Bhandardara Trip
Trip Planning : planned for a trip to Bhandardara in September-2010. By that time rainy season was almost over. I read a lot about Bhandardara on various websites to get the first hand information about feasibility of going there. The feedback and reviews about this hills station was very tempting.
Bhandardara is situated at a distance of 185 km. from Mumbai, in Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra, India.
This place is relatively isolated tourist destination with not many people even knowing about this place. One thing I came to know that many bollywood films sequences have been shot here, with its waterfalls in the backdrop
- In old film of Asha Parikh and Sunil Dutt near Wilson/Bhandardara DAM
– Jaane Tu Ya Jaane naa, Song Nazrein Milaana Nazrein Churaana (view at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xjC5lu9oJg)
- Raju Chacha (View at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nibgtEGbc7k)
- Climax scene of film ‘Aks’
Hotel:After making a decision to make this trip, the first thing was to check hotel availability there. The MTDC resort is located at a prime location on the shores of Arthur lake with a good view of Ratangad. After reading a lot of reviews on internet I chose for booking MTDC hotel. The reviews were great and after my trip they proved to be right. I booked standard Non-AC rooms for two days as Booking person at MTDC office told that two days would be sufficient to visit the place.
Train Booking The next thing to do was booking train tickets. I opted for Tapovan Express which leaves Dadar at 6:25 AM daily. It reaches Igatpuri at around 9:00 AM. The train actually reached before time on 8:35 AM on 16/10/2010. The train I selected after checking the running status of the same on http://indiarailinfo.com. I recommend this site to all readers for planning their trip. The site gives you average running status of trains.
Travel Agent for Local SightseeingThe most worrying thing about my planning was to arrange the conveyance for local sightseeing. As this is a small, unexplored and still untouched place, finding established travel and tour agent was almost impossible. I called MTDC hotel at Bhandardara and they gave me two numbers of local youths who provide their vans and cars for the purpose. I did not call them for few days. One day, they themselves called to enquire if I needed car for local sightseeing. I booked it over phone for around Rs.800/-. The fort and Agastya Muni Ashram visit was not included in this. The to and fro from Igatpuri station including sightseeing was Rs.2200/-. I chose to arrange on my own for reaching to Bhandardara from Igatpuri and back.
There are ST buses running from Igatpuri and Kasara station. The timing is very odd. One in early morning at 6:00 am from Kasara passing through Igatpuri at 6: 30 am. Another leaves at around 10:45 am and passes through Igatpuri bus depot at 11:30 am.
From Bhandardara, there is ST bus at 8:00 am and 10:00 am. I am not sure about evening timings. However, it is best to take local train up to Kasara station and take ST bus from there upto Bhandardara. The ST buses arrival and departure timings are matched with local trains timings at Kasara.
Itinerary:
We reached Dadar Station at 5: 25 am much earlier than our expectations. The train was to come on platform number 4. After waiting for almost an hour train came on time. My 3 years old son had gone into sleep by then after asking so many questions about things around us, out of his curiosities. The train journey was quite comfortable. The weather was pleasant.
We reached Igatpuri station at 8: 35 am. From there we took auto for Bus depot, which is actually at walking distance. On the basis of information collected through internet about ST bus timings, I was under impression that first ST bus would leave at 9:45 am. However, after reaching at depot we came to know that bus timings have changed and first bus left around 6: 45 am. The second bus was at 11:30 am. As it was only 8:45 am, we asked him for some other mode of conveyance. The Depot manager was quite cooperative, he advised us to take ST bus upto Ghoti (some 15 kms far) and take private taxi (shared or full) from there to Bhandardara. From Ghoti, Bhandardara is about 25 km far.
We hired full taxi for just Rs.300 after negotiation. The road from Ghoti to Bhandardhara - a stretch of about 40 kms- is really bad. However, taxi driver was adept in driving and he drove with minimum jerks avoiding the potholes. The way to Bhandardara was quite scenic. All along the way, we could not take our eyes off the picturesque beauty before us. The climate of Bhandardhara was cool - cold. The cool breeze in evening instead call it winds was blowing making climate colder.
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| On the way to Bhandardara |
We reached hotel at 10:30 am and after getting fresh went to MTDC restaurant which was upstairs from our room. The food was ok. You don’t have any other option. The power here goes off quite often but restored quickly. We were told by hotel staff that continuous power comes from 7:30 pm to 9:00 am so need not to worry about night sleep with mosquito bites.
Our travel plan was like this:
Day -1 : Rest in Resort, Boating in Arthur Lake, visit to nearby places
Day -2
Arthur Lake (drive parallel to lake) --> Ghatghar Dam and Konakan Kada Sunset-point (23 Km) --> Amriteshwar Temple (10 KM, 33 KM) --> Source of River Pravara, look behind the temple --> Ratangad Fort (Amriteshwar Temple is at the foothills of this fort) --> Randha Falls (11 Km from Dam) --> Bhandardara Dam with Beautiful Garden, Umbrella fall --> Bhandardara (Shendi Village)
Day 1
The rest of the day on Day-1, we spend in MTDC garden, shourya enjoying the rides of slides and swings, boating in Arthur lake and walking to dam view point. One can also walk to Wilson dam. It takes 15 minutes walking to dam site. The Arthur lake is a placid, serene, looking like beautiful carpet of water and surrounded by lush green mountains.
Day 2
Next day, after having a breakfast and carrying a lot of snacks and fruits with us, we left for sightseeing at 10: 30 am. The first spot was ‘Table Top’ view around 4 km from MTDC resort. From table top, you can have a 360 degree view of bhandardara hills and Arthur lake. It was drizzling when we reached table top so after taking quite few snaps at the site, we went back to hotel to pickup our umbrella.
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| Arthur lake view from TableTop Point |
Next spot was Konkan Kada sunset-point. We took a lot of snaps and videos on the way. The distance to konkan kada is around 23 km. On the way to Konkan Kada, we passed through Ghatghar dam built with aid from Japan. From Konkan Kada one can see this dam from top. On the other side of the mountain is another pool of water which has been dammed off. Through a tunnel water enters the Ghatghar dam and drives the turbines. A really beautiful sight.
From here, we left for Amriteshwar temple which has a shivling and was build in 1100 AD. Next to temple is small pond with statutes of god and goddess. However, it is in very bad condition. Entire carvings have got bleached by rain water and have almost faded. I felt really bad for this. It should be brought under ASI protection. We had lunch in a small cottage of a villager at Amriteshwar. He offered us Bajra Roti and Besan Sabji with hot ginger tea.
We could not go to Ratangarh Fort as we were told that it takes around 3-4 hrs on foot to reach the main gate of fort. We decided to skip the same.
We reached thundering Randha fall at 4:00 pm around 14 km from temple. The sight of water falling from the mountain in to gorge was splendid. There is also a small temple of Ghorpada Devi at the fall point of Randha. It was very risky to get down to waterfall to see the temple. As stone surface was dry, but with sharp edges and deep holes cut by rain water streams, we walked smoothly through the small streams of water on stones put by villagers to cross the same and got down to water fall to see temple. Next to Randha fall at the same site was another fall on right side. It was looking like a scenery poster.
Next we visited Wilson dam. We could not find the Umbrella fall which is formed when dam gates are opened during heavy rains. However, we could get the beautiful site of water falling from one of the gate opened for irrigation.
We reached back to hotel enjoyed dinner and went to sleep. At night, it rained heavily and because of this morning was quite cold and beauty of dense, wet trees and mountains was a sight to behold.
All in all Bhandardhara is a great hill station to visit; I wish to visit it again next year during the monsoons in Aug or till mid Sep.
The things which could not be attempted this time could be explored next time like:
- Trekking on Kalsubai
- Ratangarh Fort
- Agastya Muni Ashram
- Various Waterfalls
- Watching Sunset at Konakan Kada
- Going for a walk at night (inside MTDC) especially when the power goes off to check out the unpolluted sky. You may see milky way and a Meteor (shooting star) in the clear sky
- Going to Amriteshwar Temple by boat. The 50 minutes boat ride is said to be beautiful as you pass forests, swamps, trees growing in the lake.
Important Note:- Carry a Torch with you.
- Good Night Liquidator/Mats
- Carry Lots of drinking water
Sightseeing
1. Arthur Lake: The serene Arthur Lake glimmers at Bhandardara's core, the forests of the Sahyadri hills huddling protectively around. This lake originates from the Pravara River. Bhandardara is justifiably proud of its 150 m high Wilson Dam that bridles the river, as it is not just an engineering marvel but also the lifeblood for the paddy fields nearby.
2. Wilson Dam /Randha Falls/ Umbrella Falls:Popularly known as the Bhandardara dam. Built in 1910 on the Pravara river, the dam is almost 150 meters above the sea level and attracts crowds from all over the country. The cool placid waters of the river run by the miles. This is one of the oldest dams of Asia. Standing at a height of 150m, this dam has a beautiful garden and a swimming pool at its base. The water of the falls is used for generation of hydro-power. The falls is a tourist spot at Bhandardara. There are four gates at four different heights in dam wall.
3. Randha Falls : Just 10 km from Bhandardara is the famous Randha Falls. Plunging 170 ft down into a gorge, the Pravara River presents a breathtaking sight. The Randha Falls is the third largest waterfall in India. There is a temple on the banks of the river. If you wish to capture the best picture of the falls, a lookout point just above the falls is the place to be at.
4. Umbrella Falls : The main attraction of this place is the Umbrella falls, Unfortunately, these picturesque falls are enjoyed only during the monsoons when the water level and pressure in the lake is considerably high. This makes the Wilson Dam a suitable place for picnics. Umbrella Falls is a colourful spot below the Bhandardara Dam wall. (fall is created by the release of dam water)
5. Agastya Rishi Ashram: The ancient Agastya Rishi Ashram on the banks of the Pravara River is another attraction. The ashram is mentioned in the Ramayana as the spot where Ram met Agastya Rishi. The peaceful ashram of Bhandardara attracts a lot of tourists. And is also often a lodging place for many tourists. It is preffered because of its scenic beauty and quiet ambiance. Situated on the bank of the Pravara River, this legendary dwelling finds a place in the scripts of the Ramayan. It is said that Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita visited Agasti Rishi. The Rishi had then given Lord Rama a miraculous arrow which was used to kill the devil, Ravana, in order to rescue Sita.
6. AmriteshwarTemple : is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple houses an idol of Lord Shiva. This temple dates back to 1100 AD. Built in a distinct Hemadpanti style, the intricately carved temple still stands proud.The magnificent Hemadpanti style of architecture gives the temple a historical look. 33 KM FROM BHANDADARA
7. Mount Kalsubai: If you are energetically inclined, hike up to Mount Kalsubai, Mahrashtra''s highest peak at 1646 m, on the Sahyadri range. This mountain is famous for trekking. It also gives breathtaking views of the Arthur Lake and the Wilson Dam. During the rule of the Marathas, the peak served as a lookout tower by the soldiers. At the top of the mountain is a small temple that has an ancient well where it is believed that the water in the well never falls under 3 feet This is a day''s trek that can be combined with Ratanwadi, 22 km away.
8. Ratangad Fort: The 400-year-old Ratangad Fort where the Maratha warrior Shivaji rested on his laurels is a popular tourist attraction. From the fort one can view the spectacular valley below and there are many trekking trails which hikers can explore.
This fort is famous for trekking, too. But it also narrates a historical story. This Fort was captured by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and was one of his favorite forts.
9. Ghatghar : It is one of the famous viewpoints. It is situated 22kms from Bhandardara and offers excellent views of the Sahyadri ranges.
Drink in the solitary splendor of the area from the cliffs of Konkan Kada - where you can see the Sahyadri peaks staggering up to the sky. The entire region is a wildlife sanctuary and the forests shelter a host of jungle birds and mammals.
The other famous places are
- Panjara waterfall
- Ajoba, or ‘grandfather’ peak, and Ghanchakkar Streamlets from the lake cascade down 45 meters as the Randha Falls -
