Khandala, the twin hill-station of Lonavala
Khandala, small hill-station on the Sahyadri Mountains is a must visit destination that includes the sightseeing from Mumbai or included within the Maharashtra tour. This hill station has become the shooting spot of several Bollywood movies till date. The local hotels and tour planners offer amazing tour packages in Khandala. This is a honeymooner’s paradise. The hotels and resorts here have special arrangements for the honeymooners besides the regular tourists. Khandala is blessed with verdant natural beauty, lustrous valleys, lakes, hilly brooks and grassy hill tops.
The best time to enjoy the true spirit of Khandala is October to May. Winters can be chilly here but adventurous tourists shouldn’t miss the chance to enjoy trekking the foggy roads of Khandala.
Location:
Khandala, the twin hill-station of Lonavala- is located at an altitude of 625 meters. This is one of the hotspots of people from Pune and Mumbai as it lies at a close proximity to both the cities. Monsoon is most attractive in the Sahyadri Mountains. Just like the surroundings of the Ajanta and Ellora Caves during the monsoons, the surrounding of Khandala also look fresh and greener during the rainy season. But for safety reasons and considering the comfort- October to March is considered to be the best time to visit Khandala.
Places to See in Khandala
Kune Falls
This is a must seen spot for the Khandala tourists. Located in between the Lonavala and Khandala Valley, the Kune Falls is surrounded by verdant nature. This is an ideal picnic spot for the people in the neighborhood and tourists form Mumbai, Pune and other places coming as vacationers here at Khandala. The water fall is falling at a height of 100 meters and is dissected from the middle. This seems that there are two mouths of the Kenu Waterfalls.
Rajmachi Fort
Back from natural scenic beauty, you must never afford to miss the historic Rajmachi Fort in Khandala. This lies at a distance of 20 Kilometers from Lonavala, the fort is reached through the Tungarli Lake. This can be a wonderful and adventurous trekking experience for the adventure seekers and ideal for the beginners in trekking. Local transport from Pune is available to reach the famous Rajmachi Fort.
Bhaja Caves
At a close proximity from the Malavali railway station, the Bhaja Caves are located in Lonavala. The ancient caves are famous for the artistic magnificence and preserving the art galore. These caves are sculpted in the style of the Karla Caves. The best feature of this marvelous creativity is the beam of the setting sun that enters the cave and within a while, images of lots of human figures and sculptures of the Hindu deities are found sculpted on the walls of the caves. The images mainly tell the story of ancient Indian epics and religious texts.
Karla Caves
At a distance of 114 kilometers from Mumbai, Karla Caves are situated on the laps of the Western Ghats-stands to be one of the top notch tourist junctions of Khandala City, Maharashtra. The caves were rock cut almost 2000 years back and mainly preserve some of the awe-inspiring Buddhist sculptures. It has been traced that back in the era of the Satvahana Rulers in India, these caves were encrypted. The caves enshrine the most numbers of Chaityas. The caves were built for the purpose of Buddhist monasteries.
Bedsa Caves
The Bedsha Caves is another great attraction of Khandala. The caves are famous for the awe inspiring pillars that have sculptures of lions and of the enlarged Chaitya Hall that has spacious resting rooms. These caves are close to Khamset of the Mumbai-Pune road.
Lohgad Fort
Located from 10 Km away from Lonavala, the Loghad Fort is situated. It was built during the rule of the great Shivaji in Maharashtra. This fort was mainly created to keep the prisoners. Later on the Royal Family of Gaikwada and Dabhade were imprisoned in this Fort. History is there in every corner of the fort- and a must visit for tourists in Maharashtra.
Sakur Plateau
At an elevation of 1000 ft the Sukur Plateau is situated and located around 4 miles from Khandala. This is a popular tourist spot situated on the way to Ambavane and INS Shivaji. The sparsely populated plateau of Maharashtra is an ideal place to find tranquility and serenity. Enriched with natural beauty and fresh air, this is a must visit/sightseeing of Khandala.
Reversing Station
This is now a secluded place but this has been one of the picturesque hill stations of Khandala. Presently, the Railway Department is not using this station but tourists often found flocking around the station to find the traces of history here and there scattered in the place.
How to Reach?
By Air: The nearest domestic airport is Pune and the international airport is in Mumbai.
By Rail: Khandala has its own railway station. Usually, all the south bound trains from Mumbai stops in this station.
By Road: Khandala is well connected with the roads across the whole country. Anyone can reach Khandala following the NH 4 and Mumbai-Pune Expressway.