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Juhu beach is one of the most attractive sea beaches of Mumbai. This flat beach is located almost at center of the Mumbai town. Located 18-km north of the city centre, it’s a major beach site on the shores of Arabian Sea and is one of the posh localities of Mumbai where one can find the bungalows of the famous film personalities of Bollywood. It’s also a favourite shooting site among the filmmakers as many film shootings are also held over here.

On the southern end of the Juhu beach one can find many Luxury hotels and apartments, which are regarded as a favourite haunt of Mumbai’s movers and shakers. The beach, which almost seems deserted during weekdays, always tends to get very crowded on weekends. One of the major attraction of Juhu beach is Sunset.

Juhu has the specialty of being the largest as well the most frequently visited beaches in India. Climate being uniform that is warm, except during monsoon rains from June to September, Juhu is a wonderful resort for the tourist. Juhu is the best place to bring the entire community (Mumbaikars – residents of Mumbai) on common social grounds and much interaction takes place amidst the natural ambience provided by the beach. Children, adults and aged, locals and tourists all make up the population that inhibits the beach especially on weekends.

The beach was in news in mid 2005 following the diamond rush. It is believed that high tides had brought with it colored crystals called Ámerican diamonds’ and people next day joined in great numbers for the treasure hunt. The American diamonds were for sure recovered but their worth goes no more than 10 rupees.

Built around 1785, the history of this temple is supposedly connected with the building of the Hornby Vellard. It is said that when Britishers failed in their repeated attempts to connect Mahalakshmi area to Worli by building Breach Candy on account of ferocious tides, they had almost surrendered. The problem was fixed only by divine intervention when the goddess Lakshmi appeared in the dream of chief engineer and asked him to remove the three statues from the sea bed and establish them in a proper shrine.
A search operation was launched to recover the statues and a temple was built. After this, the work on the vellard could be completed without a hitch.

The Temple contains images of Goddess Mahalakshmi, Mahakali and Mahasaraswathi. All three images are adorned with nose rings, gold bangles and pearl necklaces. The image of Mahalakshmi is shown riding a tiger and a demon (Mahishasur) in a tandem. Beyond the ornate gate is the shrine wherein resides the buxom goddess of Lucre — Laxmi. The compound of this temple is abuzz with stalls selling flower garlands and pious paraphernalia.
 

The known history of the temple dates back to early nineteenth century. This temple has been renovated thoroughly in the late 1900s in order to accomodate the needs of the surging crowds of devotees that throng the temple during festive occasions.

The narrow lane outside the temple is the ‘Phool galli’ lined with innumerable stalls selling tulsi flower garlands, coconuts, an array of sweets including the pear shaped favourite yellow sweet of Lord Ganesha, the ‘modak’, and a range of religious paraphernalia. Here beggar men women and children alike, abound.

There are some people who earn their daily bread by guarding the footwear of the devotees while they are inside the temple. Security guards are present at the gates and inside the temple as well. There is a statue of a squatting nandi or the sacred cow, which is the mode of transport of Lord Shiva. Thousands throng the mandir everyday. Popular belief goes that Ganapati, as Lord Ganesha is
called, does not disappoint his devotees. The upper floors house the residential
quarters of the priests.

The sanctum here houses a small mandapam enshrining Siddhi Vinayak. The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of Ashta Vinayak. The most prominent landmark Prabhadevi attracts many devotees from all over the city. Tuesday is considered the most auspicious day and devotees stand for hours (even before the crack of dawn) in long winding queues to seek blessings of Lord Ganesha. On special days the line can be s long as 3000 people or more.
 

Mumbai is the center of India’s huge Hindi film industry, producing 120 feature films a year. Much of the glamour associated with the city stems from its celebrated position as the dream-factory of the nation. The local film industry is known as Bollywood. It’s a ragtag speculative trade, flush with
black money and low on innovation. The films it produces tend to be spectacular melodramatic fantasies. They are known disparagingly as ‘masala movies’ because they are made to an established formula that mixes a variety of ingredients – action, violence, music, dance, romance and moralizing – into one outrageous blend. While plenty of thought- provoking ‘artistic’ Indian films are appreciated in the west, masala movies are largely viewed with contempt. It’s
not hard to figure out why. Stock characters, exaggerated acting, self-conscious editing, implausible, narratives and heroines who burst into song every five minutes are just the beginning of a long list of unlikely features that you are going to have to accept at face value if you want to enjoy a Bollywood flick. Despite being dismissed as escapist claptrap, plenty of masala movies get their narrative drive from social issues like communalism, ethnicity and caste. Many also address the effects of modernization and urbanization on traditional Indian
institutes such as the family and marriage. As you’d expect from any vibrant cultural form, masala movies are a reflection of India’s social and political milieu. This doesn’t diminish their appeal or (thank goodness) unduly imbue them with profundity, but it does mean they have an astonishingly direct feed into the lives of their audiences that outsiders may find hard to fathom. On the surface it may be Rambo, Romeo and Robin Hood, but the subtext is likely to be
the Mahabharata, dharma, and social justice. In this context , it’s not surprising that masala movies have been one of the most potent forces shaping Indian ideas of nationhood.

Located on the west coast of India, the group of islands which has grown into
the city of Mumbai, was probably first recorded as the home of fisherfolk where
a group of Buddhist monks established an outpost late during the Magadhan
empire. The islands were tossed from one king to another emperor for two
millenia, until the maritime trade empire of the British decided to develop the
natural harbour into a city. In the four hundred years since then, the city has
grown by a series of land reclamations which now link the original islands into
one mass.
The city was called Bombay for much of the last four hundred years. The origin
of the name is obscure, but is often said to come from the Portuguese phrase bom
bahia meaning "good bay". The name Mumbai has been used in the main local
languages for as long, and is ascribed to the local goddess, Mumba (ai means
mother in Marathi). The name of the city was changed to Mumbai by an act of the
parliament in 1997.
Mumbai is called the financial capital of India: the stock exchange is the
primary stock exchange of the country; most large business houses have their
corporate offices in this city. It also the primary center for the arts and the
entertainment industry. In India it is the city of gold, of dreams. Everyone
comes here to make money, whether by selling chapatis on Chowpatti or stolen
wallets and used dentures by the roadside. Whatever. Bombay does sleep at night,
but usually rather late and very briefly.

Kolhapur is a city located in the south west corner of Maharashtra. It is situated on the banks of river Panchganga and provides the location for the Mahalakshmi Temple. Ancient texts such as the Padmapurana and the Skandapurana speak in glowing terms of Karveer or Dakshin Kashi which is, in fact modern-day Kolhapur. Following are the places to see in Kolhapur.

Mahalaxmi Temple : The foundation of this temple was laid down by the Chalukya ruler, Karandev in the seventh century AD.He initiated the construction and then in the ninth century, the Shilahara Yadavas beautified it further.It is an important spiritual center which draws millions of pilgrims from all over the world. The temple houses the revered idol of the goddess — Mahalaxmi or Amba Bai which weighs upto 40 kgs.The idol exists in its natural form of primeval monolith carved out of uncut diamonds and precious stones.It is known as Swayambhu.Besides the temple also houses the temples of other deities such as Kashi Vishweshwar, Kartikaswami, Sheshashayi, Siddhivinayak, Mahaswaraswati, Mahakali, Shree Dutta and Shree Ram.The temple organise enthusiastic celebrations on the occassion of Chaitra Poornima and Navratri.On every Friday the ‘Palkhi’ ritual is performed.

Amboli : Amboli is located at 64kms away from Belgaum in the southern ranges of the Sahyadri hills at an altitude of 690 m.It is the last mountain resort from where the coastal highlands decreases in size and joins the flat beaches.The tourist may visit the lush green hills and fertile plain.The golden Konkan coast also offers a splendid view to the tourists.The tourist can also enjoy fishing at Hiranya Keshi.Nagatta Falls, Mahadev Gad and Narayan Gad are considered as an ideal place for picnic purpose.At 10 kms from the site there are Bauxite Mines.It is regarded as an ideal resort owing to its cool and invigorating climate.Panhala : Panhala is located at 20 kms from the industrial city of Kolhapur and at an altitude of 977 m.Panhala was built in 1178-1209 AD.It is the largest of all Deccan forts.Panhala encompasses innumerable places of interest such as Sajja Kothi,the place where Sambhaji was imprisoned ; Ambabai Temple, where Shivaji seek blessings from the Goddess before venturing on expeditions ; Pavankhind, where Baji Prabhu sacrificed his life to cover Shivaji’s escape.Although the place served as the seat of the Shilahara dynasty since AD 1190, and was captured by the Yadava and Bahamani kingdoms yet it is redolent with memories of Shivaji as it is one of those few forts where Shivaji spent more than 500 days.The place encloses huge granary, Amberkhana, which is said to contain 25,000 khandis (50,000 mounds) of corn poured into it from symmetrical gaps in the ceiling.

Dajipur Bison Sanctuary : Dajipur resort is located on the border of Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts.The place is totally aloof ofhuman habitat as it is situated admist of rugged mountains and dense forests.The sanctuary offers homeage to beast like bison, wild deer, chital, gawa and other spectacular wild animals and birds.The place offers exciting and beautiful holiday getaway as it situated 1200 metres above sea level .Also an excursion in the vicinity to the Gagangiri Maharaj’s Math marks a pleasant outing.This scenic resort near the backwaters of the Radhanagari Dam is a great source of attraction for wildlife lovers and naturalists.

Ramteerth : Ramteerth is located in Ajra taluka.It encloses ancient temples, river, an old coffee plantation and an orchard,which lends it a quaint charm and makes it an ideal picnic spot.The place has its holy significance. According to Hindu mythology, It is said that Lord Rama stayed here during his period exile in the forest. It is renowed for its breathtaking natural beauty.

Vishalgad : Vishalgad is located at 76 kms away north-west of Kolhapur.The name Vishalgad itself represents grandeur and magnificence. The fort encloses the Amriteshwar Temple, Takmak Tok, Sati Vrindavan and the dargah or tomb of Hazrat Malikdhyan Baba.The temples are visited by thousands of devotees during festives.

Gurudwara : The Gurudwara is located in Nanded Town.The main Gurudwara of Nanded is the Gurudwara of Takhat Sachkhand Shri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib.It is one of the four High seats of Authority of the Sikhs. The signioficance of the place lies in the fact that it is the place where Shri GuruGobind Singhji took his last breath.It was built by Maharaja Ranjit Singhji,the ruler of Punjab from 1830 to 1839 A.D. The Gurudwara exhibits the mortal remains of the 10th Guru along with a number of weapons of different kinds.

Mahur : This pilgrim Centre is of great importance because it is one of the Shaktipith of Maharashtra.At a distance of about 2.415 km from the village of Mahur,the temple of Goddess Renuka Devi is located on a hillock abounding in natural beauty. The foundation of this temple has been laid by a Yadava king of Devgiri about eight to nine hundred years ago.On the occassion of Dasara the temple organise the festival and worship Goddess Renukadevi.

Masjid Of Biloli : The Hazrat Nawab Sarfaraz Khan Sahid Masjid was constructed 330 years back. Masjid is located in Biloli Town.It was created in the honour of Sarfaraz Khan who was an officer in the army of Aurangzeb. The Masjid is carved out of stone.In 1960 four minarets on the southern side collapsed during lightening .The minaret in the northern side has eight chains which enclose a figure shaped like a bell.

Kandhar Fort : The town has gained its fame from the Kandhar fort which is located in the heart of Town.A water filled ditch encompasses the fort.The foundation of the fort was laid down by the Rashtrakuta King Krishna III of Malkhed who was renowed as Kandharpuradhi Swar.An old Idgah was built by the muslims at some distance from the fort on the hillock area.The fort was carved during Nizamshahi period.The domes are carved out in Ahmednagar style.

Malegaon : Malegaon is located at a distance of about 57 kms from Nanded.The village is also known as Taluka Loha.The village organise fair in honour of Lord Khandoba. This fair is widely known as “ Malegaon Yatra ”.It helds in Margashirsh vadya 14.The fair displays animal market which attracts tourist from different parts of country.The animals like horses, asses, camels are exhibited in large numbers.

Hottal : Hottal is located in Degloor Taluka. It is 8 km away from Degloor. The place holds its significance from the temple of Lord Siddheshwar. The temple exhibits characteristic Art of The Chalukya Era. It is carved out of stones.

Nanded Fort : The fort of Nanded is loacted 4kms away from the Nanded Railway Station. Godavari River encloses the fort on three sides. The fort has a good garden and water works which adds to its beauty.The scenic beauty of this fort attracts the tourist worldwide.

Nanded is a the second largest city in Maharashtra in Marathwada region .It is located on north bank of Godavari river.It is famous for Sikh Gurudwaras.Nanded was formerly known as Nanditat.

The climate of the place is moderate. The summers and rainy seasons are warm while winters are cool. The temperature varies between 16°C and 35°C. The best time to visit Nanded is from November to February.