Hello to all Local Guide friends!
I hope you all are fine and doing well in this current pandemic situation of COVID-19. Here in India the lock-down is extended up to 03rd May. Being at home, I am spending my time reading wonderful posts here on Connect shared by LGs across the globe. I spend some time of the day meditating to stay calm and positive. Also I love spending time with my family, watching photos of our previous picnics together. Yesterday we saw a photo album of our one day picnic to ‘Shivtharghal’ and while watching it; we were again mesmerized by seeing the nature’s beauty.
So, today I am going to tell you about our one day family picnic to Shivtharghal which we had arranged during monsoon of 2017. At that time we were in Pune. Shivtharghal is 120 km away from Pune.
Shivtharghal is a Beautiful & Spiritual place located in Raigad district in Maharashtra state of India and it is surrounded by beautiful hills of ‘Sahyadri’ ranges.
Shivtharghal is an ancient cave situated near the town of Mahad where the great saint Shri Samarth Ramdas wrote the Dasbodh, a spiritual text in Marathi language. It is also believed that the first meeting between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Shri Ramdas Swami took place at this cave. The atmosphere inside the cave is absolutely peaceful and divine.
It is also the location of one the most beautiful waterfalls in all of Maharashtra. A mighty waterfall flows just beside this cave, hence the best time to visit the cave is during monsoon, when the waterfall and the lush green surroundings are at their glorious best.
How to reach Shivtharghal**:-** The best way to reach Shivtharghal from Pune is by car.
- By Air:- The nearest airport is Pune, which is 120 km away from this beautiful destination.
- By Bus:- From Pune take a M****SRTC bus going to Mahad; it will drop you at Shivtharghal phata**.**
- By Train:- The nearest railway station is at Pune
Though the road from Pune to Shivtharghal via Bhor has some rough patches, but on the way we enjoyed some wonderful spots and the stunning scenery along this route. First we saw the best Necklace view of ‘Yelwanti’ river which is located in Bhor taluka around 60 km from Pune.
After enjoying spectacular scenery at this spot, we stopped again at ‘Bhatghar’ dam view point . Bhatghar dam is a gravity dam on Yelwanti River in Bhor taluka and is one of the oldest dams in Maharashtra. From this point we saw a wonderful view of backwater of Bhatghar Dam surrounded by the lush greenery.
After that we stopped again at ‘Varand Ghat’ . It is around 100 km away from Pune and is a mountain passage in the Western Ghats to join the town of Bhor to Konkan. The breathtaking views of the spectacular waterfalls and picturesque green hills while climbing the Varanda Ghat are simply amazing. Especially the view from the peak was astonishing.
I wish the entire community will soon overcome this current pandemic situation of COVID-19. And everyone will be able to go out of home to enjoy the beauty of nature.
But until then ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ and take care of you and your family.
Is this place a part of Konkan region?