Lonavala

Lonavala
Hill station
View of Western Ghats near Lonavala
Lonavala Lonavala Lonavala
Coordinates:18.74806°N 73.40722°E/18.74806; 73.40722
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Pune
Area
• Total	38 km2(15 sq mi)
Elevation	624 m (2,047 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	57,698
• Density	1,464/km2(3,790/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	UTC+5:30(IST)
PIN	410401
Telephone code	02114
Vehicle registration	MH-12, MH-14

Lonavala-Khandalais ahill stationand aMunicipal Councilin thePune district,Maharashtra,India. It is about 64 km (40 miles) west ofPuneand 96 km (60 miles) to the east ofMumbai.It is known for its production of the hard candychikkiand is also a major stop on the railway line connecting Mumbai and Pune. From the Pune suburbs, local trains are available fromPune Junction.TheMumbai-Pune Expresswayand theMumbai-Bengaluru highwayboth pass through Lonavala.

Lonavala is also home toINSShivaji(formerly HMISShivaji), theIndian Navy's premier technical training institute. On 16 Feb 1945, the Establishment was commissioned as HMIS Shivaji and since then, the premier Technical Training Establishment of the Indian Navy trains officers.

History

Present day Lonavala was a part of theSeuna (Yadava) dynasty.Later, theMughalsrealised the strategic importance of the region and kept the region for an extended time. The forts in the region and the "Mavala"warriors played an important role in the history of theMaratha Empireand that of thePeshwas. In 1871, the Lonavala andKhandalahill stations were established by Lord Elphinstone, who was the Governor ofBombay Presidencyat the time.

Politics

The President of Lonavala Municipal Council is Smt. Surekha Nandkumar Jadhav and the Vice president is Shri. Sanjay Mohan Ghone.

Demographics

As of 2011Indiacensus,Lonavala had a population of 57,698. Males constituted 53.47% of the population and females 46.53%. The sex ratio in Lonavala is 870, lower than the state average of 929. Lonavala has a literacy rate of 89.33%, which is higher than the state average of 82.34%. The Male literacy rate is 93.4%, and the female literacy rate is 84.57%. 10.37% of the total population in Lonavala is of children under 6 years of age.

Religion

At the time of the2011 Census of India,75.18% of the population of Lonavala followedHinduism,10.13%Islam,8.75%Buddhism,2.67%Jainism,2.32%Christianityand the remaining 0.96% of the population followed other religions or stated no religion.

Religion in Lonavala (2011)

Hinduism(75.18%)

Islam(10.13%)

Buddhism(8.75%)

Jainism(2.67%)

Christianity(2.32%)

Other or not stated (0.96%)

Climate

Climate data for Lonavla
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	27.9 (82.2)	30.3 (86.5)	33.6 (92.5)	37.8 (100.0)	35.9 (96.6)	31.6 (88.9)	26.7 (80.1)	24.5 (76.1)	28.6 (83.5)	31.4 (88.5)	30.1 (86.2)	26.8 (80.2)	30.4 (86.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	18.9 (66.0)	20.8 (69.4)	24.1 (75.4)	28.7 (83.7)	29.6 (85.3)	27.3 (81.1)	24.4 (75.9)	22.9 (73.2)	24.3 (75.7)	24.8 (76.6)	22.3 (72.1)	19.1 (66.4)	23.9 (75.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	9.9 (49.8)	11.4 (52.5)	14.6 (58.3)	19.6 (67.3)	23.4 (74.1)	23.0 (73.4)	22.1 (71.8)	21.3 (70.3)	19.9 (67.8)	18.2 (64.8)	14.4 (57.9)	11.5 (52.7)	17.4 (63.4)
Averageprecipitationmm (inches)	4 (0.2)	2 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	18 (0.7)	67 (2.6)	666 (26.2)	1,733 (68.2)	1,147 (45.2)	495 (19.5)	111 (4.4)	16 (0.6)	3 (0.1)	4,265 (167.9)
Source: weather2stay

Tourism

Lonavala and the adjacentKhandalaare twin hill stations 622 metres (2,041 ft) above sea level, in the Sahyadri ranges that demarcate theDeccan Plateauand the Konkan coast. The hill stations sprawl over an approximate area of 38 square kilometres (15 sq mi). Tourism peaks during the monsoon season. The name Lonavala is derived from the words 'leni' which means caves and 'avali' which means series. i.e. 'a series of Caves' which is a reference to the many caves likeKarla Caves,Bhaja Cavesand Bedsa that are close to Lonavala. A trip to Lonavala and Khandala can be combined with sight-seeing visits of Karla, Bhaja and Bedsa caves and also the two fortresses,LohagadandVisapur.Another place of interest is the Tungi fort, one of the forts captured by Malik Ahmad near the village ofKarjatand was known for its natural strength.The Andharban trek begins from village Pimpri, passes through dense forests, valleys and waterfalls and ends inBhira.

Transport

Mumbai-Pune Expressway

By road

Lonavala is on theMumbai-Pune Expresswayand is well-connected to several towns ofKhopoli,Karjat,Talegaon Dabhade,etc.

By train

Further information:Lonavla railway station

Lonavala is well-connected by train. Local trains run from Pune at 2-hour intervals. Those originating from Mumbai along thecentral linehaveKhopolias their last station. Buses are available at regular intervals to complete the remaining 15 km of the journey to Lonavla from Khopoli bus station. It takes 2.5 hours by train from Mumbai and 1 to 1.5 hour from Pune. All trains, travelling between Mumbai and Pune, halt at Lonavala. Before the push-pull technology, trains from Mumbai used to halt at Karjat inRaigad Districtto attachbanker locomotivesbefore the train started the journey up thewestern ghatsto reach Lonavala.

By air

The city of Aamby Valley, which lies near to Lonavala, has its own private airport. The nearest commercial airports arePune International Airportat 64 km andChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airportat 104 km.Aseaplaneservice is also available betweenJuhuand Pawana Dam, which is 14 km away from Lonavala.

Tourism

Rajmachi Point

Rajmachi Pointis located about 6.5 km from Lonavala. This point commands a view of Shivaji Maharaj's fort, Rajmachi (Royal terrakouioce), and the surrounding valley. Regular State Transport buses ply between Rajmachi Point and Lonavala from the State Transport Bus Stand. The Vaghjai Dari is also located here.

Rajmachi Fort

Rajmachi Fortis a historic fort close to Lonavala and attracts a lot of trekkers during the monsoon season. The fort also comprises two other forts - Shrivardhan Fort and Manaranjan Fort. Besides, the fort is known for the fireflies that lit up the surroundings in night

Ryewood Park & Shivaji Udyan

This is an extensive garden situated in Lonavla. The garden has a number of tall trees - some of which are very old.There is an old Shiva temple in the park.

Valvan Dam

Valvan Dam is a Britisher-built garden and is more than a century old. This dam has a garden at the foot of its wall and is 2 km from the town.The dam supplies water to the Khopoli power station at the foothills of the Sahyadris for generating electricity. TheKundali Riverfeeds into the dam's reservoir.

Della Adventure Park

Della Adventure Parkis India's largest adventure park situated in Lonavala hill station. The park is spread over an area of 36 acres. It is located at about 3,000 feet height aboveMSL.Della Adventure Park offers close to 52 adventure activities.

Lonavala Lake

Lonavala Lake is surrounded by natural scenery, about 1.6 km from the town. The lake dries up during the winter and summer months offering an expanse of green grass that is used by walkers and joggers.This place attracts tourists for its street food,includingconvenience fooditems like smoked corn on the cob, shaved ice (gola), vada pav, chaat, and hot ginger tea.

Duke's Nose

Duke's Nose stands 12 km from Lonavla, clearly visible from the highway while driving towards Mumbai. This landmark in Khandala is visited by hikers.Also known locally asNaagphani(Cobra's Hood), the cliff owes its name to the Duke of Wellington, whose ample nose it resembles.

Tiger's Leap

A place near Tiger Point

Tiger's Leap also known asTiger's Pointis a cliff-top with a sheer drop of over 650 m, giving an extensive view. Buses are available up toINS Shivajiand the remaining distance of about 1.6 km has to be covered on foot. Legend has it that while being chased by a tiger once, theMaratha EmpirekingShivajijumped into a ditch on the hill and the tiger leaped off it into the valley giving it the name of tiger's leap.

Just around the tiger's leap, there is a small waterfall active only during the monsoon. It serves the purpose of rela xing in the water better than Bushi Dam, as the force of the fall is higher. Also, after the brief steep descent, the fall becomes a stream with a fair amount of force to go all the way down to the base of the Tiger's Leap. Adventurers can trek down the stream whilst intermittently stepping back on land where the water current is too strong and the fall is steep.

Karla Caves

Karla Caves,located near Lonavala, is a complex of cave shrines built by Buddhist monks around 3rd to 2nd century B.C. A temple of Goddess Ekvira Devi is also present here.

LohagadFort

A robust climb of about 11.2 km fromMalavalirailway station takes you to the 'Iron Fort', once a formidable battle-station ofShivaji.The fort commands a view of the surrounding hills and hamlets.

Visapur Fort

Adjacent to the Lohagad fort lies the visapur fort which is part of the Lohagad-Visapur fortification. Visapur Fort is larger and at a higher elevation than its twin- Lohagad. It was built during 1713-1720 CE by Balaji Vishwanath.

Bhushi Dam

A waterfall near the dam is located between Lonavala and I.N.S. Shivaji. Buses running on the I.N.S. Shivaji Road stop here.

Lion Point

This is a viewpoint midway between Bhushi Dam and Aamby Valley which overlooks a deep valley and mountains known for its roasted corn and onion fritters. This point does not have any lions but is named so because it is associated with the Lions Club of Lonavala.

Narayani Dham

Narayani Dham Temple

Narayani Dham is a temple constructed in 2002 in honor of the Hindu GoddessNarayani.It is at a distance of 2 km from the Lonavla railway station. The temple has idols of Durga Mata, Salasar Balaji (Hanuman) and Ganapati housed in a marble structure.

Tungarli Dam

This lake and Dam comes to life during the Monsoon season, where some people climb the mountain top to the Dam. This dam was built during the British era and features a serene surrounding of trees and hillocks.

Shooting Point

Another viewpoint in the town of Khandala (Bazaar peth), provides views of the Rajmachi Fort and the valley. Also the home for the St. Mary's villa.

Kataldhar Lonavla

Kataldhar is a waterfall neer Rajmachi Fort off the Rajmachi Trekking route.

Education

Some major educational institutes in Lonavala are:

• Sinhgad Institute of Technology Lonavala
• The Cathedral Vidya School, Lonavala
• Ryewood International School, Lonavala
• Gurukul High School (boarding school)
• Auxilium Convent School
• Don Bosco School and Junior College, Lonavala
• Adv. Bapusaheb Bhonde High School, Lonavala
• Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies (SIMS)
• Kohinoor Business School-Kohinoor Global Campus
• DC High School and Jr. College
• Dr. B.N. Purandare Vidyalay High School
• Institute For Future Education Entrepreneurship And Leadership
• V.P.S. HighSchool
• D.P. Mehata Jr College
• Kaivalyadhama Health and Yoga Research Center
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, INS Shivaji, Lonavala
• Sadhana Institute, Old Khandala Road, Lonavala
• Kaivalya Vidya Niketan, Kaivalyadhama Lonavala. CBSE Board
• The Great Eastern Institute Of Maritime Studies, Lonavala
• Society of Saint Mary Virgin in India, Shanti Sadan School Lonavala

Gallery

• 
  A waterfall on the way to Lonavala.
• 
  View of Western ghats, from Rajmachi
• 
  Tiger point during the rainy season
• 
  Bhushi Dam - Lonavala

External links

• Official website

• Media related toLonavalaat Wikimedia Commons
• Lonavlatravel guide from Wikivoyage