We visited Karla after almost more than a decade. And we loved every minute of it.
We drove down from Mumbai on the Expressway and the drive was uneventfully peaceful.
Our first stop was Narayani Dham. Narayani Dham is a popular temple, built in 2002, located
in Lonavala, Maharashtra, dedicated to Goddess Narayani, an incarnation of Goddess Durga. The temple is beautifully designed with grand architecture and has an aura of divinity.
The main deity of Narayani is flanked by Lord Ganesha and Hanuman on either side. There was a notice which stated that one could take photos of the deity but strictly no selfies! It is a practice which I feel all temples should follow.
The interior decoration is typical Rajasthani and so are the priests. The temple attracts a large number of devotees from all over the country and is recognized for its peaceful ambiance and the sense of spiritual tranquility it offers.
After paying obeisance to all the deities, we visited their Goshala (cow shed). It was spotlessly clean! Now it was time to put our growling stomachs to rest so we drove down to Manashakti
Research Centre canteen where we had amazing spicy batata wadas and sabudana wadas (with sweet curds) followed by a cup of hot Chaha.
Next, we headed to MTDC Karla resort and checked into a lovely cottage. It was clean and what I liked was the check in process was totally paperless since I had made an online booking. The resort was as rustic as it was decades ago but the facilities were all modern. The staff were gracious and smiling. The only thing missing was an intercom in the cottage. Despite the fact that there weren't many people staying in the resort, their restaurant had all the listed menu items available, freshly prepared. Had a yummy lunch and a good siesta. In the evening, we took a walk to the Indrayani riverside which runs through the resort and
spent a lovely evening watching a beautiful sunset.
Next morning we woke up early to catch the sunrise and we were not disappointed.
After a heavy breakfast of Kanda Pohey and puri bhaaji in the MTDC restaurant we visited the
Durga Parameshwari temple. The idol is beautiful. This temple also houses the samadhi of Shrimath Parijnanashram Swamiji of the Chitrapur Saraswat community. After spending some meditative moments in the temple, we left for lunch at Siddhu Punjabi Dhaba.
The ambiance and the food transported us to Amritsar as we gorged on Sarson da saag, Makay di roti and Missi roti followed by a tall glass of Lassi! There were cots there next to the dining tables where the diners could snooze before driving ahead. Spent the rest of the day exploring the MTDC resort surrounded by nature. It was a wonderful way to conclude our Karla visit.
