Where’s Neelkantheshwar located?
Neelkantheshwar is located on the outskirts of Pune at a distance of 15 k.m.
from Khadakwasla dam.
What’s unique about Neelkantheshwar?
Apart from the Shiva temple (after which the place is named), the view from top
is truly breathtaking. One gets to see the backwaters of all three dams -
Khadakwasla, Panshet and Varasgaon. These dams supply water to Pune. Also, along
with the temple this place has many statues which depict Indian mythological
scenes.
Route Please!
Once you start nearing Khadakwasla from Pune, instead of driving straight
towards the Khadakwasla Chowpatti, take a right. You will come across a new
bridge built on the waters of the Khadakwasla Dam. Take the bridge and go
ahead. You will pass the backwaters of Khadakwasla and a few villages on the
way. Ask a few village men around and they’ll guide you to the Neelkantheshwar base.
How do I get there?
Car / Two-Wheeler + Trek
P.S: The roads are pretty good to travel by two-wheeler as
well.
What’s the best time to visit Neelkantheswar?
Monsoons (From June to September)
For photography purposes, August and September is ideal as there’s less rain to
protect your gear from. The clouds are nice and fluffy with a hint of sunlight
unlike in June or July when it’ll be overcast and raining heavily.
How’s the terrain?
The terrain is mountainous with hills on all sides and a valley in between.
And the weather?
The weather is beautifully pleasant. Expect some rain and
blinding fog too
What should I carry?
1.
Rain Jacket
2.
Camera with proper rain protection
3.
Water
4.
Food (Preferably lunch as there’s hardly
anything available there)
Travel Tale:
The last I discovered any place before Neelkantheshwar was
Jaipur in January. After six and a half months the wanderer in me was hungry
and restless. And my camera, devoid of any good photography lay locked up in a
disturbing stupor. My computer had a folder called ‘Monsoon Outings’ which lay
empty too. July was coming to an end. Every time I glanced at it, my mind
clouded with guilt and distaste. A part of me was unhappy and disturbed while
the other part was busy enjoying the highs of a first job!
This continued for a while. I had few difficult decisions
to make which included letting go of a few things and catching up on to a few
newer ones. Till date I look back and wonder if I’d taken the right step and
till date I don’t know the answer to it. What I know is that had I not, just like a
traveller taken that risk, hadn’t done that free fall; I wouldn’t have landed
down to write this. :)
***
One day my Uncle who too is a photography enthusiast rang
me up and said he needs to go somewhere. It seemed like we both were sailing in
the same boat. Asking around a few people for interesting places to go to, we
planned a day’s outing to Neelkantheshwar.
We started from home at 8 a.m (which is pretty late, as
early as possible is recommended) and reached the bridge near Khadakwasla
dam. On the way we passed a lot of people cycling and jogging along the path.
Cycling to Khadakwasla from all the way to Pune! I took a mental note of it as
a thing to do sometime in life. :D
As soon as we drove on to that small bridge, we stopped. The
morning beauty and the gurgling water flowing towards the city to satiate the
thirst of Punekars looked stunning. The dam walls were hardly any distance away
and the shimmering sun on the splashing water felt like a wonderful refreshment
to re-start my wandering with.
We continued ahead to greet a whiff of fresh wind and the
Khadakwasla backwaters. We asked a passer-by if we were on the right route to
Neelkantheswar. He nodded. Moving upwards in the hilly terrain felt like rising
above all the trivial things in life. A green hill here, a verdant vast meadow
there, we journeyed, stopping at every sight that lured us.
We occasionally passed a few villagers and also came across
a small wayside eatery that served hot bhajjis and chai. At a point there was a
large hillock with a flat top besides us. We got out and climbed up to see a
breathtaking view of the three dams. The gust of the wind was felt at the
highest here and my Uncle ended up getting a few blurred pictures as he just
couldn’t steady his light point and shoot camera.
With a lot of amazement in heart towards the kind of beauty
the world holds and some good photographs in our cameras we reached the base of
Neelkantheshwar.
Paying the old man for the parking ticket we began our hike.
We were told it’s an half an hour climb. The climb is not a difficult one. It
begins with a few steps and ends with another few. But one has to tread along
an uphill slope all the time in between. People who don’t work out regularly
might get out of breath but it’s not tiring, only beautiful. For you stop at
every turn and bending to take in the breathtaking view that looms in front of
your eyes. There’s dense greenery on your left and a picturesque valley on your
right. The clouds are thick and low. Every time you stop the blowing wind fills
your lungs and dries every bead of sweat. It’s inexplicable!
For me the trek was an introspective excursion - meditative
and rhythmic. With every step, I was shedding the six month confinement rust.
With every step I was getting higher and happier. As we approached the top it started pouring. We sat on the steps for a while to muse.
There was a Shiva temple in a dark dungeon like place. It
smelled of incense.
After stopping there for blessings we walked a few steps around the temple to reach a cliff. The fog was thick and the ferns swayed to the wind. In that, the clouds shifted a bit and we saw a glimpse of the three river's backwaters all at the same time...that very moment or a few seconds later it started pouring heavily. I opened my hands wide and tilted my face towards the sky absorbing the pelting rain.
Some more glimpses from the trip:
(As written on 22nd Aug '13)
