Mahabaleshwar

A strawberry-growing hill station of the British era in the Western Ghats, with clifftop viewpoints over the Krishna valley and Panchgani and the Maratha fortress of Pratapgad nearby.

Mahabaleshwar lies in Satara district, Maharashtra, on a plateau about 1,350 m up in the Western Ghats, and is one of the favorite hill-station getaways for people from Mumbai and Pune, about 120 km from Pune and 260 km from Mumbai. From the 19th century it served as the summer capital of the Bombay Presidency, and it still keeps its British-style cottages, churches and clifftop viewpoints named after British officials. It is also the source of five rivers including the Krishna, and the ancient Shiva temple and Panchganga Temple in Old Mahabaleshwar are Hindu holy sites. Sightseeing centers on the viewpoints: Arthur's Seat, Elphinstone Point, Kate's Point and others look down over deep gorges and the Savitri valley, Bombay Point is for sunsets and Wilson Point for sunrises; in town there's boating on Venna Lake and the main bazaar. This is India's biggest strawberry-growing area, and in winter and spring (roughly December–April) you can pick your own at strawberry farms and enjoy strawberries and cream at Mapro Garden. Day trips: to the west, Pratapgad Fort is where the Maratha hero Shivaji defeated Afzal Khan; Panchgani, 18 km east, has its Table Land plateau; and about 30 km south, the Kaas Plateau, part of the Western Ghats World Natural Heritage Site, is carpeted with wildflowers at the end of the monsoon in August–October. The best season is October–June; June–September brings torrential monsoon rains and some viewpoints and boating close, though the waterfalls and mist are at their most spectacular. Getting there: the nearest railway stations are Satara and Pune; it's about 3 hours by road from Pune and 5–6 hours from Mumbai. In town, hire a car to tour the viewpoints. Weekends and Indian holidays are crowded, so go on a weekday if you can, and plan to stay 2–3 days.

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