Mahabaleshwar
Mahabaleshwar
The city of Mahabaleshwar is located in the Satara District of Maharashtra in India. The city is basically a hill station in the Western Ghats and is the small number of places in the world that has an evergreen forest. Just over 200km from Mumbai this expansive vibrant plateau has pleasant weather the year round. The city has several view points from where you can get stunning views of the landscape. Among these Wilson or Sunrise point is the highest and the sunrise looks ethereal from here. The Connaught Point is slightly lower than Sunrise point and from you here you can see the whole panorama of the lush landscape. The other viewpoints worth visiting are, Arthur’s Seat, Elphistone, Baghdad and Kates.
Several waterfalls in and around the city make it ideal to picnic in the region. At the beautiful Venna Lake you can avail of boating and fishing facilities. Discover the history of the place by visiting such buildings as the Mount Malcolm built during the Raj and Pratapgarh Fort, which was built by the great Maratha King, Shivaji. Mahabaleshwar has strawberry fields, so if are traveling there in the summers, you can go strawberry picking! Horse riding and trekking are fun activities to indulge in. Also exploring the city on foot is a fun way of enjoying its lovely landscape and local culture. A little over 15 km from Mahabaleshwar is Panchgani, the town with five hills. Panchgani is resplendent with its strawberry and
Raspberry farms, its cool climate and verdant surroundings.
Nashik
Lying 108 km from Mumbai, on the Western Ghats, Nashik is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. With the Kumbh Mela being held here ever 12 years, Nashik becomes one of the holiest cities of India. Other than that the city is visited for its salubrious weather, spectacular landscape and diamond trade and a throbbing industrial life. Nashik is an eclectic mix of the modern and the ancient and is strewn with temples and forts and is also called as the ‘wine capital’ of the country as grapes grow abundantly here. Shri Kalaram Mandir, Trimbakeshwar temple, which is one of the 12 jyotirlings in the country and Naroshankar Temple are worth a visit.
For nature and wildlife enthusiasts the Nandur Madhmeshwar Sanctuary is a treat. It has over 200 species of birds, over 400 species of vegetation and several species of fish and mammals. It has several lakes which abound with hundreds of migratory birds. Visit the Bhandardara and Kalsubai Peak which has a large dam, a beautiful lake, lovely waterfalls, a fort and an ancient temple. Wilson Dam, Arthur Lake and the cascading Radha Falls make this spot ideal for a picnic.
The cave from where Sits was abducted by Ravana, the Sita Gumpha and the Pandav Caves in the Anjinagiri mountain ranges, built by the Jains 2000 years ago are belived to be the caves where the Pandavs took refuge for a short time during their exile.
Khajuraho
Lying in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is famous for its group of Medieval Jain and Hindu temples, which have been listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Khajuraho temples are renowned for their architecture and erotic sculptures. Out of these 12th century built 85 temples, only 20 now remain. The temples that are in good condition and worth visiting are divided into three groups-
The western group- the temples in the group are, the Lakshman Temple, the Kandariya Mahadev Temple, Devijagadambi Temple, Vishwanatha and Chausath Yogini temples. The Eastern Rroup comprises the Jain temple of Parshavnath. The southern group consists of the Duladeo Temple and the Chaturbhuja Temple. It is popularly believed that such explicit depiction of sex in the sculptures could have been the result of the reaction to the extremely austere life proposed by the Buddha, or then they could also be temples of tantric mysticism.
Prayers and ritual worship are still carried out in the temples by the local priests and attended by the locals as well as the tourists. A light and sound show conducted every evening in English creates very mystically the history of the Chandela Rajputs, considered the descendants of the moon and who were responsible for the building of these temples. You will see the emblem of the Chandelas, a warrior in a bare-handed battle with a lion, in many of these temples. Other than the temples the State Museum for tribal and Folk Arts, which showcases a stunning array of tribal arts and crafts of Madhya Pradesh is worth visiting.
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Ajanta and Ellora Caves
Located near the city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, Ajanta and Ellora Caves are spectacular specimens of rock cut caves, 34 at Ellora and 29 at Ajanta. These exquisite caves were hand crafted in the 2nd and 3rd centuries but were discovered by a British army officer in the 19th century. The Ajanta Caves depict scenes from the Jataka tales, which tell the tales from the incarnations of Lord Buddha. These caves are believed to have been built as secluded spots for the Buddhist monks to teach and practice the word of Buddha. There are some well preserved paintings like those of the Bodhisattvas Padmapani and Avalokiteshwara.
The Ellora caves have Hindu, Buddhist as well as Jain sculptures carved into a basaltic hillside. The Intricate facades and creatively carved interiors render these caves one of the most aesthetic monuments in the country. In all there are 17 Hindu caves, 12 Buddhist caves and 5 Jain caves at Ellora. The serene and graceful Buddha sculptures in the caves gave the monks an ideal spot to study, reflect and meditate. In cave number 16, is the Kailahsa Temple with an assembly hall, gateway, pavilion, a sanctum and a tower all of which are carved out of a single rock! About a mile away from Kailasha Temple are the Jain caves which have numerous statues of Jain Tirthankaras, along with a statue of Lord Mahavira in a meditative pose.
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This is certainly an outstanding write-up. Thanks a lot for spending some time to summarize all this out for folks. It truly is a great guide!
Khajuraho temples in madhya pradesh is the most impressive temples in India. This is the attraction of Madhya pradesh tourist. There are number of tourist visit here to see this temple and make their memorable travel movements at here.