In Search of Mumbra Devi's Best View

The month of May... the hottest month of the year. It was hot and sunny, but pleasant. There were few travel plans for this month. So I decided to be a part of a photowalk to Mumbra Devi Temple, Mumbra - a suburb of Thane district, in the Indian State of Maharashtra. One has to take a  slow train to get down at Mumbra station.  Fast trains  run in different routes. Mumbra Devi Temple is situated in Parsik Hill.  As the train approched Mumbra, I could see the Mumbra Devi temple.

As per our itinerary, all of us reached  Mumbra Station East at around 5:00 pm. We started our walk from Mumbra station and we took the lane just opposite to the railway station and it goes upwards to Mumbra bypass. We walked through the narrow street lined with shops . The street was crowded.

We have to cross the old Mumbai-Pune highway to start our ascend to Mumbra Devi Temple.  One has to climb numerous steps in order to reach the  temple and it is said that temple is situated at a height of 210 meters appx above sea level.  From Mumbra bypass, we  began walking uphill through steps. When we began  to climb, I felt that the temple is near and can be reached easily. But soon I realised that it is situated at  a great height  and  we took around one hour to reach the top.

It was around 6 pm, when we reached the top. The temple was made in rocks and now concrete structures are built. The main temple has a mural of 10 faces of Mumbra Devi.

One can see whole plains from the temple. You will get the view of Ulhas river, Mumbra creek, Diva and Kalyan. After pooja and taking the blessings of Mumbra Devi, we waited there till sunset.

Since I do not have DSL camera, I watched others setting their cameras in tripod. After  Sunset, once all the lights  are switched on, one can witness the beauty of the Mumbra by night. My friends were busy to take the beautiful images with long exposures.

It was around 8 pm, when we started to descend towards Mumbra station. Once we reached  Mumbra station, we had cold drinks and bid adieu and returned to our home.

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Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai

The main dome

I’m really excited to be heading to so many beautiful places in Mumbai that I have never visited. Global Vipassana Pagoda is one such place.

Opened in 2009, this temple is relatively new. It is situated in Gorai - a 15 minute travel by road from Borivali(West), and is dedicated to the teachings of Gautam Buddha-peace, harmoney and meditaion. It was an interesting journey to Pagoda from Gorai jetty .

Visiting time is restricted between 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. I'll let the pictures explain you about Global Vipassana Pagoda.



The entrance

The pagoda's stores the antique artefacts of Buddha, which are believed to emit positive vibrations. Hundreds of people come here in search of peace. 

Gong Tower

Bell Tower

Ashoka Pillar

There is one Lilly pad pond near to the Ashoka Pillar. There are many places around the main pagoda to see and visit video & photo gallery and painting gallery.

God and Goddess of Sky

Buddha Statue

Also , adventure lovers can visit  Esselworld and Water Kingdom that are at a walking distance from the pagoda.

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Midnight cycling from Bandra to Juhu Beach, Mumbai

This was my third Midnight Cycling in Mumbai and second through the coastal route. I had  earlier a 35 km ride from Colaba to Haji Ali and a 35 km ride from Nariman Point to Bandra. And this time 30 km ride to and from Bandra Station to Juhu beach and is ideal for enthusiasts, novices and families alike.

Bandra Station, Mumbai

At 10.00 pm Saturday night, as planned, I reached Bandra station and collected my cycle from a nearby shop. There was a large group of cyclists ready to leave as they awaited few of their members. Most of them were busy with selfies and I also joined  them. As all the members collected their cycles,  we left from Bandra  by around 11 pm after a set of instructions given  by the group coordinators.

The route mainly follows busy roads of Mumbai city.  We passed through Lilavati Hospital and Mount Marry church. I got a magnificent view of the Bandra-Worli sea link road while passing through  Lilavati Hospital road. 

Soon we reached Bandra Band stand .  It was around 2 am Sunday and we had a long halt for about half an hour. I saw Mumbaities enjoying even in the midnight -  friends, lovers and  families with their small babies were seen  roaming, enjoying sea waves and the weather. We spent around half an hour with selfies, group photos and snacks.

Then we moved to Juhu Beach through Carter Road - Pali Hill - Zig Zag Road. We assembled in a small ground near Citizen Hotel and spent half an hour for photos, chatting etc etc.

Then we cycled  back to Bandra Hill Road and returned our cycles. After saying goodbye to each other, I reached Bandra Station by around 4.17 am. And my train to Churchgate was at 4.17 am.

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Alibaug - Weekend Getaway from Mumbai

Mumbai is becoming warmer day by day and monsoon seems to be far away. I was looking for a place to chill out near Mumbai. While discussing the potential places around Mumbai, my friend suggested Alibaug which is approachable either by road or by a ferry from the Gateway of India.

We started  our journey from Gateway of India at around 11 AM. Took a Apollo catamaran ticket for Rs.110/- from booking stalls opposite to Gateway of India.  It took one hour to reach Madwa Jetty from where we had to take a bus that was arranged by the ferry transporter themselves. The area was packed with families and group of friends on a weekend getaway.

It took another 30 minutes from Mandwa to Alibaug.  Alibaug Beach is walkable distance from Alibaug Bus Stop.  So we decided to walk. The town reminded me so much of my hometown Kerala with amazing tall Coconut trees, Mango trees etc. etc.

We reached Alibaug beach by evening and the good thing was that it was low tide. So we could go to the Kolaba Fort by walk.  Among all the beaches, this one has the blackest sands.

Walking across the dry sea

During high tide, one can prefer Horse- carts, that is available for hire.

EXPLORING KOLABA FORT

History says that Mr.Kanhoji Angre, the most notable admiral of the Maratha navy,  was in charge of the offshore 17th-century Kolaba Fort.  It was from here that Angre launched several attacks on approaching British and Portuguese ships.

And we climbed to the top of the fort to witness the glory. We walked on the fort walls, and the view from there was breathtaking.

Reservoir of fresh water 

                             

 Another entrance to Kolaba Fort

Another attraction in the Fort is a functioning Siddhivinayak Temple, apparently dating back to Angre’s time.

Beautiful temple of Shri Ganesh

We were lucky to witness some special moments in Kolaba Fort. We found one shooting going on inside the Fort. It was really a bonus to our trip.

LEISURE TIME

We left the Fort at around 6 PM and this is  the time for a bath before leaving the place. It was an absolute treat diving in the sea with crystal clear water.

There are also many water sports activities available. A range of activities such as banana boat rides, stand up paddle boarding, and bumper boat rides are on offer.  Those who likes water sports activities, this place means heaven for them.

What else near Alibaug Beach:

1) Sagargad is another hill fort not too far from here, which is in ruins but worth visiting.

2)  Religious locations in Alibaug include Kanakeshwar Devasthan temple and Vikram Vinayak temple.

3) Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary is less than 30 kms away from Alibag .
4) Alibag has many beaches in its vicinity that include the Versoli Beach, Nagaon Beach, Akshi Beach and Kashid Beach.

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