Sunday, October 24, 2010

Trip to Bhuleshwar Temple

It had been a long time since I got out of the city, and the weekend provided the perfect opportunity for a quick (offroad) trip with some friends to Bhuleshwar, a beautiful old temple about 50 km from Pune, about 10 km off the Pune Solapur highway, just before Yavat.




We left late in the morning, the effect of a late Friday night movie. We stopped for a quick lunch at the Madhuban Hotel in Uruli, where the hotel's blackboard assured us we were on the right track.


Here we are, well fed and raring to go! The small hotel had a limited menu, but more than made up for it with a very big heart. We thoroughly enjoyed the rotis and chana masala, hakka noodles and adrak ki chai.


We took many stops along the way for photos. The endlessly rolling fields of flowers are just irresistible!

After a short but steep climb into the hills, we reached Bhuleshwar. The temple is breathtakingly beautiful, although in need of some maintenance. For the believers, the priest will also take your offerings to the Shivling, and if you are lucky, you will find that your prasad has been eaten - and your mannat has been granted.






This seems to be a lady avataar of Ganapati - very rare indeed!


Does this not remind you of something? :)



Hot chillis for the cool dudes - I love the vibrant color in this picture!


Can you catch the Ganapati in this picture? Look again - the first figure from the top left!

After the temple, it was time for some soft offroading - a little water, a little hill, and some beautiful pictures.









Now, this is a very special one! I loved this composition, they look so tiny and cute. Liliputians with Gulliver!


Ahem, this is what happens when you let Samara loose in the wild!




This dragonfly was intent on having babies with Samara! And he tried not once, but dubara!

Bhuleshwar is a nice option for a short half day trip out of Pune. There aren't too many hotels around, but if you are not too picky, you will survive. The final few hundred meters to the temple are steep and the road is very bad, so be careful. After visiting the temple, be sure to wander around the vast table top - it's a truly refreshing experience.

2 comments:

Siddhesh said...

Oh, you very much get into the water to check it out!

Dimpy Roy said...

Very useful post. Thanks for sharing. Bhuleshwar Market in Mumbai is a must visit for anyone looking to experience the culture of the city. This place is famous for being home to more than 100 temples, of which Swaminarayan Temple and Mumba devi temple are noted examples. Explore more about Bhuleshwar Market Mumbai.