My TripAdvisor Review No.178: Sasivekalu Ganesha, Hampi.

“Ganesha Idol Shaped Like a Mustard Seed.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

This is second largest monolithic stone statue of Ganesha in Hampi. It is about 8 feet tall and is called Sasivekalu because of its resemblance in shape to a mustard seed. The statue is seated in half lotus posture.

There is an interesting story regarding this Ganesha idol. Lord Ganesha is well known for being a greedy eater. One day he ate so much that his tummy almost burst. So he caught hold of a snake and tied it round his tummy to stop it bursting. You can see the stone snake coiled around his belly. He has four arms in one of which he his holding his broken tusk.

This idol is located at the southern foothill of the Hemakuta hill.

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Visited January 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d4138625-r368362840-Sasivekalu_Ganesha_Temple-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.177: Kadalekai Ganesha, Hampi.

“Huge Ganesha Idol in Stone.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This is one of the largest stone Ganesha Idols I have ever seen. It is about 18 feet tall and has four arms and a pot belly. It is placed in a big pillared inner sanctum. It gets its name from its shape in the form of a groundnut or Bengal gram, and is supposed to have been built from the donations of a groundnut trader.

It is a monolithic statue which has been carved from a single stone.

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Visited January 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d7265567-r368108310-Kadalekai_Ganesha-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.176: Lotus Mahal (Palace), Hampi.

“Well Preserved and Beautiful Architecture.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

This monument is to the north of the Mahanavami Dibba inside a compound with a high wall. It is very near to the Elephant Stables.

It is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim architecture. It is a two storied building, built in such a way as to facilitate air circulation within the rooms which were kept cool. There was also some arrangements for water to flow through nearby as the building is surrounded by beautiful green lawns.

It was supposed to be a rest house for the Queens.

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Visited January 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g319725-d4138632-r367262662-Lotus_Palace-Hampi_Karnataka.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.175: Pushkar Sweets, Pune.

“Excellent Snacks and Sweets.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

This is not a regular restaurant, but more of a carry away snacks and sweet shop. We go there quite often to buy the sweets during festival days, especially Diwali and Holi. On other days we get the typical Indian and Rajasthani snacks like dhokla, khandvi, bhels, and other savoury snacks like puris, kachoris, and samosas.

They also have a good assortment of Bengali sweets, dry fruit, cold drinks and ice-creams. Sometimes we buy their homemade chocolates and these are very good.

The staff is cordial and friendly, and their rates are reasonable. The shop is air conditioned.

• Visited April 2016
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g297654-d7815983-r363228589-Pushkar_Sweets-Pune_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.174: Hotel Sai International, Yelur (NH4).

“Good Hotel for a Night Halt, near Kolhapur.”

Reviewed 1 week ago

This is a good hotel if you wish to take a break in your long drive between Bangalore to Pune or Mumbai. It is located on the highway itself (NH4) about 32 km from Kolhapur and 38 km before Karad as you are moving towards Pune. You do not have to enter the city of Kolhapur and can hence avoid the city traffic.

The rooms are clean, spacious and reasonably priced. The bathrooms are also large and well equipped. You have a choice of ac and non-ac rooms. There is a separate restaurant for the hotel guest which serves good Kolhapuri food, as well as some Chinese dishes. There is a Food Court also, which is more popular with the travellers on NH4. It is a better option for breakfast and fast food items.

We halted here for the night when we were returning from Bangalore to Pune, and had a good night’s rest before resuming our trip the next morning. There was not much noise from highway traffic as the room had good sound insulation when we kept the window closed.

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• Stayed January 2016, travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1162197-d1737276-r361390770-Hotel_Sai_International-Sangli_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.173: Mumbai (Sunset) Point, Mahabaleshwar.

“Just Another View Point.”

Reviewed 2 days agoNEW

There are many viewing points in Mahabaleshwar from where you can get mesmerising views of the hills and valleys around, and Mumbai Point is one of them. This one is facing west towards Mumbai hence the name.

In the evening most of the tourists of this hill resort head towards this point and the area becomes like a stadium. The main performer is the ‘Sun-God’. It slowly starts sinking towards the horizon and the audience madly click snaps with their cameras and cellphones as it goes down below the Arabian Sea in the distance.

There is a small garden with a gazebo in the centre and a lot of entertainment and snack stalls around. One can also go for a horse ride near the point.

Mumbai Point gets too overcrowded in the evenings, and finding parking can be a problem on weekends. A better option is Lodwick Point nearby or Elphinstone Point, to enjoy a more serene sunset.

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Visited March 2016

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g635749-d1754623-r360805875-Mumbai_Point_Sunset_Point-Mahabaleshwar_Maharashtra.html#

My TripAdvisor Review No.172: MTDC Holiday Resort Mahabaleshwar.

“For that Genuine Hill Station Ambience.”

Reviewed yesterdayNEW

MTDC Mahabaleshwar resort is located far from the madding crowd that defines this hill town during a long weekend or a vacation. Although it is situated just about a kilometre from the Mahabaleshwar market, its ambience is very soothing as it is set amidst the deep forests and meandering pathways of the hill station.

Being a Government run property gives it the advantage of being in one of the best locations, but at the same time the maintenance of the buildings and internal fixtures could be better. They have a range of different types of rooms, from luxurious suites to cottages, standard, as well as economy rooms. Bookings can also be done online.

There is a decent restaurant named ‘Sonali’ in the MTDC campus which serves Indian and Chinese food. However we were a bit disappointed as the tandoori items were not available in the off-season. There is another open air restaurant towards the PWD Section of the resort campus, and the food served here was also reasonably good. My wife also visited the Ayurvedic spa named ‘Chirayu’ and was quite happy with the very reasonably priced head, neck and shoulder massages.

We enjoyed the morning and evening walks in the resort campus itself, listening to the chirruping of the plentiful birds. The resort is just a 15 minute walk from the famous Bombay (Sunset) Point, which becomes like a mini stadium in the evenings. But we got to see beautiful sunsets from the resort campus itself by walking towards the PWD Section, which is just a 5 minute walk from the reception office. Children can enjoy the small playground within the resort, or be entertained by the antics of resident monkeys.

All in all we had a very calm and relaxing holiday as we had gone on a weekday in the off-season, but I believe the next weekend, which was a long 4 day weekend had been booked more than a month in advance.

Room Tip: Standard rooms are closer to the restaurant than the Economy rooms, though they are almost the same...

See more room tips

• Stayed March 2016, travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g635749-d1489812-r360280438-MTDC_Holiday_Resort_Mahabaleshwar-Mahabaleshwar_Maharashtra.html#