The Other Mahabaleshwar: A Template for Mindful Travel

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Mahabaleshwar is a respite from the scorching heat of the cities of Mumbai and Pune. Located at a height of 1353 m, it boasts of multiple attractions, rich in history, biodiversity, and architecture. With its increasing popularity, holidays bring busloads of tourists interested in gaming arcades, food stalls, and photos at viewpoints. The fragile ecosystem of Mahabaleshwar is at risk from the casual attitude of the tourism industry and its patrons.

This book aims to introduce readers to the natural and historical treasures that make Mahabaleshwar truly unique, with the hope that awareness will change attitudes.

Dhruti Vaidya is a practising architect. Her office, Dhruti Vaidya Design Studio, was started in 2008 and has executed a number of diverse architecture, interior design and restoration projects of varying scales. The studio bases its design philosophy on honest and functional design and is guided by modern aesthetics and sustainable practices. She is passionate about waste and water management.

In 2010, the World Architecture Festival shortlisted one of her projects in the 'New and Old' category for "creative re-use/adaptation" of structures. This project was prominently featured in a CNN documentary.

Dhruti designed her own family house in Mahabaleshwar in 1993 and has subsequently restored several of its heritage structures. She lives and works in Mumbai. Her husband, two children and dog all love Mahabaleshwar.

My own association with Mahabaleshwar goes back to the early 1940s. Every year, my parents rented beautiful heritage homes for the season. My siblings and I, spent the entirety of our holidays in Mahabaleshwar, roaming and exploring the forests.

Mahabaleshwar, in those days, was a very different place from what we recognize it as today. Until the early 1950s, there was no electricity or piped water connections in these homes. We would have water delivered by pakhalis, water suppliers who would bring water in goatskin leather carriers. In the town, there were no tarred or paved roads. All roads were made with fine loose red soil - pedestrians were constantly coated in red dust that would settle on their faces, arms and clothes when cars drove by. By evening, the children's clothes would turn red. There were only six to eight hotels during those years, and no regular bus services to reach Mahabaleshwar. Even within the town, there were only a handful of taxis. By and large, only bungalow owners could visit Mahabaleshwar for their holidays. Due to this, the tourist population was very low during those times. The local population was also much smaller, which meant that Mahabaleshwar was a very quiet, serene village hill station with abundant wildlife in the forests around. While walking in the forests we would come across sambar, barking deer, foxes, jackals, and langoors. Late in the evening, we would also hear the roar of leopards and tigers in the distance. During the monsoon, for four months, the entire town would become a ghost town as all the bungalows were shuttered and the shops in the bazaar were closed. Even many of the local residents shifted with their families to the plains. This was the ideal time for Mahabaleshwar to rejuvenate without any intrusion of humans into the habitat.

In the 18th century, Shahu Raja Pratapsinh of Satara handed over the plateau of Maharashtra to the British, and in return, got the plains of Satara. The British rulers polished this gem - creating a hill station with beautiful rides, trails, and treks in the forest. The British authorities kept Chinese prisoners of war, the result of their mid- 19th century Opium War with China, in Mahabaleshwar. Chinese labour was used to develop the township of Mahabaleshwar during that period: the cultivation of strawberries, making of shoes, and weaving of cane were all introduced in Mahabaleshwar by these Chinese prisoners of war. For their entertainment, the British laid out the Golf Course, Polo Grounds, Gymkhanas, and the Club House. Most of the rides, trails, and forest lodges constructed more than a century ago have been maintained with their original names and architectural legacy. Mahabaleshwar continues to straddle simultaneous strands of the old and new: the previous occupants have come and gone, but the homes and trails and cane-weaving industry that they introduced to Mahabaleshwar continue to live on.