One of the most important and famous hill stations in India is Mahabaleshwar. Such is the beauty of this scenic hill station that is also referred to as the ‘Queen of all hill Stations’.

Situated in the Sahyadri Hills, at an altitude of 1,372m, Mahabaleshwar is a real get-away from the summer heat. Established in the Mahabaleshwar plateau, Mahabaleshwar is full of perennial springs, streams, and waterfalls. The British established this hill station precisely for this purpose and ever since then it has been getting more and more visitors every year, who come here just to escape from the heat and hectic life, to enjoy a couple of days of solitude and peace, reveling in the beauty of nature.

Mahabaleshwar is made up of essentially three villages - Malcolm Peth, Old “Kshetra” Mahabaleshwar and some areas of Shindola village. Today with the development of the new highway, this hill stations can be quickly reached from Mumbai in just a matter of five hours. One of the most important tourist spots here is Venna Lake in which tourist can take boat rides. Surrounded by trees on all sides, this lake area has a real beauty seen in none other.

Many people come to Mahabaleshwar to visit the Mahabaleshwar temple. This hill station is also the origin of the Krishna River. According to legend, the source of this river is from the mouth of a cow’s statue situated in an ancient Mahadev temple, in old Mahalabeshwar. The river’s tributaries Koyana, Venna(Veni), Savitri, and Gayatri all come out of the same statue, meander elsewhere and then after a point, join back with the Krishna River.

Mahabaleshwar is a premier holiday destination. Since it was used by the British as a summer resort, you can see quite a lot of cottages constructed in the old British style here. Tourists can also see here, a lot of the historical traces left by Shivaji, the heroic Maratha warrior king. The best time to visit Mahabaleshwar is after June till October. Just 19 kms from Mahabaleshwar is the famous Panchangi hill resort which is oft visited by tourists.