Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Mahabaleshwar- Mini Heaven in Maharashtra :)

Just before we left our beloved Pune to march over to USA , me and hubby visited famous hill station Mahabaleshwar, and it was a pleasant experience in all the way.
Mahabaleshwar is a very popular hill station in Maharashtra because of its places lakes, verdant hills and cascading waterfalls. thought it was not raining season here when we visited , we didnt get to see streams like waterfalls here ,but he other beauties of it were companasating this. It is not only famous for its scenic beauty but also for its various temples, spectacular viewpoints and historically significant places too.
During our trip I tried my hand on photography, and had a great time along with that too ! :)

Here are some pics of strawberry plants to share with all of you. It was really a great to visit real strawberry farms in Mahabaleshwar. Basically Mahabaleshwar is famous for that very much around here. And the market around there is full with strawberries from the starting of winter season to march . That too very fresh , big one and too yummy ! Luckily we hada guide who lead us to one of hid relative's strawberry farm there and we got to eat farms fresh strawberries there, OMG that taste still makes my mout hwater... :P

Picture 1

I had my part already there, until my stomach refused to take any more of it. :D

The fruit of strawberry starts developing from the center part of small white colored flower on the plant (pic 1 below). later on it goes on growing up in size and till much larger size of it , it remains in the color green (pic 2 below). when fully grown up it turns into perfect red color like the one shown below in pic 3.


Picture 2


Picture 3

Below are some pictures of the real beauty of Mahabaleshwar. There are more than 30 points to visit. most of them are at the hill place, situated near by and worth visiting. some other point like lake and temples are in the city and situated in the center of Mahableshwar.



Check out the picture below, here the middle of hill is in the shape of dinosaur, which I found resembling a huge lizard……… I hate lizards…. But this is looking nice, coz it is naturally turned into shapes like this. There are so many others like needle point, elephant head, the 3 monkeys of Gandhiji(Gandhiji ke teen Bandar)etc….
It was nice time when we planned visiting there, though the real season of visiting Mahabaleshwar is considered from mid- March to July. I succeed to capture a picture of monkey family on one of hill point needle point over there, I just went 'Fida' over the cute looking so young baby monkey ... :)).
Near by Mahabaleshwar is Pratapgadh – famous for its story of victory of Shivaji Maharaja over Afzal Khan. It’s a real historical place worth while visiting. It’s the one I have ever seen constructed with so much intelligence to protect it from enemies. It is really worth appreciating for each detail it is built up with. It has the entrance just of size that only one person at a time can enter. So that even if there is any attack from outsiders irrespective of the size of the army of enemy only little people at a time can be entered and that can be easily faced by the not so big army of Shivaji.
Watch point 1 in red circled area

At the entrance there is a hidden cave in which 40 people can be hidden, to strike the enemy army. The next intelligence was their watch points.
As the fort is built at much height, there are 4 watch points situated at four different directions, which can easily monitor people moving in the area around and below, and before the enemy could reach the real fort mostly they can be sent to death, mostly by bombarding. There is much more to write about that , but may be some other time. Just a note that if anyone is visiting there then dont forget to get a guide along with , as without guide one can easily miss some very important points in the fort there, also to enjoy it fully guide will help you explaining each details of the constructon of fort vey well. just the point is you should not miss so many nice points worth while visiting and knowing.






This one is the complete picture of Pratap gadh taken from watch point 1. (shown in picture above)

Comiong up in next post some pictures of our trip to forests of Girnar, Junagadh - a historical city, and our trip to Farms of my uncle. so stay tuned to keep enjoyin the real pics of birds and animals enjoying in the forests, and the fresh products of farms... and yet there is so much to share with you all. So be in touch and keep enjoying your days ahead .

This is the 100th Post of this beloved Blog of mine.hope you enjoyed journey of my blog world till now, many more to share with you yet... :)

Soon posting Lauki-chanadal (bottle gourd- begal gram curry) for 'L' to Nupur for A-Z of vegetables on

34 comments:

Viji said...

This is wonderful Pooja, Feel like visiting. Beautiful pictures. Tks for sharing. Take care. Viji

Pooja said...

Viji,
so prompt you are ! just as you are perfect with everything.
nice to see you here again. and thanks for appreciating my pics.
I just triedto be little more keen about photography. :D .
thanks dear.
-Pooja

Anh said...

Pooja, congratulation on your 100th post. Your blog is very beautiful, I really enjoy it on visit. :)

And lovly photo of Mahabaleshwar. Wish I were there.

Sia said...

oye madam... finally i got to see ur picture;) he he he... just joking:)
trying ur hand at photography? i must say they all look so good. looks like u had lots of fun. will look forward to ur next post. till then have fun sweetie:) hugs to u:)

USHA said...

Hi Buddy,

How are you?Very happy to see your post after long time.Excellent pictures.Thanks for taking us a free tour to the place:))..

Myself and Seema planned like once you land up here. lets plan to have get together.

FH said...

Hello Pooja, beautiful pics!!You are good at that too!:))
I love the taste of fresh Strawberries!
I love the fort too,Shivaji was a great hero.
How are you coping without hubby?Hope you will be in NJ sooner!:))

Bong Mom said...

Hi Pooja
Congrats on the 100th post. The pics are beautiful

Pooja said...

Hi Anh,
Thanks ! May be blog buddy like you will encourage me more to complete the next 100 posts soon : ) . Thanks for droping by and for your kind words !
If you get chance anytime to drop by here, plan something to visit that place. That’s is all surrounded by natural beauties.
Stay tuned.
Supriya,
You naughty girl! My picture there is with you dear : )) .
Thanks for appreciating my trials with photography.
Yupe, had a lot of fun. Next post is going to be even more exciting. So stay tuned.
Usha,
Oh Dear ! you and seema already planned something ! how surprising ! I never even thought that I will get such buddies around here in blog world. Thanks to blogger.com : ) . surely we gotta have a loads of fun together there. Three musketeers : )) .
There much more coming up in next post , I am sure you will like that you. I really enjoyed all the trips we had , very near to mother nature.
Keep enjoying.
Asha,
You are a source of inspiration for me always. Thanks for appreciating my photography, it means a lot to me .Me too loves strawberries a lot, just they should be fresh .
There is so much to describe about fort, I just shorten my post . and the visit was really interesting. When they talk about heroes… only freedom fighter comes to my mind.
Really missing Hubby a lot, though a daily call voice chat with him 2 times a day and emails extra… , I still feel like missing him too much ! He is also trying to get me there soon by searching a suitable house near by , so I am sure I will be there soon. Right now just consoling myself by recalling words of inbox from Viji’s recent post. : ) .
Nice to see you here , lots of love to you. : )

Sandeepa,
Thanks dear. Even I didn’t realize when it reach to 100. thanks for your kind words. : )

Coffee said...

Congrats for ur 100 posts!!!!

Mahableshwar!!!! You are surely enjoying!! have fun dear :)

Mishmash ! said...

Hello Pooja :)
I ve never been to Mahabaleswar but ur pictures took me on a virtual visual trip. Thanks for sharing the pics and nice to see u blogging after a break:)

Shn

Pooja said...

Coffee,
thanks dear . :)
you are correct. we really enjoyed there a lot. Nice to see you here.
Mishmash,
hi,
Nice to see you in my comments ! :) . it was indeed a arejuvenating break , and i am planning to be regular on blog now. :)
thanks.

Sumitha said...

Hi Pooja wishing you all the luck on the move to US,waiting for the visa etc is very depressing I know,but just you wait..... eat lots of local foods,from the street,chaats,mums food, etc bz you sure are gonna miss them all:)

Seema Bhat said...

Pooja,
Welcome back girl!!! Are you here in Jersey or still in India...Ohhhh did Usha already tell you about our plans? I wanted to keep it as a surprise.. just kidding ... now worries . Will keep checking for more pictures . Mahabaleshwar looks beautiful. Thanx for sharing.

Pooja said...

Sumitha,
thanks dear! i have already got Visa. so not to worry abt naything from this side. just when hubby will setlle down a bit with his job there , i will migrate as soon as he gets good house there for us. i am really enjoying a lot of all you described. i know i am gonna miss it. :(
Seema,
thanks dear ! I m in india still . will let you know once i will be there, still there is some time left to enjoy here too. stay tuned.

Sangeeta said...

Hi Pooja, Welcome back :) Nice to see you in the blogging world after all this while. Where in the US will you be coming.
Looking forward to your Lauki-Chana post :)

swapna susarla said...

Hi pooja
So u are in mahabaleswar..hmmmm..good to here from u again.welcome!!!

I too once visited this place as we both (me and hubby) stayed at Mumbai.This was a very nice place.The straw berry plants are so nice.isn't it?There will be one hotel near by.i can remember we had a straw berry ice cream also there..:-D hee heee
I haven't visited the pratap gadh.But watched it from a telescope from some view point.i can't remember the name of that view point.we have to walk so long to reach that point.

so many monkeys will be there na..i have given my chocolate to them..:-()..
oops i am writing here such a long post...like...

Hope u enjoyed your trip...

TNL said...

Tu avi gayi paachi?????? So nice to see your post Pooja! Kyan che tu atyare? I am so sorry, me and kids have been so sick lately.

Pictures badha saras che....maney to Junaghadh na toh khaas jova che...you know, I grew up in Rajkot...my Kaka still lives in Junagadh.

I hope ke badhu baraber hashe...maney email karje shantithi....

hugs,
trupti

krystyna said...

Hi Pooja!
Beautiful! I love strawberries. Last time I ate them fresh in Poland.(5 years ago). Great, great photos!
Best to you!

Pooja said...

Sangeeta,
nice to see yo here again dear. I will be coming to NJ. i am going to post lauki-chanadal tomorrow. thanks .
Swapna,
Nice tosee your long reply. dont get worried with length of it. i enjoyed readins it . usually my comment on any blog also gets bit long :D. i feel good to know your exprience :). stay tuned.
Trupti,
nice to see you here again. dont say sorry for anything , its ok. what happen to Kids and you ? take care dear.
i also lived and did job in rajkot for almost 1.5 years. ahiya badhu barabar chhe, hu mummny sathe enjoy karu chhu, ane khare khar to kitchen mathi totally retired chhu atyare :P , jo ke try karuc hhu kai k kaik banavavanu , when i feel like cooking somethign here :) .
within next few days will post some more pics of Junagadh , hope you will enjoy it too.
take care dear , love to kids a and a tight hug to your to get well soon.
Krystyna,
thanks buddy! i also like it when its fresh only. luckily i get lot of them farm fresh when i was there.thanks for appreciating photos too!
-Pooja

Roopa said...

Hi Pooja
Loved reading your blog!
Beautifull photographs too

sunita said...

Hi Pooja...those pics of the hills seem to beckon...love hillsides...

Sharmi said...

Hi Pooja, Thanks dear for visiting my blog. I loved those hands with mehendi. are they yours? looks so pretty!! Nice pics of mahabaleshwar. So are you coming to New Jersey? if so that's great . my warm welcome to you!!

cheers
sharmi

Mandira said...

congratulations on your 100th post. The india pictures are beautiful.

Richa said...

wow, nice pics of mahableshwar. i've been there many times, it is beautiful. hope you got plenty of jams and strawberry crush from there, they are so frresh & yummy.
thanks for the pics

Mythreyee said...

hey welcome pooja. nice to see you back. waiting for the recipe. have a great time in the US.

The Mahabaleshwar temple post is so good. I have always heard of the place and you have shown me the pictures. thanks a lot. Really loved the journey.

Pooja said...

Roopa& Sunita,
welcome to my blog dear ! i also visited your blogs! loved them. thanks for dropping by here and appreciating my work. hopw you will keep visint for more. :)
stay tuned.
Sharmi,
i am glad to find you here Sharmi. thanks for complementing my henna art too ! yes, that hand is mine. :) . usually my left hand only as i make those designes myself with my right hand.
thanks for dropping by here. and i am glad that you like my blog .thanks a lot.
Mandira,
thanks a lot. i emailed you sometime back, did you get it?
Richa,
i ate lot of fresh strawberries there. as soon we were about to pack all our things and move i didnt purchased anythign more ,as i already i was getting tensed by looking at all the luggage we had there :)) . but i had some there to taste.
thanks for dropping by here, seems like so many new buddies are atound here to make life more beautiful. :)
Mythreyee,
thanks for appreciating my post. i am too glad that you like it. thanks a lot for your nice words here. :)

HAREKRISHNAJI said...

why mini heaven ? When my father was working in foreign bank, he was used to book grand old bunglow as provided by Bank as Holiday Home owned by Parsi family, every year for a week far away from Bazzar and mad crowd, deep inside in the jungle, those good old grand days. After his retirement all facilities gone.

Have you visited Mapro Garden where you can view their factory making those lovely Fruit Jams, sarbats, crushes and their extraordinary restaurant famous for Strawberry with Fresh Cream, Sandwiches, Icecreams, mils shakes and so on ?

Panchgani is also good place. I have discovered good hotel there, Address is available on my blog. Big Hall, fully equiped Kitchen ,2 bedrooms with lovely garden all just for a range of Rs. 900-1500. Just in case if anybody is interested.

After moonsoon its heaven

Prema Sundar said...

Hi Pooja,
Congrats and the pictures are wonderful. I have never had the chance of visiting Mahabaleshwar.I have heard abt it a lot thru my friends.

ankurindia said...

the place is beautiful

Anonymous said...

Creative Puja indeed, the title really suits u. Am a great admirer of your blog but never leave any comment but today I had to. When I seen the pictures of Mahabaleshwar, felt like asking some questions, where did u halt there and from Pune how did u go over there. R the hotels good, planning a trip to India this year, so though of visiting this breath taking sceneic beauty.

Amanda, Australia

Pooja said...

Harekrishnaji,
Thanks for the info. I saw that bunglow of parsi family there. also visited much of the places you described . nice to see you back on this blog. stay tuned :)
Prema,
Nice to see you back here dear. If you are in india then do visit there sometime, it would be great holidays...
Ankur,
thanks a lot. thanks for dropping by here, A warm welcome to my blogosphere :) .
Amanda,
thats a good surprise ! thanks dear for dropping few lines here, so that i can know that someone like you is here, i will try making this blog more useful for visitors in couple of months from now. I have all details of our trip with me, but i think it will be too long here to write to you in comment here. hotels over there are good, also you can reach there easily from pune, i can write this all to you in much more detail ,please give me your email , or email me at pooja18@gmail.com . I will send you all the info soon.
thanks dear.

Mahek said...

dear pooja
can you pls help me with the naming of the photos we post.
how do i give my name to the photos just like you have.
thanks in advance.

Vanita said...

Hey

just chanced on your page ... and so glad i did . I am from Pune too and the pics of M'bleshwar bring back some old memories of allSchool trips and college trips !! Wow i miss home i miss everything all the more now ... !!

Pooja said...

Mahek,
i normally resize photos and then save it again by some relevant name of it, thats why it appears like that on the blog too. do let me know if you want to understand anything more about it.or feel free to email me anytime
Vinita,
i think its your first time here, right? welcome to my blog world. :) thanks for dropping by here. stay tuned.:D.

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