LOCATION & HISTORY
Mahabaleshwar is another famous hill station of Maharashtra. This hill station is 4,500 feet above sea level. Mahabaleshwar experience an average of 200 to 300 inches of rainfall a year. The best period to visit this hill station is between October to May and it is best to avoid this hill station during the rainy season.

One person named Colonel Lodwick(later he became a General),  was one of the first European to climb these hills. Lodwick felt so exhilarated by the invigorating cool climate and scenic beauty of Mahabaleshwar that he sent a letter extolling these points to the "Bombay Courier", thus bringing this hill station into focus. He was rewarded for extolling these features of Mahabaleshwar with a monument aptly called "Lodwick Point".

Sir John Malcolm took the hint about the beauty, sublime and the invigorating climate and in 1828 established a sanatorium for the sick and a resort for the healthy by acquiring the land from the Raja of Satara in lieu of another territory. Boy Malcolm, as he was lovingly called, had a penchant for hunting tigers and other game so much so that the new town was originally named ' Malcolmpeth' in his honor. To him one owes the foundation of Mahabaleshwar.

Old Mahabaleshwar nestles around the source of the Holy Krishna River, with a temple dedicated to Krishna' locally known as "Panchgana" (meaning "Five Rivers" - i.e. Krishna, Konya, Yenna, Gayatri and Savitri). The earliest shrines here date back to pre historic period, but this Krishna temple in its present form is attributed to Singhan, a Yadav King ruling from Devagiri in the 13th century. It was later restored first by Chandra Rao then Jaoli in the late 16th Century and later by the Great Maharatha Shivaji himself in 1635, then by Sahu (1670-1709) and lastly by the 19th century banker Parashuram Angal.

There is a legend behind the origin of these five rivers on the site. The myth goes as follows: On this site many ages ago Lord Brahma along with the Gods Vishnu Mahesh and his younger consort Gayatri were performing Yagna. While doing so Brahma forgot to wait for his senior consort Savitri. When Savitri arrived she was enraged at this insult and in her fury she transformed these four into rivers, but not before they retaliated, turning Savitri into a watercourse as well. Brahma became the Yenna river and started to flow east then South and both Gayatri & Savitri became the river of the same name, Vishnu became the river Krishna and began to flow east and Mahesh got transformed into river Koyna and started to flow south.

Idyllic places to visit for the trekkers are the "Gayatri Point" on the way to Arthur's seat, spring flowers blooming at Lingmala is another must, Elephants head and the highest point in the town called the "Wilson-Point" aptly named" "the place of the Almighty God" from this huge bare rock the awesome and spectacular sunrise can be seen.

Another temple worth visiting is the "Hanuman Mandir" which is not far from the "Krishna Temple". This temple is said to be the resting-place of the saint & mystic Rama Dassa in 1635. Then there is the Sri Rama Temple" and "Mahabal Temple", Lord Shiva is worshipped here not in the form of a carved lingam but as a natural rock. These groups of ancient temples in old Mahabaleshwar can be reached by turning right off Elephantstone point on the road approaching from Duchess Road after passing Dingey-Dell on ones right.

Boating on the Yenna Lake is a pleasure one cannot easily forget, Christ church (built in 1842) with its stained glass work is worth visiting, and so is the Mahabaleshwar club, Hindu, Gymnkhana club and the Golf Course. The "Connaught Peak" offers a good view of the Yenna Lake and the Krishna Valley. For the history buffs a visit to the "Morarji Castle" where Mahatma Gandhi stayed in 1945 near the Red castle now a days called the "Bharat Lodge" is a must.

The throbbing and vibrant Bazaar of Mahabaleshwar offers everything from clothes to slippers, gift items, various sumptuous meals in many restaurants i.e. Chinese, Gujrati, Mughlai cuisine etc. Madhu Sagar is famous for its various brands of honey and jams it markets, and it also runs a bee-keeping museum.

There are many hotels and lodges available to suit each pocket for e.g. Grand Hotel, Hotel Shalimar, Hotel Satkar, Paradise Hotel, Shreyas Hotel (offers vegetarian fare) Savoy Hotel etc. just to name a few.