If you halted at 'no crowds', stop reading this article andget your bags packed for Jawhar “ capital of the Warli tribe, who inhabit theregion. This hill-town, tucked away in a remote part of Thane District ofMaharashtra, should be easy to access, being just a few hours drive fromMumbai, Surat and Nasik. Yet, because of bad maps and worse roads, it remains asurprisingly hard place to get to. So if you don't mind a bumpy ride in a statetransport bus, Jawhar is the place for you.
Start at Hanuman Point, where the mountains suddenly turn togold at 6 AM. It's hard to see a good sunrise point in the western coast, butthis one is more than rewarding “ you see the sun go from red to orange toyellow to white. And you survey the valley below with its mist and trees, andlittle winding hill road and the lonely bus rumbling through it...
Then you take in the Dabhosa waterfall. 18 km away from thetown, it is one of the rare all-season falls in the Western Ghats. The waterfalls clear off a cliff into a deep pool. The sight of white water descendinginto a deep blue pool in a green forest under a light blue sky... all this getslost when being jostled in a tourist-crowd-in-a-hurry-to-see-the-next-point.
Jaisagar is a picturesque, tiny lake with a municipal parkand rolling turf surrounding it, perfect for a golf course, that no one'sthought to build. But lots of damselflies and dragonflies and butterflies...
Then there's the bazaar, rich in vegetables, masalas,vessels, toys; and poor in souvenir shops. Yet you can find a shop or two tosell you the elaborate Warli paintings “ lots of simple figures traditionallydrawn with rice flour on mud walls. A little way off are the ruins of the Old Palace. These consist ofbroken fortifications, a burned temple, and a still-functional mansion, nowused as a municipal office and meeting place.
The New Palace, a grandiose 19th c. building, is a littleway off the town, situated in its own 500-acre cashew estate. It is still ownedby the Mukne family, once rulers of the erstwhile Jawhar Kingdom that datesfrom the 12th century (I'm not kidding). Though it looks like one of thedramatic havelis you see in Bollywood films, it is slowly crumbling to ruin.
You end your holiday at Sunset Point, to watch the sun puton its colour display before the darkness begins to envelop, the birds fallsilent one by one, and the songs of the night begin.
Jawhar is the secret the Sahyadri didn't tell you.
