Mahabaleshwar & Panchgani

Mahabaleshwar is a small city located in the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range in the Western part of India. Being nested in the Sahyadri mountains, it is a popular destination for people escaping the summer heat and at one time served as the summer capital for the Bombay Province during the British rule in India.

a shed stands over looking a valley
The mountains of the Sahyadri range
The Krishna river flows through the valley
a dam stands in the way of a river

Mahabaleshwar is also an important religious site for Hindus in the the region, hosting many temples devoted to the numerous gods. In fact, stones and even, roots of trees are painted in a characteristic red colour and worshipped as idols of the Hindu elephant-headed deity Ganesh.

the roots of a tree are painted red in the shape of the Hindu deity Ganesha and worshipped
red stones represent Ganesha are offered coconut kernels

Nearby is a little town called Panchgani (literally, five-villages). It has all the sights, sounds and smells of a typical town in Maharashtra.

a man sits in front of a closed shop with a bright red wall branded with a Kit Kat logo
a local sits outside a tea stall
locals at a tea and snack stall
a homeless man sits in front of a closed shop branded with the Airtel logo
silhouette of a boy with the sun forming a halo around his head
man gives a horse ride to kids on a high barren plateau
roadside vendor with mounds of strawberries for sale
an old wrinkled face with a unturned around cap
locals sell cooked corn to tourists
children frolic around a yellow tent with a flag on a bamboo pole
silhouette of a boy and a tree with the sun shining behind
man carries baskets of carrots and beets on a slign across his shoulders
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