My Matheran Trip ... CGI Group

MY TRIP TO MATHERAN…(CGI Group)…………….

One hot sweaty afternoon in Mumbai….. we were having sips of orange juice in ICH (so called world class canteen in seepz -Andheri). Summer was taking toll on even the animals and how could we resist the temptation to get out of our daily routine. Move to a cooler place and relax. And everyone’s first choice was Matheran.

Matheran is said to be one of India’s most beautiful, and the smallest, hill station, is located on the Western Ghats range. Matheran is a plateau with a reasonably dense forest cover of 8 square kilometers in Sahyadris.

Matheran literally means jungle on top, and at 805m, resting atop the Sahyadris Mountains the cooler temperature, less humid climate and dense jambol forest made it the perfect place for an overnight picnic. Matheran's proximity to the two cities of Mumbai and Pane makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents.

And what makes it even more special is that vehicles are banned, with the exception of emergency vehicles. Not even bicycles are used. The only modes of transport are on horseback, by man-pulled rickshaw, or on foot.

To get there is an adventure in itself and the most exciting way is on the toy train. According to the guidebook the line was closed when, on July 26 2005, heavy rain and landslides caused around 70 percent of the railway lines to be damaged. The so-called toy train is rated in the top five scenic train journeys in India, but unfortunately we missed the opportunity, full train was reserved.

The roads of Matheran are not tarred and are made of red laterite earth, the dust getting into everything. In fact we returned home to Mumbai with red dirt ingrained into my feet.

Each road leads to a number of breath-taking points, about 33 of them, looking out from sheer drops to the plains below.

Buildings are scattered across the hilltop with the old, British-style architecture being preserved. Many of them have been declared heritage structures and Matheran has been declared an eco sensitive region by UNESCO.

Matheran was discovered by Hugh Malet in May 1850 while he was climbing a path known as the Shivaji’s Ladder. He was the collector of Thane district.

Lord Elphinstone, who was the governor of Bombay, visited Matheran in 1855 and was mesmerized. He laid the foundations of the development as a future hill station. But it was the British who developed Matheran as a resort, to beat the summer heat in the region.

It is located about 100 km from Mumbai and has a population of about 5 250, however, the monkey population is higher, of both the red-faced and black-faced breeds.

We reached Neral at around 7.30 in the morning. The good news was that the Matheran line was re-opened in April 2007 after repairs at a cost of Rs2-2.5 crore. The bad news was that the next train would be leaving at about 5.30pm. Reluctantly, we left Neral Station, which lies at the base of the hills, and caught a share-a-taxi service for the 21km drive to Dasturi Naka in Matheran, the last point at which cars may be left.

Being a seasoned traveler I took no notice of the blind turns and foot-to-brake co-ordination, but enjoyed the breathtaking views as we climbed. The road turned out to be an engineering feat in its own right. It’s a steep climb, winding backwards and forwards, all the time gaining altitude with grinding, hot gears.

Having arrived at the entrance to Matheran we paid the Rs25 each, as entrance fee. The town council is eco-minded and has banned plastic bags and they’re conscious of clearing other rubbish too, but sadly local people don’t have a civic sense and take no notice. The entrance fee is apparently used to keep the place clean and for water, roads and street-lights.

It turned out to be a long walk to the centre of town and we stopped along the way for some quick snaps before continuing. No wonder most visitors’ hire a porter or ride horseback, although the horses cause clouds of dust. The views are amazing, but hazy from pollution in nearby Mumbai and Pune

Sadly it was only towards the end of our stay that we learnt the important word “side”. When people hear this, they immediately move to the side of the road in fear of being trodden by a horse. The horses are licensed and many are thoroughbreds who race in Mumbai. They looked in very good condition. Although we preferred to walk the costs are: porter Rs160, cart Rs200, horse Rs120.

The Main Mahatma Gandhi Road is lined with shops of all shapes and sizes that form the main bazaar. called Kapadia Market, it was set up by Mr. P.N.

Kapadia in 1919, in the memory of his wife. You could shop around for the famous "chikki" sweet and local honey. There are other things of interest too, especially the footwear. Master craftsmen take orders for sandals, shoes or riding boots and are quick with their service. You could buy walking sticks, snacks etc. from the bazaar around.

At its centre is a statue of Hutatma Annasaheb Kotwal, honorary vice-president of Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council, 1941 to ‘42. He was a great patriot and selfless worker of the poor and downtrodden, being revolutionary b

y nature. He was shot in the jungle of Siddhagad in 1943.

We had already booked 3 rooms in a Resort named Richi Rich for us, which is in the heart of Matheran.

By the time we checked in, it was lunch time and everyone was so exhausted and hungry, we went straight to the hotel there. The delicious thali waited for us, 2-3 types of vegetables, puri , chapatti, daal-rice, and the best of it being Aamras. It was a welcome treat for many of us, Raj and Fahim made most of the opportunity and I think had atleast 5 large bowls of Aamras.

We decided to rest for a while and then move on for a trail in the evening.

As the shadows started increasing in length, we decided to go around the Matheran and have some glimpses of the beautiful red place. Couch potatoes that we all have turned into had no interest exploring far areas and walk miles. So unanimously 3 points , Charlotte Lake , Echo Point & Louisa Point & Lions Head were chosen. That was a start of our Matheran darshan.

Charlotte Lake This lake is about 2 kms from the Post Office has beautiful scenery and greenery. On the left is Pisarnath Temple, Echo Point, Louisa Point are on the right side of it. Since this lake supplies drinking water to the town, boating, swimming and fishing is strictly prohibited.

Echo Point It is about 2 kms from the Post Office. On the right one can experience Echoes reverberating in a low tone from this place. During September-October, good view of waterfall can be seen, to the delight of your eyes.

Louisa Point & Lions Head It is about 2 km from Post Office. The place is essentially a plateau. From left to right, one can see Echo Point, Lake Gardens, Chowk Point, Tent Hill, Prabal Fort, Panvel, Lights of Mumbai City at Night. On the right, one can see end of point shaped like a ’’Lion’s Head’’.

We had a brief halt near the lake. We prayed before lord Shiva in the Pisarnath Temple, the oldest temple at Matheran. Some had fresh sugarcane juice and some had ice ball to beat the heat. There were many monkey see playing around at this place. Some trying to catch eye of the photographers like me and some in an attempt to steal or grab anything to eat, the travelers carried.

We also had a brief stop for photography. Some amazing shot were taken at this point. I often wonder what is so good, beautiful and eye-catching in every sunrise and sun set ? God the greatest painter of all, paints some beautiful 3d paintings for us.

Okey, after that was a time to return to the resort before dark. We rushed backed to our resort then we were greeted with live DJ. Some nice songs… kombdi udali .. , dus bahane karke le gaya dillll.. n allll. We danced for a while. And then most of us jumped into the swimming pool. And the funny part was, as we all started dancing, the DJ was stopped in 15 min. when we jumped into the pool , we were shoooed off saying this is no time to get into the pool…

But We all were in mood to enjoy, they could not dampen our spirits. We had our dinner together. Dinner was really good. Rajastani dishes with Punjabi blend was the specialty. And then was the start of a real fun filled off-day. We all assembled in one room with Guitar and the Bongo. Raj, Vinayak and Pranay were really good at guitar They played some very good tunes, their own brand of fusion of two three different songs. We also celebrated Pranay’s and Supriya’s birthday.

Songs, games n fun continues till 3.00 in the morning. We jumped into the bed and instantly fell asleep.

Next morning was cool, It was Harshala who knocked the door for god knows how long, But we were in no mood to get out of bed. Santosh and I decided to get the tickets of mini-train, walked to the station early morning ,but in vain we were not lucky enough. The train was fully booked. Finally at 8.30 everyone was near the pool and we had our breakfast together. Garam- garam poha, jilebi , papdi and coffee had its taste of its own.

Then was the time to check out of the hotel. We packed our bags and moved to the playing room in the hotel. Had some serious competition in Table Tennis and 9-ball pool. Richa and Fahim , Vaibhav and Vinayak were the champions of all in TT. They fought till last. But no one won till end hahhaha.

Lunch was the concern then , we had to had food at the local restaurant. We bought goodies (chikki, fudge and jelly chocolates) for ourselves and relatives.

Then we were off to Dasturi Naka , singing and remembering all the fun-filled moments in our mind. Again we walked by the train route. It seemed so different but the same. Everyone was tired, especially Suvarna. She kept on asking “How far is Naka?” and the answer remained “only 10 more min.” for 30 min. hhhee. Somhow we reached Dasturi, we got cabs to reach Neral and train to reach Mumbai.

Hey that’s not all, next day in office, was so refreshing and yes we all missed the fun we had. Sharing of photographs was one major activity and as days passed we all jelled with our routine life… Defects, UTs, mails and what not….. But, the memories of the trip remain. Every time we go through the snaps, we live those moments in Matheran.

DETAILS : Matheran is closed during the monsoon season, 15 June to early October. Over weekends the place is clogged with visitors and day-trippers.

Climate: Temperatures range from 32 °C to 16 °C.

Tip: Divide your day into early morning walk, lunch, afternoon siesta and evening walk, or go horse-riding.

Getting there: By Air - the nearest airport is in Mumbai, which is about 100km away; Pune Airport is about 120km away.

By Train - The Sahyadri Express that runs from Pune to Mumbai is the only long-distance passenger train that stops at Neral.

By Road – Mumbai is 108km away and Pune is 120km, they are two major cities connected to Matheran by road.

Temperature: 16C in winter to 32C in summer.

Clothing: Loose cotton attire is suitable and comfortable during summer; in winter light woolens are preferred, sturdy footwear.