Jan 07, 2008 06:37 PM
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On a crisp wintry day, my cousins and I decided to make a day trip to Kolhapur. We had all met in Pune and decided to make this trip. Pune to Kolhapur stretch can now be done in three hours. We started at about 0800hrs. As is our ritual when in Pune we have breakfast in Vaishali. For the uninitiated please don't ask who's/wheres Vaishali in Pune cos then people will know for sure that you are an outsider. If you want to be taken as a local you must have had at least one breakfast after the morning walk in Vaishali. Though every time I go there the restaurant seems to get more and more crowded. After a hearty breakfast we left Pune for Kolhapur at about 0945hrs. It was a very pleasant day.
The NH4 which is one stretch in the dream quadrilateral project is really good. Though of course the flip side of good roads is always a toll. There are quite a few on the stretch up to Kolhapur. So one has to keep lots of loose change in ones pocket. As far as I can remember 3 of the tolls give you a return toll ticket while at the rest you pay for the single journey. Though the roads are really good one has to beware of the tractors carrying double wagons of sugarcane. They just come upon you. So you have to keep a lookout for them.
As if this wasn't enough, most of the locals start from their houses with an idea of the shortest route in their minds to their destinations, so you may suddenly come upon a mobile coming straight at you. Barring these mild hiccups we had a lovely drive. Midway to Kolhapur we stopped at Hotel Visawa for a cup of tea and to freshen ourselves. After this pit stop we got on our way to Kolhapur. We reached Kolhapur at about 1300hrs. Following the directions for pilgrim parking we parked our car. The parking area is about 10mins walk from the Mahalaxmi temple. The Mahalaxmi temple is one of the four Shaktipeethas in Maharashtra. One can find references of this temple as far back as in the 7th century but worship was restored in this temple only in 1715 when the Marathas came to power (information from indiatemples.com).
This temple is breathtaking. It's a huge black rock temple with lots of lovely sculptures carved in it. The facade in itself is interesting. One can spend hours just gazing at these lovely sculptures. It being a Tuesday, the temple was quite crowded. We got our offerings and got in the queue. Whenever I get near the sanctum I always get a calm feeling come upon me. It's dark inside the temple and the only light is in the sanctum and hence all your energy automatically gets trained towards the deity. It makes you turn inwards and introspect. The Goddess is really beautiful in all her finery. We paid our respects and came out and walked about in the courtyard. Did our bit as tourists, took lots of pictures.
Pilgrimage out of the way our stomachs reminded us of the fact that it was getting late and that our stomachs were rumbling. We wanted to eat "assal" Kolhapuri food. Coming to kolhapur and not eating Kolhapuri food is blasphemy. We asked around about a good restaurant and were told to make our way to the Pahunchar restaurant in the 8th Lane at Rajarampuri. It's about a 10mins drive from the Mahalaxmi temple. So along the way we saw a bit of the city as well. Off we went in search of Pahunchar. Along the way people knew about the restaurant and we made our way there without getting lost. It was a really good restaurant. It's extremely clean and cheerful. The interior reminds one of the Irani restaurants with small tables and chairs seating four people. This place is well lit and has a welcoming feel to it.
We looked through the menu and decided to take the Pahunchar special. This is a "thali" which serves you Dry mutton, small bowl of minced meat, another of egg curry, chappatis or bhakris, biryani and all this with the Red curry and White curry which is a must in Kolhapuri cuisine. The meal was a delight. The curries teased our taste buds. It was not too hot but extremely aromatic. The food served was piping hot and so were the chappatis. It was really Curry for our souls :) We enjoyed every finger licking bit of the meal. If you ever find yourselves in Kolhapur do eat at this restaurant, it's worth every bit of money spent. Good food and delightful ambiance. We were quite pleased with ourselves at having discovered a lovely dining place and the owner Mr. Madhav Sabnis let us have some pictures of the restaurant. Replete with good food we started on our shopping spree for the Kolhapuri chappals.
That took us back to the area near the temple. There in Phadnis lane we stopped to buy the chappals. There are so many varieties now of the Kolhapuris that one needs plenty of time to choose the foot wear and then come to an agreement on the price with the shopkeeper. Bargaining is a must. You must enjoy it as much as the shop keeper. Thats when it's really interesting. After buying the Kolhapuris we started on our way back to Pune. All along the way we were reminiscing about the temple and the food. Just the thought of Kolhapuri food makes my mouth water. Though short we really enjoyed our day trip.
