A visit to Thosegar Waterfalls:
In my earlier post I had narrated the beauty of Kaas Plateau in Satara.
Thosegar Waterfalls
Dendropthoe falcata
Near the standing area, on the left side, there were these beautiful elongated flowers of Dendropthoe falcata. Though they were a bit far, I could not resist shooting them. There were a lot of fields in the nearby villages, looked like paddy to me. The very sight of this green expanse, gives a soothing feeling.
Lush green paddy fields
Typical Village Life
Typical Village Life
Just a few steps up, I saw this small girl of about 8 years, washing utensils in her school uniform. Life is very tough in these small hamlets. I could see some spotted doves and robins around. I saw a dhaba around the parking lot and went there for a small snack. I happened to see a large dung beetle slowly making its way towards the rocks.
Suddenly my attention was drawn to the sky. A strange pattern was forming among the clouds. A patch of bright orange clouds stayed in the sky for a long time. It was evening, and the sun was going down. I thought it was the reflection of the sun in the clouds but then I came to know that it is a Sundog. It was a magnificent sight.
In my earlier post I had narrated the beauty of Kaas Plateau in Satara.
Kaas, situated about 22 kms from the heart of the city of Satara comes alive in monsoon. The whole place looks like a carpet of different coloured flowers. People from all over India throng just to get a glimpse of this heavenly sight. But there is more to Kaas than just flowers. The scenic beauty, the rapidly flowing waters, the expanse of a beautiful lake makes this place a tourist's delight. Add to it the cascading waterfalls of Thosegar, just a few kilometers from Satara, and we know how nature bestows glamour to this small city of Satara.
The cascading water from the hills rush down to form two large waterfalls. Better known as the "Motha Dhabdhaba" or the large waterfalls and the "Lahan Dhabdhaba" or the smaller waterfalls because of the size but both are side by side and the sight takes your breath away.
Near the standing area, on the left side, there were these beautiful elongated flowers of Dendropthoe falcata. Though they were a bit far, I could not resist shooting them. There were a lot of fields in the nearby villages, looked like paddy to me. The very sight of this green expanse, gives a soothing feeling.
Traveling to Thosegar from Satara was a wonderful experience, though, the road is a bit narrow, curving and was full of potholes. There is a fear of landslides in certain patches, but the open side of the road offers a wonderful view of the Kaas lake and its surroundings. There were villages with tiled roofs, sloped and devoid of all the luxuries we have in the city. Many were with thatched roof, and the locals were seen herding their cows and buffaloes, carrying firewood as there was no gas or electricity.
The hills around Thosegar were lined with huge windmills. Infact it is called Chalkewadi Windmill Farm. These windmills are used here to generate electricity and are connected to the grid of the state run electricity board. These windmills were sold to the villagers at a subsidised rate and the electricity produced is bought by the electricity board.
Windmill farms at Chalkewadi - Thosegar
One of the tall windmills at Chalkewadi
The drive from Satara ST Bus Stand or Shivaji Chowk is about 24 kms. Going straight towards Kaas, the road forks left to enter a small tunnel. An immediate right turn leads to Thosegar. There are sign posts on the road so one will not miss the turns.
Once at Thosegar, there is a small parking lot. A small office with an information center and a ticket window is to the right side as we go towards the falls. There is an entry fee of Rs. 10/- per person and a
camera fee of Rs. 10/-.
After getting my tickets, I began my descent to the
falls. A short slopy walk leads to a flight of stone steps about 50-60 winding
down to a small opening which is now a gallery for visitors to view the
waterfalls. I could see two waterfalls from that gallery, the larger one on my
left and a narrower one on my right.
Thosegar Waterfalls
All along the way to the falls, I saw lots of small flowers of Impatiens lawii and Justicia procumbens.
After spending almost half an hour at the waterfalls and shooting to my heart's content, I slowly began my return journey towards my car when it began to drizzle. I hurried to the car parking lot, and entered a small cafe styled dhaba and had a cold drink.
 | |||
| Impatiens lawii |
As I neared the exit to the Kaas road, I saw a small Quail
crossing the road directly in front of my car and I had to brake, even though I
was very slow. The Quail, dashed into the bushes on my right on to the slopes
and disappeared even before I could park my car on the left and take my camera
out.
While returning back, I took a chance to visit Sajjangad on the way. The road takes a left from the main road and climbs steadily till you reach the fort where there is a small parking lot. I did not go up the steps to the fort but roamed around to see the beauty around.
Just a few steps up, I saw this small girl of about 8 years, washing utensils in her school uniform. Life is very tough in these small hamlets. I could see some spotted doves and robins around. I saw a dhaba around the parking lot and went there for a small snack. I happened to see a large dung beetle slowly making its way towards the rocks.
Suddenly my attention was drawn to the sky. A strange pattern was forming among the clouds. A patch of bright orange clouds stayed in the sky for a long time. It was evening, and the sun was going down. I thought it was the reflection of the sun in the clouds but then I came to know that it is a Sundog. It was a magnificent sight.
A Sundog
As I watched at the marvels of nature, I did not realize the passage of time. The sun had since long set, and was getting dark. The skies were gathering rain clouds and I had to go a long way back to Satara to my hotel. I hurried back to my car and slowly negotiated the curves and the bad road from Sajjangad to the main road and took the left back to Satara.
It was an eventful day well spent with Thosegar waterfalls and the windmill farms. This is one place one should not miss in the monsoons.
The next day was to visit the Kaas Plateau once again. So many flowers, insects among other things. It is not possible to shoot all the flowers in one go. You do miss some while getting a few. It will take many more visits to the plateau to get most of the flowers, which I did and till date, I have been going to Kaas regularly each year with the hope to cover the entire area and make a collection and a compendium of all the beautiful flowers of Kaas.
...... continued in part 3
It was an eventful day well spent with Thosegar waterfalls and the windmill farms. This is one place one should not miss in the monsoons.
The next day was to visit the Kaas Plateau once again. So many flowers, insects among other things. It is not possible to shoot all the flowers in one go. You do miss some while getting a few. It will take many more visits to the plateau to get most of the flowers, which I did and till date, I have been going to Kaas regularly each year with the hope to cover the entire area and make a collection and a compendium of all the beautiful flowers of Kaas.
...... continued in part 3
