Sunday, May 23, 2010

Balaram - A unique one day picnic spot from Ahmedabad

The shiva temple is said to be 5000 years old of the Mahabharata times. It is said that Pandavas also have visited this place and have stayed here for some time. There is a lush green forest all around this place giving the feeling of total calmness and peace. There is a river in front of Mahadev temple and small check dam nearby. The main charm is the location, the slope there and the very cold and natural water that keeps flowing. If you travel in rainy season you will have chance of bath in the river, otherwise it is dry after Jan.

You can reach this most exquisite picnic spot of Balaram either by taxi or bus from Ahmedabad or by train on Ahmedabad- Delhi meter gauge Railway line. You need to get down at Chitrasani station which comes after Palanpur, which is the main junction on this route. Balaram is located at 5kms away from this station. This place is located near Palanpur, about 15-20Km away, toward Abu road side. The regular taxis are available from Chitrasani railway station for Balaram. Balaram is situated around 120 kms away from Ahmedabad. The best option to reach Balaram is through hired taxi from Ahmedabad. Such taxis cost around Rs.1000 per trip of day.

There is a right hand turn about 10-15 KM
from palanpur towards Abu road, and this place is just 1-2 km away from there. You can go to AMBAJI on this single track road, which is again very good experience, as small mountains, the landscape and roads like snake body. Ambaji is some 50-55Km from there. Famous Palanpur resort or BALARAM PALACE is located near the place. One can have 5star stay at Balaram resort which is ancient palace.

There is also a temple of Mataji, known as dudhdhara temple. There is a continuous water flow coming from the mouth of the holy cow here at this temple, which is said to be water of River Ganga. There is also Lord Shiva temple, known as Koteshwar Mahadev at the shore of this lake. There is a one small waterfall there from some unidentified location, which keeps running all over the year and made abhishek on one very good Mahadev Mandir there. The entire atmosphere is full of spiritual energy and peace that can surely give all the tourists a satisfaction of being away from all the hassles of the city life.

There are some small restaurants located here that serve the traditional Gujarati food with some tea, coffee, and cold drinks. But it is advisable to bring your own food items from Ahmedabad. Around 6 rooms are also available here for stay if somebody wants to stay here for a night halt. Though, the supporting facilities are very limited here at this place. However, if you are fond of passing your time close to the nature, away from all the city luxuries, you shall surely enjoy this spot. Mostly, the tourists start from Ahmedabad by around 6 am in the morning and reach here at around 9 am. The full day picnic is enjoyed and the return trip to Ahmedabad can commence at around 4 pm, so as to reach Ahmedabad by around 7 pm. The young children would certainly love this place as it would provide them with all the facilities for playing some outdoor games and also a lovely bath in the Gangasagar Lake.

If you happen to love the places that are remote but extremely beautiful in the middle of the forest, Balaram is the place for you.

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