Journey through Golden Quadrilateral Part 5 ( Kolhapur to Surat)

For a hindi-speaking personnel, the land now becomes familiar, with language of the sign boards changing from Kannada to a more understandable Marathi, as we enter the state of Maharashtra, the economic power state of the country. The welcome city becomes Kolhapur, the erstwhile princely state, which was the entry point to the Maratha Empire. The city is now famous for its ‘chappals‘ made of leather and various foundries.

I reach Satara, the heart and once capital of Shivaji’s Maratha Empire. The city, lying near banks of Krishna river, is famous for Kas Plateau, a natural flower-bearing zone in valleys of western India. I couldn’t avoid taking a detour to the nearby hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, famous as centres of horticultural crops and Pratapgad Fort, where the famous incident of Shivaji killing Afzal Khan was held.

I get a glimpse of the glory of Peshwas, as I enter Pune, also called Poona by the localites. Literally meaning as the City of Virtue, some of the must see places in and around Pune are Khadakvasla Dam, Singhad Fort and Lavasa, a planned hill city amidst the valleys of Western Ghat. As I leave Pune for Mumbai, I cross the Ghats and in their true sense. I seep through varied long road tunnels and hill stops like Lonavala, Khandala and Matheran, all of which seem to develop a liking for mountains more than anything else.

And here I reach the biggest urban agglomeration of Mumbai-Thane. I enter the largest city of Mumbai, the commercial capital of India. A destination worth spending time onto, the city, well-established by land reclamation combining seven islands, famous for the Gateway of India, built to honour King George in 1911. I felt attracted to see the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, the biggest bridge on sea in India. I felt a glimpse of British colonial architecture in the famous Taj Hotel, Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, Prince of Wales Museum, High Court and the Floral Fountain. I could see the amazingness of nature in the middle of commercialization as I observe the Borivali National Park. Not only the attractiveness of Hindi film industry, Bollywood, enchants my soul, but also glimpses of history at the ancient town of Sopara at the outskirts of Mumbai.

I already find myself in the tropical evergreen forest of western India, where rainfall abounds the lush green landscape at the rain-fed region of the valley. I cross Tarapur, India’s first nuclear power plant and also the largest of its kind. I reach Vapi, the industrial town in Gujarat, which also is the most polluted in India (so be a little careful). Through Gujarat’s Industrial Corridor on the then National Highway 8, the cross Valsad, Navsari and finally reach Surat.

Surat has been known in history and present for a lot of things. It was where the British established their first textile factory. It is the ‘City of the Sun’ famous for diamond-cutting and polishing, textile industry and nearby Hazira oil pipeline. One can observe the might of the city in the population and area covered by it. It was the site of Dandi, the place where Salt Satyagraha came to its significant conclusion by Mahatma Gandhi.

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