Why you should explore the lesser-known Chalkewadi in Satara

To make the most of the recent long weekend starting from September 30 to October 2 we set out on a pilgrimage to cover three prominent temples in Maharashtra Our first halt was the Tulja Bhavani temple followed by Shree Swami Samarth Samadhi Math and finally Pandharpur After our temple trail we were keen to visit Satararsquos famous valley of flowers Kaas Plateau However we learnt that entry into the Plateau was supposed to be booked online in advance and that it was already sold out for the weekend One of our travelling companions a resident of Satara saved our day by suggesting an alternate venue mdash Chalkewadi which is 524 km from Kaas and offers similar sweeping views of flower beds minus the crowdsThoseghar waterfalls are a popular tourist location near SataraThe inbetweensWe set out from Pandharpur to Satara city for Chalkewadi via road Our halt included a quick stop for vada pav and sabudana vada and the Thoseghar waterfalls entry Rs 50 per person which gave us a muchneeded respite from the continuous long commuteRecco The smaller waterfall en route to the main larger waterfall offers a scenic view of the region that is behind the waterfall This can be negotiated via a pass through a small cave Kansal rice sold by locals they sell nearly three types of rice and a lot of locallygrown vegetables We bought one kg of kansal ricefor Rs 100Tourists click pictures amid the flower bed PicsUday DevrukhkarFinal destinationChalkewadi is halfanhourrsquos drive from the waterfall Overall we took a little over an hour to complete the journey from Satara city which included these halts Expect zigzag roads accessible only by fourwheelers But once you reach the location the immediate calm that greets you makes it worth the journey Despite it being a weekend the space was devoid of tourists The residents informed us that the widespread pink flowers popping out from the endless greens are similar to what grows in abundance in Kaas ldquoThe only difference is that Chalkewadi is not as developed So the flowers here grow wild and unchecked If someone were to look after the flowers and where and how they grow I am sure that this place will become as famous as Kaas Plateau if not morerdquo a local food stall owner told usA five to 10minute walk ahead of the pinkflower beds will lead you to other endless plots filled with flowers of different pleasing colours We spent over half an hour here and returned with a tranquil state of mindRecco Vada pav tea and omelette pav at the local stallNote Chalkewadi is known for its windmill farm Visitors can view these giant installations from up close But it is recommended to keep a distance because of their high voltage over 3300 vaultsA local food stall owner in Chalkewadi makes an omeletteHow to reachFrom Mumbai take National Highway 48 to reach Satara Pass through Lodhwade Kushi and Koregaon villages to reach Thoseghar Road after which follow Chalkewadi Patan Road that will lead you to your destinationFlower power in ChalkewadiSnecio bombayensis in yellow and neanotis lancifolia in pink Oppositeleaved balsalm Purple bladderwort and spherical pipewort Impatiens oppositifolia oppositeleaved balsam is endemic to Western Ghats In Marathi it is called lal terda Impatiens members have a very unique pattern of bursting of the fruits Utricularia purpurascens purple bladderwort is an insectivorous plant growing on wet rocks soil covered boulders and grassy slopes in nitrogendeficient soil so they trap microorganisms and other organism in bladder pouchlike structure to make up their nitrogen content Eriocaulon sedgwickii spherical pipewort are also endemic to rocky plateaus of the massive Western Ghats Neanotis lancifolia is native to Western Ghats mostly found near rocky boulders on the hill plateaus of Western Ghats Locally in Marathi it is called TaraguchhaCourtesy Rajdeo Singh assistant professor St Xavierrsquos College former botanist BNHS