Just ask any Mumbaikar or Pune resident to suggest a spot visit during the weekend and the answer in unison would be “Mahabaleshwar.” Yes, Maharashtra’s very own hill station that gives the citizens of Maharashtra a cool respite from the otherwise, hot, and humid climate the state gets all year round. Further, if you have watched the movie, Baahubali, Bol Bachchan, or Dabangg 2, or even Chennai Express, you would be able to spot them near Wai or at various other parts of Mahabaleshwar. With scenic spots all around, the place is a photographer’s delight.
Mahabaleshwar has been a hill station in the Sahyadri mountain ranges from the British Raj itself and one visit to the place, and you would know why. Mahabaleshwar is just a little away from the city of Mumbai and likewise, from Pune. Hence, its accessibility is the key reason for people to go on affordable holiday packages to this cool hill station.
Viewpoints, Hills, and Villages:
Mahabaleshwar is eye-candy and one visit to that quaint little hill station, and you would feel peace and greenery of the evergreen forests all around serenading your senses.
- Wai: One of the most scenic villages near Mahabaleshwar should be on your itinerary if you have great love to visit the place where all the three Khans of Bollywood have worked in a few of their films each. Salman Khan’s Bodyguard has a few scenes from there, as also in his Dabangg and Dabangg2 movie franchises, he has shot in Wai village, though it featured in the movies as Lalganj, UP. A few scenes of Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express had scenes of the lead pair of Shah Rukh and Deepika Padukone too in Wai village, which we saw as the Komban village of Tamil Nadu in the film. Even Shah Rukh’s village in India was the Wai village in Swades, where he took a dip in the pond next to the temple. Lastly, Aamir Khan too had shot many scenes of his well-known Mangal Pandey shot here. Wai also got famous thanks to the Dhom dam, which we saw in many films like Taare Zameen Par, and Kaminey.
- Panchgani: In addition, in the same district as Mahabaleshwar is the scenic spot of Panchgani, which has cool weather, forests, and of course, a spot for boating too. This place is also equally famous for its One Tree Point where Raja aka Aamir Khan, kissed Arati aka Karishma Kapoor in the movie Raja Hindustani. There are other films too that were in Panchgani, like Gadar- Ek prem Katha, Force, and more.
- Sydney Point: Sydney Point in Mahabaleshwar is a prominent spot for many popular Hindi movies too. The point is famous for the song Dafleewale, starring Rishi Kapoor and Jaya Pradha.
- Venna Lake: One of the most popular movies that featured this beautiful lake near the river Krishna in Mahabaleshwar happens to be the Venna Lake. Swades and Koi Mil Gaya had a few scenes by this lake.
Besides just visiting these spots, do not forget to buy some of the freshest strawberries from Mapro Garden in Panchgani, do parasailing and paragliding from Mahabaleshwar’s breath-taking hillsides and enjoy a cool weekend relaxing this summer.
(Image Copyrights: https://flic.kr/p/advBeu)
