MAVAL

Maval Taluka

Maval is towards the west of Pune District. It receives heavy rainfall. This is the hilly area of Pune, with one of the biggest range of mountains in Maharashtra i.e. Sahyadri Mountain. The Hill Stations like Lonavala and Khandala are in Maval where tourists are mostly attracted in the rainy season. Most of the area is covered with Forest. Sag, Teak, Oak, Mango, are the trees found in the forest. Rabbit, Deer, Wolf, Fox, Tiger and Leopards are the wild animals found in the forest of this area. Peacock, Bulbul, Parrot are some of the birds which you can see here. Rice is commonly grown. There is a Glass factory in Talegaon.

Rajmachi

55 kms from Pune is Rajmachi. It is just 20 kms from Lonavala. An easy trek through the Tungarli lake takes you to Rajmachi. The way is too far but still interesting. You come across forest, waterfalls and Tungarli Lake on the way. Rajmachi of comprises two peaks viz Shrivardhan and Manaranjan. 3250 feet high Shrivardhan is called the Bale Killa of Rajmachi. It was built to keep a close watch on Konkan. Manaranjan is 2700 feet high, with several water tanks, strong walls and with 3 doors. Points like Bhimashankar, Matheran, Nagphani and Karnala can be seen from here. Khondave Caves and Bhairoba Temple are also famous over here.

Bedse Caves ( Old Caves Near Malavali )

Bedse falls 8-10 Km south of Rautwadi which is in Kale Colony while going towards Phagana Dam on the river Pawana near Kamshet.Bedse Caves is one of the few places less crowded and worth visiting. People do know about the Karle-Bhaje caves near Pune but have hardly heard of Bedse Caves. Truly trio logy of the caves in Mawal Region can't be completed without Bedse. Bedse Caves are not more than a 20-25 minutes of walk from village Bedse. They are facing east so it is obviously advisable to visit the caves early morning as in sun light the beauty of carvings is doubled. The period can be traced back up to 1st century b.c. A very famous incidence is told about the caves. Till around 1861 the details in paints, the carvings on the walls and the stupas were in proper stage. A British officer after hearing about this arranged his visit there. When local officer came to know about this, he urgently employed labour and clean the caves and painted the walls. The Caves today are not well cared of. But still their beauty definitely catches hold of an aesthetic mind.