A visit to New Palace Museum, Kolhapur

New Palace, Kolhapur is a palace situated in Kolhapur. One of the best preserved heritage places in Maharashtra as well as India. Being an excellent specimen of Indian architecture built in black polished stone, it has been an attraction for tourists. While visit to Goa, we took a halt at Kolhapur and visited this place. It is an historic building on the Bahvani Mandap-Kasaba Bavda Road and constructed during 1877–1884. 

Address : New Palace, Kolhapur, Maharashtra 416003 

The whole palace is eight-angled and has a tower in the middle. On every glass are painted the events in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's life. The ground floor of the New Palace is converted into Museum. The magnificent Darbar Hall is in the center of this Palace and the ambiance has been recreated to give a glimpse of Maratha history and its regal splendor. This museum is dedicated to a fine collection of possessions of Chhatrapatis of Kolhapur like costumes, weapons, games, jewelry, embroidery and paraphernalia such as silver elephant saddles. There is also one of Aurangzeb's swords at the Shahaji Chhatrapati Museum. One section has stuffed Tigers, Tiger heads, Wild Dog, Sloth Bear, staring Wild Buffalo, Lion, Black Panther, Wild Boar, Black Buck, a number of other Deer varieties, and a Himalayan Black Bear.

Photography is strictly not allowed inside the museum. We took quite a few pics from outside. 

Even today, it is the residence of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja, the direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja. Several tourists from across the country visit the New Palace every year. There is a small lake in the palace with an open zoo that has several migratory birds like flamingos. There are also peacocks, emus, spotted deer, geese. The zoo forms a good side attraction to the Museum which is a must for history buffs. Though one can visit the palace anytime, but best time to visit this palace is June to February.  

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Mumbai Magic Continues...

Quote of the Post: "The place where every place is renowned and famous landmark for one or the other reason." - Quote about 'Mumbai (Bombay)' - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Mumbaiii, Here I go again with family!!! Continuing from my last MumbaiDiary post, This time we started from Pune around 8:00 am by car and started with famous ISKCON Temple Juhu to visit in Mumbai, then #Juhu Beach #BandraWorliSeaLink #NehruPlanetarium #SwamiNarayan Temple #Mahalaxmi Temple #MarineDrive #GirgaonChowpatty during the first day. We had lunch at ISKCON Juhu itself, which was simply amazing with lots of varities. 

Next day morning, we visited #TheGatewayOfIndia #TheTajHotel #SidhivinayakTemple and #MuchMoreMumbai. During the first half of the second day, We also took short 90 minutes cruise trip from Gateway of India and back. We enjoyed the Mumbai skylines from sea and got to know many known unknown stories from cruise guide. You can enjoy Taj hotel old & new, Gateway of India and many more in the same frame, as soon as your boat/cruise moves away from shore. 

It would be best to hire a cab or taxi for full or 2-days for lifetime memories and experiences while Mumbai visit, as you will save lots of time without searching for parking etc. Even if you have your own car, I would recommend to hire a driver, like we did, to enjoy the trip fullest. 

Enjoy previous posts for more details about Mumbai Diary - Part1, Part2. So, I am just sharing these photographs during this Mumbai trip with family. 

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Morning to Moonlight - Mumbai in a Day

Quote of the Post: "The place where every place is renowned and famous landmark for one or the other reason." - Quote about 'Mumbai (Bombay)' - Sachin Kumar Gupta

Be ready to soak in the trendy yet traditional and colorful vibes of Mumbai. Continuing from my last MumbaiDiary post, This time we started from Pune around 6:30 by car and started with famous MumbaDeviTemple to visit in Mumbai, then #MarineDrive #GirgaonChowpatty #HaziAli #SidhivinayakTemple #JuhuBeach #MumbaiFood #SaintMaryChurch #BandraWorliSeaLink #TheGatewayOfIndia #TheTajHotel and #MuchMoreMumbai during our visit. It is always a clever choice to visit The Gateway Of India and nearby areas during sunset till night, as it has its own charm, visibility and no time constraint. If you are coming by train or air and want to make the most of a single day, it would be best to hire a cab or taxi for full day for lifetime memories and experiences. 

To cover best places of Mumbai in a day is not possible, You must have minimum 3 days to visit the places (even those would be less), but what If you have just one day, and want to explore the best places of mumbai (like my brother Tanuj) from morning to moonlight. Each place require 30 mins to 45 mins stay to enjoy, and further travel time and waiting time depends on your luck. 

If you are coming from outside Mumbai after 2-3 hours of drive. Based on your liking, interest and time availability, your can choose or skip the places. You can follow below tentative timeline map to visit best wonders of Mumbai (Bombay) in a day, and ask driver to keep telling landmarks and famous buildings on your way. 

#MumbaDeviTemple (10 AM)

#MarineDrive (Walk one side to another) and park your car other side of the road. (10:30 AM)

#GirgaonChowpatty (11 AM)

#HaziAli (Haji Ali Dargah) (11:30 AM)

#MahaLaxmi Temple (1 PM)

#Dhobi Ghat (laundry) which is visible from the bridge over Mahalakshmi station.

#SidhivinayakTemple (2 PM)

#HangingGarden on Malabar Hills

#JuhuBeach (4 PM)

#MumbaiFood 

#SaintMaryChurch (5:30 PM)

#BandraWorliSeaLink (6:00 PM)

#SunsetPhotography 

#TheGatewayOfIndia #TheTajHotel (6:30 PM) 

#MumbaiDrive #MuchMoreMumbai

Best Street Food to Try in Mumbai: Don't forget to eat and taste Mumbaiya food. If you wish you can walk down to the Marine Drive promenade and take a long walk towards Chowpatty beach for a snack of Bhelpuri, Pav Bhaji and also some Indian icecream called Kulfi and another sweet dish called Rabdi. We had Pav Bhaji at Juhu Chowpatty. Below is the list of food to taste, if you are in Mumbai. 

• Pav Bhaji
• Bombay Sandwidth
• Bhel Puri
• Misal Pao
• Vada Pav (Bombay Burger)
• Tibbs Frankie
• Pani Puri
• Mumbai Samosa
• Anda (egg) Bhurji

Shopping In Mumbai: If you or your family members are interested in shopping then depending on what you want to shop for, there are many specific markets. Zaveri Bazaar is famous for gold and silver jewelry, Mangaldas Market for clothes, Chor Bazaar (Thief Market) for antiques, Bandra Linking Road for lots of designer shops. Lots of other shopping arcades and malls have recently opened up in many areas so you can just roam around based on the timings for a quick look and buy as per our choice. 

Being most popular destination of India, Mumbai hosts lot many national and international events throughout the year in almost every field. Keep enjoying My Mumbai Diary ... 

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Mulsi Lake Trek and Paradise Cafe at Mulshi

If you are coming from Pune, you will also see Mulshi Dam, which is ~40 KM away from Pune. It is a very good place for nature loving people. As it is quite far from city, so better to have your own vehicle, if you are traveling from Pune or nearby areas you can ride on your two wheeler as well. The roads are not in good condition when you are near Mulshi. But the scenic beauty will surely touch your heart and mind. Water from this dam is even used for irrigation purposes. Lots of small local shops near the area sell tasty delicacies (bhaji, fresh corns etc.) which are ideal during the monsoon season. We too didn't miss these, and stop by during my each visit to Mulshi Lake. 

Paradise Cafe and Trek to Mulshi Lake:

Mulshi Lake is among the most visited places near Pune in Maharashtra, which is away from the hustle bustle of the city and crowd. It's a good place to visit during monsoon season. We stayed at Paradise Cafe for one day with friends. You can spend quality time with your family, friends or loved ones. The view from cafeteria is simply superb, for which they are charging. Paradise cafe has a great view and lake access. I have read about this place and feedback at multiple forums. Please keep in mind that all the money you need to give in advance, then you will enjoy your stay and you will be in peace. Do not expect too much. They need to improve on their services, and room conditions. The owners converted their farm house into a business place. I would not recommend this hotel to stay if you can stay somewhere else because now you have lots of options nearby. If by all means you decided to stay, you need to have your own music system, and your own trek and camp accessories to enjoy. We had all that as we have done multiple trips. But food is overall good specially the Punjabi food like parathas, lassi and other items, but price is at high side. There is a Souvenir Shop, where prices are little costly too. 

There is a trek from Paradise cafe which goes to Mulshi Lake side. Be aware of slippery paths during rains. It is small 15 mins walk which is good in early morning or evening. We love this quick short trek to Mulshi lake. There is a gate which leads to Mulshi lake. After touching serene water, felt so fresh. We had few photos during our trip as always. 

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