“300KMs Mumbai Road Adventures 2008 - Mahableshwar India”

On 27th December 2008, I and friends went out to Mahableshwar in Maharashtra State India. It located more and less 300 KMs from Mumbai City. This event we called “300KMs Mumbai Road Adventures 2008 - Mahableshwar India″.

Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km², bound by valleys on all sides. It reaches a height of 1438 m (4710 ft) at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point.
Today, Mahabaleshwar is a popular holiday resort and honeymoon spot, and an important pilgrimage site for Hindus. It is the site of Mahabaleshwar Temple but unfortunetly we don’t have much time to visit this point. For your reference, many tourists visit nearby Panchgani. After the construction of a new highway, it is only a five-hour drive from Mumbai (please note, even highway there is always traffic jam especially on pick season).

Mahabaleshwar is also known for the honey and strawberries produced here (mmmm these are good huh). One can visit strawberry farms to enjoy the real flavour of the fruit. It is said that the climate of Mahabaleshwar is ideal for strawberries and mulberries. One can also get a taste of “Strawberries with Cream” or “Mulberries with Cream” (Hmmm yummy). Mahabaleshwar comprises three villages: Malcolm Peth, Old “Kshetra” Mahabaleshwar and part of the Shindola village.

Mahabaleshwar is the source of the Krishna River that flows across Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. The legendary source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Old Mahabaleshwar. Legend has it that Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trimurtis by Savitri. Also, its tributaries Venna and Koyana are said to be Siva and Brahma themselves. An interesting thing to notice is that 4 other rivers come out from the cow (bull’s) mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna. These rivers are the Koyana, Venna(Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri.

The Venna lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides. A late winter evening boat ride through the slight fog is well appreciated. Tourists can enjoy a boat ride over the lake or a horse ride next to the lake. A number of small eateries line the banks of the lake. The Mahabaleshwar city market and the S.T. bus stand is about 2KM from the lake and makes for a nice walk during the day. Most tour operators include the Venna lake in their tours. Most buses, private vehicles will stop at the Venna lake on their way to Mahabaleshwar on request.

So, if you have been in Mumbai India remember, don’t miss this one destination “Mahableshwar Hill”. You can see Venna Lake, driving horses, visit strawberry farms and many more….