Camping near Panshet Dam - Under the twinkling sky

If you are looking to escape the city life somewhere near Pune or Mumbai in Maharashtra? Need a much needed break from the traffic and crowded streets. Camping near Panshet is the place to head off to for a weekend break or even mid-week outing. Enjoy the experience of sleeping under the open sky by the Panshet Lake. Panshet is a beautiful night camping site in the open, under the twinkling sky. Panshet is quite close to Khadagwasla dam, and approx 50 km from Pune, and approx 150 km from Navi Mumbai. 

The travel from Khadagwasla to Panshet itself is one of a kind where most of campers and photographers don't sit inside the vehicle but prefer to stop at time to time due to amazing surroundings. We started from Pune and reached here in 3 hours including multiple breaks. We choose Panshet Eco Village camp-site near Surya Shibir resort, which is still developing. This itself was a great experience. As soon as we reach the place, we had splendid views of the lake. Soon we got set up our camping tents, mats, and started the bonfire for the night camping. 

Soon after sunset, the real fun begins around 8 pm. We got our evening snacks ready and temprature started to drop. Everyone free to enjoy the evening as we want. Sanjay also bring his Guitar along-with him, and Chanchal his open-air speakers. We sing and dance at time to time and prefer playing music from our phones as per choice. We also had time to photograph at times, and enjoyed star gazing and bonfire till midnight. Everyone had dinner as and when we feel hungry. We also see few shooting stars during the night. If you have your telescope with you, This place is good to observe the constellation of stars and planets. Please note that it becomes quite cold in night, and during winters temprature drops a lot, so carry  woolen clothes and blankets is very important. The tents we got were new, and good quality. We have nets inside, so we opened few zips of tents, that keep flowing fresh air all the time. 

Few of us just slept for 2-3 hours and wake up early to adore the beautiful sunrise by the lake. We enjoyed it fully and had few clicks as well. Later we had our breakfast, and stayed there till 11 AM. The best time to do camping at Panshet is October to March. Avoid during the monsoon. Panshet is also very safe place to camp out in the open since there is no wild animals or even snakes around the place. But still be aware of surroundings, for your own safety. Swimming in lake is prohibited, but boat tour can be enjoyed after the sunrise. Our full group was full of energy. Really enjoyed the night and day throughout. Looking forward to more of these adventures to come. 

There are many other camping sites in Maharashtra, which can be enjoyed with trekking:

Bhandardara Camping

Konya River Camping

Krishna River Camping

Rajmachi Trek and Camping

Karjat Trek and Camping

Kolad Camping

Sahyadri Camping

Panchgani Camping

Torna Camping

Dapoli Camping

Alibaug Trek and Camping

Pawna Trek and Camping

Murud Camping

Kaas Trek and Camping

Lonavala Trek and Camping

Pune Trek and Camping

Mumbai Trek and Camping

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Treasure temple Neelkatheshwar in Kondhur

Quote of the Post: "This hilltop is one of the best treasure for temple and nature lovers" - Quote about Neelkantheshwar Temple near Pune by Sachin Kumar Gupta

One can reach Neelkatheshwar temple from Pune via either side of Kadhakwasla Dam. There are two ways to reach Neelkantheshwar Temple (in Kondhur) from Pune. One covering one side of the Khadakwasla Dam, while another covering other side of Khadakwasla Dam.
Route1 (dam being on your left side) - On this route you'll find beautiful resorts and waterfronts alongside the dam. (~50 KM)
Swargate - Anand Nagar - Khadakwasla Village - Kudje - Mandvi - Jambhali - Neelkantheshwar Road - Temple
Route2 (dam being on your right side) - This route gives a closer look of dam and Khadakwasla Chaupati road. (~60 KM)
Swargate - Anand Nagar - Khadakwasla Village - Sinhagad Road - Khanapur - Sonapur - Velhe Panshet Road - Cross Mutha River by Bridge - Neelkantheshwar Road - Jambhali - Temple

It was Independence day, when we finally started for this much awaited trip. We started late morning from Pune and wanted to spend sometime at Khadakwasla dam, so we took Route2 while going, and Route1 while returning, so we covered whole circumference with monsoon views of Khadakwasla Dam. Neelkantheshwar road is in little bad condition for nearly 5-6 kms, but Ok to move with 2 or 4 wheelers. It goes straight at the base of Neelkantheshwar. We also saw few autowalaas from Jambhali to temple base point. It took approximate 2 hours (approx 50-60 kms) to travel from Hadapsar Pune to Neelkantheshwar Temple near Kondhur. It’s a very pleasant and scenic drive till Neelkantheshwar parking point. Lush green surround the place specially during monsoon.

This hidden treasure temple is situated at hilltop of triangle dams:
Khadakwasla Dam
Panshet Dam
Varasgaon Dam

Notes and important points while visiting Neelkatheshwar temple:

• From the parking point, you have to climb up the steep hill approx 1.5 KM, so plan accordingly. Wear sports shoes or floaters and plan well, while being with toddlers.
• The climb is really steep at few places (though wide) and this can prove to be a good exercise for all ages. :) With all high spirits we were gald to see many old age people climbing up the temple. 
• During summers plan to climb early in the morning when it isn't too hot and while returning, walk carefully else you may skid and fall.
• Bring water bottles and other snacks as per your choice.
• During monsoon, don't forget to bring an umbrella as there are no shops on the top except for a small restaurant.
• It is a huge temple, with lot of open space to sit and enjoy the beauty of exquisite sculptures that tell different Hindu mythological tales, located between lush green hills and breathtaking views. 

It was quite a lucky day, as we could capture many beautiful photographs throughout the day, specially from the hilltop. Unfortunately, there is not much promotion or maintenance done by Government. I hope someday, there will be motor-able road right up to the temple.  Two big idols welcome everyone at the temple entrance and the walls of the temple are decorated with many other Hindu Gods. We saw backwaters of Panshet, Varasgaon and Khadakwasla dams. The views were just amazing and this was pure rendezvous with nature. Neelkantheshwar temple is full of beautifully crafted cement sculptures depicting various Indian mythological stories from the great Indian epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. 

Few sculptures are of:
Ashtavinayakas
Shiv Parvati Family
Ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu
Sagar Manthan
Royal Court of Indra
Fierce battle between Bhim and Duryodhan
Mace Battle between Vaali and Sugreev
Waking up Kumbhakaran from his sleep
Sant Dnyashwar, Sant Ramdas, Shivaji Maharaj stories
Many stories depiction, unknown to my knowledge

I have never seen so many sculptures in one place, this is one of the best temple I have seen. I couldn't cover all the pictures to tell the complete story. Enjoy some of the photographs to get a sense of what you are missing, if you haven’t been to this place yet. We visited this during the month of Shravan, this temple of Shiva attracts thousands of devotees in this month and on the occasion of Maha shivratri. If you are a temple or nature lover and looking for a weekend retreat near Pune in the lap of nature then Neelkantheshwar is your place. You can visit Neelkantheshwar at any point of time during the year but monsoon would be the best time.

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