Golfways - A great place to play indoor golf

Golfways is a very cool concept for family entertainment. It is a 18-hole golf course, to be played indoors !! As you enter the place, you are completely dazzled by the bright and vibrant look of it.

To start the game, you are given a fluorescent score card, a club and a small fluorescent ball. Everything around is designed in such a way that it glows in the dark. The pictures here just do not give justice to the actual effect found over there.

Each hole has a different fluorescent design, a unique theme and a unique challenge level. As you move up the levels, you come across various themes. Some are straight forward courses where the hole is visible from the starting point. But in some places you need to pass the ball through some obstructions to reach the hole. One of the course takes the ball through really nice geometric formation, while another one has really difficult obstruction to get through. The overall level of difficulty of the game is simple, but you can take your own time to move through various courses, while enjoying and admiring the lights around you.

They have a nice little online game on their website http://www.golfwayindia.com/onlinegame.php to see the various themes used in the actual courses.

Once you reach the last course, there is a surprise in store for you. If you hit the ball into one of the three holes , then you get another round of the game for free.

The entire round of 18 holes costs Rs. 190 for adults and Rs. 170 for kids. This price was Rs. 100 some time back and they have been increasing the price steadily now !!

Apart from the golf course, there are a number of arcade games for kids to enjoy from car racing, biking, basketball, bowling, and so on. The small kids who are not interested in playing golf, can spend time on these games. For Rs. 100 you get to play five different games.

Overall, it is a great way to spend an evening.

Useful travel information about Golfways:

Unfortunately, this place has closed down. 

It is on the opposite side of road to the Weikfield IT park and the Hyatt hotel on Nagar Road, Pune.

It is open from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

© Paras Doshi, 2010.

Cultural Villages in Pune - Sanskruti, Chowki Dhani, Lekha farms, Abhiruchi

There are many cultural villages around Pune. The concept is simple. In a single place of about 2-3 acres, a village type atmosphere is created and a large number of activities are made available for kids and elders. The activities range from Magic shows, folk dance, Kath putali show, Camel rides, Tatto, Mahendi to even "tel malish". There is unlimited food.

Overall, it makes a nice evening with the family and friends.

There are 4 such popular places in all the four directions of Pune. Sanskruti after Hadapsar, Chowki Dhani on Nagar Road, Abhiruchi on Sinhgadh road and Lekha Farms on Dehu Road bypass. Here is a brief review of our experiences at these places.

1. Sanskruti:

This was our first experiece of such a village and we went with a friend's family.

This is located on the Pune-Solapur Road, ahead of Hadapsar.

As we entered the gate, a tall man greeted us. The kids enjoyed this tall guy a lot. There were refreshments like Pani Puri and Rasana juice. Soon after everyone got involved in various activities ranging from Magic Show, Pottery, Tattoo, Puppet Show, Folk Dance etc. The activities were quite fun, specially for the first timers like us. The puppet shows are pretty good at all the places. The Magic Show is a standard one everywhere. So, if you have seen one, it is as good as see all others.

As the time passed on, and most of the activities were done, we headed for lunch. The lunch was typical Gujarati fare when we went and the food was quite good. The desert was ice cream and gulab jamuns.

The charge was reasonable when we went, but as per its website now the charge is about Rs. 350 per head.

Overall it was a pleasant experience and we would definitely like to have another visit when we get a chance.

Click here for the map to Sanskruti

2. Lekha Farms

This one is similar to Sanskruti. The theme is again Rajasthan. The difference is that it usually has less crowd compared to other places, and hence we enjoyed it more than the rest.

The food and the activities are similar to the once described in Sanskruti. An additional attraction is a small swimming pool. It was in decent condition, but nobody was using it. The food was excellent, better than the rest.

The entry charge is reasonable, but its best to call first and check the latest entry charges.

Click here for the map to Lekha farms

3. Chowki Dhani

This is the most popular of all the cultural villages in Pune. And it can easily be felt once we reach there. It is full of people and we happened to visit during Diwali time, so there was a very heavy rush.

There are a large number of activities, apart from the standard ones we had seen so far. The additional activities are Camel and Bullock cart rides, Massage and even Tel Malish.

This one has more commercial feel as a lot of activities are packed in a relatively smaller area. If you happen to visit during rush time then the fun as not as much. So, to get the maximum fun, try to visit when there is likely to be less crowd.

The charge was on a higher side and is still is.

Click here for the map to Chowki Dhani

4. Abhiruchi

This place is based on Maharashtrian theme. The acitivities are lesser compared to other places and since a lot of construction has come up in surrounding areas, the feel of a village is lost here. An additional attraction is a poorly maintained mini-rail. They would start it only if there were minimum 10 people. It also has swimming pool, but was unusable due to poor maintenance.

I will not recommend to anyone to visit this one.

Click here for the map to Abhiruchi.

Based on our experience, we found Sanskruti to be the best among all.

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Katraj Zoo

I am usually wary of visiting zoos in India, due to poorly maintained zoos all over. This meant that despite of Katraj zoo being very famous, we did not visit till a long time. But, when I heard lots of good reviews from other people, we decided to visit it.

The best part about this zoo is they have a shuttle which sits about 10 people to take you around the zoo. This means that you do not get tired walking all around the zoo, which tend to be really large in area.

The other is of course the animals themselves. The white tiger here is really majestic and so is the yellow tiger. The other animals are in their big natural habitat and not in cages.

There is a wide variety of animals including fox, leopard, chinkara, bisons, Black buck and so on. The peocock was in a cage, so that was a dampener. The Katraj lake used to be used for boating, but after some crocodiles were found, boating has been closed now.

The famous snake park is also in the same complex. So, after the zoo, we went into the snake park. It wasn't so impressive though.

Overall, it is the best option to take the kids for a wild ride.

Useful Travel Information:

Though the zoo is open till 6:00 PM, the shuttle operates only till 5:00 PM. The entry charges and the shuttle charges are separate, but very nominal.

Address: Opp Katraj Dairy, Pune Satara Rd, Katraj, Pune - 411046

Phone: +(91)-(20)-24367712

Click here for the map to the zoo

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

Sentosa Water Park

This is an excellent water park near the express highway exit.

It isn't very big, but it is very decent and very well maintained. The rides include Landing pool, Kiddies Pool, Rain Dance, Wave Pool and an open swimming area. The Wave pool is the best. The wave and rain dance are not on continuously but at regular intervals. Both stay on for about 15-20 minutes.

The staff is well trained and they keep an eye on all the people using the facilities and help them with the rides.

The biggest drawback is that there is very less covered area. The entire pool is open and there is nowhere to go if you want to take a break under a shade.

It will be a good idea to apply sufficient sun screen lotion before venturing into the pool to avoid sun burns.

Useful Travel Information:

The entry charge was Rs. 250 per head only for the pool entry.

Click here for the map

© Paras Doshi, 2009.

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.

Useful travel information to visit Morachi Chincholi

Click here for the detailed travelogue on Morachi Chincholi

Summary:

1. Peacocks, peacocks and lots of peacocks in natural habitat
2. Excellent tourist center with lots of activities for children
3. Friendly village people

Routes:

There are two good routes to reach there.

1. Via Shikrapur on Pune-Ahmednagar Highway (approx. 60 km)
2. Via Rajgurunagar(Khed)/Pabal on Pune-Nashik Highway (approx. 81 km)

Click here for the route map on Google Maps


We took the Route 2 via Pabal to reach and took Route 1 to come back to Pune.
The condition of the roads throughout was excellent except for about 5-10 kms between Rajgurunagar(Khed) and Pabal which wasn’t too bad either.

Place   Km  Time*
Pune    000  9:45
Pabal   068 11:45
Pabal   068 13:45
Morachi Chincholi  081 14:15
Morachi Chincholi  086 18:33
Pune    144 20:30

(*Time includes few breaks and traffic.)

Best time to visit:

It is best to visit between 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM and 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM as that is the time the peacocks would come out in open. Monsoon months from June to August are the best as Peacocks are at their best due to the rains. Their feathers fall during the months of September to November. So, the time after that you will find peacocks but without their feathers. The months of April and May are best to see them at the tourist center, as they get the food and water they need easily over here during these summer months.

Links:

www.morachichincholi.com - The tourist center at Morachi Chincholi
www.chincholimorachi.com - Another tourist center at Morachi Chincholi
An excellent blog entry on Morachi Chincholi.

Request:

Please respect local habitat including the peacocks, the village and the people who live there. Please protect this place as if you will protect your personal treasure.