Mahabaleshwar

Introducing Mahabaleshwar

High up in the Western Ghats, the hill station of Mahabaleshwar was founded in 1828 by Sir John ‘Boy’ Malcolm, after which it quickly became the summer capital of the Bombay presidency during the days of the Raj. Today few traces of those times remain, save for a couple of dilapidated buildings. In fact Rudyard Kipling would positively turn in his grave if he could see how down-at-heel the old girl had become and good gosh, you can’t even get a properly brewed cup of tea. While the tea and summer balls are long gone what hasn’t changed one jot are the delightful views and equally delightful temperatures and it’s for these two reasons that Mahabaleshwar attracts hordes of holidaymakers who fill the main street with loud exuberance. If you are after just a hint of peace and quiet then avoid the peak periods during the summer school holidays (April to June), Christmas and Diwali.

The hill station virtually shuts up shop during the monsoon (from late June to mid-September), when an unbelievable 6m of rain falls. Buildings are clad with kulum grass to stave off damage from the torrential downpours. After things calm down, the reward is abundantly green landscapes.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009