Jun 14, 2006 11:13 PM
9581 Views
Whenever we think of a weekend getaway, the picture we see is that of an exciting location with lots of fun filled activities to do, places to go, sites to adore and huge expenses. In contrast to all this, stands the pretty decent location of ‘Karla’. ‘Karla’ is a rarely noticed place near the popular hill station ‘Lonavala’, and hence a few reviews. Unlike any other hill station this place does not boast of breath taking scenery or any thing extra ordinary, but is just a simple and ideal destination to relax and refresh yourself, and yes, within a small budget. Karla is situated at a short distance from Mumbai City and is less crowded as compared to its neighboring destinations viz. Lonavala and Khandala. The trip would ideally be for 2 days, leaving Saturday early morning and getting you back by Sunday late night. The best time to visit the place would probably be the month of July, when the rains are in their regular form, trees have fresh green leaves all over them and one would rather than doing any thing extra ordinary, just enjoy getting wet in the cold rains, then getting back to your cozy rooms have a hot shower and just sit back and relax. Overall the trip would mainly consist of eating, drinking, a little bit of site-seeing, morning and evening walks, some less tiring games and lots and lots of rest.
Karla is about 12 kms. from Lonavala, getting there would take you anywhere between 2 3/4 – 3 1/2 hrs. (i.e. provided the trains are running on time and as per schedule.) from Mumbai. One could hire a vehicle and get going to the place, but since we are talking about a budget getaway it would be better stick to our not so reliable but reasonable public transport, besides you wouldn’t much feel the need of a vehicle as there are a few spots to be visited, and which can be done by the local mode of transport – The Autorickshaw. Thus the best route to get there would be to board a train to Lonavala (Say Indrayani Express, Inter-City Express that leaves Mumbai early morning between 5.30 – 6.00 am and gets you to Lonavala between 8.30 – 9.00 am.) and from there you could get a State Transport Bus or more preferably an autorickshaw to Karla. Travelling to and fro this destination by the suggested train and rickshaw would not go beyond Rs. 150/- per head.
There are not many accommodation options out there like in Lonavala and Khandala, however there are a few resorts, and yes the suggested MTDC-Karla. The MTDC-Karla is spread over a vast area with a variety of accommodation option like a Standard room, Garden Room (AC/Non AC), Cottages (AC/Non AC), Suite, Deluxe Suite etc. and a Conference Room. Like any MTDC the room are well maintained, clean and reasonably priced, with cost ranging from Rs. 500/- per day for 2 persons for a Standard Room to Rs. 1900/- per day for an Executive Cottage AC which accommodates 4 persons (Rates differ on seasonal basis).
No sooner you enter the vicinity of the resort you are greeted with the pleasant atmosphere, tree filled surroundings and pin drop silence. The thing that impressed me the most is the silence, in the city you have such a lot of sound and vibrations your mind is never let to relax, as against which the amazingly silent and peaceful surroundings at Karla just lets every single part of your body relax. Once you have checked in your accommodation you could spend the rest of the day and the next day just resting with a little outing here and there within the resort area or with sufficient rest and go to a few sites. Karla is the site of the largest Chaitya Caves (shrines) in India, built in 80 BC. amongst the best-preserved Buddhist temples in India, they represent the zenith, in terms of design purity, of this style of temple architecture. About 3 kms from the main road is the more peaceful setting of the Bhaja Caves. Though to date from around 200 BC, 10 of the 18 Caves here are viharas (monasteries) while Cave 12 is an open chaitya earlier than Karla. Amongst other places that could be visited is Dukes Point and the Lohagad Fort that is of some interests for trekker is at some distance aprox 15 kms. from here.
The MTDC-Karla also boasts of a small lake within its vicinity, which provides with boating facilities and also a small water park. The resort also has a substantially big garden right in the middle, crowded with trees and equipped with not very plush but simple and traditional slides, see-saws and swings. An advice would be just switch off your gadgets and enjoy the feeling of being some what disconnected with your daily life and feel the peace and purity of nature around you. There is almost no other place to eat other than the restaurant of the resort, which provides you with basic food no frills attached.
Have a good nights sleep wake up lazily late, again spend your day the way it suits you the most, then pack your bags and be ready to get back to your dwelling place. You could leave evening say between 6.00 – 7.00 pm. depending on the train timings from Lonavala, all set to crash home by night. Alternatively, if you could manage so, one could spend the Sunday night as well at Karla and head off early Monday morning back to Mumbai straight to your office, it could be done, people do travel between Mumbai – Pune for work on a daily basis.
(Information in bold has been collected courtesy https://maharashtratourism.gov.in)
