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| Dancing peacock in Morachi Chincholi |
Can you imagine being woken up at 5 AM by the peacock calling out to its mate?
Morachi Chincholi: An abode of peacocks
I was sitting by the window with a hot cup of tea, and enjoying the scene of a typical village of Maharastra-morning winter haze, cows and bullock carts, women clad in
Kasta sari giggling and walking. This was a beautiful image that relaxes and refreshes you
We were at
Morachi Chincholi, a beautiful place, just 50 Kms away from
Pune on the
Pune-Ahmednagar highway, is
a peacock sanctuary. With more than
2,500 peacocks in the village, the sight of peacocks dancing is a common one.
I heard of this place more than six months back, through an article in the newspaper. It was amazing to hear that there were hundreds of peacocks in a place so close to the city of
Pune and we eventually made it yesterday, travelling in car from Mumbai with my friend Tommy Singh.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door of our room and I saw our smiling host which reminded me our date with peacocks at 7 AM. We were told
the best time to spot the peacocks is in the morning between 6 and 8 am and in the evening between 5 and 7 pm. |
| Our bullock cart with guide, Ramakant |
Our host
Mr. Thopate had arranged a bullock cart to go to the fields on the outskirts of the village. The swinging and bumpy journey to the fields was a great fun, both of us looking at each other and laughing our guts out!
Ramakant, our guide who was driving the cart, stopped at a turn and pointed towards the middle of a field where a Tamarind tree stood. Yes, we could see 2 of them. My goodness, what a majestic site! I had seen peacocks only in a zoo and to see 3 of them in a field was a great experience.
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| The peacock in Morachi Chincholi |
We walked around few more fields and were lucky to see about 4 more peacocks. While nearing village back, we saw 2 more. Ramakant abruptly stopped the cart as we passed peacocks. He looked back. We also turned our gaze towards his direction and my jaw dropped...
Wow! A dancing peacock! What a magnificent sight it was! And the peacock flew and settled on a branch of a Tamarind tree. We just watched the bird totally fascinated...
It added something to make our experience even more memorable.
In the village back, it was a breakfast time.
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| Our breakfast of Vada Pao and Kanda poha |
The host offered home made spicy Vada Pao (
Mashed potato dumplings deep fried with bread) and Kanda Poha (
Fried rice flakes with fried onions on top) which we washed down with spiced Chas (
buttermilk). Great indeed!
Later we trekked around village and in the evening visited a temple and joined “Bhajans” (singing prayers)
Dinner
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| Our Maharashtrian Dinner |
It was typical rural Maharashtrian fare – Bhakri (thick chapatis or bread made of white millet flour), matki (a dish with sprouts), turi chi Bhaji (dish made with ridge gourd), daal (pulses) and Bhaat (Rice), and all of us tucked in with gusto. During dinner our host explaind about Morachi Chincholi.
Chincholi Morachi or Morachi Chincholi , by name itself means a village of tamarind trees(Marathi:चिंच Chincha) and town of Dancing Peacocks (Marathi:मोर More) all around. It is said that during times Peshwe dynasty lot of tamarind trees were planted over here which attracted Peacocks to this place. The villagers also claim that their ancestors kept on planting tamarind trees and cohabited with this bird over here. Now there are around 2500 Peacocks in this region.
Rural Tourism
Though I had experienced rural life as a kid, I lost the touch of its flavor being in a metro city of Mumbai since past 30 years.
I found it was a perfect getaway from the bustling city life. Although there were no ultra-luxurious resorts and commercial activities, we never missed them as friendly villagers and their hospitality ensured that our stay was comfortable and enjoyable. Really, we could spend quality time at the farm as they let you do the farming. We enjoyed a afternoon nap in the shadow of a tamarind tree. Later, The chilly nights were made comfortable with a bonfire.
Next day, we went to see a wonder of the world:
Asia’s largest natural gigantic potholes- The Gorge
Ranjan Khalge or Potholes of NighoIf you go through internat road from Morach Chincholi, it is only 20 Kms, but we preferred to go through main road via Pune as we could return to Mumbai conveniently from there. Nighoj is just 90 kms from Pune, off Pune Ahmednagar Road and the Kund Devi is another 2 kms from Nighoj.
The site was awesome!
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| Gigantic potholes in riverbed of Kukdi |
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| Amazing potholes in riverbed of Kukdi |
Asia’s largest natural gigantic potholes in riverbed of Kukdi near Nighoj is an archeological site recorded in the Guinness Book of World records.
This is a geographical phenomenon where the pebbles that are carried by the river get locked in the cracks developed in the basalt rock riverbed. These pebbles, which rotate due to the water current, form pot shaped cavities in the basalt rock over the hundreds of years.
The interiors of potholes are smooth and regular. The miracle resembling the rock sculptures are are on the riverbed and the narrow walls of gorge through which river flows.
The Gorge is just about 2-3 kms in length and is hardly visible from a distance. The fascinating formations with its looks of a canyon, would give you a chilling thought how mars or moons surface might be.
Over the years the depth of these potholes has increased and villagers tell us that they could be even more than 100 feet deep at few spots. There is small temple of “Malganga” on the bank on this river.
sourceNext day we returned to Mumbai with a heavy heart
Where to stay and package
Anand Krishi Paryatan Kendra, Morachi ChincholiContact: Mr. Dattatraya Anandrao Thopate.
Topate vasti ,
Chincholi Morachi, Tal. Shirur
Mob. No. 9689125047 / 9673132497
Email : thopatemala@gmail.com
http://chincholi-morachi.com/home.htmlJai Malhar Krushi Paryatan KendraMayur Baug,
Aamrai,
Morachi Chincholi ,
Taluka: Shirur,
District: Pune,
Pin:412 218,
Mobile: +91 9987401828 / +91 9423004740
email:
info@morachichincholi.comHow to reach
Public Transport Facilities:State Transport buses are available from Pune to Shikhrapur, which is located 18 km away from Morachi Chincholi.
By Car from MumbaiMumbai to Pune ( 3 hours) then go towards the AhmednNagar Road, turn right on it (i.e. opposite to the direction of the airport and towards Ahmednagar). Keep going until you reach Shikrapur. There, you should see large signboards advertising the homestays and eco-tourism in Morachi Chincholi. You have to take a left there and keep going for another 15-16 kms on a not-so-bad road until you see an arch (with peacock statues on the top) on the right. This is the entrance to the village.