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The lush greenery of Panchgani
Panchgani is about 18 km from Mahableshwar on Wai road. Situated at an altitude of 1334
mts, it lies just 38 m below Mahabaleshwar. It gets name from the five hills around it.
The way to Panchgani from Mahabaleshwar
is absolutely spectacular. Panchgani has been a British retreat for a long
time and still has the ‘Raj’ stamp all over it, which is evident in the architecture of Old British
buildings.
In 1860, John Chesson, a
retired East India Company Warrant Officer tried to see if Panchgani
would be useful for a European style health resort. Since then, the
town has come a long way. Some of the cottage buildings still exist and attract the tourists interested in period buildings.
Places of interest
Table Land
Tableland in Panchgani is the most visited tourist attraction.
This is the largest expanse of flat top of
rock and
second largest mountain plateau in Asia. It is situated 60 meters high on the eastern side of the
town. The top gives a visual treat to all with a panoramic view of
the town below.
Rajapuri Caves
These caves are about 10 km from Panchgani, where a temple devoted
to Lord Karthikeya, the son of Lord Shiva is located. The patron goddess of local
people is Ghatjal Devi. At the end of every harvesting season, a
fair is held in honour of this deity.
Parsi Point
It is situated 1km away from main bazaar on Mahableshwar road. The point
provides the tourist with a breathtaking view of Krishna Valley and vast expanse of Dhom Dam backwaters. A pagoda has been placed here to
facilitate a better view of the surrounding areas.
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Sydney Point
This point is situated on a hillock facing the Krishna Valley. A picturesque view of terraced agriculture land with winding road leading to Wai and beyond is visible from this
vantage point. On the western side of the Dhom Dam lake, one can
spot the Pandav Ghat and Mandharodeo.
Other important points to visit are Kanga point and Kachhabavdi point close to
Panchgani.
Season
: September to mid-June.
The best time to visit is September to May.
The temperature varies from 16 degree Celsius in winter to 35 deg Celsius in summer.
The popular season to visit Panchgani is the summer. It is a pleasant change from the scorching
heat of Mumbai and Pune. In summer the early morning cool breeze mixed with the warm sun throughout the clear day.
The evening brings with it a subtle change in the temperature and opens up
a grand vision of the heavens. The clear starlit sky is surely
something to tempt the romantic souls.
The weather during
October combines the good qualities of summer and winter and is altogether the very romantic and pleasant throughout the year. The temperature is cool
equable and there is a delightful freshness in the air.
Access
AIR : Mahableshwar is 232
kms. from Bombay Airport and 160 kms. from Pune city Airport therefore it is easily accessible from both these cities.
ROAD : It is an easy and comfortable drive from Mumbai along the Bombay- Pune highway and then along the road to
Satara, turning off at Wai for Panchgani and on to Mahableshwar. Another route would be along the Mumbai-Goa highway up to
'Mahad', Poladpur and over the exciting and testing Fritzgerald Ghats (Mountain Pass) on to
Mahableshwar.
Private Luxury Buses and private (chauffeur-driven or self-driven) Taxis as well State Transport Buses and Luxury Coaches are easily available all through the day.
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