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Gopal Lahiri |
By Gopal Lahiri
Bhandardara: The Green Paradise
By
Gopal Lahiri
Bhandardara
is a place that defines restrained opulence. There are mountains, lush green
meadows, serene lake and magical waterfalls- and it all seems casually thrown
together by the nature in a most perfect way. It’s extraordinary landscapes
justly attract hordes of visitors. This paradise, nestled in the western ghats,
is located just 185 km from Mumbai.
The
approach road to Bhandardara wasn’t great and we could reach there with a few
hurdles. Once you reach there, the breeze from the beautiful Arthur lake is really
soothing. Lake side camping was terrific in this dreamy village and once we
were on the boat for cruising on the lake, the arresting sight of the
surrounding cliffs almost demanded to be climbed and kept us to ourselves.
The
lake gets its water from Pravara river through Wilson dam. The dam was built in
1910 and was at the height of 150m.What a sight! The cascades of water flows
through once the sluis gate of the dam get opened. Shadows of various kinds
converged on the valley, ringing their own verbal music, unsung harmonies.
A
few unknown birds acquiring pleasing shades about their beaks, gapes and legs
and showy filamentous plumes on the head were squabbling over a tiny fish with
harpoon like beak ready to lash out. These bird cries, these voices of water
losing to the rocks below, these playful times rolled into the humming of
silence in the forest.
There was water. And if you were
not on it, you were in the woods. Everything around us was water, stone or
wood. The sun painted a white line. Long runs of basalt did split the
forest into two. The Lake was lined with basalt and Ratangad fort was at a
distance. The magic engulfed the Amriteshwar temple also and we are told by the
locals that it was built by Pandavas in a single day.
The Lake was hemmed with green
shrubs. The sky was reconstructed with cloud patches I had never seen before. We could stare at the Kalsubai mountain (1646m height), the Everest of
Maharashtra, views from this lonely corner all day long.
Here
you just see an endless landscape of green hills of Sahyadri, creasing and
rippling away to the horizon. It’s an amazing destination for trekking through
the forest to the hill top. Umbrella Falls and Randha falls were roaring even
long back after the monsoon.
Bhandardara
is certainly has one of the best settings, overlooking the lake in this rocky
heaven with challenging trekking paths to the hill top Even the epic photos
don’t quite prepare you for this place with its encircling mountain greens.
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