Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit – Best Hill Station in Maharashtra

This time we chose Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit as a one-day trip. When we left Pune in the morning, we reached Mahabaleshwar in three hours. Traffic was also moving smoothly on the flat roads. Well, journeys continue with us- Sometimes in the mind and sometimes in the world. The journeys of the mind search only within, but the journeys of the body Trips are both inward and outward. without going sideways Where does the journey end? even small journeys in life Follow rocky paths, full of bushes and shrubs After crossing the paths we reach the peak where By becoming engrossed in meditation, we forget even the thorns in the path. forks, yes The same ones who keep meeting and parting with us throughout the journey.

Honey Village and book talks

The sun was going down, and I thought that I would come again tomorrow. We too had embarked on this journey from sunset to sunrise. Towards the Mahabaleshwar temple of the Pandava period, whose historical importance has been overshadowed by the strawberry gardens. Now it has become Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit, & just a place of fun.
We were twelve kilometers away from the resort. On the way, my attention was drawn to a notice board on which it was written ‘Pustakach Gaon’. Meaning ‘village of books’. When I asked the driver about it, he replied that there are such names here. Like ‘Mathache Gav’ means honey village. I had read about this village somewhere but did not know that this was the same village. The doubt in the mind was also removed with the consent of Gugalbaba. And we made up our minds to go there the next day.

Old Mahabaleshwar situated in the middle of the city

As soon as we reached the resort, we had dinner, got ready, and set out to see Mahabaleshwar. In front of the mountains of Lahaul and Uttarakhand, those mountains appear very small, yet they look fascinating. After this, we reached old Mahabaleshwar with our car to tour the city. Parked the car in the parking lot. From there, while traveling on foot through the unpaved, high, and sometimes staircase-like path of the village, we reached the temple which is the real identity of this city. It got this name in the nineteenth century. Before that, its name was ‘Malcolm Peth’. As per the name, there is a Shiva temple here. More than five hundred years old. Later it remained under the control of Marathas. All the temples here are made of black stone.

The temple was built at the confluence of Panchganga

A little higher up from it is ‘Panchganga Temple’. It was written on the board outside – ‘Maintain peace inside’ and this information was seen being followed even in the crowd of two hundred people inside. This temple built of huge black stones is considered to be more than five thousand years old. There were five Gomukhs from which the rivers Krishna, Koyna, Gayatri, Savitri, and Venna originate. A small statue of that river was installed next to each source of origin. The drainage system was so efficient that the water was falling through the source point into a huge pond directly below the mouth of the cow.
This temple is one of the best Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit, & a source of livelihood for the Brahmins here, who are surviving on offerings and limited resources. In this temple, there is a beautiful Peshwa-era stone idol of Ganapati on the right side. According to the Pandit ji here, their livelihood is based on the Dakshina offered to this idol and Abhishek is also done on the Chaturthi of every month from the Dakshina received. After this, Prasad is delivered to the hosts by post at their addresses. Taking photographs is prohibited inside the temple, so we captured the image of the place in our eyes. The height of the upper platforms of the temple is about six feet. Even after placing a stone in the middle, one cannot easily land on the lower platform. Due to the Krishna River, an Ashtadhatu idol of Vishnu is also kept in this temple. From this temple, the Krishna river becomes free and starts flowing downwards. Therefore the further path goes towards ‘Krishnai Temple’. All these places are situated on the tops of the mountains.

Amazing mechanics five thousand years old

Further ahead is Krishnai temple. The entire area of this temple has been taken under its protection by the Archaeological Survey of India for almost eight years. The villagers say that the temple is very old, but its outer courtyard has been excavated. Mountain ranges are visible in front of the temple and the beautiful Krishna river is seen flowing below. The peace here is such that even the state of meditation pales in comparison. There are bushes all around, cactus branches are also hanging from them which tells about the thorny journey of that path. At the top left are the famous strawberry farms. Now people know Mahabaleshwar more for strawberries than for its history. There is no pillar or carving in the Krishnai temple that does not tell some story.

Panchganga temple

How deep these mountains have sunk is a matter of research. The Archeology Department is still excavating it. Nothing is written about the temple on the sign board yet. There are three government employees there, one of whom is also a temple priest. He said that this is a temple of the Pandava period, more than five thousand years old. There is a mutual connection between this temple and the Panchganga temple. The water of those five rivers that fall into the pond, flows into the pond outside the sanctum sanctorum, much below the Pindi of Lord Shiva in the temple. It is difficult to tell through which canals the water comes here. It seems that the mechanics of that time were much more developed than today. Taking photographs of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is strictly prohibited. We took the help of mobile flash to move ahead in the dark. The ground below is wet, water seeps in from somewhere. There is a grand Pindi of Lord Shiva in the middle. It was found out that the Shivalinga above is not very big, just the circumference of its pindi is bigger. This Shivalinga is seated on Damru. Everything is made of the same stone. Rudraksha on Damru, lotus below, and Sheshnag on its seat. Whereas Sheshnag is the symbol of Lord Vishnu. This is different from all the temples I have seen.

There is an open field in front of this temple with a moat in front of it. A huge Nandi is installed on the grounds. Beyond that, the entire temple is built on four pillars on three sides, meaning a total of twelve pillars. Inside each pillar, there are canopies of different designs, in the inner part of which there is a Pindi of Shiva. The texture of each Pindi is different. Some are made of snakes, some of lotus, some are flat and some are made in a certain shape. All these carvings have been done by scraping the same stone from the inside.

There is a huge pond outside the sanctum sanctorum in which water falls from the cow’s mouth. There are stairs to descend into the pond. The upper part of the temple, which is called Kalash, is not like today’s temples but is step-like, in which there are sloping cuts below. Some height is given to the remaining two above the main temple. But the structure is the same. The carvings on the balconies of the temple are slightly worn and eroded. Those who have survived even today show the beauty of those times.

The courtyard of the temple is quite big. It seems that at one time all the incarnations of Vishnu would have been carved on the walls on its three sides, which are now in a dilapidated state. Are in. The reason for this speculation is the very beautiful carved statue of Vishnu on one of its walls. Below that, on the earth side, is the Varaha avatar. Those are also clearly visible. Fishes are carved on the pillars of the temple. Even after so many years, despite being in a dilapidated state, there is a positive energy here. There is no desire to return. Its renovation work will start soon.

Fragrant books in village houses

After clicking the best Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit, while returning the next day, we reached ‘Bhilari’ tehsil of Satara district near Mahabaleshwar.
Which is now called the ‘Village of Books’. Seeing this concept, it seemed as if such a place should be there not only here but in villages and cities across the country, where one can sit and read one’s favorite books. This concept of Cabinet Minister Vinod Tawde was inaugurated in 2017. In this, 35 houses in the village have become libraries today. These houses are spread within a radius of two kilometers. It will be interesting to know that some of the libraries here also have the facility of staying at a minimum fee. In some houses, there are books related to women’s issues, while in some houses there are books related to the history of the country. Some have Diwali numbers. Somewhere there are books of stories, satire, poetry, etc. The reader can go to his house and read the book of the genre he wants to read comfortably. No one asks questions. The doors of the house are always open. Someone has given the upper floor of his house, while someone has given the drawing room, sofa, everything. There is an arrangement of chairs. Some shopkeepers gave them his hall. Along with that, they are also bearing the expenses of electricity etc. Just keeping peace and studying is the basic objective.

The government employees look after the entire management. He said that after COVID-19, children are stuck in mobile phones. To awaken in them the desire to read, many schools bring children here and inspire them to read children’s literature throughout the day. College students and those just fond of reading also stay here for three days to read books. Here at the end, you also have to write something about what you have read.

In this way, our journey ended at the temple of books, passing through strawberry plantations, and breathing in the black stone architecture, mountains, and air. It would be wrong to call Mahabaleshwar Tourist Places to visit as only a picnic spot. This is our heritage which needs to be respected