Following up on my earlier post on Nashik, we headed out on Saturday morning to visit Anjaneri Fort, a historic and religious place on the road to Trimbakeshwar. Anjaneri Fort is said to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Hanuman. Hanuman is a major figure in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Anjaneri was Hanuman’s mother and gives her name to his birthplace.

It was about a 45-minute drive from our hotel to the turn off the main road. We headed up sharply, through a small village, and into the area managed by the Forest Department. There was a small entry fee. We arrived at the parking lot below the impressive cliffs of the Trimbakeshwar Range. This is the view from the parking lot.

At this point we confirmed what I had read on-line: Cameras are not allowed. My new Sony RX-100 M5 had to stay in the car. All the pictures in this post were taken with my Google Pixel 2, most using Adobe Lightroom Mobile.

It was somewhat warm and humid as we made our way up the stairs clinging to the side of the steep cliff of the ghat. I’d brought Gatorade this time to be sure I didn’t overheat like I did a week earlier in Thane. The stairs are in decent shape and you ascend quickly, passing others who are coming down.

Having driven up a fair amount to reach the parking lot, the view of the countryside is quite impressive. This year had a very generous and long-lasting monsoon and the countryside was brilliantly green. This is a view of Anjaneri Lake from the path.

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Back in October, on my first morning in India, we had plans to go to Yeoor Hills, on the north east side of Mumbai near Thane for some sightseeing. Always wanting to win the fight against jet lag quickly, I was up early Sunday after arriving after midnight the night before. I was greeted by a hazy but pretty sunrise outside the window of my hotel.

I was up early and in the car heading for Thane at 8am. Our first stop was the Golden Swan Country Club in Yeoor Hills. This 9-hole course is nestled in the hills on the east side of Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the northern part of Mumbai. We hit a few golf balls as the rest of our little Sunday outing group arrived.

Our next stop was the Mandapa Forest Bird Watching zone. We were there for a short trek, not for bird watching. After driving down from Yeoor Hills, we went north a couple of kilometers before turning back up towards the hills. We went from busy offices to residential to the end of the road against the wooded area at the foot of the hills west of Thane. There was an entrance fee for non-residents (they will check the prefix on your license plate or ask for identification) but it is well worth the cost. You go from the city to the jungle in a very short distance. Views of the city below are remarkable.

The story continues below the fold. At the end of the week we visited Nashik, a city 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Mumbai. Here is a teaser photo to encourage you to click on “continue reading” to see the rest of the post.

This Spring the team took a return trip to Matheran, reprising our visit from three years ago. Matheran is an eco-sensitive hill station 56 miles (90 km) east of Mumbai at the edge of the Western Ghats. Hill stations are towns at higher altitude than the surrounding area. Matheran is at about 2,600 ft (800 m) above sea level and Wikipedia tells us that “Matheran” means “forest on the forehead.” Hill stations are popular tourist destinations as they are generally cooler than the cities. To get you interested, here is a picture from Louisa Point where we went to see the sunset. Note that clicking on a picture will bring up a full-sized version.

Matheran’s status as an eco-sensitive hill station means that development is restricted. No cars are allowed beyond the Dasturi parking area a mile or so from the main village. Travel into the village is either on horseback or on a narrow-gauge railroad. We drove up to Matheran in several cars, arriving at the parking area by late afternoon.

Our host had arranged for horse transportation. We assembled the group and headed off to our hotel.

On my last trip to India, when I was in Gandhinagar, we left the office a little early to do some sight-seeing. We visited the Adalaj Stepwell, a stepwell built in 1498 by Queen Rudadevi in memory of her husband, Rana Veer Singh, king of the area at the time. Stepwells, large pits cut into the ground or rock, collect water from monsoon rains and are common in the arid areas of India (Wikipedia). One reaches the water by descending steps down into the well, hence the name stepwell. Two ladies are stepping down into the well in this photograph. (Click on any picture for a full-sized version.)

There is a legend about the building of the well. The Hindu king Rana had planned to build a well at this spot, but the project was interrupted when he was attacked by the neighboring king, Mohammed Begda, and killed in battle. Queen Rudadevi wanted to join her husband in death but was forbidden to do so by Begda. Begda offered her marriage and the queen agreed on the condition that Begda complete the well. It was quickly built. At the dedication of the well, the queen threw herself into the well, drowning. The rotunda of the top level of the well shows the intricate carvings that cover the interior of the well.

The five-story deep well had little water as I was visiting at the end of the dry season. This is a view of the fifth level with a bird flying above.

Last October, I was able to take a nice overnight excursion to a small resort on Mulshi Lake, near Pune, about a 100-mile (165 km) drive from the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. We departed from the hotel just before lunch, having just arrived from Ahmedabad that morning. Our route took us on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and we left early enough that the traffic was not bad.

Our travelling group took several cars, each leaving from different locations. Our past trips of using a bus taught us that the logistics of getting everyone to one location to start, along with the slow pace of the buses themselves, make a car trip more practical. India has a relatively new policy that requires for-hire cars to have a speed governor that limits the maximum speed to 80 KPH (50 MPH). Our driver’s car did not have a governor. There were several times we wished it did, as he drove very fast and aggressively. It kept us alert.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Pune, we turned off the highway and headed southwest, navigating the difficult Pune traffic. Once out of the city area and into the country, the traffic lightened up, but the road significantly worsened. It was a bumpy ride but quite scenic. After a couple of hours of driving, we arrived at the Residency Lake Resort & Spa, our accommodations for that evening. The resort is about 2 miles (3 km) past the Mulshi Dam. The view from the resort is quite pleasant.

Mulshi Lake holds about 42,420 acre-feet of water (per Wikipedia 0.0523 km³ [0.0125 cu mi]). An acre-foot is the amount of water that would cover an acre (0.405 hectare) to a depth of one foot. It is about 325,853 gallons (1,233,489 liters), the approximate amount of water a US household uses in a year. For comparison, Shasta
Lake, the largest reservoir in the California State Water project, can hold 4,552,000 acre-feet. Mulshi Lake is about the same capacity as the Ice House Reservoir on the American River west of Lake Tahoe. Since the monsoon had just finished when we were there, Mulshi Lake was very full.

Mulshi Dam produces power for Pune with a 300 megawatt power plant run by Tata Power. It was built in the 1920s.

Here is a shot of Mulshi Lke from our hike the next day, and the teaser to get you to keep reading beyond the fold.

On my trip to India last October, the itinerary covered the last days of Navratri, a major festival across India. Navratri means “nine nights,” the last night being a special celebration known as Dussehra. I was in Ahmedabad, Gujarat on the last day of Navratri and was fortunate to experience the very special celebration they have in Gujarat.

According to Wikipedia, There are four Navratris in a year, with the one in the fall, post monsoon, being the most celebrated. The fall Navratri is linked with the goddess Durga and the festival of Durga Puja is at a similar time. Durga is known as a great victor of good over the forces of evil, and Durga Puja celebrates her victory over “the shape-shifting, deceptive and powerful buffalo demon Mahishasura.” [Wikipedia] Rama is also honored at this festival time for his victory of good over evil.

In Gujarat, in northwestern India, a form of dance known as Garba is performed as part of the festival. This practice has spread to many parts of India, but it is particularly celebrated in Gujarat. People dress in elaborate and colorful clothing and dance in a large circle. Venues across the city host these dances on large fields. My hosts had arranged for us to attend the celebration at the Rajpath Club, a private club in Ahmedabad. Along the way I got this picture of a well used two-wheeler with four people on it and one on her phone.

The festivities were well under way when we reached the club facilities. Just outside the dancing area (a large field) there was a small shine to Durga.

Two young ladies were dancing outside. You can see how elaborate their outfits are.

March’s trip to India has produced quite a number of posts. There are Hoysaleswara Temple, Chennakeshava Temple, Elliot’s Beach, and now this post on Pratabgad Fort and Mhabaleshwar.

Leaving Mumbai on a Friday late morning, we started a 170 mile / 274 kilometer 6-hour drive on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, passing through the outskirts of Pune before heading south and then into the Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountain range to the hill station of Mhabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar is 4,439 ft (1,353 m) above sea level and the weather there is quite pleasant. During the British Raj, it served as the summer capital of Bombay Province. We have often visited hill stations as they are popular tourist sites and in very pretty areas.

We stayed at the Evershine Keys Prima Resort. The hotel was very comfortable and the staff most helpful. We had a pleasant finish to the day with a good meal and good company.

The gardens of the Evershine Keys resort are quite nice

Before I dive into the main topic of this post, I’d like to put in a picture to tempt you to click on the “more” button and read the rest of the post. While we start off at the resort, the real highlight of the trip was the visit to Pratabgad Fort. This fort was the site of a major victory for Shivaji in the Battle of Pratapgarh (Pratapgarh is an alternate Latin character spelling of Pratabgad). More on that below. This bastion is one of its prominent features.

This is the imposing bastion you see as you arrive

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Following up to my posts on Hoysaleswara and Chennakeshava Temples in Karnataka, this post follows my journey east from Bangalore to Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Unlike the former posts, this is a travelogue not attempting to get at history.

We arrived in Chennai in the late afternoon and headed straight toward Elliot’s Beach along the waterfront just south of the city center. Fully named as Edward Elliot’s beach, it is named after a former superintendent of police.

We arrived just at sunset. Chennai is on the east coast of India, so the sunset set the mood rather than impressed. There were quite a number of people of all ages walking along the beach enjoying the pleasant weather.

Elliot’s Beach in Chennai just after sunset

The scaffolding and lights made an interesting geometric sight against the twilight sky.

Silhouette of construction along the waterfront

As a teaser to get you to click through to “more”, here is a picture from the marketplace we visited a short walk down the beach.

As it darkens the lights take over

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This is the second of two posts about visits to beautiful temples in Karnataka in March, 2018. The first post covered our visit to Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebeedu. This post will document our visit to Chennakeshava Temple in Belur. Belur is a short 10 mile (16 km) drive to the west of Halebeedu. As soon as we finished our visit at Hoysaleswara Temple we headed out to Belur and the Chennakeshava Temple.

The Chennakeshava Temple was built over 103 years starting in 1117 AD, when it was commissioned by King Vishnuvardhana. Like Hosaleswara Temple, it was damaged in wars and fighting while and has been continually repaired, even to today. It has functioned as an active Hindu temple since it was founded. (Wikipedia)

You enter the temple through an ornate gate, known as a Gopuram. The gopuram and surrounding walls were added in the 14th century. The lighter colored material on the gopuram is recent reconstruction. Wikipedia mentions extensive repairs performed in the 1930s financed by the Mysore government and Wadiyar dynasty but is not clear on whether this particular repair was part of that work. As an active temple, there is quite a lot of activity outside the temple complex.

The entrance to the Chennakeshava Temple complex. The lighter colored material is a restoration.

There are many structures within the temple complex. The pillar on the left is said to stand without any support but the carefully balanced weight of the pillar itself. The main Chennakeshava Temple, also known as Kesava temple, is in the center. It had an extensive wood and stone tower instead of a flat roof when it was built, but the tower was removed in the late 19th century. I am not clear on what the structure on the left is.

The temple grounds are extensive, with many structures.

This is looking directly into the main entrance of the Chennakeshava Temple. You must leave your shoes outside, so it is nice that there are rugs laid out to help prevent burnt feet.

This is the entrance to Chennakeshava Temple. This is the main temple, also known as the Kesava temple.

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I had the opportunity to visit some very beautiful temples in Karnataka, India in March, 2018. This is the first of two posts and it will focus on the Hoysaleswara Temple in Halebeedu (also spelled Halebidu). Having arrived in Bangalore around 1:00 am and finally turned off the light at 3:00 am, we got up at 7:00 to head off to Halebeedu and Belur, a three and a half hour, 140 mile (226 mk) drive. A subsequent post will discuss the visit at Belur.

We stopped on the way at Hotel Mayura, a nice restaurant, and had a traditional Indian breakfast of dosa and another deep fried bread that was all puffed, served with a variety of curries. I had stopped at this restaurant in October, 2016 on the way to visit Shravanabelagola, a Jain shrine with a massive statue. I wrote about that trip in March, 2017.

The Hoysaleswara Temple was built from 1160 to 1121 AD. In the 14th century, Halebeedu was twice sacked by invading Muslim armies, and the temple was damaged during these conflicts. The temple today is largely intact. We arrived just before mid-day and there was a good crowd at the temple, busy but not too busy. This is the walkway from the north parking area to the temple.

Entry walkway at Hoysaleswara temple

Even from a distance you can see the intricate detail of the carvings on the temple. The temple is made from soapstone. Soapstone is soft when quarried, making it suitable for carving and decoration, but it hardens over time, so the carvings are durable. This is the north entrance to the temple.

The entrance to the Hoysaleswara Temple

Visitors to the temple were very colorfully dressed. As with most historical temple sites in India, this is not just an historical site, it is an active place of worship.

Colorful clothing outside the temple

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