Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra (A Travel Guide): Forts, Temples, Hill Stations, Sanctuaries, Waterfalls, Museums, Lakes, Jungles

The fiery Maratha warriors were masters of this sugged terrain. Actor, writer Milind Gunaji, inheritor of their intrepid spirit, sets off on the road less taken in Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra. He goes where no conventional guidebooks have gone before. To sapphire lakes in emerald settings like the Kakuli and Kalote lakes, which lie uncelebrated, right in Mumbai's backyard. Or the unknown fort of Kohoj and the unsung Mhaismal hill station.

For quick reference there are boxes which will tell you where to stay, how to get there, what to expect and when to go. There are snippets and slices of history to enhance your experience.

Let this book be your guide as you travel to discover why this is truly Maha Rashtra, the Great State. This book is designed by Subhash Awchat.

About the Author

A qualified engineer, Milind Gunaji is well known as an actor having acted in many films which have won both commercial and critical acclaim in India and abroad. He is also a well known travel writer and photographer with three photo exhibitions to his credit. He anchored one of the most popular Marathi travel shows on television. His other books are Mazi Mulukhgiri, Bhatkanti, Maza Goa, all in Marathi. He is working on a book based on his experiences in the film industry. His other hobbies include singing, sports and music.

Preface

For me traveling puts me in touch with my essential self. Away from the world of glamour and are lights, I feel one with nature. Alone in a cave under a starlit sky you are small and insignificant, confronting the mysterious universal force.

My romance with nature started early. I traveled all over India as a child with my father and later, alone as a teenager. Maharashtra holds a very special place in my heart. I have traversed the length and breadth of the state(armed with my many cameras, six to date) by motorcycles, my sense of wonder and joy my travels have brought me with a wider audience.

Many people have helped me bring this book to the reader. My dear friends, Uddhav Thackeray, Subhash Awchat and Jagdish Maali. Also Anusha Srinivasan, Santosh Kolhe, Subha Gadkari and Dr. Ravi Rupawate, the camera and crew of my travel shows, my colleagues from Bhatkanti, Nitin Vaidya of Alpha Television, Uma Prabhu, Dilip Majgaokar and the publisher of this English book Harsha Bhatkal plus other friends who have helped me in this endeavour. I thank them all.