Mahabaleshwar

Mahabaleshwar (pronunciation^ⓘ) is a small town and a municipal council in Satara district, Maharashtra, India. It is a place of pilgrimage because the Krishna River, which considered sacred by Hindus, has its origin here along with five of its tributaries. The British colonial rulers developed the town as a hill station, and it served as the summer capital of the Bombay Presidency during the colonial rule.

Mahabaleshwar is located on the mountainous Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats that run north to south along the western coast of India. The coordinates of the town are 17°55′30″N 73°39′27″E / 17.9250°N 73.6575°E / 17.9250; 73.6575. Mahabaleshwar is a vast plateau measuring 150 km² (58 sq mi), bound by valleys on all sides. It reaches a height of 1,439 m (4,721 ft) at its highest peak above sea level, known as Wilson/Sunrise Point. The town is about 122 km (76 mi) southwest of Pune and 285 km (177 mi) from Mumbai.

Mahabaleshwar comprises three villages: Malcolm Peth, Old "Kshetra" Mahabaleshwar, and part of the Shindola village. The Mahabaleshwar region is the source of the Krishna River, that flows east across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh towards the Bay of Bengal. Three tributaries of Krishna, namely Koyna, Venna (Veni), and Gayatri, also have their source in Mahabaleshwar region. A fourth river, the Savitri, also has its source in the region, but flows Westward via Mahad, to the Arabian Sea.

The area's climate is suitable for the cultivation of strawberries; Mahabaleshwar strawberry contributes to about 85 percent of the total strawberry production in the country. It also received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2010.

Mahabaleshwar has a borderline tropical monsoon/humid subtropical climate (Köppen Am/Cwa). Very heavy rainfall is a normal occurrence during monsoons. During July, 10–12 days of continuous rains with 100 to 200 mm or 4 to 8 in each day occur each year. There were reports of ice and ground frost formation around Venna Lake in 2018. On August 7, 2019, Mahabaleshwar recorded 330 mm or 12.99 in of rain in 24 hours causing landslides. Mahabaleshwar has been described as the "New Candidate for the wettest place in the world", the title currently held by Cherrapunji.

Legend says that a Yadava ruler from 13th century built a small temple and water tank at the source of the river Krishna. The Valley of Jawali, the area around Mahabaleshwar, was ruled by the More (clan) who were vassals of the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. In 1656, the founder of Maratha empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji, killed the then ruler of Valley of Jawali, Chandrarao More, and seized the area. Around that time Shivaji also built a hill fort near Mahabaleshwar called Pratapgad fort.

In 1819, after the demise of the Maratha empire, the British ceded the hills around Mahabaleshwar to the vassal state of Satara. Colonel Lodwick (Later General Sir Lodwick) after climbing the mountains near Mahabaleshwar, recommended the place as a sanatorium for the British forces to governor Sir John Malcolm of Bombay presidency. The Raja of Satara was granted other villages in exchange for the British getting Mahabaleshwar in 1828. In old records Mahabaleshwar was even called Malcolm Peth after the governor.

Mahabaleshwar started gaining prominence when British officials of the Bombay presidency such as Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone, Arthur Malet (for whom the seat at "Point Arthur" is named), Carnac, and many others became regular visitors. Venna Lake was constructed in 1842 to collect water from perennial springs; the Venna River flows from this lake. Bartley Frere, the commissioner of Satara in the 1850s, built the road from Satara to Mahabaleshwar. In the mid 1800s, Mahabaleshwar was made into the summer capital of the Bombay presidency. Government spending led to rapid development of the area.