Chokhi Dhani (Pune) - Rendezvous with Rajasthani culture

Ram Ram Sa!

Well I think Chokhi Dhani (चोखी धानी) does not require an introduction.  The place has earned its popularity so much that at least a few folks in the neighborhood would definitely have visited it at some place or other.  Chokhi Dhani at Pune is no different. Spread over 18 acres, the Chokhi Dhani Village at Pune provides a glimpse of Rajasthan’s famous cultural legacy.

It was worth visiting this small ethnic village which embraces visitors with such warmth. One gets easily carried away by the great hospitality and simplicity of the people of Rajasthan. After enquiring over phone we came to know that the main gate of this village opens at 5 in the evening and we reached there by 5:30 pm. 

The place was hugely crowded with groups of college students & families’ et al. who had come to enjoy & spend their weekend at Chokhi Dhani. It was obvious that we were not the only ones fascinated by the idea of visiting this authentic village. 

The map

After entering, the very first thing we noticed was Krishna temple where a priest was offering चरणामृत to the visitors. Then we headed towards the स्वागत कक्ष (Reception counter) which leads to the village. Also at the entrance, there is a detailed map of the Chokhi Dhani displayed.  In front of the SWAGAT KAKSH one of the villagers was standing with a thali in his hand to welcome the guests and was greeting everyone saying राम राम सा (RAM RAM SA) followed by Tilak ceremony.

Swagat tilak

Puneet supported ethnic wear (Kurta) on this special visit and just out of excitement the person who was performing the tilak ceremony laid his own pagdi on Puneet’s head. We collected the tickets and 10 free coupons (to enjoy some rides/ games) from the reception counter.  Next, we were served with a welcome drink (Jaljeera) and evening snacks which included dhokla, kadi pakoda, mix pakodas etc. which tasted nice.

We enjoyed camel ride, arching, shooting, a magic show and traditional puppet show (kathputaliwala).  Shaifali even got a Mehandi done (in less than 2 min!!) Some of the other attractions at Chokhi Dhani include- ghoomer dance, drum dance,  rajasthani puppet show (कठ्पुत्लिवाला), astrologer(ज्योतिषी), massage centre and many other fun games. Also, there are small shops (collectively called haat bazaar) for buying rajasthani jewellery and other such items. Another must watch is the shows where village artisans show-case their skills.

And finally comes the best part of the whole experience – Grand dinner! 

lavish !

The Chokhi Dhani grand dinner could easily be one of the biggest contributors to the success of Chokhi Dhani concept. It is an authentic rajasthani mouth watering meal which is served in a traditional manner by the mezbaan. The meal includes 5 dishes, 2 sweet-dish, 3-4 types of pickle, Khitchdi and paapad.  The best part is the manner in which the meal is served – one practically gets to understand the meaning of the word ‘hospitality’. 

I must say that a visit to Chokhi Dhani is an experience one cherishes for long time.  It is a complete entertainment for about 3-4 hrs especially when one visits it as part of a large group.

A must visit with friends & family!

Haat Baazar

The crowd

Bhuleshwar Shiva temple

Quick details:

Date visited	Trip duration	Distance from Pune
Mar 20th, 2011	Half a day	55 Km/50 min

Mythological history of Bhuleshwar temple:  

As per the mythological story, Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati had a fight and angry Shiva came here to meditate. Then Devi Parvati, dressed as a tribal woman danced to fascinate Shiva and he got attracted to her beauty. Finally, they went to Kailash parbat (कैलाश पर्बत ) and got re-united. The place got its name from this story. “To sedate” means “bhul” in Marathi. As Shiva got attracted towards Paravati, hence Shiva got another name - Bhuleshwar. Hence the name of the temple.

Archeological history of Bhuleshwar temple:

Bhuleshwar (भुलेश्वर) temple was built in 13^th century (1230 AD) and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was previously a fort called “Mangalgadh” (मंगलगढ़). Later the temple was invaded by Aurangzeb, a Muslim ruler and was reconstructed again. The entrance of temple is called “Gaimukhi” which dates back to Shivaji Maharaj’s era.

Here we go:

Bhuleshwar is about 55 km from Pune on NH-9/SH-151 (Sholapur road). The way to Bhuleshwar is pretty straightforward. Drive on Sholapur highway for about 34 km and after crossing two toll plazas, one can see the sign-board for directions to Bhuleshwar and few other places (refer to the photograph) The placement of the sign-board is a bit confusing. It points to continue on the same road (sholapur) but that is not the case. One has to take a right turn here and drive for another 8 kms (as mentioned on the sign-board).

We drove through the ghats (last 3-4 km) and reached on the hill top where the temple is situated. We bought the pooja thali and proceeded towards the temple. The whole temple is loaded with beautiful carvings - at the entrance, on the inner walls, outer walls, pillars  etc. - with such a complexity & precision that one wonders if the temple is really built by humans!


One famous thing about this temple is that all the sweets offered by the devotees to the God disappear almost immediately, no matters what amount is offered! We inquired from the priest and he confirmed the same. When we asked him to try it with our sweets, he told us to come again in the morning and then he will show it to us. Well, we will have to wait until our next visit then!

After offering the sweets, saying prayers & a brief talk with priest, we started walking around & could not stop appreciating the beautiful carvings.  Apart from  other thousands of small statues carved on the walls, the temple has a huge Nandi बैल carved completely out of stone. There was also a carving of Ganeshji in woman form.

We spent some time walking around the pillars and examining some statues. Many of them were partially broken (perhaps they got destroyed when the temple was invaded). The pillars and statues that you see are constructed from black besalt. Later on, we settled down to eat the sandwitches we were carrying with us. The view from there was breathtaking. We rested for a while and started our journey back to Pune.

Some more pics:

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Driving directions:

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An unplanned trip to Khadakwasla & Panshet Dam

Quick details:

Date visited	Trip duration	Distance from Pune
Mar 16th, 2011	Half a day	50 Km/1 hr, 15 min

Aha!! 

Panshet Dam

It was a pleasant sunny day and we were to visit Singhgad located about 40 Kms from Pune. We were quite excited and thrilled with the idea of driving down the hills that we couldn’t stop imagining. We started with full energy and enthusiasm, we packed our bag and left around 8 in the morning for the wonderful journey that we were dreaming about whole night. With mast music playing & almost no traffic jams on the way, we reached the base of the Singhgad fort in about 40 min from where the ‘actual’ hilly drive to fort was about to begin.

On the way!

As soon as we were to start our hill drive, we encountered a stop sign and got to know that the road ahead was undergoing maintenance and has been closed for the next three months.  That was a bit of setback but keeping our spirits high we thought of exploring another hilly area ‘Panshet’  which is about 18 km from the Singhgad base (about 50 km from Pune). Doing masti ‘n’ fun, we diverted towards Panshet dam (also called Tanajisagar dam). It was again a hilly drive and we crossed many small villages on the way.

Canvas beauty

Panshet is a very calm place with no noise pollution, no hustle- bustle and absolutely no traffic at all! We could park our car many a times on the road itself to admire the panoramic beauty of the place. We could only imagine how the view would be during the monsoon!  It also reminded us of the picture perfect panorama we used to draw when we were kids – a stream of water flowing down in between the hills!

So calm!

School children were walking down the lanes enjoying the long daily walk to meet their basic need of education. Some ladies were washing clothes near the shore. Oldies enjoying chat in the shade of a old banyan tree…such a simple yet meaningful life! Scenic beauty was amazing! Panshet is well known for water sports & speed boating. We drove to the hill top & headed towards the boat clubs. Mercury was rising so we dropped the idea of boating in sun. 

Relax!

Finally, we stopped at a tea stall and had a cuppa of tea under tree shade before heading back to Pune. On the way back, we stopped briefly at Khadakwasla dam. It was mid-day so the dam and the surroundings were quite deserted with just few passers-by  chilling & admiring the serenity.


 

Khadakwasla

We thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Although the day didn’t go the way we planned but still we managed to make the most of it. As they say, “Life may not always give you what you really want, just go with the flow & you might find something much better”. I think a visit to Singhgad will have to wait for some more time.

Dagdu Sheth Ganpati Temple, Pune

Quick details:

Date visited	Trip duration	Distance from Pune
Mar 5th, 2011	Half a day	13 Km/25 min

It was dad's birth day on March 11 so we thought of starting the day by visiting the very famous Dagdu Sheth Ganpati Temple at Pune. Also, mom had not had a chance to go outside since her surgery so what could have been better than starting with a visit to a temple! The temple was established in 1893 (about 108 yrs back).

Dagdu Sheth Ganpati temple

It was a short drive (about 13 km/25 min) from Magarpatta city to Dagdu Sheth Ganpati temple and reached the temple around 11:00 am. It was pretty crowded with a long queue in front of us. After buying प्रसाद we joined the queue. Due to mom's surgery, it wouldn't have been possible for her to stand for that long. Finally, dad was able to persuade the guard and we were able to cut about 3/4th of the queue.

The Main hall

The main hall was even more crowded with devotees with no place to stand on. We surrounded mom from 3 sides and managed to take a brief  दर्शन of the lord Ganpati before we  got hurled forward. Shaifali even managed to get a नारियल  prasad (Raw coconut) from a priest! After crossing the main  railing, we settled to the back row for detailed दर्शन and it was amazing.

Shri Ganpati ji

The सजावट of the whole temple especially Ganpatiji was so good that we could not take our eyes off for sometime. They have a custom to change the look every few days and one gets to see something different on every visit. It is believed that all the मन्नत (wishes) come true which one prayer for at this temple. A must visit if you are in Pune or nearby!

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Additional info/Constraints:

There is no parking with in the temple premises. The nearest parking is 'Mandai parking' about 1 km from the temple. One can drop the passengers at the temple and park there.