One of the best things about living in Pune is its proximity to so many beautiful hill-stations of the Sahyadris, which makes day trips possible, if staying the night is not an option. If one starts early in the morning, there is enough time to visit, explore a little, have a picnic or lunch in a restaurant and get back by about 9 or 10 pm. One of these places is Matheran, in Raigad district, which was discovered by Mr. Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then Collector of Thane, in 1850. Matheran lies about 800 metres above sea level.
One Sunday my daughter’s CET exam was scheduled at a college in a village near Karjat, called Bhivpuri. An internet search showed that Bhivpuri, which was placed somewhere between Karjat and Neral was very close to Matheran, so our family planned a quick visit to the hill station after dropping her off. It is simple enough to reach Karjat by road from Pune and from there the drive to Neral is effortless too. We took the Khopoli exit on the Expressway, after first making enquiries at the toll naka. From Neral, the road starts climbing immediately. There is a narrow gauge railway that leaves three times a day from Neral and returns thrice from Matheran. The train stops at three stations along the way and the journey is quite wonderful, passing through thick forests in places and affording scenic valley views in others. On its 2- 2 1/2 hour circuitous journey, the train climbs up on 20 km of track with no less than 281 curves, said to be among some of the sharpest in the world. Those who do not wish to travel by road, can easily get all the way there from Pune, by rail too. Road travel though, is advised, if the idea is a one day trip, as it saves a lot of time, which will otherwise be wasted on waiting at stations and the long mini-train ride up the mountain. There are many good hotels of all ranges as well, if a longer stay is desired.
The road is very steep and one has to drive very carefully and almost all the way in first gear. It crosses the tracks in many places, so again caution is advised. The view though, is absolutely breathtaking, as just after a few turns the entire landscape begins unfolding in fabulous vistas. The hill sides here are thickly forested, contrasting sharply with many of the other badly deforested slopes. Like in other forests of the Western Ghats, here too numerous plants and herbs with medicinal value grow. Matheran has been declared an ecosensitive region by the Union Environment Ministry and the road does not go all the way to the top. This is a pollution free zone and one has to alight at Dasturi Naka, where the vehicles can be parked for a fee. From here on there are four choices: Riding up on a horse, taking a hand pulled rickshaw, waiting for the train which takes about 10 – 15 minutes from there to Matheran railway station, or then walking. There are two choices to walk up too, one is the path that the horses and rickshaws take and the other is the railway line. Coolies and hand carts are available to carry any luggage that might be there. We had been forewarned about the degrees of difficulty of both road and tracks, so we chose the latter.
We were not the only ones it seemed, as many others had the same idea and it was quite a procession of out of condition urbanites that huffed and puffed its way around the mountain. Trudging up those tracks was hard work in the beginning but after a while it began to get easier. The hillsides were covered by forests and the trees lined both sides of the tracks and grew in the vale below. Even now moss could be spied growing on the trunks and branches and dappled light played on the forest floor. The monkeys were our constant companions on that trek, some opting to walk on the rails themselves. The view was obscured by trees in the beginning, but after a while we could only draw our breaths in sharply, as the tree cover cleared a bit and before us was spread out a panoramic view of valleys and hills.
In the monsoons all this turns into every possible shade of green and some of the ravaged hill sides are once more granted the grace of a verdant cover. One can only imagine the clouds and silver water falls that must be snaking down then from every slope. Now that the grass had dried and turned yellow and many slopes were bare, the view had a more colourful, though rugged look; with the blue of the sky, the red of the Earth, the yellow of the grass covered mountains and the green of the trees, all presenting a vivid and picturesque sight. The peaks in the distance appeared blue in the mists. In the valley we could see clusters of houses of the villages and towns that lay below.
In a little while, the path we had left behind began to run along the tracks and presented us with images from another century: a procession of people in rickshaws, horseback and on foot, as well as mule trains, coolies, and pushcarts, all carrying luggage and other goods. I have never seen anything so dangerously laden with goods before, as those push carts, and wondered at their ability to maneuver such steep slopes. There were trails leading off from the path, through the surrounding forests to many view points, but time constraints held us to our course.
Presently we reached our destination; the railway station. A train was waiting to leave the station. Horses and hand pulled rickshaws waited outside. The market we reached was one long road with shops, restaurants and hotels on both sides. The shops sold the local handicrafts like baskets and other cane articles, attractive bags, chappals, chikki, fudge and other locally made food stuffs, besides other things. I found a shop selling lovely locally made, inexpensive leather bags, which would have made any boutique in Mumbai or Pune proud. They were irresistible.
We were only able to make it to one point; Khandala point, which presents a view of the Khandala hills. Besides us there was just one more family there, of langurs, all solemnly perched at the edge, looking down at the view.
There are supposedly about 38 points in all. The most famous of these are Panorama or Sunrise Point, which lies about 6 km from the market. This point offers a comprehensive view of the peaks and dales around, and from here witnessing a sunrise is a must. It is called the King of Points. Mount Barry is one of the highest spots in Matheran and offers a stunning view of the Sahyadris as well as of the toy train coming up the mountains. Other points are Louisa Point, Echo Point, Garbut Point, Monkey Point, One Tree Hill, etc. Charlotte Lake, also called Sharlott Lake, is a crystal clear lake situated in a charming valley and is the main source of drinking water for Matheran. Echo and Louisa Points are on its right.
For our return we took the hand pulled rickshaws, which for me was a rather daunting affair. The rickshaw is pulled by one person and pushed by another and it is rather hair raising, rattling down that sheer gradient in a creaky, rickety affair, at quite a high speed, totally dependent on the dexterity and control of the rickshaw puller. Thankfully we made it down safely and maybe next time it will not seem so intimidating.
The drive back was equally fascinating as the evening sun spread its warm honey tones over the entrancing landscape.
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