Horseland Hotel And Mountain Spa

Matheran-The Queen of Hill Stations

by RakeshKapadnis

Matheran literally means the jungle on the top. Matheran is approximately 100 kms from Mumbai. But it is infact a mere 40 kms from the suburb I live. I have been there at least 20 times since my childhood. The best among them are some of the roadtrips (bike & car) in monsoon.
Allmost all of the hill stations in India were discovered by British Officers working for the British Raj. Matheran was discovered by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then district collector of Thane district in May 1850. Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay laid the foundations of the development as a future hill station. Matheran was very popular among the British to beat the summer heat in the region. Similarly rich Indian business communities like Parsis,Bohras built their palatial mansions & bunglows which still boast of their colonial charm.

One of the main attractions of Matheran is the Heritage toy train. It was built in between 1901 & 1907 by the Adamjee Peerbhoy father son duo.
Neral, the starting point, is about midway between Mumbai and Pune. The railway covers a distance of 20 km (12.43 mi), over large swathes of forest territory connecting Neral to Matheran in the Western Ghats hills near Karjat and Mumbai.

The line was generally closed in the monsoons because of the danger of landslides. Starting in the 1980s, the line was kept open often even in the rainy season.

The line observed its centenary on April 15th, 2007.

The railways comes under the administration of the Central Railways and is being promoted as a future World Heritage Site.

It has got various miniature railway stations on it's route such as Jummapatti, Waterpipe etc.

Matheran is the tinniest hill station in the world & the only pedestrian destination in Asia. The best thing about Matheran is that no vehicles are allowed here so you can enjoy your walks in the pollution free climate.
This is the picture taken from the overflow Of Charlotte Lake. It's also called as the Death Point. The tiny sleepy town has got many such scenic points (in fact 38). Louisa pt,Lion head, Echo pt, Malet spring, porcupine pt, Panorama pt, Garbut pt, one tree hill are among the main.

Matheran- The jungle on top

by RakeshKapadnis

Matheran is like a pretty girl. It has got it's distinct charm & beauty in all the three seasons. Summer, Winter or Monsoon, there is always something inviting you. May be a decade ago, there was a trend to close everything in monsoon & the tourism would come to astandstill for four months. But nowadays major nos. of tourist come in rainy season.
You can see a game of sun & shade in August. Manytimes you may feel as if you are standing above the clouds.

Echo point is the most favourite of mine. In a clear season you can hear your call thrice in the valley. In the rainy season many waterfalls can be seen on the backdrop of sahyadri ranges. Sometimes the point seems as if it's an island somewhere in an ocean of clouds.

The entry point of Matheran is called as Dasturi Naka. No vehicle is allowed beyond this point. All the tourists have to park their vehicles at the parking plot. The best way to enjoy the beauty of Matheran is to walk. But there are other options too. Horses or man pulled carts are also available. You need not be an expert in horseriding for that.

Matheran is full of these monkeys . Dont ever make a mistake to feed them or they will keep following you. I even remember an instance when I was enjoying a feastfull of nuts & a big creature almost attacked on me.

Riding this toy train can be one of the unforgettable experience of your life. This train is century old. In the initial days it used to run on steam engines but now there are diesel engines. It takes almost two hours but the views are breathtaking.

This is the historic Leighton Buzzard Railway steam engine on the exhibit at the Matheran station.

I have been many times to Matheran. Sometimes I have walked from Neral to Matheran, sometimes it was a biking adv, othe time on yhe toy train. But I have never tired of this beautiful place. It's like falling in love with the same girl again & again.