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Khandala is a
hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
in the Western Ghats in the state of
Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, about from
Lonavala Lonavala (ISO: Loṇāvaḷā) is a hill station town and a Municipal Council in the Pune district, Maharashtra, India. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy ''chikki'' and is a ...
, 12 kilometres from Khopoli and from Karjat. Khandala is located at the top end of the Bhor Ghat, a major ''ghat'' (meaning valley in Marathi) on the road link between the
Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...
and the
Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...
plain. The ghat carries an extensive amount of road and rail traffic. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the main link between the major cities of
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
and
Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, passes through Khandala. Due to the ease of accessibility from nearby cities, Khandala is a common area for hiking. One destination is the nearby peak of Duke's Nose, which offers a panoramic view of Khandala and the Bhor Ghat. The route near Khandala sunset point and khopoli has been there since centuries used to connect the coastal cities like Sopara to Pune. The transport from base of khopoli was by carts both hand pulled and horse drawn, which was tarred during British time somewhere in 1840. The railway route from Karjat to Pune was started under the guidance of
Great Indian Peninsula Railway The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (reporting mark GIPR) was a predecessor of the Central Railway (and by extension, the current state-owned Indian Railways), whose headquarters was at the Boree Bunder in Mumbai (later, the Victoria Terminu ...
Chief Engineer 1849–1862: James Berkley (surveyor and route designer). The chief Engineer had a bungalow near the current day st Xaviers Villa in Khandala facing towards Duke's nose hill, The construction of the Khandala tunnel was a herculean job as the tunnel had to be bored through
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
. There were four bouts of cholera in Khandala during the construction of the Tunnels and Khandala Railway station, Which is well documented by the paper published by sir James Berkley. The other notable place of visit is the Ancient Jail which was built in 1896, in which founders of St Xaviers college were jailed as POWs by the British rulers.


Climate

Winter has warm days and cold nights, summer has hot days and cool to pleasant nights, while the monsoon has chilly days and chilly nights. Summer starts in late March and ends in late May/early June, the monsoon starts in June and ends in mid October, while winter starts in late October and gets over in mid March. Even at the height of summer (which is often April, not May) nights are reasonably cool. Rain falls nearly everyday from June to September, with May, November and sometimes even April having showers. May is much cooler than April. Months from hottest to coldest. April, May, March, October, June, ,September , November , August, February, December, January.


Places of interest

Tiger's Leap: It is one of the most fascinating places in this area. If someone carefully observes the valley from this point, it will appear as if a tiger is leaping into the valley. Amrutanjan Point: Amrutanjan point is yet another point located high up in Khandala. It provides excellent view of the places nearby. The point is a well suited location for an enormous sight of the valley as well as the Duke's Nose. Duke's Nose: Duke's Nose, also known as 'Nagfani' (मराठी: नागफणी) meaning Cobra Head is named after Duke of Wellington, who had a pointed nose resembling the cliff. A very popular place for trekking, valley crossing, rock climbing & rappelling. It is a 2506 ft. tall straight cliff which every rock climber aspires to conquer. One needs to trek from southern side to reach at the base station from where one is supposed to climb the actual 300 ft. high rock to the summit. One has to make a dangerous traverse of 1000 ft. to reach at the base station. This is a bolted multi-pitch climb consisting of 4 stations. The most challenging part of the climb is between 3rd & 4th station which is a 25 feet overhang (rock wall inclined beyond 90 degrees) where one can climb only with the support of hands & no possibility of foothold. It is strongly advised that the activity is not to be undertaken without expert monitoring & guidance. The co-ordinates of the location: 18°44'30"N 73°21'32"E Karla and Bhaja Cave: Karla and Bhaja Caves are historical rock cut caves, situated at a distance of 16 km from Khandala. Karla Caves are the ancient Buddhist caves. Bhaja Caves are similar to Karla Caves but are on a much smaller scale. This caves are also in Chaitya style. Bhushi Lake: Bhushi Lake situated in Khandala is the ideal spot for all those who wish to relax in the lap of Mother Nature. Its serene and tranquil surroundings and crystal clear water provides immense opportunities for the tourists to rest in peace.


Gallery

File:The date on which Jail was built.JPG , The tablet on the wall of that jail File:Khandala-5.JPG , Khandala on Western Ghat File:Dukesnose3.jpg , Khandala can be seen in the background File:Dukesnose2.jpg , Image from Dukes nose Pali side File:Dukesnose1.jpg , A view from Dukes nose File:Dukesnose.jpg , Dukes nose File:Khandala-6.JPG , Khandala Valley File:Khandala-7.JPG , Mumbai-Pune rail link passing through the valley File:Tombstone of Jesuits German Priests 01.JPG , Tombstone of Jesuits German Priests File:Khandala Reversing Station.jpg , Khandala reversing station as seen from Monkey hill File:GIPR Sleeper at khandala.jpg , GIPR sleeper, the one laid by James Berkley and his team


In popular culture

The town was mentioned in a popular song from the
Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
'' Ghulam'' named ''"Aati kya Khandala?"'' ("Will you come to Khandala?"). Ashok Kumar's character in the 1975 classic Chhoti Si Baat is a retired army Colonel that lives in Khandala.


See also

* Khandala railway station *
Bhor Ghat Bhor Ghat is a mountain pass located between and for railway and between Khopoli and Khandala on the road route in Maharashtra, India, on the crest of the Western Ghats. History In February 1781, Bhorghat was the site of a battle between ...
* Lonavla * Kohinoor-IMI School of Hospitality Management


References


External links


Paper on the (GIPR) Thul Ghaut Railway incline:
By James John Berkley: GIPR Chief Engineer, Bombay, 1860.
Reminiscences of an old English Civil Engineer 1859 -1905
''Brereton's account of working on the GIPR''
Khandala-area hiking maps
{{Pune district topics
lonavala Khandala sightseeing
Lonavala-Khandala