Whenever I get time in the weekend or there are holidays, I go out for travel. have been to many places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, and Rajasthan in North India; Madhya Pradesh in Central India; Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal in East India; Maharashtra in West India, and Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu in South India.

I have been to both urban and rural India. I am particularly fond of religious travel. Whenever I go out, I make it a point to be in close touch with nature. Being close to nature gives me a chance to inhale pure oxygen and get a new lease of life.

I am yet to visit Kashmir - the Paradise of the world. I also plan to visit Auli one day.

Some of the popular places which I have visited include Chandigarh, Shimla, Kullu, Mussoorie, Nainital, Manali, Mount Abu, Lonavala-Khandala, Gwalior, Ujjain, Mumbai, Chennai, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Ranakpur, Phaltan, Dalhousie, Panchgani, Paithan, Mangi-Tungi, and Khajjiar (Switzerland of India). I cannot think of a hill station better than Dalhousie. You will be amazed to see the waterfall there.

Ranakpur

In February, I visited Rankapur in Rajasthan. Ranakpur is famous for its 600-year old Jain temple. Its architecture is extraordinary. There are 1144 pillars and no two pillars are alike. People from all over the world frequent this great temple.

Chandigarh

I also made a trip to Chandigarh this year. Chandigarh is the best planned city in India. Though you will find shops everywhere, yet there are no jams.

This is because there are three dedicated lines on each side of the road. One lane is for parking, the second lane is for slow moving vehicles, and the last one is for fast-moving vehicles. The traffic lights can be seen from a distance, and every light has a counter.

Chandigarh is a green city. Calling Chandigarh a city of banyan trees won't be an exaggeration.

Nainital

Nainital is referred to as Sarovar Nagri. It was a welcome change from Delhi's sunny weather.

I took a boat ride at the main lake at Nainital. I also visited Sattal, Nauchakutiya Tal, and Bhimtal.

I also enjoyed the ropeway ride. From the top the main lake looked just like a small stretch of water.

Lonavala-Khandala

Perhaps everyone in India has heard about Khandala. Lonavala and Khandala are the ultimate hill stations close to both Pune and Mumbai. From Pune, these hill stations are nearer and can be reached in an hour.

I took a taxi on hire. When I went there, it was drizzling. I first had my lunch at a popular joint at Khandala. Then I headed straight for Rajmachi Park. The sky was full of clouds. It was great seeing streams of water flowing down the hills. At some places, I could also find waterfalls. The view of green hills from Rajmachi Park was breath-taking.

After Rachmachi, I headed for Lonavala. There are vibrant gardens on the plains of Lonavala. On going up, I came across a big dam. On going further up, there is Bhushi dam. You have to trek up to Bhushi dam. It was full of water. INS Shivaji is also a popular spot although civilians are not allowed inside. It is a training ship. I went further up to Tiger’s point, then climbed down, and got a chance to take pictures of a big waterfall. I did not have time to go further up to Amby Valley.

Phaltan

If you plan to climb down the narrowest of stairs and have a dekko at the rarest of Jain temples, then Phaltan is the place to visit.

Located at a distance of 100 Km from the Pune city center, this place gives you the touch of both urban and city environment. You can see a big bunch of stars in the night and may like to plan your retirement here!

Going to Phaltan from Pune city should not take you more than 3 hours. On the way, you will have to climb up the Saswad hill. As you climb up, there is a place from where you can see the entire city of Pune. Wow!

On reaching Paltan, get the feeling of rural life by seeing a big but narrow canal. There are only 2 or 3 hotels here, and all of them are cheap.

As per Jain religion, there are 26 Jain Gods or Bhagwans. There ar 6 Jain temples in Phaltan, all of them more than 300 years old.

Take an auto and first go straight to Bhagwan Chandraprabhu Temple. Here you will find small and large idols of all 26 Jain Gods. Then you can head to Bhagwan Parasnath Temple. Jains are renovating it. Do not forget to visit a very old Bhagwan Parasnath idol down the stairs.

Very near to that temple is another very old Jain temple. This temple has very narrow stairs which take you to the basement and another set of equally narrow stairs to take you to the first floor. Only one person can enter at one time.

Close to that temple is one more Jain temple. This temple has an idol depicting 1008 idols. Amazing!

For visiting two other Jain temples, you will have to take an auto.

End your journey by having a bite at Oli Bhel (a kind of salty namkeen).

Phaltan Photos

Panchgani

It was a refreshing experience visiting Panchgani. It is a hill station, just 100 Km from Pune. As you climb to Panchgani from Pune, you will feel the chill in the air.

As I entered Panchgani, I was greeted by strawberry sellers and shops of all sizes selling juices, squashes, crushes, jams, and jelly sweets.

In the evening, I trekked for 1 Km to reach Timberland. Timberland is the most bustling place, and I watched the sunset. I could not resist eating the delicious Wada Pao there.

Next day, I visited Sydney Point and Parsi Point. Both points are at a considerable height from main Panchgani city. Sydney point is at a higher altitude and you can see the fresh water of the Krishna dam. I also had a look at the two newly constructed lawn tennis courts.

Parsi Point is the best place for kids and for people who want to take a rest. There are all types of swings here. I tried my hands on shooting balloons.

Everywhere I went to Panchgani, I found boarding schools. I also went to New Era School, the place where Taare Zameen Par was shot.

I ended my stay in Panchgani with buying a small box of strawberries.

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Paithan

Located at a distance of 50 km from Aurangabad, Paithan is home to one of the greenest gardens. It is also home to a very old Jain temple.

I reached Paithan in late evening. I paid a short visit to the Jain temple and then went to sleep.

Next day, I went to see the Jain temple. The temple is splendid. It has got shades of old architecture everywhere. There are very old idols of Muni Suvratnath and Bhagwan Parasnath, the Jain Gods.

In the evening, I decided to go to the Dyneshwar Garden. I was amazed to see the lush greenery there. Everything seemed to be trimmed in precision. There are so many fountains. I also enjoyed the musical fountain there.

I also went to Kachner Jain temple. Kachner has a very old idol of Lord Parasnath.

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Mangi Tungi

Lately I got the opportunity to visit Mangi-Tungi, a sacred place for Jains. Mangi and Tungi are two tall hills, at a distance of about 140 Km from Nashik main city.

It took me 7 hours to reach Mangi Tungi from Pune. When I reached there, I was exhausted and immediately went for evening dinner. Note that you do not get dinner at this place after 7 P.M. I bought a small book detailing the history of Mangi Tungi and what to expect after climbing the hills. I read the book in its entirety.

Next day was when I started the trek to Mangi and Tungi. You have to climb a total of 3500 steps to have a darshan. I came across many Jain idols after climbing 350 steps. Remaining steps were very steep and I had to trouble my legs a lot. At one point, I thought of giving up and returning to Dharamshala.

However, God had other plans for me. A bunch of kids were also climbing. They told me to climb slowly, and, with their motivation, I was able to climb Mangi. There are 10 Jain caves there, and I saw idols of almost every Tirthankara. These must have been more than 1000 years old.

Now it was the turn to climb Tungi. Tungi is almost like Qutub Minar, a straight vertical hill. The 500 steps of Tungi with each step getting bigger can scare even the toughest ones. Every time I felt tired, I saw the kids climbing. After halting and taking rest in between many points, I reached Tungi. There are three Jain caves there. I recited Namokar Mantra. There were many monkeys there. One of the monkeys fled with my water bottle.

I was forced to get down without any water to quench my thirst. When I reached the foot of the hills, my knees have almost given up. I took rest for around 2 hours and then went back to Pune.

Mangi Tungi Hills and Jain Temples photos

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