Feature by Yashasvi Anika Tandon
Do you want to try the sweetest and tastiest strawberries you’ve ever had? Go to Mahabaleshwar, near Pune, in Maharashtra. There’s a whole lot of sightseeing to be done there, as well. So, let’s have a look!
Mahabaleshwar Temple and Panchganga Temple
The Mahabaleshwar Temple houses the Rudraksha form of the Shivling of Lord Shiv. It is an ancient temple built entirely of stone and has idols of some other deities like Lord
Ganesh and Lord Bhairava.
The Panchganga Temple has five rivers Krishna, Koyna, Gayatri, Savitri, and Veena entering into the temple from different points and then merging and coming out together in the temple from the mouth of the statue of Nandi, the bull.
Elephant’s Point and Needle Hole Point
Nature is wonderful! The Elephant’s Point and the Needle Hole Point are a great example of this. The Elephant’s Point, when seen from afar, is a cliff shaped like the head and trunk of an elephant. The Needle Hole Point is called so, as the gap between the trunk of the elephant and the cliff looks like the long hole of a needle.
Tableland
The Tableland in Mahabaleshwar is a smaller version of a larger plateau. The quaint horse carriages which take you for a ride around the entire tableland are actually driven on two wheels instead of four! The Tableland also has the ‘Rasoi’ (kitchen) of the Pandava Brothers in a little underground cave.
Mapro Garden
The Mapro garden is not to be missed, specially by children. It is basically, a well-known strawberry garden in Mahabaleshwar. Very beautiful flowering plants and trees can also be found here around a little pond. A magician conducts live magic shows under the shade of a Fig tree. It houses a khakhra factory where khakras are made and sold. It also has a huge restaurant in which they make their own bread and ice cream.
Venna Lake
Venna Lake is a peaceful lake in Mahabaleshwar, nestled among the mountains. One can go boating over there as well. There are many types of boats found there, such as motor-boats, speed-boats, and big paddle boats.
Apart from all the places given here, do not forget to visit a few strawberry gardens, around and about the hotel or resort you’re living in, just to taste the sweetest, hand-picked strawberries of Mahabaleshwar. Au revoir!
