 |
 |
| Lonavala
& Khandala |
Situated along the Bombay-Pune highway are
the twin hill stations Lonavala and Khandala.
 The
clean crisp air of Khandala greets you as
you wind your way up the steep ghats, leaving
the humidity, heat and dust behind. Gifted
with natural greenery, both the hill stations
are a haven for nature lovers. Both Lonavala
as well as Khandala offer breathtaking views
of cascading waterfalls during the monsoon.
The places benefit more from their proximity
to Pune as well as Mumbai. Of late Khandala
has gained popularity because of the famous
Bollywood song ‘Aati kya khandala’. Located
5km away from each other, Khandala is three
hours away from Mumbai and two hours away
from Pune. The ideal time to make a trip to
these hill stations is either after the first
monsoon showers or in November and December.
Most trekkers plan their treks at this time
of the year.  They
either camp in canvas-tents in the nearby
jungles or halt in the Dharmashalas or resorts
in the city. Lonavala is situated on the western
slopes of the Sahyadri mountain ranges. Tiger’s
Leap - a magnificent hill, Horseshoe Valley
and the famous Bhushi lake and dam are the
main attractions of Lonavala. Khandala is
less crowded than its twin hill station. Duke’s
Nose and Rajmachi Point are a must see here.
At the Rajmachi garden you have monkeys literally
eating out of your hands. Lonavala has many
shopping arcades where people can buy almost
anything they need. 
ALTITUDE: 625 Mts
TEMPERATURE: Max - 36 C in summer and
Min -12 C in winter.
BEST SEASON: All through the year
CLOTHING: Summer - cottons,
Winter - Woollens
REACHING LONAVALA-KHANDALA: Khandala,
is about 2 hours from Pune by road or rail.
All the trains going to Mumbai halt at Khandala/Lonavala.
COMMUNICATION: STD booths are available
all across the highway and at various places
in and around Lonavala and Khandala.
EATING OUT: Ramakant at Khopoli, Kamat
at Khandala for South Indian Cusine. Duke’s
Retreat for Indain as well as Continental
cuisine and El Taj for Tandoori at Khandala.
Ramkrishna for Moghlai food in Lonavala, Hotel
Adarsh and Chandralok for Gujarati thalis.
Not to miss Biji’s Inn also for thalis, Lonavala
is famous for chikki and chatpat snacks. The
famous chikki shops are Maganalal, Cooper
and National chikki.
STAYING OUT: Lots of hotels to suit
your budget are available at both these hill
stations.
TRANSPORT: Autos are available between
Lonavala/Khandala/Karla
|
|
Karla, Bhaja and Bhedsa
caves |
Just 12 kms from Lonavala is Malavali. The
famous Karla caves, Bhaja caves and Bhedsa
caves are the main attractions of this place.
Karla boasts of one of the best preserved
Chaitya caves dating back to 160 B.C. The
excavation of this cave temple started during
Hinayana period of Buddhism. What is most
amazing are the wooden arches within the temple
have lived through 2000 years without being
eaten away. The caves are 124 feet deep, 45
feet broad and 48 feet high. The most unique
feature is the principal temple that resembles
a miniature cathedral. A huge colonnade with
16 sides marks the entrance of the temple.
The top of the colonnade is crowned by four
lions looking imperiously on each of the four
sides east, west, north and south as if guarding
the colonnade. Flanking both sides of the
temple are large halls cut from the rock known
as ‘viharas’. Some are even two storeyed.
A short trek away from Karla are the Bhaja
caves, excavated in the 2nd century B.C. The
caves are set on the side of green hills.
One has a wonderful view of the Lohagad and
Visapur forts at a distance. MTDC’s resort
just a stone’s throw from the caves offers
water sports like water scooters, etc. 2 km
away from the Karla caves are the Bhaja caves
just as old as the Karla caves. Though smaller
than the Karla caves, the walls of the Bhaja
caves are more artistically carved. There
are around 18 caves out of which, the 12th
cave is the most interesting one. The viharas
contain beautifully carved sculptures of a
prince mounted on an elephant .  The
Visapur fort, one of the strongholds of Shivaji,
can be seen from here. The Bedsa caves are
famous for their carvings on the walls as
well as carvings on the two temples inside
the caves. One of the caves is a unique chapel
cave, the roof of which is supported by two
columns with intricate carvings. Right in
the interior is a figure of the goddess ‘Yemmai’.
All the three caves are of great interest
to the lovers of history. schools and colleges
arrange study tours of these caves. Karla
and Bhaja are easily reached from Malavli
station (on the Bombay-Pune rail route) or
by taxi and autorickshaw from Lonavala.
PLACES OF INTEREST: Valvan Dam, Sunset,
Panshet. For water sports enthusiasts, Panshet
is THE place. Baron’s Lakeview Resort, a picturesque
lake resort, is a good place for an overnight
halt. It offers water sports like boating,
water scooters, hovercrafts and much more.
All the rooms here have a breathtaking view
of the lake. The resort has 3 types of rooms
- standard, deluxe and the super-deluxe. For
people who love hanging around indoors there
are games like table-tennis, as well as a
gymnasium to kill time. A floating restaurant
is under construction here. People planning
an outing to Panshet try to club it with a
trip to Sinhagad, a popular picnic spot close
by.
DISTANCE: 35 km south of Pune
REACHING THERE: By road
MTDC has special buses plying from
Pune to Panshet and back. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Places of interest in
Pune |
|
|
| Places of Religious
Interest |
|
|
|
