More Lonavla Exploration: Market, Church, Bushi Dam, Chikki Shopping

Friday, November 17, 2023.

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More Lonavla Exploration: Market, Church, Bushi Dam, Chikki Shopping

Our night in Lonavla passed beautifully. We slept soundly after our exertions of the previous day. When we awoke, we decided that we would have a very restful day spent exploring at leisure and with no particular agenda. Accordingly, we had our showers in our lovely bathroom with its hot running water. We also fixed ourselves cups of coffee at the tea and coffee station that was provided before we sat down to enjoy our breakfast.

Having realized that McDonald’s was a good 10 minute walk from our B&B, we had the foresight to buy breakfast pastries, last night from the patisserie at Cooper’s. With an almond croissant and a pain au chocolate that we decided to share, we had a very hearty breakfast indeed. We also packed our bags (as check out was at 10.00 am—we asked for permission to stay until 11.00 am as we had overslept—permission was graciously granted by Eefa). We then stashed our bags in a storage room and left for the day.

Taking ‘Chikki’ Pictures:

The first thing we decided to do was get back to the main road to the huge installation that portrayed a great big bowl of chikki, Lonavla’s gastronomic contribution to the world. That done, we walked down the road towards the market and decided to stroll through the shops and decide from where we would like to buy our chikki supplies to take home with us to Bombay. We also decided to go out in search of Lonavla Lake—but soon realized that we were on a wild-goose chase as people misunderstood the lake for Bushi Dam and were sending us off in its direction. Having seen Bushi Dam yesterday and finding it disappointing, we were not inclined to return there today. Besides, the sun tended to get a bit hot the longer you stayed out in it.

First off, we passed by the Church of St. Joseph and decided to go there for a visit. We discovered that the entire church was under renovation and that its façade was a mere shell with its interior completely gutted. We were directed to a small chapel and we paid a visit there and then when we discovered a temporary church had been set up on the first floor, we climbed the stairs and found it too. It is amazing how quiet and serene this spot is, being that it is in the midst of the bustling main market of Lonavla.

Our rambles took us further down into the market, past the railway station and several small restaurants. We also passed by a Buddhist stupa. At this point, we decided to find out where Lonavla Lake was located and that was when we realized, after a walk of about twenty minute,s that we were at the wall that is part of Bushi Dam! Not wanting to spend too much time here, we looked for a rickshaw that would take us back to the market so that we could have a bite of lunch.

Finding a rickshaw was a sheer mater of luck as not many vehicles were plying in that area—close to the army quarter. We negotiated a fare of Rs. 100 which is the minimum fare in Lonavla (for the same distance in Bombay, one would pay no more than Rs. 23!). He dropped us off just past the McDonald’s where the busy part of the shopping was evident. However, we decided to eat lunch first and then make our way to the chikki shops.

Gujarati Thali Lunch a Nima’s:

We soon realized that in this bustling part of town there were many eateries from which we could choose. But we were also told by our driver yesterday that hordes of Gujaratis from the state of Gujarat, mainly business families, spend a whole month in their cars driving through vast tracks of India as part of their annual vacation. They eventually make their way to Poona, then Lonavla, Khandala and finally Bombay before they start their return journey to Gujarat. Hence, to cater to their tastes, eateries serving pure vegetarian food prepared in the Gujarati style (i.e. without root vegetables such as onions, garlic or potatoes because many of them are Jains to whom such produce is forbidden) have sprouted up in these resorts. When I spotted Nima’s, a place serving a Gujarati thali, I suggested to Llew that we try it out.

And so, for the princely sum of Rs. 160 each, we were treated to a most unusual and most delicious meal. We were given steel thalis with three steel bowls each and were asked to sit wherever we fancied. It did not take us long to realize that we were the only non-Gujjus in the establishment. Anyway, the food was laid out buffet style—or more correctly, assembly-line style—in a long row. You stood in front of each server with your thali and he put a portion of the food in your thali or your bowl. There was a real wide variety of foods—all pure vegetarian, of course—from farsan (savories), to rice, chapattis, puris, dal, pulses, vegetables, potatoes, pickle and salad. It was a very full thali indeed. At our table, another server came around with chaas (a very thin buttermilk) which he poured into steel glasses and kept replenishing for us as our meal went on. There was nothing fancy about the food, the place or the service, but it as efficient, professional and tasty and we enjoyed it all. For dessert, there was sweet semolina (sheera) as well as basundi—a sweet thickened cream that was caramelized and very delicious. I have to say that it was probably one of the most satisfying meals I have ever eat and I simply could not believe what superb value it was for money.

Buying Chikki, Pedas and other Goodies:

It was past 2.30 pm by the time we finished with our leisurely lunch and were ready to buy our chikki. Although every second shop sells chikki in Lonavla, we decided that we would buy ours from Maganlal Chikki which is the oldest and best-known of the chikki-makers in Lonavla. Most people buy a load of chikki to take home to family and friends when they take a holiday in Lonavla.

We found the shop less crowded in the afternoon than it had been in the morning and within no time at all, we found a shop-keeper who catered to our needs. I also bought chivda, bottled syrups (custard apple and grenadine for making cocktails) and although I would have liked to have bought fudge (another specialty of the area), it was much to runny for my liking. At yet another shop, not too far away, I bought pedas for my brother Russel as he is unable to eat hard snacks like chikki. I knew he would love the pedas—milk-based Indian sweetmeats.

Laden with our goodies, there was no other choice but to walk back to our B&B as quickly as we could. Luckily, it was no more than a quick 10 minute walk away from the main drag of the town. It was about 3.30 pm by this time and our taxi to Bombay was scheduled to come to our B&B and pick us up at 4.30 pm. We decided that since we had pretty much seen all that was to be seen and done all that was on our agenda, it made sense to push off an hour earlier, if the driver could accommodate our change in plan. He could! About a half hour later, we had organized ourselves fully, said thanks and goodbye to our hostess Eefa, picked up our bags and awaited the arrival of our taxi.

Not even fifteen minutes later, our driver arrived and our return to Bombay commenced. En route, we passed, for the last time, by the road in Khandala where the nuns who had run my convent school in Byculla had their convent—the Covent of Jesus and Mary. We took our last looks of the hill-station as we joined the traffic heading out and on to the highway. We also got many glimpses of the Duke’s Nose as we made our way out and found traffic swelling the nearer we reached Bombay. Instead of taking us the one and a half hours it had taken us on our arrival, it took us more like three hours to get back.

But get back to did! As always, it was a relief to get back home to the comfort and security of familiarity and we embarked immediately on unpacking and taking showers before we settled down to spend the rest of the evening in deep relaxation.

Conclusion:

Our first attempt in a year at getting out of Bombay for a quick break had proven to be a success. We were delighted to have such a convenient and easy time of our journeys back and forth, thanks to the private taxi we hired. We were fortunate in finding a terrific Air B&B with a Superhostess who spared no pains to keep us comfortable. We were blessed by good weather, hiked to our heart’s content, covered all the places on our agenda and thoroughly enjoyed the brief change of scene. We look forward now to our next foray out of the city—a chance to see a bit of Nasik, the grape-growing capital of Maharashtra, where we shall spend three days at a spiritual retreat at the end of this month.

Until then…may the road rise up to meet you.

A Hiking Break in the Western Ghats: Lonavla and Khandala

A Hiking Break in the Western Ghats: Lonavla and Khandala

Thursday, November 16, 2023.

It had been a very long time since I had been into the little hill-stations of the Western Ghats. I was last in Khandala when I was about 9 years old and I do not even remember when I was last in Lonavla. Llew and I waited until the monsoon had bid Bombay goodbye and until the oppressive heat of October had bid us farewell before we decided to make a quick hiking getaway into the hills. We hope to do many more such trips during the next four months as they are the most pleasant months in India. It was good to make a start with this one. Before setting out, we had to find a place to stay—it was just by sheer luck that I ran into a friend who recommended this Air B&B in Lonavla called House of Shrof. Just a couple of phone calls later, we had zeroed in on our accommodation and were only left with the issue of arranging transportation to and from the venue home.

Luckily, the owner of the B&B, Eefa Shrof, was very helpful in putting us on to a company that offered a taxi service which we booked without any further ado.

So, at 6.00 am, as planned, (we set our alarm for 5.15 am), the driver (Sunil) was on the phone telling us that he had arrived. And off we set. It was still quite dark when we drove out of our building’s driveaway, but in about 30 minutes, we could see dawn breaking on the Eastern Express Highway.

Driving to Lonavla:

Sunil informed us that the drive would take two hours as we were not likely to meet any traffic at that early hour of the day. The new Bombay-Pune highway has also cut time in half and made for very easy transport to Khandala and on to Lonavla and then Pune. We’d had a cup of coffee before leaving home, but by the time we arrived in Lonavla, ahead of schedule, ie. in an hour and 40 minutes, we were ravenous and ready to plunge into a hearty breakfast. It was fun to go through about three long tunnels en route, to spy the Duke’s Nose (a peak that juts out provocatively and is reminiscent of a royal nose) and to see the many chikki shops even before we arrived at our destination. Lonavla is known for an Indian confection called chikki, which is made from sugar or jaggrey (molasses) and the addition of a variety of nuts, dried coconut, gram, etc. No visitor leaves Lonavla without buying chikki.

Arrival at House of Shrof:

House of Shrof is located on a quiet lane away from the general bustle of the market area. To get to the main road, you need to walk for about 8 minutes along shady bylanes. We had a bit of difficulty finding the place as the Google map led us a merry dance--but a quick call to Eefa fixed it. Since check-in time was 2.00 pm, Eefa agreed to stash our backpacks until we returned from our day out.

Out first impression of House of Shrof was of a really idyllic place. It was set in a beautiful garden that, we discovered, was landscaped in tiers. After using the facilities, we dropped our bags off and left. Taking directions from Eefa who met us at the gate of her premises, we set out in search of breakfast. It was only 8.00 am and not many places were open at that hour. Cooper’s, the place next door that she recommended, only opened at 10.30 am. This meant walking for a good ten minutes, past Auxilium Convent on our left and then a number of cemeteries, each of a different religion, before we reached the main road. There, we spied McDonald’s and since it was the only place open, that’s where we headed. We realized that we were doing in India the very same thing we did in the USA—we only used McDonald’s when we were on the road!

Breakfast at McDonald’s:

There were a few patrons at McDonald’s when we arrived there to order a Spicy Chicken Burger for Llew and a Filet O Fish burger for me. We discovered that this McDonald’s did no breakfast sandwiches—hence, we had no choice but to eat chicken and fish for breakfast! Llew ordered a decaff Americano while I had a hazelnut hot chocolate which was just lovely.

While we were seated at breakfast, we discussed the possibility of finding transport that would take us to the various venues we had in mind for the day. After considering the use of an auto rickshaw, we nixed the idea. Rickshaws do not ply by meter, the minimum cost for a single fare is Rs. 100 (as opposed to Rs. 23 in Bombay) and they charge you per venue, not for the whole day. It made much more sense to approach the same car service that had brought us to Lonavla to provide us with private transport for the whole day. At Rs. 3,300 for the day, it seemed like a far better deal that going with rickshaws per ride. Accordingly, we called the taxi service and within twenty minutes, they sent us a car with a very nice driver called Vilas and by 9.30, we were setting out to begin a day of hectic sightseeing.

First Stop--Pawna Lake:

After meeting and greeting us, Vilas, an elderly man with a lovely gracious Maharashtrian manner about him, suggested, he drive us first to Pawna Lake. This was not on our agenda, but since it was very close to Lohargat Fort (which is where we did want to go first), he suggested we cover Pawna Lake too. The drive was long—about twenty minutes, but soon we were at the venue.

Pawna is a large expanse of water that was dug to create an artificial lake that would provide water for the whole of Khandala, Lonavla and neighboring Poona (now Pune). It was pleasant to get out of the car and take in the sight of the lake surrounded by hills and to see that motor-boating was possible on the lake. However, there was a haze everywhere we went and we were told that it was the result of the enormous amount of mountain-blasting that is going on to create a 30-mile tunnel on the Bombay-Pune Highway to shorten road travel time between the two cities. It is causing awful dust pollution in the entire area and robbing one of visibility in the hills.

We did not spend long at Pawna Lake because, apart from taking pictures, there is really not much to do here. Within ten minutes, we were back in our car again and heading towards Lohargat Fort.

Hiking Up Lohargad Fort:

Loharrgad (Fort) is one of the many hill-top forts that were built by Maratha chieftains throughout the 1500s and the 1600s. Many of the Maratha clans used this one including the most famous of them all, Shivaji, who lived in it for two brief stints. In-between the fort was taken over by the Mughals, but Shivaji was able to prise it back into Maratha control.

There is an entry ticket of Rs. 25 per head to get to the fort. There are about 300 steps to get one up to the first tier of what is essentially a two-tiered fort. At times, the stairs are steep, at other time, they are broad and shallow. They are made of hand-hewn black basalt rock and it is amazing when you consider the fact that these forts were built in the 14th and 15th centuries when there was no mechanization possible. There were quite a lot of people climbing up with us and often they paused to take a rest before hiking up again. As we climbed higher, we received lovely views of the surrounding rural countryside, although the haze continued to obscure our views.

Having reached the first tier viewing platform, I decided that I’d had enough climbing and would sit it out if Llew decided to go higher. He did. I believe he climbed another 200 steep stairs before he reached the very top where he found a small temple, also made with black basalt. The views were essentially the same but the haze was even greater.

In about a half hour, Llew descended again and the two of us began the descent to the base together. It took us about one hour and fifteen minutes to see it all. Along the way, we passed by a small temple, saw the two huge doors with the iron spikes set into them (to dissuade elephants that were used to ram down the gates) and three cannons. No doubt, there would have been many more such remnants of medieval warfare at this site, but most of these items have been carted away. We also saw lots of monkeys on the trees and along the ramparts of the fort, but they seemed to be less aggressive than most monkey are in places of tourist interest in India.

On to the Bhaja Caves:

There are two famous sets of Buddhist caves in the vicinity of Lonavla—the Karla Caves (closer to Khandala) and the Bhaja Caves (closer to Lonavla). They are both very similar in that they are rock-cut Buddhist cave temples that date from the second century BC to the sixth century AD. Since we would have the time to cover just one set of caves, we asked our driver for his recommendation if he were to make a choice and he suggested we do Bhaja Caves.

Getting up to the mountain that houses the Bhaja Caves also involves a great deal of hiking—you climb up the same black basalt rock hewn steps to get higher and higher with the base receding further and further and offering the same pleasant rural views. As it is just past the monsoon, the landscape is still green and fields do not lie fallow. After climbing for about half an hour, we reached the main gate where we paid an entry fee of Rs. 25 per head for our ticket.

The Bhaja Caves are fabulous and definitely worth a visit despite the long and tiring climb up. Like all Buddhist Cave Temples in India, there is a large prayer hall called the Chaitya or chaityagriha which is basically a temple. At the end of it stands a conical stupa. Because this prayer hall is hallowed ground (still used by Buddhist worshippers), you are required to remove your footwear upon entering.

We surveyed the prayer hall as well as the many little caves cut into the mountainside. Most of them were empty and contained simply a single platform. We had to follow the path carved out along the hillside to arrive at a cluster of mortuary stupas, each in conical shape, hewn out of the granite of the hill. Simply spectacular.

Even further down the path (and I am glad we followed it and did not abandon it), we arrived at a pillared temple with columns at its entrance. Inside, we had the most pleasant surprise. We saw the first and probably only set of fully sculpted walls in the venue. Because it is indoors and protected from the elements, the carvings are absolutely unspoiled and as sharp and well-defined as they could possibly be. They depict Gods from the Buddhist pantheon with a procession of human beings following, either on horseback or from the top of an elephant. Truly astounding!

We did spend a little more time peering into a few more caves but the rest of them did not offer too much by way of artistic or architectural interest. On the whole, the Bhaja Caves made for a totally fascinating expedition and I am glad we took the time and trouble to hike up there and back.

Lunch at Kinara Village Dhaba:

By this time (it was almost 2.00 pm and we were surviving on McDonald’s burgers), we needed food sustenance. We requested our driver to take us to a nice restaurant and he asked if a roadside dhaba would suit us. Indeed it did! Now, if I remember dhabas (from my long ago travels in the Punjab), they were little more than roadside shacks that served the most delicious food to truckers along the Grand Trunk Road. I remember the seekh kebabs and lassis we consumed in those places and the absolute laughable rates at which they were sold.

Well, this dhaba was fancy with a capital F. There was a whole Rajasthani village recreated for our wandering pleasure. In little wooden huts, individual tables were laid. We could choose a hut of our choice as they were scattered all around the periphery. In the center was a large shack with a number of hand carts sprinkled around. The place was beautifully landscaped to seem reminiscent of a village setting. It was all actually pretty delightful. Best of all, the place offered really spotlessly clean toilets—which, I have to say, in a country like India, is a real joy to find. There was running water as well as soap and paper towels to wash and dry one’s hands—now these little touches are taken for granted in the rest of the world, but in India, they are indeed a huge deal!

We decided to eat Lahori Chicken which came with gravy and a Corn and Spinach Vegetable dish which we ate with garlic naans. But, best of all, we started our meal with ice-cold shandies as we were badly in need of something to slake our thirst and our bodies that were craving the cool fizz of aerated waters. We loved our meal—it was super tasty. Indeed, our driver had made a good choice and we lunched well and tipped handsomely as our waiter had been extremely kind and helpful to us and had offered superb courtesy and service. Then back in the taxi we sat for the next lap of our travels.

Visiting St. Mary’s Villa in Khandala:

With three major items of sightseeing done, all that was left was for our taxi driver to ferry us from one ‘point’ to the next. All hill-stations have these ‘points’ by which is meant viewing stations for vistas over the hills. I had requested Vilas to take us to the Duke’s Nose, perhaps the most famous of the points. However, as that spot was in Khandala, we needed to drive to that location—just about a 15 minute drive from Lonavla. And since we were going to be in Khandala, I requested the driver to take us to St. Mary’s Villa.

Why St. Mary’s Villa? Well, mainly because this was the pace in which I had stayed when I was last in the area at the age of nine. And, secondly, because this was the venue at which my parents (until my mother was still alive) had spent every summer for at least ten years. They used to rent a large room and go there with my brother, Russel, for at least a week each summer. This annual excursion gave my mother a break from the drudgery of daily housework, allowed my father the opportunity to spend long hours reading and gave Russel the chance to socialize with new friends he made at the venue.

Over the years, my father had made friends with the care-taker, Steven, but had lost touch with him. He, therefore, asked me to find out his whereabouts and obtain his phone number. This was another reason why we made the detour to St. Mary’s Villa. I did not remember what a sprawling place it is and how much real estate the Jesuits own up here in the hills—a spot they have used through the years for retreats and family outings and picnics. For many years, Fr. Juan was in-charge of an annual summer camp for Bombay Catholics who would go there in large numbers to enjoy the fun of a community getaway. I am not sure if the camps are still held here, but the current care-taker, Raju Annappa, gave us a short tour of the premises, showed us one of the sample rooms (with five beds in a room and a utilitarian, old-fashioned, bathroom at the end) and told us what the current rates are: Rs. 560 per head per day for lodging alone and another Rs. 560 per head per day for food which includes four meals (Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner).There were a few people resident on the premises while we were there but, for the most part, the place seemed empty. I could see why my parents enjoying being in this place so much—it affords all the amenities at very modest prices and its location in terms of views over the Table Top Mountain cannot be beaten.

Getting to the Various Lookout Points:

Following our excursion to St. Mary’s Villa, we focused on seeing the major ‘points’ as the viewpoints are known at Indian hill-stations. I told our driver to take us first to the Duke’s Nose—this protuberance is most famous because it takes the form of a hill that juts out on the horizon as if from a regal face! We saw it from a distance and under the haze which we came to expect everywhere we went.

We also stopped to look at the Kune Waterfalls which we saw from across a narrow valley—once again in a haze. This is a far larger body of gushing water during the monsoon.

And finally, our driver took us to what he called Sunset Point—it was simply crawling with people and every single one of them was there to see the sun set behind the hills. But the haze was so discouraging and the crowd so off-putting that we actually stepped out ourselves, strolled to the promontory and then realizing that we would not see much of a sunset anyway under such poor visibility, decided to simply turn back. It was time for us to return to our hotel and get a bit of a rest and a stretch out as we had done an enormous amount of walking.

However, our driver was keen to show us one more attraction: Bushi Dam, which is right in the heart of Lonavla (as opposed to Pawna Dam which is about a twenty-minute run out of the city). However, this excursion too proved to be challenging as the approach to it was awful: past some rocks, a little creek that actually had stepping stones over it to enable us to cross and up a steep set of stairs that afforded us a tranquil view of a large lake with a weir running across it. Here too, it appears as if monsoon is high season for this venue—apparently, white water rafting, etc. is actually carried out as a sport here when the force of the gushing water allows it. It was not possible, of course, at this part of the year. So, rather disappointedly, we retraced out steps, over the rather unusual terrain, to get into our car and get home.

Accordingly, our driver brought us back to the House of Shrof, where we entered our room and found it very appealing. The décor had a quiet subtle sophistication, the colors were the soft dove-grey that is currently so ‘in’ everywhere and the en suite bath was spacious and spotless. We found that coffee and tea making facilities were

included and we opted immediately to make ourselves a cup of tea and eat it with the biscuits I had carried—a really welcome snack as we stretched out, watched some TV and got the rest we craved.

Dinner at Cooper’s Restaurant Next Door:

All that was left was for us to go out in search of dinner and since we lacked the motivation to go anywhere too far, it was very convenient to think of strolling just next door to the restaurant attached to the Cooper resort. On the ground floor, they sell a variety of chikki and fudge for which the place has become famous and on the upper floor, we discovered a well-appointed restaurant with a varied menu.

As Cooper’s is a Parsi place, we opted for their special Parsi menu, but first, I ordered a cocktail as our heavy physical exertions demanded a sundowner. How tickled I was to find a cocktail named Lonavla Sundowner which consisted of a gin base with grapefruit juice, burnt thyme, lime juice and soda. It was very elegant indeed and very tasty and I enjoyed it as we awaited the arrival of our Prawn Patio which comes complete with Rice and Dal. It was extremely tasty indeed and we truly relished it. For dessert, I chose the Crème Brulee—a dessert I rarely see in an Indian restaurant (everyone carries Crème Caramel). I was not disappointed. It was perfect—smooth as silk in consistency and with a perfect caramelized sugar crust at the top that I actually had to crack open to get to the silky contents inside. While we ate, we watched another one of the semi-final matches of the Cricket World Cup that has the entire country enthralled, on one of those giant screens that you find in international bars. The service was good, the food superb and the prices quite reasonable for the quality presented to us.

We were very pleased indeed that our lodgings were just a short stroll down the adjoining lane. Although it was very late (after 11.00 pm), we felt very safe as we made our way back.

After what had been a hectic but most fulfilling day, we made our way back to the peace and serenity of our Air B&B, brushed and flossed our teeth, watched a bit of TV (although desultorily, as we had run out of steam) and called it a night.

Until tomorrow…