In 29th September 2007 Me ,my husband and My son had a trip of Saswad and Naryanpur.We have decided to leave our home around 2:30 p.m .Crossing over the Katraj ghat we passed by the village of veLu and reached the Kapurhol phaaTaa (junction) and take left turn proceeded to Ketkawale .
Ketkawale BalajiTemple: The Venkateshwara Temple is a magnificent replica of the original Tirumala-Tirupati temple. The temple was a mega initiative by the Lord Venkateshwara Charitable and Religious Trust, a trust set up by the Venkateshwara Hatcheries corporate group. The construction of the temple went on from 1996-2003.I heard all the materials used for the construction was brought from the Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu. We also heard that the priest and the Ladoo makers are also from Tirupati.
Narayanpur : It is around 40 k.m from Pune. From the road, we could see a magnificent white, pink and cream temple spire with a painted stucco chakra and sheshnaag. This was the ancient and famous Dattatreya temple of Shrikshetra Narayanpur. There is also an old temple of Narayaneshwar, also said to have three Yadav-era sculptures that are very pretty. From Narayanpur, we proceeded to Saswad. It was a winding road up the mountain. The Purandar valley looked prettier and prettier as we wound our way up the mountain road.The greenry every where is really beutiful.
Saswad : Saswad is a taluka town 33 km south of Pune at the foothills of the Purandar fort, and 30 kms from the last stretch of the Dive Ghat. we have visited the Sangameshwar temple on the confluence of the rivers, Karhe and Chambli. The Sangameshwar temple has Yadav era sculptures.Inside Saswad was one impressive wada fortress. It was locked. Locals sitting in the shade of the massive doorway said it belonged to Sardar Jai Purandare. On the way back we took the Dive Ghat to Hadapsar and Pune. At the bottom of the Dive Ghat was a partly filled lake. I read from the net that it is the Mastani lake. Legend has it that Mastani, the beautiful and brave consort of Bajirao Peshwa, one of India’s greatest generals, often frequented the place for a leisurely bath.
