.	020-25817266
35	Market Yard	Shree Adinath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Isha Emerald Society, Ganga Dham Chowk, Market Yard, Pune.
36	Market Yard	Shree Vasupujya Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Murad Society, Market Yard, Pune - 37.
37	Market Yard	Shree Parshwanath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Siddhachal Society, Gul tekdi, Market Yard, Pune - 37.
38	Market Yard	Shree Ruturaj Jain Sangh, Ruturaj Society, Pune
39	Market Yard	Hyde Park Parisar Jain Sangh, Hyde Park, Gultekdi, Market Yard, Pune
40	Market Yard	Shree Suparshwanath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Suparshwanath Society, Market Yard, Pune - 37.
41	MG Road	Shree Vasupujya Shwetambar Jain Derasar, 553, Center Street, Sachapir Street, Off. M.G. Road, Pune - 1.
42	Mira Society	Shree Vasupujya swami Mira Anand Jain Sangh, Sheetal Society, Behind Mira Society, Pune - 6.
43	Mukund Nagar	Shree Shantinath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, DSK Chandradeep Society, Mukund Nagar, Pune - 37.
44	Mukund Nagar	Shree Naminath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Chandanbala Apartment, Mukund Nagar, Pune - 37.
45	Padmavati	Shree Bhagyavardhak Jain Shwetambar Derasar, S.No. 13, Padmavati Nagar, Pune Satara Road, Pune - 43.	020-24362696
46	Paud Road	Shree Suvidhinath Jain Sangh, Paud Road, Pune
47	Pulgate	Shree Shantinath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, 209, Solapur Bazaar, Pulgate, Pune - 1
48	Rasta Peth	Shree Adishwar (Indraprasth) Jain Shwetambar Temple Trust, Indraprastha Complex, Rasta Peth, Pune - 11.
49	Raviwar Peth	Shree Rajrajendrasuri Jain Gyan Mandir, 1137, Ravivar Peth, Govind Halwai Chowk, Pune - 2.
50	Sadashiv Peth	Shree Vardhaman Swami Jain Charitable Trust, Gai Ali, Sadashiv Peth, Pune - 30.
51	Sahakar Nagar	Shree Parshwanath Shwetambar Jain Mandir Trust, 411, Mahavir Society, Sahakar Nagar No.1, Pune - 9.
52	Sahakar Nagar	Shree Mahavir swami Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Trupti Apartment, Sahakar Nagar No. 2, Pune - 9.
53	Salisbury Park	Shree Sambhavnath Jain Mandir, Salisbury Park, Gultekdi, Pune - 37.
54	Sangavi	Shree Kunthunath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Dhore Nagar, Sangavi, Pune - 27.	020- 27280016, 9371006817
55	Shivaji Nagar	Shree Jain Shwetambar Kunthunath Trust, 372, Shivaji Nagar, Pune - 5.
56	Shukrawar Peth	Shree Adinath Maharaj Mandir (Gotiwala Ghada), 1415, Shukrawar Peth, Pune - 2.	020-24471162
57	Shukrawar Peth	Shree Sheetalnath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Shree Panchdasha Oswal Jain Sangh, Shukrawar Peth, Pune.
58	Shukrawar Peth	Shree Adeshwar Visa Porwal Sirohiya Temple Trust, 995, New Shukrawar Peth, Pune - 2.	020-24482509
59	Shukrawar Peth	Shree Godwad Jain Shwetambar Mutipujak Sangh, Shukrawar Peth, Gadikhana, Pune - 2.
60	Sinhgadh Road	Shree Kunthunath Jain Sangh, Manikbaug, Sinhgadh Road, Pune - 51.
61	Somwar Peth	Shree Adinath Bhagwan Jain Derasar, 28, Somwar Peth, Pune - 11	020-26129403
62	Sukhsagar Nagar	Shree Sukhsagar Parshwa Jain Murtipujak Sangh, S.No. 10/11, Sukh Sagar Nagar, Pune
63	Swargate	Shatrunjay Darshan Society, Shankarsheth Road, Pune - 42.
64	Swargate	Shree Dadawadi Jain Shwetambar Temple trust, 984/85, Shukrawar Peth, Near Saras Baug, Pune - 2.	020-24441221
65	Swargate	Shree Adinath Society Jain Temple Trust, Adinath Society, Pune-Satara Road, Near Swargate, Pune - 37.	020-24267590
66	Swargate	Shree Neminath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Kalyan Society, Shankar Sheth Road, Pune - 37.
67	Swargate	Shree Shankheshwar Parshwanath Jain Derasar, Ghar Derasar, Himgiri, 322/11/ Shankar Sheth Road, Pune - 37.
68	Timber Market	Shree Parshwanath Jain Shwetambar Mandir Trust (Manmohan Parshwanath), 267/2, Timber Market, Pune - 42.
69	Vadgaon Sheri	Shree Sambhavnath Jain Shwetambar Murtipujak Sangh, Vadgaon Sheri, Pune.
70	Vishrantwadi	Shree Vishrantwadi Jain Sangh, Vishrantwadi, Pune.
71	Wanawadi	Shree Adinath Shwetambar Jain Derasar, Wanawadi gaon, Wanawadi, Pune - 40.
72	Yerwada	Shree Suvidhinath Maharaj Temple Trust, 31, Yerwada Bazaar, Pune - 6.	020-26685938
73	Bhopla Chowk	Shree Adinath Ghar derasar, Center Street, Pune - 1.
74	Bhopla Chowk/td>	Shree Shantinath Jain Derasar, Bhopla Chowk, Pune - 1.

I am working on updating the list with all the Digambar, Sthanakvasi and other Jain temples.

Please put a comment if any of the information is incorrect, a new derasar needs to be added or if you wish to add to the Map of all the missing temples.

Jai Jinendra !!

Mesmerizing Morachi Chincholi

In the famous childhood story of the pied piper, the pipe player manages to attract the rats and then the children out of the village. We experienced that feeling when we entered the Morachi Chincholi village. The children in the story were being attracted out of the village by the sound of flute; we were being attracted into the village by the sounds of peacocks. Morachi means Peacock’s and Chincholi means tamarind. This small village is home to over 1000 peacocks and is full of tamarind trees, hence its name. As soon as we entered the village, the beautiful voices of peacocks started driving us. The sound was so clear and loud that one would think that a peacock is nearby. However there was no peacock in sight. Slowly, the sounds started coming from all directions and we were looking all around. The village itself is very beautiful with fields on both sides of the main road. The usual farming activity was going on at its own pace. Beautiful gulmohar trees with its red flowers were hanging down the road on both the sides. The sounds of peacocks continued and finally I spotted a peacock at a far away tree.




The peacock is a very shy bird. If you go close by and aren't familiar, it will run away. We decided against going close by and let the peacock enjoy his rest. By this time the cool atmosphere of the village was getting onto us and we were enjoying the surroundings completely. After spending some time looking at the peacock on the tree from faraway, we moved ahead into the village. I spotted another peacock on a narrow lane and we stopped to have a closer look. A farmer spotted us and called us towards the other side of the road telling us that there is a peacock close by. We went towards him and surely there was another peacock on the ground, enjoying his walk. This time the peacock noticed us and moved away from us quickly and elegantly.



We moved back on the main road and the peacock I had spotted on the lane turned out to be a blue cloth ;-). We went a further ahead to chance upon other peacocks. The time was around 4:00 PM in the evening and we came back to the main entrance of the village from where had started. A new tourist center has come up here which has created facilities for tourists to view peacocks from the close quarters. We had checked that place when we entered and the person there had told us that the peacocks will start coming after 4:30 PM. We checked into the center after making the payments and started exploring the center. The first was a small museum related to astronomy. It is a thoughtfully developed museum with models of planets, space rockets, and astronauts. There are pictures of scientific personnel from old timers to Kalpana Chawla with brief description of each. It also has some 3D pictures which can be seen through special glasses. Kalpak had a good time over there and we decided to move on with promise to him that we will return there. The next was a beautiful rose nursery with rows of rose plants of various colors like red, pink, white, yellow. I had a good time clicking some close-ups of the roses.




The next was a small traditional village type hut. The interiors were painted beautifully in Warli style. We appreciated the true meaning of Warli paintings in this hut. The usual Warli paintings that we see outside can not convey its true meaning as they are usually displayed as stand alone paintings. The location of each painting in relation to the place of the house like kitchen, temple illustrated its true purpose.




We continued exploring the place and found a play area for kids. It has some usual and nice playing stuff like slides, tree swings, and trampoline (which Kalpak enjoyed a lot). It also has a rain dance area (!!!).

It was about time peacocks would come out in the open. While I went to the main office to inquire about the place to watch peacocks, I got a call from Deepal to come fast. They had spotted a peacock very close by. I went and joined them in enjoying the peacock. It was on its way to the platform which has been set up with food grains such that they are away from the main center but at the same time visible from the place. I took some pictures of the peacock and followed its each and every motion without disturbing it. Peacocks are shy as well as very patient birds. This peacock was standing at the same place for close to 15-20 minutes without moving a single bit. We moved into the main area of the center which has been setup for viewing the peacocks. Deepal had a brief chat with two women who were doing farming over there. The peacocks are familiar with the people of the village. While they move away from the tourists, they recognize the village people and do not mind coming close to them or interacting with them. The two women went about doing their job and in some time, the peacock moved past them towards the eating place.



Meanwhile, I spotted another peacock coming from another direction towards the platform. This peacock once did its famous plumage while on its way to the meal. Soon, there were 2 others with a peahen coming to have their meal. In no time, the platform was buzzing with all the peacocks and peahens. We moved towards the terrace of the building to have a bird’s eye view of the birds :). Once the meal was done, the peacocks started moving back to the directions they had come from. It was a treat to look at the peacock walking. It is a slow and beautiful motion. We had another close look at the departing peacock. There were still a lot of peacocks visible and Deepal was not ready to leave. We had to finally bid good bye to the place with satisfaction that we will surely visit this place again in future.

For details on how to reach there and other useful details click here.