Wheels roll at 746 hrs. Traffic on NH3 is moderate. Diversions every few kilometers merge traffic onto one side of the NH, which slows down progress. Once the toll section starts, Kasara Ghat, Igatpuri & Ghoti go by in a breeze. Glimpse of a passenger train coming out of a tunnel at Kasara Ghat sort of tingles old childhood memories.
The second right after the Ghoti toll points to Bhandardara. The road (SH 21) on the bridge ahead looks promising but turns real patchy in no time forcing a roll at 20 to 40 km/hr. The 30 Km to Bhandardara via Varangushi and Bari Village takes an hour. (Take a right at each of the villages. There are enough MTDC and Yash Resort boards to keep you on track).
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| SH 21 |
Yash Resort looks pretty inviting. The rooms are clean and roomy. The verandah opens out to green paddy fields. The top of the mountain on the north east horizon is lined with wind mills.
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| Yash Resort |
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| Paddy Fields |
All meals at the resort are served in a buffet style with a good Indian spread. The chicken in a local malvani curry accompanied with malvani vada (mix of grain – rice, wheat, jowhar and deep fried) is excellent.
The other stay options here are:
- MTDC – Affords an excellent view of the Wilson dam and the lake, however booking is a pain and the accommodation didn’t look to inviting.
- Anandvan – Super expensive.
- Few low budget hotels in Shendi.
Shendi village, just next door, is pretty nondescript except for a marble Shiv temple and Hotel Kaka that serves Gujarati Thalis. A Gujarati family at the resort, that wasn’t too pleased with non vegetarian being served and consumed in their vicinity, would have perhaps headed here for their meals.
Locals here eagerly offer their services as a guide to various points – Spillway, Randha Falls on the Pravara river, Ratangad, Amriteshwar, etc.
Bhandardara is a trekker’s heaven. The huge reservoir – Bhandardara Lake or the Arthur Hill Lake is hemmed in by the Shayadri range with peaks like Paabalgad, Ghanchakar, Ajoba, Ratangad, Kalsubhai towering over it.
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| Wilson Dam & Arthur Hill Lake |
The Wilson Dam on the north end of the lake was built by the British to store water for irrigation. The height of the dam is about 720 feet from the bed at the deepest point.
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| Sunset at Arthur Hill Lake |
Water’s clean. A fishing line can hook a decent sized Catla. Row boats are available for boating. Adding kayak’s, paddle boats and other water sports facilities would perhaps enhance the tourist appeal of the place.
Captains Log; Star Date 0310.2010
To catch nature in all its splendor, you have to traverse the Major District Road (MDR) 19 early in the morning. MDR 19 which is about 55 km long, runs right around the lake. You can get onto it just after the Wilson Dam spillway. In fact the open area just after the spillway is an excellent spot for camping.
The road is narrow, curves, rises, falls and is really patchy for most of the stretch. Traffic is sparse but you need to be careful of the occasional motorbike, cattle and children playing on the road.
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| MDR 19 - 55 km run around Arthur Hill Lake |
MDR 19 takes you around the lake through numerous little villages and affords an excellent view of the mountain peaks. Rantanvadi Village which is home to the old Amriteshwar Temple is 20 km from Shendi, down the MDR 19.
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| Amriteshwar Temple, Ratanvadi Village |
Incidently, the river Pravara orginates from Ratangad, flows down besides the temple, and then into Arthur Hill Lake, and again flows out the Wilson Dam Spillway.
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| Amriteshwar Temple |
In case you do the full round trip on MDR 19, be careful to take the right when you see the Ghatgarh Dam to get back to Shendi, unless you want to head to Konkan Kada, which is about 4 Km from the fork.
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| Numerous peaks around Arthur Hill Lake |
- Oriental Magpie Robin
- Indian Robin
- Black Lowered Yellow Tit
- Red Vented Bulbul
- Red Whiskered Bulbul
- Rufous Backed Shrike
- Small Bee Eater
Terrain Map
