Photo Travelogue :
I have distinct memories of my many train travels ( during college vacations ) to and fro my native city and then Bombay ( now Mumbai ). I'd wait eagerly for the particular 'stretch' when the train would zoom through various tunnels on entering Maharashtra, especially, just after Nashik and before entering Bombay. That'd be the most thrilling part of the otherwise quite tiring journey of almost three days. It was much later, that I actually visited those hills above ~ that housed those long rail-tunnels ( architectural marvels of the british times ) - Sahyadri range as I came to know them. Its basically the towering Western Ghats ( older than the Himalayas ) that run almost 1600km via couple of states from north to south parallel to the western coastline of Indian peninsula. These mountains, as I discovered, are a treasure trove of multiple
ghats, ancient
trade routes ( between the sea/ konkan and upper deccan regions ),
rivers ( godavari, krishna and more ),
waterfalls ( thousands ), jaw-dropping
cliffs,
pinnacles, dense
forests, ancient
temples, buddhist
caves, maratha
forts,
ruins,
ravines,
valleys,
gorges,
fogs,
clouds,
canyons,
rainbows,
flowers,
grasses,
wildlife,
birds - anything and everything that can be called beautiful, adventurous as well as having lots of thrills. Its a biodiversity hotspot and paradise for nature lovers, trekkers, rock climbers and yes, even honey-mooners who throng those picturesque locations of Lonavla, Matheran, Mahabaleshwar and many more. In my stay in Bombay, over the years, I have made it a point to visit every nook and corner of the mesmerising Sahyadris. I have visited many places like Malshej Ghats, Kasara Ghats, Igatpuri, Trimbak, Sinhagad, Matheran, Lonavla, Khandala, Khopoli and many more...with
yet plenty more waiting to be discovered
hopefully soon :-)

stunning, rugged hilly terrain of volcanic origins - sahyadris is mysterious and beautiful in real - pictures don't do justice...

although the highest peak of the entire range is in kerala ( anamudi ), maharashtra boasts is own mt.everest called Kalsubai at 5400 ft, in its portion of the sahyadri...its a popular trekking spot...




sahyadris in maharashtra is home to over 400 historical forts, mostly made famous by chatrapati shivaji maharaj...
the marathas used these forts as watch towers, in trade and defence and in various guerilla warfare with the mughals and british...they proved to be perfect in giving them edge over the enemy as neither british or mughals were adapt in all these rock climbing activities which the marathas were a pro at. Finally, after lots of fierce battles the British destroyed steps of many of these impressive hilltop forts, so that the marathas couldnot use them again. Its fascinating to go through their incrediable archtectual feat in current times and wonder really how on earth they managed to construct such monuments at top of such hair raising cliffs.


wind, rain and natural elements like erosion has carved the rocks to perfection...
These range blocks the monsoon from going eastwards, thus, has plenty of rainfal in its western parts while rains are scarce in the eastern part of it - called deccan plateau. The reservoirs and catchments areas provided by the Sahyadri's massive 'rain-shadow' forests is most crucial to almost all the major cities in the region like Bombay, Pune, Nashik etc for their water needs. From June to early Sept, the golden hills become blue-green filled with foliage; and the winter months, it becomes golden again as the tall grasses that appeared during monsoon dries up giving off a golden glow in the hills.


asia's 2nd largest and deepest ( and darkest ) valley with practically no sun-light penetrating - the sandhan valley...



the 4761 ft plunging deep konkankada...a giant concave cliff with a vertical drop and reverse waterfall...


mountain roads...



plentiful meandering ghat sections with hair-pin curves...
fog laden twisting ghat roads...

incredible technology and jawdropping engineering...the konkan railways...
waterfalls galore - sahyadris is home to thousands of waterfalls that come alive especially during monsoons...
simply wow...


greener than green...the mesmerising 1200 ft multi-tiered kalu waterfall located in deep lush forest...
While quarrying, mining and other construction activities in the name of 'development' has threatened the fragile eco-system of the Sahyadris, its essential to preserve the heritage by all for all the benefits it provides, as well as the 'dramatic' visual pleasures. Also, there's an urgent need not to litter the beautiful mountains and keep them gorgeous as they are.
The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri, is a mountain range that stretches 1,600 km along the western coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of 160,000 km², it traverses the Indian states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu ( wiki ).
Address : Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu
Stay tuned for all my road, rail, flight, cruise & walk trips.
( Images - Google - respective owners & ©Mine. )
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