CHAPTER THREE

LONAVLA - A REGIONAL PROFILE

3.1 Presenting Lonavla

3.2 Historical Perspective of Lonavla.

3.3 Location and Physiography of Lonavla.

3.4 Population

3.5 Climate

3.6 The Town

3.7 Occupational Structure

3.8 Land use of Lonavla

3.9 Important Tourist Destinations

55 3,1 Presenting Lonavla

This chapter aims to highlight in brief the physical and demographic background of Lonavla and to show how it is a tourist place and how the local population, occupational structure and land use of Lonavla make it most important tourist destination. In short this chapter highlights the regional profile of Lonavla as a tourist centre. One of the most important hill stations in the state of is Lonavla. It is popularly known as the Jewel of the Sahayadri Mountains.Lonavla is set amongst the Sylvan surrounding of the w'estem ghats and is popular gateway from and . It also serves as a starting point for tourists interested in visiting the famous ancient Buddhist rock - cut caves of Bhaja and Karla, which are located near this hill station. It has some important Yoga Centres near it. There are numerous lakes around Lonavla Tungarli, Bhushi, and Walvan, Monsoon and adventure seekers can try their hand at rock climbing at the Duke’s Nose peak and other locations in the Karla hills and Forts. In order to make the travel tour to Lonavla even more joyful the right kind of accommodation is provided by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (M.T.D.C.). The various hotels packages offer the best of facilities. The well furnished rooms give most of comforts. Imagine a world full with peace and honesty, where the air you breathe is fresh like the purity of soul where every stroke of breeze brings hope and freshness to the mind. One can wander freely into the lush greens and not worry about anything else. A place that is dedicated to bring out the youth in every person who visits this place. Lonavla provides a panoramic view o f. the lush green surroundings of the Sahayadri ranges.

The peaceful environs of the town, w'hich provides a great escape from the hustle bustle of Mumbai, the hill resorts attract tourist to this place. Tourists get attracted towards a walk along waterfalls, the grassy abimdance and hills in and around Lonavla. The mountainous terrain of Lonavla is ideal for trekking and hiking. Lonavla is a year round destination; however, people prefer to visit the hill station during summer and the monsoons.

56 3o2 Historical Perspective of Lonavia.

Lonavla, the famous hill station in Maharashtra is also known, because of the Chikki - (sweetmeat prepared from the mixture of groundnuts, jaggery and glucose). Lonavla was discovered in 1811 by Sir Elphiston, Governor of Bombay as a tourist place. The origin of the name Lonavla is derived from the name “Lonali”. Lonauali means series of caves i.e. Karla, Bhaja etc. Lonavla is situated at 18° 45’ latitude and 73° 24’ longitude. The total area of this towmi is 38.84 sq. Ion. It includes places like , Tungarli, Valvan, Bhushi, Nangargaon and Lavalwadi. This is the last town in the boundaries of . Immediately after this town, series i.e. ghat starts. The inscription written on the caves nearby Lonavla infomas that this was the most important place for transport and business. Some temples, rest houses and caves give evidence of existence of roads. There was an old route from ancient times, the route was Nala Sopara, , Kaiyan and . There exist following landmark i) An old route from ancient times from to Lonavla. ii) The Buddhist influence on the cave temples, iii) A Legend that brought Suxat loot to Siddeshawar temple. (The Ryewood temple) iv) The British Battle with captain Stuart, v) The ghat road vi) The railway track vii) The Tata power plant. (Forbay point), viii) Industrial beginnings ix) Highway x) Recent development. There is a reference given in “The gazettes” (Chap No. V I1, page 263). On 22"*^ Nov 1778 under agreement with Raghunathrao an advance party of British troops under Captain James Stewart consisting of six companies of native granediers from different corps with small artillery moved from port Asti in Colaba took possession of the Bhor pass without opposition and encamped at Khandala. Lonavla and Khandala developed mainly due to this age old highway which is referred to in the gazetteers. The construction of Bombay—^Pune highway started in the year 1826. This ghat road was constructed by Captain Huges. The and . The railway track construction between Lonavla and Bombay started in 1860. Initally 2500 workers were appointed for the same. But in 1861 the number of workers increased to the extent of 42,000. They were working under the supervision of nearly 90 British experts.

57 Like all other towns Lonavla is also developed only after industrialization to certain extent. The first industrial plant was established in 1941 in the form of workshop by Shri S. S. Marathe. Later on “Lakaki” company was formed by the Pioneer industrialist of Maharashtra—Shri -Kirloskar. After 1958, people from Pune and Mumbai started purchasing land in and around Lonavla on a large scale. The farmers have found the new business of selling the land. In this period, farming started losing its prime importance as an occupation. People started searching jobs as an alternative to the farming. In 1960 the Lonavla Municipal Corporation passed one Resolution regarding the exemption of octroi tax for the first 5 years from the inception of any new industrial firm in Lonavla. This was the historic decision of Lonavla Municipal Council in Maharashtra which encouraged entrepreneurs with such exemption in octroi. In the year 1962 the Industrial Estate was established, under the presidentship of Shri Dongarmal Pritvraj Lunawat. Lonavla being a tourist place, the industrial estate was set up to the east of the Municipal area in Nangargaon. The total area given was 17 acres and 36 gunthas. The industries that were started after the establishment of the industrial estate till today that are in and around Lonavla are: 1) S. S. Marathe and sons—Production of Road Roller and Heavy Machinery. 2) Lakaki Paints Works-—Production of paint and distemper. 3) Antifriction Bearing Corporation-—Production of Taper and Roller Bearing. 4) Zelet Pvt. Limited—Machinery required for production of cloth. 5) Automative and allied industries Pvt. Limited—Production of grease guns and grease nipples. 6) Supreme Washer Balls-—Producing Washer Balls. 7)Tamco Tubes— Production Wiring rolling. 8) Mulraj Dungarsi—Production Medicines.9) Messers Pethe Engineering Pvt. Ltd. —Production - Electro Magnetic Break Clutch. 10)

Messers Print Origin Company—Production Electric Motors and Meters. 11) Monsanto Chemicals of Pvt. Ltd.—Production of Pesticides. 12) Arunoday Watch Co.— Production of Clocks. 13) Zeb Exports Pvt.Ltd.—Production- Leather Garments. 14) Bhavsar Metal Works—Production Polishing of Stainless Steel Vessels. 15) Messers Pam Industries—Workshop and Remoulding of glass. 16) Messers Balpat Industries— Production Hooks and Button Holes. 17) Messers J. M. Bhatt—Electronic Materials. 18) Messers Intel Electronics—Production Electronics. 19) Messers Robstamachine Co. Pvt.

58 Ltd—Production Parts of Sewing Machine. 20) Messers C. J. Industries.—-Production of Plastic Board, Letters and Other Plastic Articles. 21) Messers M. M. Industries-— Production Electronics. 22) Messers Associated Engineering Co.—-Production Heavy Machinery Parts. 23) Messers Chedda Industries—Production Automobile Parts. 24) Messers Perfect Engineering Co.— Production Valve Tapes and Valve seats. 25) M. P. M. Chagule—Production - Injection Moulding. 26) M. B. P. Desai and sons— Production - Medicines. 27) Maganlal and Sons—Production Chikki, chivda, farsan. 28) Tecil Engineering Co—Production - Radiator Caps. 29) Rainbow Jelly Sweets— Production - Jelly Sweets. 30) Dimples Jelly Sweets—Production - Jelly Sweets.

3.3 Location and Physiography of Lonavla.

Lonavla is a charming hill resort, three hours journey from Mumbai, one hour from Pune. It has quick weekend gateway to offer. Lonavla is on the line of Central Railway, Mumbai -Lonavla 118 kms, Pune— Lonavla 65 km s. Lonavla is on the the Mumbai—Pune road. Lonavla is an important hill station in the state of Maharashtra. It is popularly know^n as the Jewel of the Sahyadri mountains. Lonavla is set amongst the sylvan hills of the Western Ghats and is a popular halt between Mumbai and Pune, Lonavla is located in the western part of the state of Maharashtra in the western region of India. It is set- amongst the slopes of the Sahyadri mountain range and situated 106 kms Southeast of Mumbai at an altitude 625m above sea level. The weather in Lonavla is pleasant in summer (April-June) and mild, while winters (November-February) are cool, monsoon (Jmie-September) heavy rains. The best time to visit Lonavla is between the months of October and May. Cotton clothing is apt all through the year. At present the trend is to visit Lonavla during monsoon i.e. from June to September to enjoy the scenic beauty and enjoy getting wet in the rains. Earlier people crowded Lonavla in the winter, but today the scene has changed, we have buses loaded coming to Lonavla. Besides private vehicles, trains are crowded and tourists get down at Lonavla. It is because of the natural waterfalls and beautiful eye­ catching scenic greenery all around. To the north are some spiritual institutions like Kaivalayadhama Yoga Centre of Swami Kuvailayanandji. This institution is known

59 internationally. Manshakti is another spiritual centre set up by Swami Vidyanand. It was set up for people to achieve peace of mind tlirough socially oriented activities and self sacrifice. The town also has protection from the forts that surround it. The Lohgad- , fort, Duke’s Nose etc. A notification was published at page 790 of the Bombay Government Gazette part I dated 7* September 1876 and in the vernacular paper of Pune and in the town of Lonavli in the collectorate of Pune that it is his excellency the Governor in the council believes it to be expedient to constitute the said town as a Municipal district under Bombay act VI of 1873; and whereas the objections that were sent by some of the inhabitants of the said town to the formation of said town into a municipal district are, in the opinion of His Excellency in council insufficient, it is hereby notified that the said town shall be a municipal district under clause 3 section IV of the said act and shall be known as the town municipality of Lonavli and all persons residing within the limits of the said Municipality shall be the inhabitants there of within the meaning of the said act. The said town and the limits of the said Municipal District are as follows Name of town Lonavla Taluka Maval limits of the municipality are bounded on north by Bombay road from railway crossing in survey no. 130 to the Valvan village. Lonavla Municipal limit was changed in the year 1908 by a special resolution No. 7529 (dated 24/12/1908). According to this resolution the area covered under Lonavla Municipal limit is as follows. East- Upto Varsoli/Kusgaon boundary. North—Kune, Pangoli/Nandgaon boundary. West-—Kulaba Villa and Kurwande boundary. South— Gawande boundary.The geographical and physical details of the town after its expansion can be viewed in the following way 1) NANGARGAON which lies to the north of Lonavla includes industrial estate having large, small, and medium scale industrial units, besides private and public limited companies. It has the Industrial Training (ITI) institute, Swami Samaith Mandir. It also has the Municipality Water Purification plant centre. 2)VALVAN this area lies to the north -west of Lonavla, it comprises of old Mumbai -Pune highway, Lonavla college, The mosque, Jain Mandir, the Express way circle, and the most important Valvan Lake and Valvan Dam. It is 26 meter high and 1357 meter long. Valvan Dam of Tata Hydro

60 Electric Company, 1.6 from Lonavla station was built in 1916.The dam is a glorious memorial to that noble architect of modem industrial India, late Jamshedji Tata. 3) TUNGARLI lies to the north of Lonavla, it has the area of Frichly Hill, Lagoona Resort, Fariyas Hotel, Gurukool School, Raheja Complex, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, Tungarli Dam, which has a little reservoir of the Municipal Council situated at much higher level than the town. Tungarli is significant because some of Lonavla’s renowned institutions are located around. 4) KHANDALA lies to the west, it has an enviable location perched atop of the edge of Deccan plateau and separated from Lonavla by a valley on one side and a lofty hill on the other. It has the PTS (Police Training Centre), Dhirubai Ambani Bunglow, Government Guest House, St. Xavier Church, Tata ductline, Aging Blind School, Tata Rest House, Kurvanda village and Barometer Hill. 5) BHANGARWADI lies to the north. It consists of places like the Darshan, Bhondewadi, Saibaba Temple, Indrayani River and many temples and schools are located the well known Sinhgad Instute is here it even includes Kusgaon village, Walkiwadi etc. 6)RYEW00DS lies tow'ards the east of the town. It has many scenic and tourist spots like, the Ryewood Park itself, Shivaji Udyan, Auxilium Convent School, many hotels and Sanatoriums. 7) BHUSHI lying to the east of Lonavla has potentials to develop as a tourist place. It has got admirable beauty, and therefore attracts crowds. An important place here is the , Kanifnath Mandir, I.N.S., Kurvanda gaon, Naval, Air force and Army training centre, Monsoon Lake, Lions Point, Singhvi and many other Bunglows are worth seeing. 8)0ther places include, Karle village, Kune gaon, Kale colony, Devgharh village, Varsoli, Amby Valley Sahara Project and many other small villages located near by Lonavla.

3.4 Population According to the 2001 census the population of Lonavla is only 55,650. The floating population is more i.e., 2,60,000 per year. It is the floating population that is more active and visible. The tourists give feel to the town of being crowded. The population that is stable and settled or which we term as permanent population is low, due to which the town is devoid of many opportunities. The population of children is 15,050, while that of old is 10,450. The working productive population is 30,150. The

61 statistics of the population clearly shows that the dependent population is nearly eighty percent o f tlie product!¥e popKlatioa. The productive or adult worlcing popuMion M b to bear the burden of not only their own population but also of the unproductive. The adolt population of this town is veiy hard working and contributes a lot to the de¥eIopment of the town. Bet the old population is not that productive, but is used only for disguised employment. The old help in just sitting in the shops to keep watch on its woriclng as they do not contribute much to the development of the town as suck The population can be shown in tabular form as follows:

(a) Growth of the populatioiL, decade wise 1971 27515 1981 36260 1991 44500 2001 55652 2005 60750

deeade mm

t a Popullation

62 1 E3M8 ■rmmsr ^QCt t:: 1i.. I; J t ElFei I i '

m the western AJ

place. There is imtiwal scenic teawly all romid. Tie foreits, trees tom lissli gre

sIo\¥iy from the'moijntaiHS. The mist covering the yA oI® place makes the viei¥ liazy 1 come here for a change of climate to stay in sanatoriums, health centres etc. The tourists during this season are health conscious people, who want to make the best out of this healthy, hygienic- pollution free atmosphere. The summer season is from March to May. During this season the mornings and the nights are pleasant. The afternoons are quite humid. But compared to the two close by cities i.e. Pune and Mumbai, Lonavla even in summer is much cooler and therefore people come to Lonavla even in the summer months. They enjoy their stay in the hotels located on heights with good scenic beaut}' and fresh air. Tourists come to Lonavla because of its good climate. (i)Good climate helps cure the patient faster, the recovery of the person is seen to -be much better than what it was when he just comes to the town'. (ii) The salubrious climate is like an invigorating tonic to the senses, one can feel the cool and fresh breeze, the pollution free air enters one’s mind and makes one feel that there is no life without fresh air. (iii)The climate on the whole makes one feel relaxed and tension free, away from worries. It refreshes ones thoughts and makes one think positively. Those visiting this place really feel mentally satisfied for coming to this place rather than going else where for a short trip, (iv)The atmosphere is so congenial to meditation that, the town has many spiritual places, known nationally and internationally.

3.60 The Town. Lonavla if seen geographically falls in between Pune and Mumbai. It is 65 kms from Pune and 110 kms from Mumbai. Lonavla is located in the central part of the state of Maharashtra, in the western region of India. It is set amongst the slopes of the Sahayadri mountain range and is situated 110 kms southeast of Mumbai at an altitude of 625 m above the sea level. The town has many scenic beauty spots for tourists. But besides that it has an important attraction even as a holy place. Lonavla has been surrounded on all four directions with popular temples. To the east we have Ekvira temple and Bhairavanath temple which are very famous. The Ekvira temple is very famous for goddess EKVIRA, it is very crowded during the months of autumn and

64 spring Navratri i.e. September—October, March—April. The temple is too crowded during weekends. There are devotees who come specially to fulfil their wishes to this goddess. The Koli community (fishermen) consider her as their mother (Aai) and therefore take her blessings before starting any important work. Towards the west we have again the famous WAGHJAI TEMPLE. It is also worshipped more during the Navratri months -of summer and autumn. To the north lies a very old i.e. 1000 yrs old Shiva temple at Ryewood Park. This temple has got a historical background. It is said that when wealth from Surat was taken away it was bought and hidden in this temple. This temple has a very big fair once in a year on the day of Mahashivratri. People from the town as well as from the nearby villages and far off places come to visit this temple and enjoy the whole day in the fair held on this day. The town can better be known by the following landmarks that are worth noting. As one comes from Pune either by the highw'ay or the expressway, to the east of Lonavla lies the old and new Valvan, there is the most well known Ekvira Temple of Karla, Vedanta academy, Durga Parmeshwari temple, Manshakti Kendra, Karla and , Valvan college, Valvan dam. Towards the south we have the most renovraed Yoga Institute internationally known by the name of Kaivayaladhama, the area surrounding this place is known as Tungarli, we have the Tungarli dam, Don Bosco school, Gurulcul school, Five star hotels like Fariyas and Lagoona and many more known institutes, bunglows of film stars exist. To the west of Lonavla lies a beautiful hill station known as Khandala, where we have the Rajmachi fort, a breath taking view of the valley. This place has a maximum number of hotels located there is the famous Waghjai temple. The Bhairavnath and Shani mandir are located here. Duke’s Nose is close to tliis place. There are some well known institutes like Kohinoor school of Hotel Management, PTS (Police Training Centre) Bai Dhanmai Cawasji high school and junior college. To the north lies Bhangarwadi where the houses even today are like old wadis, houses in a row. In Bhangarwadi there are many temples, schools and Lohgad Darshan. The Sinhgad Institute has its road passing through this place. To the north east is Nagargaon where the famous Swami Samarth Mandir is situated along with farm and the Mosque. To the south east is the Durga Parmeshawari temple, the MTDC guest house. To the north east lies Vedanta accademy, the Bhaja caves, the

65 Himgiri trust, towards the south west is the Kune Mission and Kune point. To the northwest we have worth visiting panormic view of the North point hotel and training centre, and bunglows of celebrities.

_3o7. Occupational Structure

Occupation is defined as the name of the function which a person performs by engaging himself in that particular branch of gainful economic activity which is his industry (Singh-and Muklierji 1954). The Census of India (1971) defined occupation as “the name of the function which a person performs by engaging himself in some gainful activity.” The Census of India (1971) indicates the earner’s nature of work. The terai occupation structure is often used in a broader sense. It indicates a unitary relationship of three occupational components of the working population as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary activity.

Primary'Sector: 1) Cultivator 2) Agrilabour 3) Livestock 4) Forestry

SecoBdary Sector; 1) Manufacturing 2) Mining 3) Quarrying 4) Processing

5) Repairs 6) Servicing.

Tertiary Sectors 1) Construction 2) Trade 3) Commerce 4) Transport

5) Communication 6) Other services.

In Lonavla the primary sector consists of activities such as:

1. Cultivation: Farming to certain extent is carried on, but compared to early years of the 20* century, the production of agricultural crops is less. Rice is grown here as the

66 rainfall is heavy besides nachani (millets), jo war, wheat, pulses are also grown. That too has declined due to uncertainty of the rains. The farmers are not rich enough to have irrigation facilities; therefore they have started selling their agricultural lands. Therefore the percentage of the farmers is high yet it is now steadily declining.

2. Agricultural laborers are labourers working in the fields either as crop growers or in the houses. Plant nurseries make a very good business in Lonavla as the land areas are big and wide. Therefore plants can be grown easily. Most of the green houses grow flowers for export only.

3. Livestock- Most of the village population engages themselves in the livestock rearing. From the livestock, they can earn a lot of income by selling milk, eggs, birds, sheep, goats to hotels and the tourists coming to Lonavla. This occupation is a good business and many of the villagers have become rich due to their livestock occupation.

4. Forestry: Some of the population living on the hills and near the mountains, have forestry as their occupation. They get products from the forest and sell them in the town or to the tourists. The products include herbs, some fruits, medicinal plants and wood. They do not eam'much but just can carry on their livelihood. The Secondar}-' sector includes occupations such as manufacturing, processing, mining, repairing and servicing in Lonavla manufacturing of chikki, jelly sweets is on a large scale. Besides, there are industries manufacturing some electrical goods, glass, auto parts etc. Though Lonavla is basically not an industrial town, it does have some industries which function at the outskirts of the town on the mountain slopes. In this about 25% of the population of the town of Lonavla is engaged .There are some processing industries like preparing juices from amla, jammun, ginger, jelly sweets with different flavours is done. Repairs and servicing works are also performed by those having knowledge of technical mechanism. Thus more than 40% of the population is engaged in secondary sector. The tertiary sector has the following occupations in Lonavla. They include construction-—This has involved a large number of labour on daily wages and since

67 Lonavla has become a land for investment has many tourists celebrities, construction is an important occupation. Trade involves products of chikki, some industrial products, flowers and vegetables etc. There are different businesses like insurance, banking, hotels, restaurants, shops, i.e. general food grains, gift shops, garments, cyber cafe, electrical goods shops etc Transport of goods as v\^ell providing transport to the tourists is a good occupation, Communication net works of telephone, telex, fax etc., is satisfactor)'. Other services include, bakery goods, milk, fish shops. There are other hospitality services, hospitals, health centres and their services are good for health care. The tertiaiy sector employs an occupation of 35% in it. Depending on the development of the town there are a little bit of shifts in the structure of occupation. More or less they are stabilized at 25% primary, 40% secondary and 35% tertiary sector.

3.8 Land Use of Lonavlac The land use denotes the multifaceted use of land. It evaluates the use and misuse of land, subsequent development process and origin of land use pattern. It is the primar}^ indicator to the extent and degree by w^hich man has made an impression on the earth’s landscape. It reflects political, social and economic aspects of human cultui’e and provides an index to the intensity of human life style and process of human activities on existing land.

The urban land use broadly refers to spatial distribution of city functions, residential community or living areas, individual commercial and retail business district or major work area and institutional and leisure time functions. In other words, “The urban land use is a term which denotes urban space, land area of cities, water areas in the cities and three dimensional space above the surface of the city.” (Yadav C. S 1987). The total area of Lonavla town is 38.84 sq. km. The total area is distributed into twenty four sectors, they are as follows:

3,8i) The first sector is the area of Frichely Hill The land includes area from Bombay Pune road, hotel Fariyas, Indira Gandhi Udyan, Express way , Gold Valley, Lagoona Resort, Gurukool School, Raheja Complex, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar. It includes in it the

68 area of municipality limits of Survey No. 21 and 135. The area of Survey no 135 includes in it Dr. Hirlekar bunglow, Tungarli road passing from below the expressway, Gold valley, Tungarli cemetery, Kotak bunglow to Fariyas Hotel to Bombay Pune road. The area of Survey no 21 includes places like Fariyas hotel to Indira Gandhi Udyan to Kune gaon road. The sector is used for residential and commercial purpose.

3.8ii) The second sector is of the area of Survey no 2, which includes Tungarli dam, Valvan dam, Kaivalayadhama, Shri Talpade Bunglow, Gyansadhana society, Lavalahwadi gaon The Lonavla Municipality area includes Tungarli dam to Valvan dam, Valvan dam to Tata duct line, Tata duct line to Talpade Bunglow including one road passing towards Fangoli gaon road. It is an area used for water bodies and residential areas.

3.8iii) The third sector is Valvan. This sector includes areas like Lonavla college, Khatri park, the express way circle, Indrayani river, and Valvan lake. The land use of this area is as follows. The Lahavalibadi road passes to the Tata dam going upto the duct line. It even includes old Mumbai-Pune road passing through Valvan and Nagargaon, Hotel Munir and the Mosque. This sector includes the road passing through Ravi society and Pangoli village.

3.8iv) Nagargaon, is the fourth sector. The land use of this area is made by the industrial sector. It includes Industrial estate comprising of various industrial units, they are small, large, medium, public Ltd, private companies. The production here includes from a minute pin making industry to food products. This land use includes the Swami Samarth temple, Jadhav colony, Dutt Mandir society, Suraiya garden society, Nagargaon, Municipalty Water purification plant centre, The Industrial Training Institute, The Mhasoba Temple to Railway line and the bridge between the Indriyani river and the Suraiya society. It is an industrial district surrounded by residential colonies.

69 3Ȥ.v) The fifth sector is Swaraj nagar. The land use of this sector includes area of, The Kamgar Kalyan centre, Railway colony, Kachre shop. It includes the area around the goal quarters and A.E.A. N. bunglow and the area between the railway road, from Kalekar fields to Bezbora bunglow, Hamiman complex, to Railway police station, Bara bunglow to Flour mill, old Railway school, and the internal road passing from Nagargaon to Tungarli. It is used for residential quarters of the railway employees.

3.8.vi) The sixth sector is Denkar colony, and the land use includes Denlcar colony, Kalekar mala, Jijamata nagar, Rao colony, Suraiya bunglow, Gurukrupa bunglow, towards the west of it is the Jadhav petrol pump extending towards the old Mumbai Pune road, to the east is the old highway road of Nagargaon extending toward the Indrayani river. It is a residential area.

3.8.vlt) The seventh sector is Tungarli. This sector includes the police residential colony, Kohinoor executive, Bhide resort, Kailash Parbat hotel, Kalyanpur Factory, Jakhmata Mandir, from Joshi shop to Talpade bunglow, the road passing from survey no 2 to Pangoli. The old Municipal school to Shahani holiday home, and the Bara bunglow road of C ward. It includes even Raj goal Park, the canal passing the old road, upto the Sardesai bunglow. It is both residential and commercial sector.

3.8.viii) The eighth sector is Indira nagar. It has in it the following area for use Don Bosco high school, Bijis hotel, Tata Camp, H.D.F.C training institute, Lalco cottage, Girivihar, Kalyanpur colony, Shankar colony. Cherry Blossom Society. This even includes Gold valley road to the crematory road, Dhanikur Bunglow to Gawliwada and the area between Tata ductline and the L&T training. The canal is passing from it. It is used for residential and commercial purpose.

3.8»tx) The ninth sector is from Shivaji peth to Khandala. The land use of this area includes the following places like the Police Training Centre, Sarvodaya sabha, Khandala Municipal school, D. C. High School, Rajmachi garden, Waghjai temple. Battery hill, Vikas valley, Tata forbey. It further includes Municipal boundaries of Kune

70 village and Valley. The area of Survey no 13 includes Kune gaon, extending upto Indira Gandhi Udyan to city survey no 144, from here to P.T.S, upto Zaras resort the tlirough road no 4 to St. Xaviers Church to Tata forbey, Amrutanjan point to survey no. 12 in the valley. This is public utility area including the residential areas of Khandala and Kune.

3.8.x) The tenth sector is Khandala Bazar, The area include Hilltop colony, Police station, Khandala railway station, Khandala lake, Shani Mandir, Government guest house, Rohidaswada, Khatri bridge, Thakui- road, St. Xavier church to Parsi sanitorium to Express way Highway road No. 4. It includes the Ganpati mandir, Oberio bunglow, upto Weekend Nursery. This is an area used for public services and for residential purposes.

3.8.xl) The eleventh sector is Khandala Gaothan, which has the Aging Blind school, Tata duct line, Police resident, Indira Nagar, Dhirubai Ambani Bunglow, Jai Malhar Huts, Khandala crematory to railway gate no. 29 and 30 in between railway line. It is a residential quarter.

3.8, xii) Old Khandala is the twelfth sector and it has Sadhana kutir, Karl Metha Bunglow, Watch tower, Thombre wadi, Convent High School, Tata rest house, Nagpal valley, Hotel Wood land, Railway Gate no. 30 to 31, the area between the ductline and Railway line, the Municipal pump house, Shiv Shanti hotel, Zeltax company, Indrayani river, Kurvanda village and Barometer hill. It is a residential area,

3.8,xlil) The thirteenth sector is Gawliwada which includes Ram mandir, Kumar heritage. Five bunglows, Ambarwadi, Ganpati mandir, Shri Ram Huts, .N. G. Shah petrol pump, Kiran petrol Pump, Joshi Bunglow, L&T training centre, upto the Municipal Water tank, from H.D.F.C. Bank to the road leading to Tungarli Dam.The area from Five bunglows society to the road in between passing from L&T to Gold Valley. This is the old locality.

71 3.8. xiv) The fourteenth sector is Maval statue area, which includes Khatre bridge, Tata power house office, A-1 Chikki, S. T. D. stand. Telephone Exchange, Matruchhaya, Shahani holiday home, V.P.S. high school, Maganlal Chikki, Siddheshwar Mandir, Marker Manzil, 'Shivaji garden, Cremetary from Shahani holiday home to National highway no. 4, and from there to the railway hospital upto gate no. 32 to Friends Chikki, Raval shop to Jain Mandir to Mahivir Palace upto Siddheshwar Mandir, and D ward. This is the old township of .

3.8.XV) The fifteenth sector of Agarwal Chawai, includes Satyanaryan mandir, Railway workers centre, Agarwal Chawl, Railway ground, Railway Institute, Railway hospital. Railway station. Railway booking office (near the vegetable market).The road passing through railway hospital and railway police station near Hariman complex. From Hariman complex to Indrayani river and the area of railway quarters. This is the chawl area as well as the railway areas.

3.8.xvi) Khandgi wadi is the sixteenth sector, which includes Hanuman mandir, Bhairavnath mandir, Vardhaman society and Pushkraj society, I.N.S. Shivaji road, Priyadarshani sankul Mahavir palace, the Kali mata mandir of Gaothan, to Vaji society and Lunawat saw mill, the road in between Vardhaman society and Indrayani river, and Indrayani to I.N.S. road , the Bushi village road, and old Zeltex company, the Rice research centre and G ward including Bhaivranath mandir to Priyadarshani sankul. This is residential and commercial area.

3.8.xvii) The next sector is the seventeenth sector of Siddharth Nagar, here are Dr. Ambedkar hall, Annabhau Sathe housing society, Municipal workers residence, Minar Masjid, Rohidas wada, Darekar building, Startheart Church, Kamavat shop to Wadva house, the boundary upto kindergarden, from Annabhau Sathe resident leading to the inner road. This is mainly housing sector.

3.8. xvitt) The eighteenth sector of Hudco colony, includes Dr. B. N. Purandaher high school, Bharat saw mill, Kailas Nagar, Mahila Manal, and Sahyadri Nagar, Primary

72 school no 1 to Mahila Mandal’s Pandit Jawharlal road, the road in Hudco colony and Ganpati mandir, from Hudco to Crematory and Indrayani river, and from school to Vardhanam society. This is the area of housing colonies.

3.8. six) The nineteenth sector includes Municipal Office, the Municipal hospital, Vegetable market, Municipal office, Market post office, Gurudwara, Vasantdada Patil sankul, Jaichand Chowk, Cooper’s Chikki, the railway in front of cooper’s with Indrayani Nagar, Hanuman mandir to Ranade’s hospital, from Darekar building to church, to Dharap and Kankariya’s Matress and Vessels Shop. It is Municipal complex.

3 J.xx) The twentieth sector is Shivaji Talim, Pandit Jhawarlal Nehru School to Drivers and guards running room of railway line, Ganpati mandir, Hanuman mandir, Salvaker Wada, Bhangarwadi water tanlc upto Lohagad darshan, Manwel building to Nilkant apartment, Gokhale bunglow to Shradda hospital. It is central Lonavla township.

3.8.xxl) The twentyfirst sector is Rammandir Bhangarwadi, includes Hotel Prakash (Sumitra hall), Adit}^a society, Balvihar, Saraswati Vidhyala railway line to the boundaries of Muncipal from water tank to Lohagad darshan, Jadhav house to Chavan shop and the road passing internally. It is a commercial as work as a residential area.

3.8.xxii) The tw'-enty second sector includes Bhondewadi, the Saibaba temple, Damodar colony, Nilkanth apartments, AsMrwad hospital, Saraswati hospital, Manas hospital, Shraddha hospital, Manuel Building to Ganpati chawl, the road leading to Sahara building and Dhupchav building to survey no. 29 to municipal inside road, from there to D.P. road, to Indrayani river, and from there to Naik, to Advocate Nagesh house and the inside municipal road including Nilkanth apartments. This is the area of hospital.

3.8.xxii!) In the twent)' third sector of 30 are places like I. N. S. Shivaji institute for naval, army and air force training, Badrivishal society. Monsoon Lake society, Advocate Singhvi bunglow, from survey no. 30, the river flowing firom Hudco colony to

73 Cemetary, Kusgaon to Indrayani river and the D.P. road passing from it to BhusM bridge, and Monsoon lake. It is the area of I.N.S. Shivaji and residential bunglows.

3.8,xxiv) The last twenty-fourth sector of Bhushi includes Ramnagar, Bhushi village, Kanifnath mandir, Railway Dam, Marathe farm house, the river flowing from Kurvanda to Lonavla dam, the road going to I.N.S. survey no. 56 and from there to survey no 118 to Indrayani river near Kui-vanda gaon. This is a residential sector, In the above sectoral division of land use made in Lonavla it can be seen how the towTi has been divided into different sectors and how the land use has been made. In the total land area available they have made maximum use though the land area available is comparatively less. The authorities have managed to make the best use of land by properly utilizing the land and making proper division of the land into different sectors.

3,9 Important Tourist Destmatioas The tourist destinations can be classified into the following types. 1) Health centres. 2) Meditation centres. 3) Forts, Caves. 4) Dams. 5) Gardens. 6) Temples. 7) Water parks. 8) Water falls. 9) Educational institutes.

10) Amby Valley. 11) Natural beauty spots

3 J.i) The three main Health centres of Lonavla include Naturopathy centres which have become the centres of attraction as tourist spots, Lonavla being close to Mumbai and Pune, these centres are all the time crowded in the weekends, whilst they are busy with

74 the other far off places tourists during the week. These centres have different packages to offer to the tourists. There are three centres in Lonavla. I) Just for Health Naturopathy centre it is located on the highway close to the city but being in the interior it is peaceful. It is like a bypass to the tourists passing, it provides different types of oil massages, Bastis, Mud therapy, Body massages according to their sicknesses, Sauna bath, Facials for different types of skins. It is one of the famous centres of nature cure. Diagonally opposite of the health centre is the Kapol Sanatorium managed by a Jain trust, so even if there is accommodation problem in the Naturopathy centre people put up in the Sanatorium and come to take treatment here in this centre as it is just at a stone throw distance. Now' this Naturopathy centre has become popular even among patients having chronic sicknesses like asthma, diabetics, spondalitis, allergies etc. It even has a good, qualified, trained, soft spoken and co-operative staff. These qualities also play an important role in the development of the centre.

II) Kaivalyadhama Naturopathy centre, is located on the highway. When one enters Lonavla through Khandala this centre is located with many health centres in it. The centre has its own gardens of medicinal plants, herbs, shrubs required for making the medicine. The centre has treatments for all types of sickness. Its additional advantage is that it even has a yogic centre for different patients. Therefore, once a tourist goes to this place he definitely comes back for his health, physical and mental peace. This is an internationally known centre. This centre has a history of many celebrities visiting the centre. Many doctors, professors, judges, advocates and cine stars are regular customers of this centre. The location of this Yogic and Naturopathy centre is such that it is located close by to a well known dam either known as Tata Dam or Valvan Dam. This helps patients coming here to go for a walk up to the dam and enjoy a pollution free enviromnent. This helps one to go close to nature and be one with the nature rather than create an imbalance in the environment. Those who think of doing meditation here get good results, as the place is blessed with good vibrations of leading Swamis, Rishis and Saints coming here. Blessings of all these personalities have helped the Naturopathy centre grow.

75 Ill) Balaji Tambe’s Atniasantulan Village as a health care centre is known globally. It is the first Auyrvedic hospital set up in Lonavla. The panchkarma therapy and Pharmacy unit have young foreigners working, yoga and meditation is part of this santulan. The Naturopathy centre here is quite familiar with foreign tourists rather than the Indian tourists. The centre has advanced and latest technology, which helps attract patients. It has a very pleasant ambience, which makes the patient, recover much faster than his expected time, this miracle makes one w''onder weather it is the effect of the medicine or the pleasant atmosphere.

3o9ii) There are three major Meditation centres. The first meditation centre is a complex of health care, New Way Ashram also known as Manshakti. The ashram is set up for people to achieve peace of mind through socially oriented activities and self sacrifice. The main objective of this ashram is directed towards peace of mind through various experiments and activities. The second meditation centre is Vedanta academy, situated among picturesque hills of Malavali 8 Ions from Lonavla. The academy has 3 years full time course for students aged between 18 to 30 years. The students are taught the Vedas as an ancient philosophy that is systematically and scientifically expounded in the principles of life. The centre is founded by Parthsarthy, who is an eminent international philosopher. The third meditation centre is Kaivalyadhama Yoga Centre, an internationally known institute. It was built by Swami Kuvaiayanandji in 1924.This is the first ever hospital of its kind in India where yogic treatment is given along with meditation and for that scientific research laboratory is used.

A representative selection ofphotographs of Health Care Centre can be viewed on this page attached.

3,9ii! (a)The Forts and Caves around Lonavla and Khandala are the tourist destinations of historical and cultural importance. The forts include I)Tung Forts also known as “Kathingad”, as the name suggests the fort is difficult to climb, Tung is 3500 feet, while Tukona is also of the same height, as the name suggests it is triangle - shaped. The view from this fort is beautiful. II) Lohagad and Visapur forts, these two forts are specially significant for trekkers. Lohagad is 3400 feet high and a very wide spread fort. Visapur is 3500 feet high and situated between Lohgad and Bedsa caves.

76 HEALTH CARE CENTRES IN LONAVLA India being a vast country rich in cultural heritage, having many religions. In India more than 1200 caves are spread almost all over the country. In Maharashtra there are 500 Caves, out of these 200 are Buddhist, 200 are Hindu and remaining 100 caves are Jain. I) Bhaja Caves, these are Buddhist caves situated in the hill close to the village of Bhaja and are small series of very early Hinayana caves dating to 2"‘* century BC to century AD. There are about 29 excavations among which is a big Chaitya with slanting polished pillars. Bhaja is probably one of the oldest Buddhist religious centre in the Deccan. There are 12 inscriptions in different caves. It is about 6kms, north-east of Lonavla on the Mumbai-Pune highway. Its ownership is with the Central government. II) Karla consists of 16 independent Buddhist excavations dated to 2"^* Century BC to IstCentury AD. This is one of the most famous centres of early rock cut architecture. Its place of pride is due to the existence of the great chaitya-griha, the biggest and also the most ornate of all the Chaitya-grihas of the Satavahana period. There are 34 inscriptions in the caves. It is about 6kms north- east of Lonavla on the Mumbai -Pune highway. Its ownership is with the Central government. Architecture and the carvings are worth seeing which attract the tourists.

III) Bedse Caves, these caves are not more than 20-25 minutes walk from the village. The spot is 3 kms north-east of Lonavla. The caves are worth visiting and less crowded. The period can be traced back upto century B. C. The caves are east facing therefore the caves should be visited in the mornings to see the sunlight in the caves. It contains 15 excavations of which one chaitya-griha and one Vihara are important. In addition there are stupas, cells and cisterns. Some of the caves were painted. The stupa in the chaitya-griha has railing decoration of the base of wooden shaft with an Umbrella at the top. The vihara is apsidal, vaulted roofed and has pillars. Its ownership lies with the Central government. A representative selection of photographs of Forts and Ccaves can be viewed on this page attached.

3.9.iv) The next tourist destination is the serene beauty of the Dams. Lonavla has been blessed by dams around it to add to the scenic beauty of this tourist place. The dams in Lonavla are 1) Tungarli Dam: This dam is situated close by to the Tungarli village. It is

77 FORTS / CAVES IN LONAVLA

' 1 located in the green environs of the trees clustered around it. The little reservoir of the Municipal Council is situated at a much higher level than the town. It forms the chief source of water for the Municipal area. It supplies water to the LMC. ii) Bhushi Dam: This dam has become the most attractive spot in the monsoons for the rain dancing tourists. The dam provides a very beautiful layout of the steps for the over­ flow of water in the rainy-season that attracts the tourists from all over, specially from the cities of Pune and Mumbai and the suburban areas. iii) Valvan Dam, the TATA hydrolic project is started from this dam. Generating electricity from water was started by TATA’s. Besides the hydroelectric project, the dam has a scenic beaut}' of well designed, well planned beautifully grown plants. Tata has developed an exquisite garden which promises to be among the best tourists attraction in Lonavla. Seasonal flowers are grown here, which makes one lost in the garden among the flowers. Valvan itself is quite a large lake with the storage capacity of 72.5 million cubic meters of water. A small bridge over the railway which the train encounters immediately after leaving Lonavla station for Khandala carries water on the other side of the railway line, another canal brought from Lonavla lake joins the duct line and then the water flows onwards into the slopes of Barometer hill. 3.9<,v) Gardens are the tourist destinations in Lonavla as a large number of parks surrounded by big trees, attract tourists to them. They are I) Ryewood park, the exotic charm and beauty of Ryewood park cannot be defined in words. It is simply an enchanting experience. The Ryewood as it is popularly called is synonymous with majestic tall trees and huge open grounds which provide an ideal spot for a one day picnic. II) Shivaji Park, was initially a famous playground later turned into a garden. At the centre of the garden is the statue of Shivaji and therefore the garden is named Shivaji Udyan. Ill) Rajmachi Garden, the park is named so after the fort of Rajmachi, which is not very far from the garden except for its climb. The fort has to be climbed by trekkers only.

A representative selection of photographs of Tourist Spots can be viewed on this page attached.

78 TOURIST SPOTS IN LONAVLA 3.9.vl) There are few temples in Lonavla but they are laiown and we have people coming to Lonavla to worship these deities for fulfilling their wishes. These temples are crowded during the weekend. They are I) Shiva temple also known as Siddeshw^ar temple at Ryewoods. It is a ver>' ancient temple. Every year there is a fair held on Mahashivratri day. II) Kanifnath temple: The temple has a beautiful location it is far away from the city. It has a big ground with some veiy good trees. In the centre of the ground is the temple in which is a statue of Kanifnath Maharaj which looks very lively. Ill) Swami Samarth Temple: This deity has tourists coming to Lonavla only to visit this temple in buses just for a day. It is a very serene and peaceful temple, it has an idol of about 6.5 feet of Shri Swami Samarth Maharaj made of bronze. It is a standing statue which gives the feel of as though the eyes are looking into our eyes and makes one feel that there is some one to take care of us and stand by us. IV) Wagjai devi: This is a deity which has followers coming to fulfil their wishes after maixiage, some auspicious function at home or other problems of theirs are solved, the temple of goddess Wagjai is at the turn of the highest point of the hilly highway. V) Ekvira in Karla has followers from all the communities but mainly fisherman of the Koli community, they call the deity, ‘Aai’ (mother) with whose blessings they start any important activity at home .The koli (fishermen) community are the most faithful believers of this goddess. At the foot of this temple we have the temple of another goddess VI) Shri Durga Parmashewari temple has most of its followers coming from the south. The temple has some very beautiful architectural work done. Once in the interior of the temple it gives the feeling of peace and bliss.

A representative selection of photographs of Religious Places can be viewed on this page attached.

3<.9.vil) The other attractive destination for tourists are the Water Parks. A resort named Kumar resort has in it water games for people of all ages. This park is therefore an attraction for the tourists. It has a lot of different video games and therefore always attracts crowd during the weekends. II) Karla MTDC also has a water park that is it has

water games along with boating.

79 RELIGIOUS PLACES IN LONAVLA 3c9.viii) Water Falls: During the monsoon innumerable waterfalls rush down the hilly slopes. Kune water fall needs a mention here. Some other w'ater parks are coming up.

3.9Jx) The Educational Institutes: The hill station Lonavla, being blessed with a good climate and pollution free environment has attracted good institutes to come up in this place. I) Police Training Centre, known as PTS, is a very famous centre which was started in the year 1962. Every nine months there is a new batch of 350 new constables coming for training. II) Indian Naval Training Centre, popularly known as INS Shivaji is located within a 5 kms distance from Lonavla. It was established in the year 1945. It has in it officers’ technical college, Teclinical school for trainees, N B C D, technical school for training persomel for nuclear, biological, and chemical defence. The naval training centre is one of the well developed defence centres in the world and has the worlds highest quarter deck. Ill) Samudra School of Marine Engineering, Tolani Institute of Marine Engineering, and Great Eastern Marine Engineering institute. IV) Sinhgad Teclmical Institute V) Lonavla Education Trust’s Dr. B. N. Purandare Arts and Smt. Shantidevi Gopichandji Gupta Commerce College and VI) Kohinoor School of Hotel Management are the others.

A representative selection of photographs of Educational Institutes can be viewed on this page attached.

3.9.x) The recently constructed tourist attraction is the Amby Valley Project Sahara City. The globally fcnovra Sahara group have set up in Lonavla the Amby valley project. It is a techno city set 'up away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. It is a town set up with all the luxurious amenities in it. The flora and fauna of the place is just commendable. It is a city worth visiting w'hen one comes to Lonavla.

3.9.xll) The main reason for which Lonavla is known is for its Natural beauty spots, which have been the pride of Lonavla from the last two centuries. I) Rajmachi point affords a convenient rendezvous. It is ideally situated along the highway and has a park as well as a canteen. There is a small rock garden with railings & benches along the edge of the horse shoe valley. Rajmachi means the ‘Royal Terrace’ is a twin fort

80 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES s::*— ? *,

o HIGHSGHOOl & JR.COIiEeE complex of Srivardan & Manoranjan forts which served as outposts of the Marathas. Nana Phadanvis, the great statesman had realized the strategic importance of the fort to keep a watch on Britishers who had already entrenched themselves in Mumbai. II) Sunset point gives a pleasing panorama of the Chhaoni valley situated right under the Duke’s Nose. The curves of the highway can be seen for quite a distance directly. During the monsoon white and dark clouds envelop the entire place and this view one can rarely forget. Ill) Duke’s Nose is the most common and much known landmark in Lonavla. It has a naturally made cliff of the shape of the thumb’s up logo which stands tall in the Sahyadri range passing through Lonavla. It is named so after the Duke of the British era. It is a favourite spot with trekkers and nature lovers. It takes about an hour and a half to reach the top of the Nose from Kurwande village. There is another way also to reach the Duke’s Nose i.e. from Khandala Guest House one has to go straight up to reach the Forbey, a small tank of Tatas, and then reach Kurwande and from there to the top of the Nose. The way leading to this spot is enjoyable and so attracts tourist. IV) Kune waterfall valley, this valley has a very beautiful sight as the water falls from a great height, it gushes down with a force looking like a snow white bed spread in the valley, the tourists enjoy the showers of this waterfall, with colourful dresses the sight is just beautiful. V) Tiger point: This is a very amazing point, it is at a stones tlirow from INS Shivaji base. Here one finds a plain plateau surrounded by mountains and valley all around. To get the exact view of the valley one has to sleep flat or leap and see down where one finds in the valley opposite, there is a feeling of a tiger taking a leap into the valley, even if one throw's a stone down the valley it goes hitting ail the stones and hurdles and falls into pieces. Another interesting thing about this is the echo one hears from the valleys is very thrilling.

A representative selection of photographs of Tourist Destinations including Amby Valley can be viewed on this page attached.

The regional profile of Lonavla prepares the background for the review of the tourist facilities available in this beautiful hill-station of Lonavla. The information about the general facilities, accommodation, transportation and shopping facilities are presented in brief in the next-fourth-chapter.

81 TOURIST DESTINATIONS / AMBY VALLEY