Things to do in Southern Maharashtra
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High Spirits
Brand new bar that's caught the attention of the student population. Has a nice open terrace.
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Kayani Bakery
The family-run Kayani Bakery is famous for its homemade Shrewsbury biscuits, but the sweet attractions run to all manner of cakes.
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Janjira
Murud is home to the commanding island fortress of Janjira, built on an island 500m offshore, which might just revoke your childhood memories of Long John Silver and Captain Flint. The citadel was built in 1140 by the Siddis, descendants of sailor-traders from the Horn of Africa, who settled here and allegedly made their living through piracy. Their exploits soon prompted many local kings to wage wars against them, including Shivaji and his son Sambhaji, who even attempted to tunnel to it. However, no outsider ever made it past the fort’s 12m-high walls which, when seen during high tide, seem to rise straight from the sea. Unconquered through history, the fort finally…
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Ganesha Temple
Can’t make it to Goa? Well, at least you can visit Ganpatipule, on the coast 375km south of Mumbai – and you won’t be crying sour grapes. A sleepy but picturesque seaside village, it boasts several kilometres of almost perfect beaches and clean waters. Life generally plods along very slowly here, but heaven help anyone coming for a bit of peace and quiet during holidays such as Diwali or Ganesh Chaturthi. These are times when hordes of raucous ‘tourists’ turn up to visit the seaside Ganesha Temple housing a monolithic Ganesha (painted a lurid orange), supposedly discovered 1600 years ago.
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Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum
This fascinating museum is one of Pune’s true delights. Housing only a fraction of the 21,000-odd objects of daily life collected by Dinkar Gangadhar, who died in 1990, it’s worth an entire day out. The quirky collection includes a suit of armour made of fish scales and crocodile skin, hundreds of hookah pipes, writing instruments, lamps, toys, betel-nut cutters and an amazing gallery of musical instruments.
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Malaka Spice
A chic and happening restaurant that sometimes doubles as a gallery. Admire the artworks while gorging on some excellent South-east Asian food, and wash it all down with one of the eatery’s fine wines or a pint of fresh draught.
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Prems
In a quiet, leafy courtyard tucked away behind a commercial block, Prems is perfect for those lazy, beer-aided lunch sessions, and is patronised for its Indian, continental and Chinese selection.
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Manneys Booksellers
Manneys Booksellers
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Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum
‘Bizarre’ takes on a whole new meaning at this ‘new’ palace, built by the Kolhapur kings in 1884. Designed by British architect ‘Mad’ Charles Mant, this Indo-Saracenic behemoth still serves as the royal family’s private residence. The ground floor houses a wacky museum, with one of the most peculiar collections of memorabilia in the country. An unconventional sort of an animal-lover, the eponymous king went on several trigger-happy trips into the jungles. The trophies he returned with were then put to some ingenious uses, such as making walking sticks from tiger vertebrae, or fashioning ashtrays out of rhino feet! Then, there’s an armoury, which houses…
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Bhagwan Rajneesh Ashram
The Bhagwan Rajneesh ashram is in a desirable northern suburb of Pune. Since the Bhagwan's death in 1990, it has continued to draw in manifold sanyasins (seekers), many of them Westerners. Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, 'zennis' (Zen tennis) and basketball courts, a massage and beauty parlour, a bookshop and a boutique guesthouse. The main centre for meditation and the nightly white-robed spiritual dance is the Osho Auditorium (a 'cough-free and sneeze-free zone'!).
The Osho Samadhi, where the guru's ashes are kept, is also open for silent or music-accompanied meditation.
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Aga Khan Palace & Gandhi National Memorial
Set amid a sylvan 6.5-hectare plot across the Mula River in Yerwada, the grand Aga Khan Palace & Gandhi National Memorial is easily Pune’s biggest crowd-puller. Built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III, this lofty building was where the Mahatma and other prominent nationalist leaders were interned by the British for about two years following Gandhi’s Quit India resolution in 1942. Both Kasturba Gandhi, the Mahatma’s wife, and Mahadeobhai Desai, his secretary for 35 years, died here in confinement. You’ll find their shrines (containing their ashes) in a quiet garden to the rear.
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Bhaja Caves
Across the Mumai-Pune expressway, it’s a 3km jaunt from the main road to the Bhaja Caves, where the setting is lush, green and quiet. Thought to date from around 200 BC, 10 of the 18 caves here are viharas, while Cave 12 is an open chaitya, containing a simple dagoba. Beyond this is a strange huddle of 14 stupas, five inside and nine outside a cave. From Bhaja Caves, you’ll see the ruins of the Lohagad and Visapur Forts, which local kids will happily lead you to for a tip (not recommended during the rains).
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Mahalaxmi Temple
Kolhapur’s atmospheric old town is built around the lively and colourful Mahalaxmi Temple dedicated to Amba Bai, or the Mother Goddess. The temple’s origins date back to AD 10, but much of the modern structure is from the 18th century. It’s one of the most important Amba Bai temples in India and therefore attracts an unceasing tide of humanity. Non-Hindus are welcome and it’s a fantastic place for a spot of people- watching. Nearby, past a foyer in the Old Palace, is Bhavani Mandap, dedicated to the goddess Bhavani.
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Sinhagad
Now reduced to near-rubble, the scenic Sinhagad or Lion Fort, about 24km southwest of Pune, is steeped in history. Earlier controlled by Bijapur, the fort was conquered by Shivaji after an epic battle in 1670, in which he lost his son Sambhaji. Legend has it that Shivaji used pet monitor lizards yoked with ropes to scale the craggy walls of the fort. Today, all is forgotten, and the fort’s interiors are studded with telecommunication towers and ugly government buildings. However, it’s worth a visit for the sweeping views it offers.
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Pratapgad Fort
Closely associated with Deccan’s history, the windy Pratapgad Fort, built by Shivaji in 1656, straddles a high Sahyadri ridge 24km west of Mahabaleshwar. It was here that a cornered Shivaji agreed to meet Bijapuri General Afzal Khan in an attempt to end a stalemate in 1659. Despite a no-arms agreement, Shivaji, upon greeting Khan, disembowelled his enemy with a set of iron baghnakh (tiger’s claws). Khan’s tomb marks the site of this painful encounter at the base of the fort, though it’s out of bounds for tourists.
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Raigad Fort
Some 80km northwest of Mahabaleshwar, all alone on a remote hilltop, stands Raigad Fort, a must-see for history buffs. This was Shivaji’s capital, from where he held sway over his vast empire, from when he was crowned in 1648 until his death in 1680. Much of the fort was later destroyed by the British, and some colonial structures added. But monuments such as the royal court, plinths of royal chambers, the main marketplace and Shivaji’s tomb still remain, and are worth a day long excursion.
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Kaivalyadhama Yoga Hospital
Those wishing for a session of yogic healing can head to the Kaivalyadhama Yoga Hospital, set in neatly kept grounds about 2km from Lonavla en route to the Karla and Bhaja Caves. Founded in 1924 by Swami Kuvalayanandji, it combines yoga courses with naturopathic therapies. Room rates cover full board, yoga sessions, programs and lectures. Rates mentioned are for a seven-day package, though two- and three-week sessions are also offered.
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Karla Cave
Karla Cave, the largest early Buddhist chaitya in India, is reached by a 20-minute climb from a mini-bazaar at the base of the hill. Completed in 80 BC, the chaitya is around 40m long and 15m high, and sports similar architectural motifs as chaityas in Ajanta and Ellora. Ellora’s Kailasa Temple apart, this is probably the most impressive cave temple in the state.
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Thibaw Palace
Around 50km south of Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri is the largest town on the southern Maharashtra coast and the main transport hub (it’s on the Konkan Railway). There’s little to see and do apart from viewing the remnants of the Thibaw Palace, where the last Burmese king, Thibaw, was interned under the British from 1886 until his death in 1916.
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Shaniwar Wada
The ruins of this fortress-like palace are located in the old part of the city of Pune. Built in 1732, the palace of the Peshwa rulers burnt down in 1828, but the massive walls and plinths remain, as do the sturdy palace doors with their daunting spikes. In the evenings there is an hour-long sound-and-light show.
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Pataleshvara Cave Temple
The curious rock-cut Pataleshvara Cave Temple is a small and unfinished (though active) 8th-century temple, similar in style to the grander caves at Elephanta Island off the Mumbai coast. Adjacent is the Jangali Maharaj Temple, dedicated to a Hindu ascetic who died here in 1818.
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Vaishali
Old-timers can’t stop raving about this institution, known for its range of delicious snacks and meals. ‘Don’t miss the SPDP’, notes a college student hanging out by the entrance. The scrumptious sev potato dal puri (Rs. 35), a favourite local snack, is what she means. Go find out for yourself!
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Katraj Snake Park & Zoo
There’s a mediocre selection of Indian wildlife on show at the Katraj Snake Park & Zoo. But a trip to this faraway park on Pune’s southern outskirts makes sense if you want to know more about snakes, of which there are plenty. Most snakes are housed in open pits; don’t lean over!
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Museum
Around 50km south of Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri is the largest town on the southern Maharashtra coast and the main transport hub (it’s on the Konkan Railway). There’s little to see and do apart from visiting the former home of freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, now a small museum.
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Swiss Cheese Garden
The ABC Farms is a complex of midrange restaurants in Koregaon Park, where healthy, organic food is the order of the day. One of the best restaurants here is the Swiss Cheese Garden, which, alongside delicious pastas, offers good old cheese fondues.
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