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Educational Visit Report

During academic year 2017- 2018 As per syllabus our Dept. organizes to visit to Kokan and to attain ‘Apiculture & sericulture’s demonstration under the guidance of our Hon. Principal Dr. S.B. Patil and Prof. D.N. Birhade, Prof. D.N. Walkoli, Prof. D. L. Takalakar and Prof. S.S. Patil.

START OF JOURNEY.

Rajgurunagar Wai- Pachgani- - Pratapgarh – Diveaagar- - Harihareshver.

RETURN ROOT

Harihareshver- Shrivardhan - Diveaagar - Pratapgarh - Mahabaleshwar - Pachgani- Rajgurunagar 2

Introduction of Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar is a small town and a municipal council in district in the Indian state of . It is a hill station located in the Sahyadri mountain range. With one of the few evergreen forests of , it served as the summer capital of Bombay province during the . Mahabaleshwar is located at 17.9237°N 73.6586°E.[1]It has an average elevation of 1,353 metres (4,439 ft). Located about 120 km (75 mi) southwest of and 285 km (177 mi) from , Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km2 (58 sq mi), bound by valleys on all sides. It reaches a height of 1,439 m (4,721 ft) at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point. Mahabaleshwar comprises three villages: sumit dave Malcolm Peth, Old "Kshetra" Mahabaleshwar and part of the Shindola village. Mahabaleshwar is the source of the that flows across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The legendary source of the river is a spout from the mouth of a statue of a cow in the ancient temple of Mahadev in Old Mahabaleshwar. Legend has it that Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself as a result of a curse on the trimurtis by Savitri. Also, its tributaries Venna and Koyna are said to be Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma themselves. An interesting thing to notice is that 4 other rivers come out from the cow's mouth apart from Krishna and they all travel some distance before merging into Krishna. These rivers are the Koyna, Venna (Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri. Climate of the area is suitable for cultivation of strawberries, Mahabaleshwar strawberry contributes to about 85 percent of the total strawberry production in the country.[2][3] It also received the geographical indication tag in 2010. 3

 Panoramic view of Mahabaleshwar

 Panoramic view from Savitri Point, Mahabaleshwar

 Old Mahabaleshwar

 Panchaganga temple in Old Mahabaleshwar, 1850s  In old Mahabaleshwar, 7 km from Mahabaleshwar, there are many tourist points and 5 temples to see, with examples of old Indian architecture. There are also natural view points, some named by the British, who went on holidays in these places during the British Raj.  Krishnabai Temple  Behind Panchganga temple, there is a small trail that leads to Krishnabai temple where the Krishna river is worshiped. It is built on the hilltop overlooking the Krishna valley and was built in 1888 by a ruler of on the coast.The temple 4

has a Shiva lingam and a beautiful statue of Krishna.A small stream of the river flowing from a cow-face (Gomukh) falls on a 'Kunda' or ‘Water Tank’.Stone carved columns and ceilings are the special characteristics of this temple. This old temple has gathered moss and is in ruins. It is not visited much by tourists and is isolated. But it provides a most exquisite view of the river Krishna.  3 Monkey Point.  Named because of the natural sculpture of the stones which looks like three monkeys sitting beside each other and portraying 3 monkeys of Gandhiji. Nestled deep in the valleys one can figure out from the outline of a big stone a natural cut out it give an effect of 3 monkey sitting next to each other portraying the Three Wise Monkeys. This point is on route to Arthur's Seat.  Arthur point.

 A view from Arthur seat point.  Officer Sir Arthur Malet (1806–1888)[3](Not to be confused with British born actor of same name), who sat here and gazed at the , where he lost his wife and children in a tragic ferry mishap.  Venna Lake. 5

 The Venna lake  Today, Mahabaleshwar is a popular holiday resort and honeymoon spot, and an important pilgrimage site for Hindus.

 Boats on the Venna lake in Mahabaleshwar.  The Venna lake is one of the major tourist attractions of Mahabaleshwar. The lake is surrounded by trees on all sides.  In Mahabaleshwar one can get hotels for all budgets from budget hotels to 3 Stars hotels. You can get hotel from where one can enjoy the Lake's View or in midst of the Mahabaleshwar's famous market  View point.  Kate's Point.

 Balakwadi dam viewed from Kate's Point 6

 Kate's point is located to the east of Mahabaleshwar and is famous for its view of two reservoirs, Balakwadi and Dhom. The point is around 1280 mts high.  Needle Hole Point / Elephant Point.

 Needle hole rock, viewed from the point  Needle hole point is located near Kate's Point. One can see a natural rock formation with a hole in between, thus giving the name Needle-hole. The point is also famous for the view of Deccan traps, which look like an elephant's trunk.  Wilson Point  Named after Sir Leslie Wilson, the Governor of Bombay from 1923 to 1926, Wilson Point is the highest point in Mahabaleshwar at 1439 m. Known as Sindola Hill during the colonial rule, Wilson point is the only location in Mahabaleshwar where both sunrise and sunset can be seen. It offers a spectacular glance of Mahabaleshwar in all directions. It located at behind Mahabaleshwar-Medha road at 1.5 km from Mahabaleshwar city.  Pratapgarh  is a near Mahabaleshwar. The fort was built by Maharaj. The fort is popular for in History of India as Commander of Bijapur Afzalkhan was defeated and killed by Shivaji Maharaj at Pratapgad.  Lingmala Waterfalls.

  Panoramic view of Lingamala waterfalls 7

 This waterfalls is located near Mahabaleshwar. The water here falls from a height of approximately 600 feet. The water of Lingamala waterfalls cascades into the Venna Lake. The waterfalls is divided by projecting rocks into multiple tier

 On the outskirts of Mahabaleshwar, towards .  The first historical mention of Mahabaleshwar dates back to year 1215 when the King Singhan of Deogiri visited Old Mahabaleshwar. He built a small temple and water tank at the source of the river Krishna. Around 1350, a Brahmin dynasty ruled this area. In the middle of the 16th century the Maratha family of Chandarao More defeated the Brahmin dynasty and became rulers of Javli and Mahabaleshwar, during which period the temple of Old Mahabaleshwar was rebuilt.  In the 17th century Shivaji Maharaj took over Javli and Mahabaleshwar and constructed the Pratapgad fort in 1656.  In 1819, the British included the hills in the territory of the Raja of Satara. Col. Lodwick (Late General Sir ) stationed at Satara, in April 1824 with a contingent of soldiers and Indian guides climbed up the mountain face reaching what is now known as the Lodwick Point.  Starting with Sir John Malcolm in 1828, a succession of them from Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone, Arthur Malet (for whom the 8

seat at "Point Arthur" is named), Carnac, Frere and many others became regular visitors.  Present day Mahabaleshwar came into existence in the year 1829-30. In old records it is mentioned as Malcolm Peth, but in practise today it is known as Mahabaleshwar.  Added to the scores of magnificent scenic "points", the perennial springs, streams, and waterfalls of Mahabaleshwar plateau, with its year round superb climate, drew the English and others to Mahabaleshwar. By the end of the 19th century it had become an attractive popular hill station of world renown. Raj Bhavan, the Summer residence of the Governor of Maharashtra, is also located here. An older building named "The Terraces" was purchased in 1884 and rechristened as Giri Darshan in 1886.

  Map of the region (1881)  "Babington House", a magnificent colonial-style bungalow built in the shape of a cross with a deep veranda, elaborate metal work railing and extensive outhouses is considered Mahableshwar's most beautiful country house. It was formerly one of the principal country seats of the Dubash family, a Parsi ship chandler dynasty from Bombay who sold it to the Rahejas in the early 1970s. It contains a central dining room with a 24- seater table and a lovely library pavilion with 1st edition books collected by the Dubash family, notably Jamsetjee "Jimmy" Kavasjee Dubash, a great bibliophil and art collector.  As of 2011 India census, Mahabaleshwar had a population of 12,737. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 9

45%. Mahabaleshwar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 71%. In Mahabaleshwar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age

 IMMPORTANCE OF MAHABALESHWAR

 Government owned Bee Keeping Centre is another popular tourist spot in Mahabaleshwar. An educational tour to the local bee-keeping Centre provides a fascinating insight to the honeybee rearing and honey collection process.  Bee Keeping Centre staff demonstrates tourists the working of the Centre. The staff provides brief overview of honey production process.  The Centre has around 600 wooden hives. Total number of Bees is around 25000 to 30000. Hoeny bees roam around 5 square km area and bring honey to the hive.  Note: Bee Keeping Centre and Tallest Cactus are very close to each other at around 100 meters. I definitely recommend you to visit both these places during your Mahabaleshwar Visit.  Location  Bee Keeping Centre is located around just 1 KM away from Mahabaleshwar Bus Stand on the way to Old Mahabaleshwar near Hotel Uday.  Next Page: Lingmala Waterfall  In this article : Popular Place  Monkey Point  Tallest Cactus  Bee Keeping Centre  Lingmala Waterfall  Lodwick Point  Plato Point  Connaught Peak  Sightseeing 10

 Sightseeing Venna Lake, Mapro Garden, Arthur's Seat.

 PRATAPGARH The Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj commissioned Moropant Trimbak Pingle, his prime minister, to undertake the construction of this fort in order to defend the banks of the Nira and the Koyna rivers, and to defend the Par pass. It was completed in 1656.The Battle of Pratapgarh between Shivaji and Afzal Khan was fought below the ramparts of this fort on November 10, 1659. This was the first major test of the fledgling kingdom's army, and set the stage of the establishment of the . Pratapgad continued to be involved in regional politics.Sakharam Bapu, a well- known minister of Pune, was confined by his rival Nana Phadnis in

pratapgarh in 1778. He was later moved from fort to fort until he died at Raigad. In 1796, Nana Phadnis, while escaping from the intrigues of Daulatrao Shinde and his minister Baloba, assembled a strong 11 garrison in Pratapgad before heading to . In 1818, as part of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, Pratapgad surrendered by private negotiation. This was a great loss to the Maratha forces, as Pratapgad was an important stronghold, had a large garrison, and could suppress much of the country around Wai. A 17 feet high equestrian bronze statue of Shivaji was unveiled by Jawaharlal Nehru, then Prime Minister of India, on the 30th of November 1957, the same year a road was constructed by the Public Works Department from Kumbhrosi village up to fort. A guest house and a national park were built inside the fort in 1960. The fort is currently owned by Uday Raje Bhosale, the heir to the former Satara princely state.

DIVEAGAR

Situated on west coast of on Konkan range, Beach is an idyllic weekend getaway, perfect to spend some time in peace and solace. A haven for nature lovers, the

beach boasts scintillating azure water, sugar-kissed white sand, and dense coconut and beetle nut groves. Untouched and unspoiled, this is indeed one of the best beaches in Maharashtra 12

and certainly one amongst the Top 7 Beaches on Maharashtra Konkan Coast .

Diveagar (Dive Agar) is a village located in , in the Indian state of Maharashtra, approximately 170 kilometers south of Mumbai.The area is peaceful, clean and sparsely populated. The region includes a fishing settlement, a beach, a temple, local businesses engaged in coconut and beetle nut tree farming, and some tourism businesses such as restaurants, cottage rentals and hotels, and six villages (from north to south): Velās, Musalmāndi, Agar Panchaitan, Diveagar, Borlai Panchaitan, and Kārle. The beach, facing the Arabian Sea, is approximately four kilometers long[3] and undeveloped. At the north end of the beach where a small stream enters the ocean there is the fishing settlement, Velas Agar, and some paddy farming, while at the south end there is a sanctuary for migratory seabirds. Nearby, there is a small fishing village, where vendors sell fresh fish, which goes by name of .The beach is accessible from the Mumbai-Goa highway via or Karnala.

Another view of Diveagar beach: Diveagar Ganpati Temple The beach contains a number of suru trees (Casuarina), which are common to coastal Maharashtra. The access to the beach has a dense cover of belu trees, which are otherwise uncommon in the area. Diveagar is a popular beach destination from the nearby towns of Shrivardhan and . Sand-bubble crabs can be found on the beach and at nearby Harihareshwar one can find dolphins. Some seaturtles still lay their eggs on the beach. 13

History: Evidences showing more than five hundred year old settlements are found in this region. Since thousand years this village was attacked by the Arabs, the Portuguese and the Mughals. Because of these attacks the whole village was destroyed 3 to 4 times.

The theft of the golden ganesh murti The golden (suvarna) ganesh murti (idol) of Diveagar Ganpati temple was allegedly stolen by thieves on 24 March 2012. The murthi was later allegedly melted. The golden idol weighed 1.5 kg. The thieves before taking away the golden idol killed the two watchmen who guarded the temple. The idol has since then been replaced by one made with Silver.

 SRIVARDHAN Shrivardhan/Shriwardhan is a taluka, city and municipal council in the Raigad district of the Indianstate of Maharashtra. It has developed into a seaside resort, along with the nearby town of Harihareshwar, which also has a Shiva temple. Located on a peninsula, the town itself boasts many beaches, in addition to proximity to numerous other beach destinations such as Diveagar Beach and Kondivali Beach. People from across Maharashtra come to Shrivardhan and the nearby beaches all year round. The taluka of Shriwardhan is an ancient place of historical importance and is mentioned as being visited by Arjuna Pandav in his pilgrimage. It was an important port in the past, well known to traders of and Bijapur in the 16th and 17th centuries. It appears in the accounts of leading European travellers, for example, Ziffardan. In 1538, Dom Joao de Castro described it as having little water under the pier at low tide, but that the interior of the city was large and roomy. It is notable as the birthplace of , the first (1713–1720) who was the Deshmukh of the town, where 14 there is now a monument to him. In 1713, Shriwardhan was one of the sixteen fortified places in the Konkan ceded by Balaji Vishwanath Peshwa to of Kolaba. Balaji was the first Peshwa of Maratha Empire appointed by Shahu, grandson of Chhatrapati Shivaji Shrivardhan is located in Raigad District of State of Maharashtra. The distance between Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar is 18 km and they are often considered to be twin cities. Diveagar is a quieter place than both cities, which has garnered it recent notice which has initiated its transformation into a popular tourist destination. beach is also an important tourist destination, located just 10 minutes from Shrivardhan by bike. Most of the people are engaged in fishing and agriculture, with fish being a popular offering for tourism. Shriwardhan is mostly covered with mango and coconut trees. The city is home to many hotels and resorts, and is popular as a destination for weekend getaways and group picnics.

 History:

Shrivardhan is one of the oldest towns in Maharashtra. It is a town of . The BhatDeshmukhs of Shrivardhan - later popularly known as Peshwas - witnessed the rise and the fall 15 of Marathas after the Shivaji period. Though the capital of Peshwas was Pune, the actual institution of Peshwa (prime-ministership under a symbolic king) was born in Shrivardhan in 1713. Balaji Vishwanath(the first Peshwa) took control of the position and gained de facto rule in the Maratha empire under the now-symbolic rule of the Chatrapati king. The Peshwas administered the Maratha kingdom for more than 100 years, a period which ended in 1818 following the defeat of the last Peshwa in the Third Anglo- Maratha War. The third Peshwa, Balaji Bajirao, built a huge house here in 1750, which has recently been renovated. The statue of Balaji Vishwanath was also installed here in 1988.

The temple in the town - Shri Laxminarayan Temple - is the main temple of Peshwas. The idol in the temple is quite old and is said to be of Hoysala architecture. 16

 HARIHARESHWAR Harihareshwar is a town in Raigad district, in Maharashtra, India. It is surrounded by three hills named Harihareshwar, Harshinachal and Pushpadri. The river Savitri enters the Arabian Sea from the town of Harihareshwar. Towards the north of the town is the temple of Lord Harihareshwar, said to have been blessed by Lord Shiva. Hence Harihareshwar is often referred to as Dev-ghar or "house of God". Besides a major pilgrimage center, Harihareshwar is a popular beach resort with two beaches, one to the north and the other to the south of the temple. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has a resort on the south beach. Harihareshwar, along with Shrivardhan and Diveagar Beach forms a popular weekend beach destination from Pune (190 km) and Mumbai (210 km). The Kalbhairav Jayanti Utsav (Festival on Birthday of Deity Kalbhairav) was initiated by Mr. Yashawant Balawant Nagle who was Sardar of Queen of Janjira Administering Harihareshwar village. He donated quite a large part of his property for funding the Temple management. Harihareshwar Temple: Harihareshwar south beach: Harihareshwar Temple complex has two adjacent temples. The smaller Kalbhairav temple is expected to be visited first, before entering the main Harihareshwar temple housing an ancient Shiva Linga. A pradakshina route goes around the temple, along the sea shore. It is not advisable to go on this route during high tide.

Harihareshwar Beach

Being one of the scenic and clean beaches on Konkan coast, it is popular for its beauty and dolphin rides. Anjarle Beach 17

It is another hot spot to locate dolphins in Maharashtra. Nivati Beach It is a perfect spot for dolphin rides in Maharashtra. This is the place where many agencies give a guarantee to spot herd of dolphins. So dolphin rides are major attraction among tourists visiting Nivati. It has 5 km long backwaters and tourists can take a ride along it!

 The other ideal spots for sighting the dolphins are: Malvan, Bhogwe, Mhapan, Vijaydurg Creek, Dabhol Port, Kuravde Beach, Divegar Beach, and Devbag.  The finless porpoises are found along the coasts of: Bhogwe, Nivati, Khawane, and Mochemad.

 Tips & Facts About Dolphins

 Dolphins can only be spotted in the early in the morning and in the evenings. So wake up early and start your dolphin expedition in the early morning.  The possibility of spotting dolphin in the evening is less than mornings.  Sometimes a herd of as much as 40-50 dolphins appears jumping in the water in front of you suddenly after entering into the sea. And sometimes, it takes a lot of time to spot a dolphin. It’s all luck, though!  The type of dolphins we spot in Konkan region are Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins (SousaPlumbea) and Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena Phocaenoides).  Single dolphin generally weighs around 500 kg and is about 5-6 feet in length.  Apart from dolphins, Blue Whales and Bryde’s Whales having the length as long as 47 feet long are also being spotted along the coast of Maharashtra. 18

 Most of all, don’t be disheartened if you don’t spot any dolphin; there is always a next time! They are free mammals and cannot

be spotted in the same region every time!

So do take dolphin rides in Maharashtra seacoast on your next visit to Konkan. Dolphins in Maharashtra are adding more value to a rich bio- diversity of Maharashtra!

 Pali :

Ballaleshwar (lit.: "Ballal's Lord") temple is one of the eight temples of Lord Ganesha. Among Ganesha temples, Ballaleshwar is the only incarnation of Ganesha that is known by his devotee's name. It is located in the village of Pali which is at a distance of 58 km from in the Raigad district. It is situated between fort Sarasgad and the river Amba. 19

The temple: Moreshvar Vitthal Sindkar (Dighe) constructed the Temple in 1640. He has been one of the major contributor of the work of Shivaji:The great on "SWARAJYA". Essentially, the Lord Ganesha devotee and has immense contribution to the development and well of this Temple. The original wooden temple was renovated in 1760 to make way for a new stone temple designed by Shri Fadnis. Built in the shape of the letter Shri, it was made by mixing lead with the cement during construction. The east-facing temple was carefully positioned so that, as the sun rises, sun rays fall directly on the murti during worship. The temple contains a bell that was brought back by after his defeat of the Portuguese in and Sasti. The temple complex encircles two lakes and is tiled throughout. There are two sanctums in the temple, an inner and an outer sanctum. The inner canctum is 15 feet (4.6 m) high, while the outer sanctum is only 12 feet (3.7 m) high. The outer sanctum contains a murti in the shape of a rat, holding modak in its hands while facing Ganesha. The main hall of the temple is 40 feet (12 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide and contains eight pillars resembling cyprus trees.

The Murti

The murti of Vinayaka sits on a stone throne, facing east with its trunk turned left and sitting against a background of silver which displays Riddhi and Siddhi waving chamaras. The murti's eyes and navel contain diamonds.

In the village of Pali lived a successful businessman named with his wife, Indumati. Their son, Ballal, and the other children in the village used to play puja, using stones in place of murtis. Once, the children, going to the outskirts of the village, saw a very large stone. 20

At the insistence of Ballal, the children worshiped the stone as Ganesha. Led by Ballal, the children became so engrossed in their worship that they forgot about hunger and thirst; day and night. Meanwhile, the parents of the village anxiously waited for their children to come home. When the children did not return on time, they all went to Kalyan's house and complained about his son Ballal. Kalyan, flying into a rage, took a stick and went in search of the children. Eventually, he found the children listening to the Ganesha Purana. In his fury, he destroyed the small temples built by the children, who fled away in terror, leaving Ballal by himself. Ballal, completely submerged in devotion to Ganesha, was grabbed by his

father and beaten until blood drenched his clothes. His father proceeded to tie him to a tree and trampled on all the puja materials collected by the children. Lifting the large stone which the children had treated as Ganesha, he threw it to the ground, breaking it into pieces. He taunted Ballal, "Now we shall see which God protects you!" Going home, he left his own son bound to the tree to die. Still bound to the tree, Ballal cursed his father for having insulted Ganesha, "May he become blind, deaf, dumb, and hunchbacked for 21 his disrespect to the son of Parvati!" Though filled with pain, hunger, and thirst, he continued chanting the name of Ganesha until, exhausted, he fainted. On waking, Ballal entreated Ganesha to come to his aid. Lord Ganesha, moved by the child's devotion, appeared in the form of a sadhu before Ballal and untied him from the tree. On seeing Ganesha, Ballal's thirst and hunger vanished; his wounds were healed and he was completely invigorated. He prostrated before the sadhu, recognizing him as Ganesha, and worshipped him. Ganesha told Ballal he would bless him with whatever he asked for as a reward for his devotion. Ballal entreated, "May I be your unshakeable devotee, and may you always stay in this place and remove the miseries of the people who seek refuge in you." Ganesha said, "I shall ever remain here, and will take your name before mine, being worshiped as Ballal's Lord (Ballaleshwar)." He embraced Ballal and vanished into the nearby stone. The stone's cracks disappeared and was made whole again. That stone statue is called Ballaleshwar. The stone idol which Kalyan threw to the ground is also known as Dhundi Vinayak. This is a swayambhu murti and is worshiped before Ballaleshwar is worshiped.