Come rains and we want to soak ourselves in it and the natural beauty it creates. Don’t we all feel like going to a nearby hill station or weekend getaway to enjoy the lush greenery & the Wild Waterfalls that the Rains create? I am sure there will rarely be anyone who doesn’t enjoy the Rainy Season. We make sure that we visit any nearby hill town or picnic spot we have never been before during the Rainy Season. This Year we decided to visit Igatpuri in Nashik, Maharashtra.
Maharashtra is blessed with natural beauty and during the Monsoon this beauty gets a makeover! With the Western Ghats traversing the State of Maharashtra, it is rich in flora and fauna which makes many places worth visiting during the Monsoons. Igatpuri, in Nashik is one such place. Barely at a distance of 3 hours from Mumbai and 5 hours from Pune, this beautiful Hill Station is preferred choice of many for Weekend during the rains.
When we missed our train to Igatpuri!
We decided to book train tickets to Igatpuri which seemed to be the best and easiest way to get there. The train was scheduled to leave at 12.40 pm from LTT Railway Station and we were waiting for my uncle’s family who were coming from Gujarat. Their Train was to arrive at 10 am at Mumbai Central Station and we were pretty sure to reach LTT at 12.40 pm. But fate had other plans & their train kept getting late at every stop while they we nearing Mumbai. We anticipated that we may have to go in a bus or a Car if they reached anywhere after 12 pm. And so it happened, they reached at 12.10 pm at Mumbai Central and we had to book a Car to Igatpuri. Let me also tell it was raining very heavily in Mumbai on that day & we thought we will never be able to reach Igatpuri.
But for some time the rains slowed down and we crossed Mumbai in the Nick of Time. Why Nick of Time? Because the entire Mumbai was flooded the next day after us reaching Igatpuri. Anyways coming back to the road journey we took, it was unexpectedly beautiful. We thought we wouldn’t get to see much of Greenery on the expressway, but it was more than thought of. I can say that you must take road journey one time and train journey the other time (which we took while returning back) to fully experience the natural beauty leading to Igatpuri. Asangaon and Kasara Ghat are the best spots to marvel at the mountains and waterfalls on the way through the rain filled clouds. The entire sight was as though a wonderful serenity had taken possession of our soul.
The Unexpected Location of the Resort.
So, after the exhilarating road journey to Igatpuri we were a bit skeptical about the Resort we had booked. Since no one of us had ever gone to Igatpuri before, we didn’t know much about the place and the people there. We prayed for the resort to be good enough for our 4 night 4 day stay. When the driver took the turn towards the resort, we could see the the most spectacular view which left us all awestruck. The Resort was situated right next to a huge, green, cloud – filled mountain. Our doubts were all put to rest and we patiently waited at the reception for our ID cards to be verified. The Hotel rooms were also a surprise to us as they were quite spacious and beautiful than expected. We had requested for rooms with view and true to their promise the Resort gave us rooms with view of the same mountain we all were awestruck with, plus there were fields all around the resort & at the foot the Mountain which felt like we were in a village. We knew we are going to have a great time in Igatpuri. By the way, forgot to mention the name of the Resort – Dew Drops Resort.
Visit to Dhammagiri Vipassana International Centre.
Since we reached Igatpuri in evening on the first day, we just explored the Resort and gathered information on tourist spots in Igatpuri and around. The next day after breakfast we decided to visit Dhammagiri Vipassana Centre for which Igatpuri puri is well known around the world. What I didn’t know, the visit was going to change something in me. On the way to Dhammagiri our Driver told us what was Dhammagiri famous for and who established it. I was already keen on knowing more about it once i knew that Vipassana is all about Buddhism and its way of meditation. There is a huge Buddhist style gate at the entrance of Dhammagiri, known as the Myanmar Gate. It looks like this:
Once you enter the Myanmar Gate you can see a short video of Dhammagiri after which you have to cover an upward spiralling road to reach the area where Thousands of Men & Women come to find their Peace and Purpose in life. The Meditation hall, Reception and all other sections of Dhammagiri are situated between the between the majestic mountains and greenery all around. The Entire Dhammagiri is spread in 100 acres of land as told to us by our guide. There are Pagodas, Meditation Hall, Rooms & Dormitories for Students & Teachers, Kitchen, Dining hall and many other sections in the entire area.They also have their own water harvesting plant where huge amounts of water is collected & stored for the entire year.
The Meditation course ranges from 11 days to 45 or even 60 days. There is no charge to stay in Dhammagiri, as stay & food is free. All you have to be prepared for is to leave all your gadgets behind and make up your mind to remain silent for 10 long days. Yes! for the entire course of 10 days, you cannot utter a single word. But it surely is a life changing experience as said by two people who I knew had completed the course at Dhammagiri. While the Guide was showing us the entire area, I was more interested in knowing the entire Schedule for the 10 days of the course. I started thinking about enrolling for the course. The beauty around Dhammagiri was equally Peaceful and compelling enough to let anyone fall in love with the Place.
IF IT DOESN’T CHALLENGE YOU, IT WON’T CHANGE YOU
Well, after clicking pictures and taking the Video, I felt like not leaving the place, but since everyone was hungry we left for the Resort.The rest of the day we spent in the Resort sleeping, loitering and playing Carrom & Ludo which was equally fun.
Visit to Bhavli Dam
The next day we decided to visit Bhavli Dam/Bhauli Waterwall which is one of the favourite tourist spots in Igatpuri. The road to the Dam was very beautiful with lush green fields on both the sides and cloud covered mountains around the fields. The entire Igatpuri is situated among Mountains & every spot you go, you can enjoy their majesty. Bhavli Dam serves as a reservoir to many villages around Igatpuri and hence rainfall is very essential to this place, much like the entire India. Igatpuri receives good amount of rainfall, but since the arrival of Monsoon has been slow this year, the Dam was not filled to even half of its capacity.
There are 2 waterfalls at Bhavli and both are equally mesmerising. The milky white water falling from a great height makes you realise the power and beauty of nature. We did not bathe in the Waterfall as it was already too cold and according to me all the best creations of Nature should be only enjoyed by gazing at it rather than exploiting it. There were already many people spitting and making their kids urinate in the flowing water, which disgusted us further. The water is used by people around Igatpuri and We as tourists have a responsibility to to keep these resources pure, safe and protected. Anyways, we literally enjoyed the beauty around both the waterfalls and returned back a the resort after 3 hours.
Do not believe words, Experience is all that Counts.
The last day, we just wanted to enjoy the nature around the resort and hence we spent the entire day lazing around in the Resort, walking and exploring the mountain and fields around the Resort. You can check the video to know what it felt like near the Mountain foot.
It was finally time to bid goodbye to the beautiful Igatpuri and we made sure to be on time for our train. We wanted to see how it was to travel by train through the well known Kasara Ghat. And believe me, we were not disappointed with the scenery and natural beauty we saw. All I can say is, you must experience both the train and road route between Mumbai & Igatpuri in the Monsoons.
The breakfast served by the Resort was simple and delicious. Perfectly balanced in taste and a good variety of dishes were served during breakfast.
How to reach Igatpuri
- By Rail – Many trains from Mumbai and Pune stop at Igatpuri. You can check them on https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search
- By Road – Igatpuri is well connected by road from Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and other cities of Maharashtra & Gujarat. You can travel by bus, hired car or your own private vehicle.
- By Air – The nearest airport to Igatpuri is at Nashik. Other airports from which you can reach Igatpuri are Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara & Pune Airports.
Distance from major Cities
Nashik is the nearest city to Igatpuri
- From Mumbai – 120.4 km
- From Pune – 245.1 km
- From Nashik – 46.6 km
- From Surat – 282.7 km
Best time to Visit
You can visit Igatpuri all year round. However the best time to visit is:
Monsoon Season – June to September
Winter Season – December to February.
