City life sort of bogs you down with the daily humdrum and cacophony. The rush after the day’s back to back work be it personal or professional gets on to you and you are soon pulled into the swirls of this never ending whirlpool. One forgets to sit, relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life that surrounds you.
So when I bumped into the opportunity of getting away from the urban life and staying for few days amidst rural surroundings I immediately took on to it. One balmy Friday I made my way to Phaltan around 2.5 hours by road from Pune.
Approach
Phaltan in the Satara district of Maharashtra is considered sacred by the Hindus. Surrounded by 7 hills which attribute to 7 stars hence the name Satara (sat meaning 7 and tara meaning stars in the local language) The palkhi (palanquin) of saint Dhyaneshwar passes by Phaltan during the annual procession of the warkaris (pilgrims). It is told Phaltan is the Kashi of Southern India. The expanse is steeped in history and culture. It is the hometown of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s first wife Sai Bai and has a strong imprint of the Nimbalkar royal family.
Harvested sugarcanes loaded onto bullock carts
I passed by flocks of sheep and goat, fields of sugarcane, onion and pomegranate orchards. The rough village roads were bumpy but the sights were enticing and kept me busy. Women were seen milking the cows, chickens scampered around and harvested sugarcane were being loaded to be taken to the sugar mills. The air was fresh and the weather perfect to explore and experience village life.
Accommodation at Jakson Inns
I checked into Jakson Inn strategically located on the Phaltan Lonand Road. From the external looks the facade resembles a motel. It is India’s first three star LEED green platinum rated hotel. The hotel ensures all the water is used and isn’t wasted. Solar Energy up to 74KW is produced at Jakson Inn which is used for the hotel functioning. They also run a child care centre for the employees working in the hotel so that they can leave their children under good hands. My room at Jakson Inn was spacious and had all the comforts required for any traveler to put his feet up. A Sula wine bottle with the freshest produce from the local farms, bananas and pomegranates, were placed on the table beside my bed. Being a solo woman traveler I even had a video security system with microphone in my room for that added safety. The hotel also has special rooms for the physically challenged which are ADA complaint. The staff is very courteous and is eager to ensure the guests are comfortable.
Jaggery in the making
The village life had got on to me and I desired to immerse into it. When I expressed my wish to visit a gurhal or a jaggery making unit Jakson Inns manager Sachin agreed to take me to one. And off we went to watch the locals prepare the sweet dose. It was interesting to watch them churn the viscous liquid and then put them into the moulds to turn them into gold mounds. The staff at Jakson Inn is ever ready to manage the logistics for the guests as regards transport to places of interest around the region.
Food at Jakson Inns
Picnic under the Pusegaon windmills
The food at their Green Bean multi cuisine restaurant is good as one gets to savor delicacies from all across the country. They also have a full fledged bar called Fulltoon serving cocktails infused with the local produce pomegranate and sugarcane juice. The Jakson Inns staff took me on a long drive to the undulating landscape of Pusegaon with a mix of tablelands and mountains. Amidst towering windmills of Vestas and Suzlon spread across 150 acres I had the best picnic spread of my life. There were veg and chicken sandwiches, cakes, cookies, soft drinks, chocolates and fruits just for me. It was a unique experience to sit below the gigantic fans and enjoy the mesmerizing sunset as the sky turned a crimson red.
Over the next two days I visited the various attractions scattered in and around Phaltan.
- Aundh Museum
- Phaltan Rajwada (The staff at Jakson Inns can secure the entry permission to the palace as it is prohibited for outsiders)
- Jabareshwar Temple – A Hindu and Jain temple with an interesting history
- Visit to pomegranate orchards
- Jejuri Temple
Places of interest around Phaltan image courtesy Jakson Inns
I would also recommend visiting Thosegar Falls, Ajinkya Tara fort and the Kaas Plateau when you visit this region. Also take a walk through the old quarters of Phaltan there are many temples from the bygone era which are immersed in history.
My stay at Jakson Inns was sponsored by the hotel but views are my own.
Visit the hotel site for further details.
The featured image in the blog post of the Jakson Inns room is courtesy Jakson Inns.
