The hidden Morarji Castle in Mahabaleshwar

Bordered by a few murmuring waterways, evergreen timberlands, captivating slopes, and mountains, Mahabaleshwar has tourist places exuding charm and elegance. The hill station near Pune and Mumbai will get you near to the captivating excellence of nature. It is loaded with several interesting places to be visited on a trip to this beautiful land and Morarji castle is one amongst the many treasured possessions which is worth a visit! Explore to admire the colonial architecture, the hilly terrain all around, and a scenic road trip to the castle which adds to the charm of the experience!

Hit the road!

Weekends call for a quick getaway. The winter have already started in Pune and what can be a better destination to enjoy the cold season than traveling to Mahabaleshwar? With a bunch of friends, I started a journey to a beautiful hill station nestled on western ghats range, south of Mumbai. Once the summer capital of the British Raj, the hill station comprises of origin of numerous rivers, magnificent cascades, ancient temples, wide lakes, boarding schools, lush green parks, dense forests, plunge waterfalls, hills, and deep valleys. The small town has a plethora of activities to do for avid travelers and nature lovers.

I was noting down the places to visit in Mahabaleshwar on the way. Obviously, the top on the list was the elevated peak and viewpoints. Being a heritage lover, “Morarji Castle” caught my attention. It was not on the top of the list as popular places but that single photo of the colonial bungalow made up my mind to explore it.

Upon reaching Mahabaleshwar city, I turned on the maps but somehow the location was quite confusing. The best way is to ask the locals but to my surprise, I found that even they do not know about the place (Sadly!). After spending around 10 minutes, I finally paved the way to the bungalow. While driving to the place, you can witness various colonial architecture, the hilly terrain with flowering plants and can cherish the cool, fresh air on your face and the wind blowing through the hair.

We arrive at!

We parked our vehicles outside the entrance gate. Upon reaching the entrance gate, to our surprise, we found that it is private property and outsiders are not allowed to visit.

Photo of The hidden Morarji Castle in Mahabaleshwar 1/2 by Rushikesh

Photo of The hidden Morarji Castle in Mahabaleshwar 2/2 by Rushikesh — The entrance gate

We tried to convince the housekeeper on the condition that we will not click the inside pictures. I had to actually show him some of the blogs I have written on Tripoto and the purpose of visiting the place. After a tough conversation, we finally can get in!

The entrance leads to a rocky path which is surrounded by trees on both sides. The rhythmic sound of the crackling of dry leaves while walking on them is always a musical retreat. Soon, we reached to tall wall built as a fortification to the castle. I found it quite similar to the fortification built during the era of the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Come into view!

After walking for 10 minutes, we reached the inside gate and entered the premises. It was such a beautiful sight to behold! The castle is standing in sheer pride over a wide landscape with a stunning amalgamation of British styled colonial architecture.

The bungalow is built over a wide landscape. It is short in height but has occupied quite a large area. The combination of red walls, sea green roofs, the wooden staircase, and the white doors with glass walls is truly a feast to the eyes especially if you are a heritage or an architecture lover! It is a refreshing masterpiece of colonial architecture that retains its charm as a spectacular heritage property.

It is one of the most ancient architectures currently present in Mahabaleshwar. This building of the colonial period brings out the wonderful and best example of sculpture and architecture.

A brush with History!

Mahabaleshwar was the Summer capital and thus many structures have an influence of British architecture. The castle was built during the British era and thus it is quite old and historic. Built under the influence of British architecture, this place also had a brush with history as Mahatma Gandhi lived in the same castle in the year 1945. Mahatma Gandhi, while being on the expedition of freedom India movement, used to stay here whenever he had a halt at Mahabaleshwar.

Explore the unseen!

There have been a few more Dominion exchanges around this castle, including a beautiful mansion in the memory of Sir John Malcolm, who was the Governor of Bombay and who is also known as Mount Malcolm.

The castle faces a valley and one can see the seven hills of Sahyadri from here as it is located at the border of Satara, Konkan, and Raigad district. It is surrounded by a garden with plenty of flowering plants. While resting on the bench, we enjoyed the panoramic view of the whole castle.

See you soon!

While driving around the place, the reflection of the true colonial-style architecture can also be spotted in the neighboring area as well. The structures and buildings present here offer a glimpse of the bygone era.

Once you are done exploring the Morarji Castle, go and explore the neighboring shopping area. The two most famous shopping hubs are Town Bazaar and the Imperial stores. To ease the way, both places are located in proximity to the castle. It is perfect to savor the local cuisine or to pick up some souvenirs for your family and friends.

Mahabaleshwar is definitely a place to visit especially in the winter season. A soothing hill station retreat brags of being one of the most splendid evergreen slope stations in India and colonial structures like Morarji castle adds to the charm of it. Though the old enchantment with the time gets over, it is still a center of attraction for architecture lovers!