Mahabaleshwar
महा - भोले - ईष्वर
Old name - kshetra ( क्षेत्र ) Mahabaleshwar
District - Satara
State - Maharashtra
Area - 15.75 sq.km
Population - 785, as per 2011 census
Language - Marathi
Landform - Vast plateau bound by valleys
Elevation - 1200 ft
Highest elevation point - Hanuman temple at 4,721 ft.
Distance from :-
Pune - 150 km
Mumbai - 292 km
Satara - 60 km
Wai - 39 km
Mahabaleshwar market - 7 km
The name Mahabaleshwar has been derived from the temple of Shiva ( Bhole )
It is a place of religious importance and pilgrimage for Hindus due to three ancient temples namely The Krishna temple , the Panchganga temple, the Shiva's Mahabaleshwar temple and the origin of the holy river Krishna.
In fact, 5 rivers converge here at a point called Panchganga and the temple is called the Panchganga temple.
The five rivers are the Krishna, the Koyna, the Savitri, the Gayatri and the Venna.
The rivers spout from a cow's mouth ( gomukh ) into a tank from where they flow onwards.
This water is considered to be very holy and pure and is had as prasad by the visiting devotees.
The temple's style is Hemandpanti and it was built by the Yadav King Singhadeo in the 13 th century.
There have been restorations carried out in the later 16th and 17th century by Chandrarao More and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The second temple is the Mahabaleshwar temple that is also built in the same Hemadpanti style around 1215 A.D. ; with stone carved walls , pillars and ceilings.
It houses Lord Shiva's Trishul, bed and damru.
It is also believed that the Lord sleeps in the bed every night for the bedsheets are crumbled in the morning.
The festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated on a big scale in this temple complex.
Near to it is the Ramdas Math that houses the original copy of 'Dasbodh' edited by Samarth Ramdas.
About a kilometer from the Panchganga temple is the Krishnabai temple, built by the ruler of Ratnagiri in 1888.The river Krishna is worshipped here. Also, the Krishna valley lies in front of this temple.
The outskirts of the temples are lined with small stalls on both the sides of the road and stone steps, selling worship thalis that include incense sticks, dhoop, garlands, coconut,sindoor, camphor, flowers, some prasad items etc.
There are a number of stalls catering to the tourists with attractions ranging from toys,cane hats, walking sticks, wallets, sling bags, purses, handicraft items , chikki, gift items, memorabilia etc.
There are budget hotels, camp sites, luxury resorts,bread and breakfast, rental homes and cottages for the tourists.
The Eco-campsites are a much preferred place by nature lovers, sky grazers, school trips, backpackers.
The forests around are preserved and they abound in rich and varied wildlife that comprises a large number of wild mammals, birds and reptiles.
Old Mahabaleshwar is worth a visit and is usually covered by the tourists visiting main Mahabaleshwar in a one-day darshan trip.
