Green at Bhandardara
Suhas Dutta
Maharashtra is a state with weirdly bunched up attractions. It has fairly nice beaches, some history in terms of forts and some spectacularly beautiful hill regions. The last of the lot is what we are talking about here. The state because of its climactic conditions and topography seems arid and dry except during the monsoons and for a period soon after. That is when the state is green like you have never seen before. Bhandardara is one such place which is best visited during the monsoons, though I am sure it looks tolerably beautiful even later.
Travel to and Fro
Its about 180 odd kms from Mumbai and can sort of be reached only by road, and that is exactly what you would want to do because the drive is nice too. The best access is through the Eastern Express Highway out of Mumbai. You will get on to the Ghats, go through Igatpuri and then take the first right after the Kitply factory on your right. The kitply factory is about 4-5 km after Manas resorts. Take the right, drive through a rather dirty Ghoti Village, take the first right again, and keep following the road till after the railway crossing. Then you will pass by a village called Dewla. Keep going, till you find another t-junction (and this has an MTDC board), and take a right there. Then just keep following the road till you reach the Shendi Village and again take a right to reach the MTDC resort (if that is where you plan to stay). So this is what we did on an early Sunday morning. Try to leave Bombay by 7 or so, so that you get a free run on the roads. The last time I visited this place, we reached Igatpuri around 10 or so, and had a breakfast in Manas resort. If you go during a weekday, I am hoping that the service will be better there. This unfortunately is about the only decent eating place in the entire route. Of course there are a few roadside dhabas, but that is like challenging your stomach really. There are two other hotels in Igatpuri, you could try those if you like - Golden resort and Hotel Ashwin. T
he road till Igatpuri is fairly decent, the ghat roads are very good in most places, well painted and maintained except in one or two long stretches, where the road has gotten itself potholes. The route during the rains also becomes very pretty, you start seeing plenty of green as soon as you leave Bombay. Its beautiful all around really. Just after you pass by the Ghoti village, you enter a different world all together, of friendly villagers, stunning sceninc beauty and tranquility.
The tranquility takes a backseat if you happen to be visiting during Friday or the weekend. Suggestion is to do a mid week trip or at least a Sunday Monday. You will pass above rivulets, through absolutely lush green paddy fields, pass by tall (at least by Sahyadri standards) mountains on your sides and traverse by deep valleys too. but, what you need to keep in mind is that this place is best visited during monsoons or just after. Even if you are visiting this place during monsoons, it should have rained well for at least 20 days before you get here. then the streams will be full and the greens would be lush. The way to Bhandardara is as pretty as the place itself. I went there on a photo trip and came back beaming. If landscape photography interests you, this is it.
Accommodation
There are three hotels in B’dara. Without a shade of doubt, the best location is that of the MTDC place. Right by the lake which is one of the star attractions of this place. Also it is the most optimal to stay in the regular Rs 800 (for two) rooms because the cottages are a bit away from the hotel (lends privacy, but is inconvenient). The view from the cottages is no better than that from the room. The place is really windy from evening to morning. If you dont like lower temperatures, take a wind breaker with you. We needed to use blankets in the night. The wind does really howl through the night and howls hard.
Do not, I repeat DO NOT eat at the restaurant at the hotel. They serve really crappy food, the plates are unclean et al. You cant cook in the rooms, so take some bread, canned ready to eat food, cheese and stuff with you. Oh yes, take bottled water with you as well. The tap water is horrible, brown and smells of diesel as well. I was left with no choice but to even brushed my teeth with Aquafina. Between three of us, we had taken a case of botled water for an overnight trip. The water in the tap might run out anytime, so be a bit careful if you are in the middle of taking a shower. The bathrooms are fairly clean and have geysers which you will be able to operate if there is power.
Walkabout
If you have your own vehicle, try to get a local to show you around. One of the workers in the hotel would be happy to accompany you around for a hundred bucks for a day. They will take you to table top (which is across the lake) and is a plateau with great views. Also to konkan kada, which is on top of a mountain, with a three sided gorge and has stunning views again. Its a bit far away, but really worth the drive.
The most famous of all places is the Randha falls of the Pravara river. There are some great photo ops in every nook and cranie of this area. So if you are a photo enthusiast take plenty of film, ensure that your film is of the type that represents the green truly (fuji velvia, reala do a good job). If you are there during July August, you will get to see lots of farmers doing the rice transplant and that makes for great photos too.
The Kalsubai peak (1646 metres)is the highest in the Sahyandri Range and is quite a trek. Better done after rains through, it becomes a bit dangerous during the rainy season. There will be mist and fog once in a while, there will be really low hanging clounds most of the time. But once in a while the sun will shine through and make everything dazzle. MS doesnt let us, but if it did, I would have shown you some of the photographs of this place.
Built in 1910, the Arthur lake (which the MTDC resort overlooks) itself is a looker. It is 34km in length as is an artificially created lake as the reservoir for Wilson Dam. The lake also appears quite deep at places, and must be, because it fills up the gorges pretty well, and these mountains here are not really low hillocks. Situated on the bank of the Parvara River, the Agasti Rishi Ashram finds a place in the scripts of the Ramayan. It is said that Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita visited Agasti Rishi. The Rishi had then given Lord Ram a miraculous arrow which was used to kill the devil, Ravan, in order to rescue Sita. The ashram, although under renovation, manages to attract crowds from all over.
The fort of Ratangadh lies only a few kilometers away from the MTDCresort. It was captured by Shiivaji and was one of his favourites. The fort has a breathtaking view and provides ample grounds for trekkers.
The Amriteshwar temple dates back to 1100 AD. Built in a distinct Hemadpanti style, the intricately carved temple still stands proud. Thought I mention June-Aug as the best time to get here, because of the choices below...the best time is actually July-Sept. The rivers are in spate late August, the greenery is the starkest during that time as well and it would not be raining too much either.
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