Pawna Dam is one of the explored spots around Pune. It’s an ideal getaway for a tranquil one-day outing. It is located about 60km from Pune and 15km from Kamshet.
Over the weekend we met our friends and after an
hour of chat, we decided to go to Pawna Dam. The travellers were me, Kiran, Abhijit
and Snehal and we went by bike.
After leaving around 10am from Pune we reached
the destination in two hours, had only 1 pit stop for tea. We were amazed by
seeing the great view amidst greenery and hills around the lake. The place
is a very calm, divine and astounding natural landscape which you will love to
explore. We played in the water for a while and watched the beautiful panorama
around us. We took a boat ride and it was a lot of fun, a round to the lake is
very thrilling, we clicked lots of photos.
Amazing view of Pawna Lake
You can also visit forts like Tung, Lohgad and
Tikona from the place.
Tung Fort from Pawna Lake
Tung Fort
There are many ducks you can see.
There are no trees or shade to protect you from
the sun at the dam or surrounding area. Thus, it is advisable to avoid
visiting in the hot summer. The best time to visit is the rainy season when
the surrounding area will be covered in lush greenery and the lake will be
full. When the water is released from the dam, the view will be breathtaking!
Watching the sunset on the horizon is certainly
an exhilarating experience; I wanted to stay till evening but as we were
decided to leave and left around 3pm. After having lunch at Bhajansing’s Dhaba,
we reached home at 6.30pm.
It was a short, unplanned but cool trip due to the beautiful
scenery at the place, our minds refreshed completely.
Purandar Fort actually consists of two forts - Purandar and Vajragad. The latter is the smaller and is on the eastern side of the main fort. Purandar fort is also known for birthplace of Sambhaji Maharaj (son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).
Our gang has made a plan of a day trip to the Purandar Fort on 2nd Oct as it was holiday to all. Our gang includes 8 members: me-Kiran, Abhijit-Snehal, Rohit and Rahul Patil Bandhu, Sachin dada and Mai. The plan was to leave @ 8am from Pune, so that we can reach the fort around 10.30am. I and Snehal had couple of calls a day before to decide what food can be taken with us. She decided to take Upma and I thought to make parathas, and we were set for the trip.
Travelers :)
That day Kiran and I got ready around 8am and called Abhijit, It would take them 10 minutes to get ready. I packed everything like parathas, chutneys, and pickles. It was decided to buy curd on the way. In 10-15 minutes, Abhijit and Snehal came to our house and we called other folks. It would have taken them a long time. We chatted till then and after every 15 minutes, we were continued the round of calls to those folks. So at about 10 o'clock everyone gathered at our place and we finally headed towards Purandar.
The climate was very calm and pleasant because of the monsoon and we were riding our motorbikes, it was so much fun. As soon as Dive Ghat arrived, everyone wanted to stop there and see the beautiful scenery around and no one could stop clicking photos, everyone tried their photography skills. The cold weather made Kiran and me crave for tea, and as soon as we share our desire for a cup of tea, everyone nodded, and before reaching Saswad, we enjoyed 1-1 cup of tea. We resumed the journey but only after 15 minutes Mai said what is there to eat because some people are hungry because they didn't have breakfast. But we managed to convince them to wait from some time. Then we stopped at Saswad to Purandar Road to see the temple of Changa Vateshwar Temple on the bank of Karha River.
Changa Vateshwar Temple, Saswad
We had had our lunch there and walked the entire temple. Temple is beautiful but not neatly maintained, not so clean. That’s why we went to the terrace of the temple and had our lunch there as we brought our meal with us.
After starting the journey towards Purandar soon it rained heavily and we got soaked but we decided to go to the fort and reached Purandar at around 5 o'clock. It was very cold due to getting wet in the rain, so all wanted hot kanda bhaji and tea immediately.
On the Fort there is an ancient temple of lord Shiva, also a statue of Murarbaji Deshpande the commander (killedar) of the fort who gave up his life in order to protect the fort from the Mughal.
We walked around the fort but not climb till top as it was late. But the climate was very pleasant because of the cold weather, we sat near a big water tank for an hour.
It was our sudden plan hence could not manage to cover the fort and even did not get a chance to gather the information about the fort but I would definitely like to come to this fort sometime after keen planning.
Sinhagad Fort is a favourite weekend
gateway for Punekars as it is a very scenic location and just approximately 30km from Pune.
The fort has been standing there
since about 700 years and has a long history associated with Great King Chatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. The hero behind this fort was great maratha worrier Tanaji Malusare. Sinhagad was called
‘Kondhana’ after the sage Kaundinya. The Kaundinyeshwar temple, the caves and
the carvings indicate that this fort had probably been built two thousand years
back.
Sinhagad Fort has to be one of my
favourite places because of the numerous reasons –scenic drive, view from the
top, scrumptious authentic food, history and much more.
It was our sudden plan to visit
Sinhagad fort. We(Myself, Kiran, Snehal and Abhijit) left from Pune around 3pm on our bikes. You can
go there by car or by bike. The vehicle has to pay a toll(Rs. 20 for bike and Rs
50 for Car) at the base to reach the fort. Local buses are available every hour from Pune
or you can reach by shared taxi or auto. Nowadays, every time I visit the fort,
I can see groups of bikers and trekkers.
The road runs by the side of a dam
which is a huge water body and looks simply amazing. At places, you can find
lots of local shops selling corns and people enjoying the cool and calm water
of the dam. The mountains are full of fog and whole Pune City is visible
which looks amazing. Also, the water of the dam does stretches into a huge area.
The picturesque road is available until the parking at the top. Due to
heavy traffic and rains, the roads are in bad shape but the drive to the fort
is scenic.
The road from base village to the fort
is small and parking the vehicles on both the side of the road makes it
narrower. Close to 1.5-2 km road from the fort is used as a parking area and
people park their vehicles wherever they find space thus blocking the road and
resulting in a traffic jam. If you want to avoid traffic jams and get a good
parking slot then start the early morning as the place gets crowded after 10 AM.
We reached the fort around 4pm. A
place full of lush green mountains, it’s a must-visit place for nature lovers and trekkers.
Most of the fort is destroyed; it still has a lot to offer. Apart from its historical
importance; it is also a hot stop for a lot of trekkers. It is also a part of
the training for the cadets of the National Defense Academy situated very close
to this place.
One can easily spend 4-5 hours or a
half-day picnic with family and friends. Sinhagad Fort is usually crowded on
weekends and holidays. It is so fascinating to imagine the history behind the
remains. What would have been the life then!! I am amazed every time I visit the fort.
From one side of the fort, you can see
the popular Khadakwasla Dam and on the other side, you will see the beautiful
landscape. You will forget about all tiredness when you see this
breathtaking view.
After strolling the fort for a couple
of hours, one can grab the most famous Pithla Bhakri, Thecha, Kanda Bhaji,
Kulfi, and never to miss the locally produced Matka Dahi. I love the Matka Dahi
with Jira powder the most. The shopkeepers are the residents from nearby villagers
and carry all the stuff every day from the villages to uphill and that too on
their feet. It was fun to eat raw mangoes, cucumbers, corn, berries
and buttermilk sold on the way. Don’t forget to taste
the tasty “Kaccha Aam”.
After having snacks we roamed around
the fort for an hour and explored few places. We saw the memorial of great Maratha
worrier Tanaji Malusare.
Narveer Tanaji Malusare statue at Sinhgad
Tanaji Kada is the place from
where Mavale(Maratha soldiers) climbed up the fort and attacked Mughals.
There is a house of the great freedom
fighter Lokmanya Tilak as he came to stay on the fort.
There are many small temples on the
fort. There are a number of water tanks on the fort. But Devtaki is the most famous one. The water is cold and sweet, when you visit do taste it. Only this water tank can be used for drinking water.
The strong wind along with mist, fog
and rains at the famous ‘Hawa point’ was an experience to remember. ‘Kade lot’
is also a popular point. It is said that in olden days the prisoners were
thrown off from this cliff.
Due to monsoon, the weather there was
cold and was raining frequently. The fog, mist, drizzle and the blowing wind made our walk at the fort memorable. Once the fog clears, you can see
Khadakwasla dam and Torna fort from the top. The breathtaking views
are addictive. I can go there almost every day. The drizzle and
cold breeze added to our pleasant experience. It’s a perfect location to spend a wonderful
time with your family and friends.
Travelers!!
After relaxing for two hours we started
to descend.
If you have not yet visited the fort please do visit in monsoon, I am sure you will like it. Also, do not forget to carry your camera to capture the beautiful pictures.
Hello everyone!! This is my first blog. In fact, I wanted to start writing a blog from 2010 but it didn't work out because of other priorities. And honestly it was because of my laziness that it fell behind. I have maintained a travel diary for each of my trip but could not write a blog...now I have decided to start blogging, I am going to write blogs for all my trips so that my trips, my experiences, contacts, references will benefit you all a little bit and my travel memories will stay fresh; forever!
While travelling I do take care of my wallet, so my trips are like budget travel along with comfort.
I like to travel to visit various places and experience life, culture & food there, love to visit offbeat locations. I visited few locations and many are in my bucket list. My favourite location is Konkan, love to go there and enjoy beaches, forts, ancient temples and obviously the Konkani food. Every time we(I and my husband-Kiran) plan to go to various locations but in the end we go to Konkan. I have visited most of the beaches, forts and places from Konkan.
I will share my experiences which I had while travelling to different locations so it can help you when you plan to visit some of these locations.
Please note all the information on this website is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Any information I provide on my blog is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but there may be omissions, errors or mistakes. Travel blogs does not make any warranties as this is based on my personal experience. In case more information is required please feel free to contact me.
