My trip to Lonavala and
Khanadala was in too rainy days. I had enjoyed it with my cousins. We didn’t
climb Lohagad or Bhaje Caves. I wanted to go back all most in next week along
with 2 friends. I was planning to club it with a meeting I was expecting to be
schedule in Mumbai. However, this did not happen and I had dropped the plan due
to other trips I had. As the meeting was fixed I headed to Mumbai with few days
in hand and a return ticket. I spoke to a friend in Mumbai and another in Pune.
Thus 3 ladies had planned to meet and go somewhere. Oops! No place around
Mumbai or Pune was available for an overnight stay due to long weekend holiday.
Someone also offered us place if we reach on 15th or 16th (August) afternoon.
From religious places to resorts that we (actually my two friends) reached out were
fully occupied. With heavy rains a cousin reminded me to be careful in
venturing to any place around Mumbai or Pune. So we had settled down with
another plan. Two of us met in Mumbai, travelled to Pune. We had our share of
interaction regarding a seat which is reserved for woman pass holders. Instead
of letting any passenger occupy that, a bag was kept in anticipation of someone
might come. We saw another side of empowered women and felt sorry. Railway
police came at some point on the way and informed us that if the matter is not
settled the train would be delayed. So we had to let go and for some reason
some of us were allowed to sit.
On arrival at Pune we
were dropped at the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park by a public bus. After few
minutes of waiting we were picked by Anjali. We were picking something to eat.
Being Gujarati I knew what is Shrikhand and I thought Aamrkhand might be Aamras
(mango pulp). Oh! It was mango shrikhand. We had that in lunch. We met a
wonderful young woman who speaks Marwadi, Hindi, English and her mother tongue
Marathi. Such woman is the one to me is empowered and not those who are not
ready to be kind and are self-centered. She had so much to share! She is a woman who lives her life to the
fullest. At least this was the impression she gave.
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| What a timing for birding Krinna! |
The evening was spent at
Taljai forest walking and trying to spot some birds. My two friends were
meeting each other for the first time and were busy communicating. I had no
much luck as it was an evening after some rain. However we did some photography. Swing and
some food made the evening beautiful. A young man told me that he wanted me to
take his picture, but he had decided otherwise as the absence of bright light
was not good to justify his photogenic face. He was with his friends and had offered
me “vada pav” and tea. We both were glad talking to each other and I told him
that I was waiting for my friends to join me to eat. I love to be connected
like this randomly to a stranger.
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| Add caption |
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| The swing that we 3 had enjoyed |
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| Nice to walk there |
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Dragonfly
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At night Anjali had mentioned about Bara Motachi Vihir, a step well near Satara. Next was my search at two of the Facebook pages. So we ended up also deciding Menawali. Road route was understood and next day we were out for our trip around 9:00 am. We had breakfast in Pune itself. Then we were on National Highway no. 4 from Pune to Satara. Music, chatting all the way we were having fun. I love to be on road when a friend drives and I keep looking around. Somehow it is one of the experiences where I feel privileged.
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Pune- Satara Highway ( Nationa Highway 4)
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| Going upward on the hill, passing through ghat |
We also passed through ghat, meaning passing in between two hills. We couldn’t stop as traffic was moving fast but the view was beautiful. Travelling up the “ghat” was also nice feeling.
Reaching Limb was not
that challenging and now there is a road upto the village. As soon as we had
reached there we got into photography. A group of young men was there and they
were doing photography while jumping in the well. We saw a rainbow while they
jumped but I could not capture it.
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| Young men had fun of jumping in the well, Baramotechi Vihir, Limb, Satara district, Maharashtra, India |
We all got into photographing each other and some selfies too. Then all of a sudden the other friend brought us a tamarind which had red pulp. So Anjali recalled her childhood joy of painting lips with it when lipstick was forbidden. After that she used a plant coming out of the walls to get a sticky white liquid and made a design on hand. That was covered with sand and it looked like a tattoo. Meanwhile a local spoke to the other friend and said that since past 8-10 moths we had put the pictures of this step well on the net and we have many visitors since there. According to her no one knows any history of the well in the village including her grandfather. However she agrees that income from tourists is benefiting them. According to her, the inscription on the well is a recent addition. Now this needs to be verified and if true, it is really sad. We had “pauha” and tea at one of the home and while paying we found higher price than what we had paid in Pune. Same was the case of vegetables they were selling just opposite to the well. As usual the step well was fascinating. My friends played for a while with children there. I was generally looking around for opportunities for photography. Of late I have been travelling for all most 2 weeks and not as energetic as I would be. Then the swing tied with a branch of the tree took my both friends to be as playful as they could be. I took their pictures. We went to a temple nearby but hardly spent any time. On the way we passed by 1-2 abundant small monuments.
The sign board which is now missing is photographed by others in past which I saw on net. That had a brief history.
http://www.placesnearpune.com/images/baramotichi_vihir_stepwell_limb_satara_02.jpg
Baramotichi Vihir is a step
well in Limb, Satara village in Satara district in Maharashtra state in India.
It was constructed between 1641 and 1646 by Virubhai Bhosale. It is 110 ft deep
and 50 ft in diameter. Limb village is situated around 16 km from Satara and
approximately 99 km from Pune. The well is octagonal in shape and looks like
dug-out Shivling. (Wikipedia)
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| The entrance to the step-well, Baramotechi Vihir, Limb |
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| Baramotechi Vihir signboard in Marathi, but referred as Baramotochi Vihir too |
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One of the queens of my life, on the upper throne like part of the step-well, Limb
view from inside the step-well, Limb
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Anjali on a swing
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| A quick visit to a temple near by on the river, Limb |
We had a next
destination in mind so we headed towards Menawali, a place where shooting of
Swadesh, Gangajal and few other movies
were done. This provides income to the locals as they enact in the movies.
There is Nana Phadnavis Wada (house of Nana Phadnavis) on the bank of river
Krishna. There are separate spaces for different activities as Wikipedia says.
All of us thought if we could have a home nearby and could come to this place
to spend our evenings. The rain had a typical “savan” (monsoon) characteristic.
It came and went away and in no time there was sunlight. Oh yes! There was a
rainbow! We were so happy and we sang songs.
A trip of three ladies was coming to closer. We quickly saw the house of
Nana Phadnavis from outside. A trunk of the tree outside the complex reminded
of a foot of an elephant. On the way we saw two dead trees’ trunk painted with
messages on save trees and graffiti. It looked like that was done by
P.W.D. We had a lemon grass tea (water,
sugar and lemon grass) which was still hot as we had carried from home. We
loved it. The trip was fulfilled! On the way back we had two traffic jams. We
had our dinner on highway itself soon after we were out of the first jam. So
much of sharing happened all the way, about society in general, our work and
personal life.
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| The tree on the other side |
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| We gave it a miss to reach Menavali |
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| Loved its beauty but had to go ahead |
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| The tree outside Nana Phadnavis Wada (house of Nana Phadnavis), Menavali, Maharastra |
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| Why would we not sing? |
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| The close up of one of the two temples, Menavali, Maharashtra |
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| Anjlai makes a point that we don't miss the rainbow |
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| The Nana Phadnavis Wada, Menavali |
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| The Nana Phadnavis Wada, Menavali |
I must say I felt happy
each time I saw farms and generally. Next early morning we
came back to Mumbai. About time spent in Mumbai I will write without pictures.
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| The joyful road trip with two friends tells me that life has faith in us! The earth is still green with crops. |
Now these three ladies are in their respective homes in three different cities and happy that they had traveled together.
