A Slice of Paradise

Dhiraj Gaur writes about his experience of going to Bhandardara during the rains.

- Dhiraj Gaur

The monsoon season is when you usually stay indoors. But we, a group of six senior citizens, were in no mood to do so during the rains last year. One of the members suggested going to Bhandardara, which is nestled among the peaks of the Sahyadri range of mountains in Maharashtra. It has all the makings of a beautiful landscape surrounded by lofty hills, roaring waterfalls and lush greenery everywhere. The green paddy fields, our friend said, will be a sight for sore eyes after the brutal summer. And so it truly was! Bhandardara is located to the north of Ahmednagar district.

Apart from other things, it is a trekker’s paradise with a range of hills that include Kalsubai, Pabargad, Ratangad and Ghanchakkar which start from Bhairvagad in the east to Ajoba in the west. There is a magnificent 1,000 feet drop at the village Ghatghar, called as Kokan Kada. While we certainly were not going to indulge in trekking up and down the slippery slopes, we could see groups of many youngsters enjoying this activity. In a hired van, we drove down to Bhandardara and booked rooms in a cottage resort very close to the famous Wilson Dam.

In 1910, the British constructed a dam across the river Pavana to provide irrigation channels to the Ahmednagar region. As such, Wilson Dam holds the credit for being the oldest dam in India. Situated at a height of 150 meters above sea level, it is a powerful testimony to the engineering skills in practice during the British era. The name comes from Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, who was then the governor of Bombay and was invited to inaugurate it on December 10, 1926. The site for this dam was discovered in 1903 by Arthur Hill, the chief engineer for irrigation and secretary to the government of Bombay Presidency.