Mahableshwar is considered to be a popular hill station that is located in the Sahyadri Mountain Range. This is well known for the evergreen forests, breezy weather and of course, fresh strawberries. This is at a distance of only 285 kms from Mumbai and thus you have people flocking here to spend their weekends. From Pune this works out to be at a distance of 120 kms.
Mahableshwar is a ‘paradise’ for all those nature lovers. The villages of old ‘Kshetra’, Malcolm Peth, and also a part of Shindola form this stunning hill station. This is considered to be a pilgrimage place for many Hindus as the holy river ‘Krishna’ is known to originate from here. Mahableshwar also works out to be a ‘perfect’ romantic getaway due to the many lakes, vantage points and waterfalls.
You can explore the natural grandeur of this hill station at Elephant’s Head Point, Arthur’s Seat, Lodwick Point, Babington Point, and also Wilson Point.
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Mapro Garden
The strawberry plantations that are owned by ‘Mapro’ are located Gureghar. This is on the ‘Mahableshwar-Panchgani’ road. Mr. Kishore Vora established these in 1959. Mapro is known to be a popular brand for food processing with an annual capacity of approximately 30 thousand.
This garden is an orchard known to cultivate strawberries. The chocolate factory is a ‘must’ visit for all the food lovers. You can also get your ice creams, strawberry milk shakes and salads.
This green garden has a nursery, restaurant, and a play area for children. You can spend the whole day here with your family. You can shop for fresh strawberries, marmalades, jams, crushes and syrups.
The annual strawberry festival is between the months of March and April. Additional attraction to this festival is the music performances and folk dances.
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Mahabelshwar Temple
Located at a distance of around 6 kms from Mahableshwar is an ancient Shiva temple known as the ‘Mahableshwar Temple’. This is in the district of Satara in Maharashtra. This temple is considered to be the landmark of Maratha heritage. This temple, set in a hilly range, was built at the time of the rule of Chanda Roy More in the 16th century.
This temple was built in the style of the Hemdanta style from South India architecture and is considered to be one of the most sacred temples, and is also known as the ‘Dakshina Kashi’.
Aatma Lingam of 6 ft in height along with the Para Lingam is housed in the sanctorum.
You can also get a glimpse of the Trishul, Damru, statue of ‘Nandi’ and the Rudraksha here. According to the locals, the raised platform is where Shivaji Maharaj weighed Jijabai, his mother, in gold. This was then donated to charity.
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Elephant’s Head Point
Due to the rock formation of an extended ridge at a distance of the Sahyadri range this point is named ‘Elephant’s Head Point’. The shape is very similar to the head of an elephant. This is known to be one of the best vantage points of this hill station. You get a beautiful view of the mountains around this point.
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Arthur’s Seat
Arthur’s Seat, located at a height of almost 1470 kms, is considered to be one of the most famous viewpoints of Mahableshwar. This point is also known as ‘The Queen’s Point’. From here you can view dense forests on the right, ‘The Bramha Aranya’ and to the east you can get a view of ‘The Savitri River’.
According to a legend this viewpoint is named after ‘Arthur Malet’. He used to gaze at the river for hours and mourn of his wife’s death. This point can be reached with a ttrek of 30 minutes from the parking space. This will also cover Echo Point, Hunter Point, Tiger Sprint Point, Malcolm Point and Window Point.
The valleys on both sides are worth a view.
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Venna Lake
This Venna Lake is located only 2km from the city. This is a ‘man made’ lake. Shri Appasaheb Maharaj, Satara’s ruler had built this lake in the year 1842. This was built to ensure there is no disruption in the water supply. The lake covers 28 acres and has 7 to 8 km of periphery.
Due to the beauty of this lake it has worked out to be a popular picnic spot of Mahableshwar.
A boat ride can increase your enjoyment level. Though the waterfront is a bit noisy, this lake is surrounded by trees that provide the required serenity. You have the option of binging on street food or choosing horse riding.
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Lingmala Waterfall
The Lingmala waterfall is situated at a distance of 6 kms from the Mahableshwar – Pune highway. This is close to the forest bungalow of Lingmala.
The main waterfall is at a height of 600 feet. There is a ‘mini’ waterfall 30 minutes from here.
You can swim, splash around or just relax with family in the ‘mini’ waterfall but not in the main waterfall as it can be dangerous. This is a good place for trekking.
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Krishnabai Temple
This ancient temple, the Krishnabai temple, was built in the year 1888. This temple is devoted to ‘Shiva’. This temple, which is more than 1000 years old, is situated above the ‘Panch Ganga’ temple, and overlooks the valley of Krishna.
The locals revere the grand Shiva Linga placed in this temple.
The stone carved cow in this temple has water flowing from its mouth. This is the ‘Gomukh’. This is where the River Krishna originates. Before the water can flow into the main river, it is collected in a specific tank. The pilgrims consider this auspicious.
A statue of Lord Krishna adds serenity to the temple.
This temple adapted the Hemadpanthi style architecture. The ceilings are sculpted in an intricate manner and the columns are ‘stone-carved’.
Mahableshwar is one place that needs to be listed in your ‘must’ visit places. You can spend some quality time here with your family and friends.
