[UD17]

Falling for the (water)falls:
Magical western Ghats- Monsoon


Waterfall Photography need insanely exhaustive preparation, planning and execution. You don’t need lot of people around the waterfall neither you need rain at the time of shooting. But at the same time, we need more rains (and lesser ambient lights) so that the waterfalls are energetic.

Problems: Crowd, Ambient light & Rain
Solution: Start early and Research hard about topography

But easier said than done- its very difficult to precisely predict the monsoon intensity at different part of western ghats, so ask local people to get information upfront. With starting early morning (4am-6am depending on location), the problem of crowd is eliminated completely, you get dark ambient to allow you to have longer exposure. Although it’s very difficult to find company who have the same purpose - so be ready to undertake solo drive.

Pros:
• Inculcate habit of early rising, make one a better planner and flawless executer
• Wonderful connection to oneself (if ride solo)/ Friends (if some have courage to accompany)
• Witnessing many virgin natural phenomena which otherwise are lost in cacophony of crowd
• Gain- Freshness, endurance, enlightenment, and knowledge (local geography/nature)

Cons:
• Risks of solo driving, rain, flash flood, injury etc.
• Cost- to travel, rain protection kits for camera equipment’s, specialized shoes/clothes
• Shooting in water is hell of a pain, you need constant cleaning of lenses, always vigilant of flash floods, protect yourself in wetlands/mountains/reptiles (specially snakes)
• Depriving oneself of morning comfort: Need Willingness and endurance. Willingness to get up early, make food, drive and Endurance to carry heavy camera kit/tripods, track, continuous adjustments of one’s posture behind camera etc.

Kit: A reliable car, Your own food, water, waterproof camera kit, First aid kit, Additional clothes, Specialized shoes, Easy drying clothes, Ropes, Umbrella, Phone protection kit etc.
Camera Kits: Canon 70D, 550D, Tokina11-17, Canon 24-105, B+W ND filters, Manfrotto 55 series tripod with ball head, Lowepro bag, Leather cover on all lens and camera
Months: July- September. This year the monsoon was quite consistent.
Location: Around Pune

Below are few pictures taken during monsoon mostly this year, but few are from last year as I skipped these locations in 2022. A small effort from my side to showcase the beauty around pune and nearby waterfalls originating during monsoon. May all of us strive to save our environment to enable future generation to cherish the magical mother nature.


An aspiring voyage launched in premature dawn, Sun has yet to depart his bed, morning twilight seems distrait, moon seems nonchalant about quotidian chores & playing hide and seek with dense clouds & soon ready to plunk behind the revolving earth at far horizon. Spasmodic tweets of birds are perceptible due to assisting wind direction & calm surrounding. We were rejuvenated after a somnolent sleep & equipped to masticate miles. The highway drive was noncombatant, but the licit amusement of driving inaugurates when we deviated to rural roads. Heard the saying bad roads steer to radiant destination, so literal that our enervating efforts to maneuvers through winding, curling & skidding narrow roads well accolated. Each passing second is pregnant with alacrity to maneuver & rescue the tyres invading into big potholes but only to hit another. The spasm doesn’t deem atrocious due to comrade of fresh spurt of clouds, romanticize misty forest & huge howl of waterfalls.

Off course this is just the start of monsoon.









We trekked to the summit of the Tamhini mountain, witnessed reoccurring play of rain, wind and clouds. Drenched ourselves to the harmony of pouring. One of the most fierce-some Rain and intense waterfalls ready to gulp anything comes in its way. The mud flown into the streams adds a unique color to these waterfalls. Nature was kind enough to give us few minutes to click some pics. While returning the expansive Independence point was kind enough to supplement us with a glimpse by peeping through the dense fog.








Monsoon kindles, a voluminous assimilation of streams, a shrieking thump & a promulgating hunch of impact. The cliffs which recline torpid within the mountains, gain a fresh soul as if they have designated a task to scatter water streams in an ornamental pattern. The stooping water streams belabor colossal cliff & bounce skyward but sooner concede to gravity only to drub another downstream cliff. This cascading prodigy reoccurs until these turbulent streams kisses the riverbed.








The banal reclining cliffs and platitudinous sharp hillocks which delineate the gratification and heritage of the past still discharging their purpose with same avidity. A realm to numerous diversities of wildflowers, A feeder to countless vegetation, a shelter to numberless species of fauna, an intimidation to heave the clouds, a chaperone to rippling river streams, a stout brace to fulfill the responsibilities to nature, a forbearing figurine to enable even parasites like fungus & small mushroom to flourish in its chest. But these parasites inevitably beholden to this benevolence and in return beatifying the hills with their lush green texture.







A Jacuzzi devised by nature. The profusion of springing water from elevated level to lower level infiltrating between the bushes and tree, drenching vegetation appearing on the way & rejuvenating a pristine forest botanical lives. The milieu is redolent with the aroma of moist soil, soggy leaf’s & decamping fog. The stream perpetuates bouncing, till it unearths a horseshoe shape cliff, guiding the water to plummet to a 6 feet deep Jacuzzi. Eventually overflowing the Jacuzzi to sanction water to glide to further downstream & this harmony continues till the stream bequeath the consort of these hills. The stream disaffiliates two side of the hill. One must intertwine the streams to testify the sharp cliffs across the hill, but the water gurgle in the stream multiply violently when it rains upstream at the hilltop making it unendurable to cross the stream.





Overnight monsoon precipitation escorts a quirky aura to the botanical life. Slant rocky patches are sonorously bursting with blooming rosy balsam flower. A veneer of purple tint had spread along the full trail, making it onerous not to draw oneself to such glimpse. We moved closure to applaud the enchanting radiance of these flower. Four droplets catnapping in the bottom petal unruffled by the ripple of wind, augment the flower behind them in reflection.







Afresh trip to the abode of Lord Shiva. The Place called Kondeswar is always a source of Inspiration. The Lush nature inhibit the character of peace, calmness and rejoice. We drenched our soul, we grimaced, we jumped, we quenched and realized the infinity magnanimity of the Nature.



Monsoon session kindles the scintillating water meadows & prepossessing vistas. The spectacular shield of Fungi starts staging over moist boulders, desirous to expatiate the plucky story of their survival. Lush baby banana trees stand towering & sturdy alongside the stream, spelling out the adroitness & adaptation to endure for sustenance even at the inapt place. Thorny cactus trees don’t sound atrocious. They are least curious to gobble anything even at the time natural generosity, fearing that these capacious resources may make them scupper during the time of penury. The only purpose these cactus trees seems to possesses is to provide intermediate resting point to breeding Blue eared kingfisher.



Bhimashankar: The Abode is imbued with mist, moist & invigoration. The manifestation of reflection in the muddy water hoarded in the paddy fields enumerates the incantation. The convoluted road in the distant valley signifies unending human obligation & desideratum. Distinguished temple at the other summit corroborates the transformation happening with time but remain firm to indemnifying everyone from any tribulation. I stand by the cliff cogitating; many people live in so much penury of materialistic world to fluff such benevolent perspective.

[UD17]

An Aged woman inculpates herself with her prolonged bend waist, working tirelessly in sowing. Monsoon is the time to revive seed into pristine life. Her consort in these endeavor are hiss of cold breeze, thump of waterfalls, chirps of birds, sharpness of rake, protection of an open raincoat covering her from head to knee. In a distant field contrasting black & white oxen loaded with implement perceive the attention. The Farmer commanding them to turn and dislodge every bit of land coming on their way. Sweet aroma of soil, aggrandize the motivation of oxen & farmer to work with even more grueling stamina. Though the moist land succumbs to the muscular supremacy of bulls, still they seem dyspneic due to the mesh cover tied over their mouth to circumvent distraction from green grass.



Pacific milieu is the disposition of Village life, without any stilted clangor from man build sources. The only ephemeral present is the hissing blow of wind, thumping taps of waterfalls, chirps of cricket murmuring in a obstreperous accord - Only a cerebral men can decipher the shrouded meaning behind these variegated concord. Breaking the monotony, the tinkle of bell swinging through the oxen neck evinces the reaction of mosquito & fly sting. An intermittent whoop of farmers galvanizes the oxen to pretermit the pain from parasites bite & turns the land with appended unrelenting power.




Shivthar Ghal near Mahad is also known as Sundarmath. It’s predominantly known for the spiritual sagacity but savage waterfalls are the cause to trawl cosmic number of pilgrims (read tourist). Samarth Guru Ramdas (The Guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) had written the epic Dasbodh in Shivtharghal.



A necklace enkindled by Nira River; Water was offloaded from upstream Bhatghar Dam. The left side gates were unlocked to full throttle to deposit huge water sum to the riverbanks, a reoccurring deposit sublimated throughout the monsoon. The place was embellished by greenery, effervescent mountains at far horizon, reoccurring patched of poignant clouds.



Man, and Nature - Lingamala, Mahabaleshwaram: Very fierce although accessible through well built path. I wonder sometimes that won’t people in these big house frightened by the hauling of these big waterfalls.





May we all have wisdom to understand and care about our surrounding and coexist. Bidding Adieu with these Lush green landscapes.




Thanks for watching.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Mind-blowing photography. You are incredibly skilled and dedicated, good job! You are especially gifted at long-exposure photography. Fantastic read and a treat for the eyes. I hope the realisation of how wonderful our natural surroundings can be will ultimately inspire people to be kinder towards them and treat them with some more respect.

Originally Posted by UD17

An aspiring voyage launched in premature dawn, Sun has yet to depart his bed, morning twilight seems distrait, moon seems nonchalant about quotidian chores & playing hide and seek with dense clouds & soon ready to plunk behind the revolving earth at far horizon. Spasmodic tweets of birds are perceptible due to assisting wind direction & calm surrounding.

That paragraph, even its unquoted entirety, might just be some of the most beautiful writing I've come across. I see this abundantly splashed throughout your post. Hats off!

[MegaWhat]

That is one beautiful collection of pictures! Enough to rekindle an interest in waterfalls. Staying in Pune I had started taking these for granted, but your photos truly highlight the beauty in them. Thanks for sharing!

[UD17]

Originally Posted by GForceEnjoyer

Mind-blowing photography. You are incredibly skilled and dedicated, good job!
Hats off!

Hi, Thanks for drenching yourself in this moist post. Hope you are well hydrated, off course i am fully with your appreciation.

Originally Posted by MegaWhat

Taking these for granted

Thanks a lot for appreciation. How about a Team-BHP drive to some of these places next year? This year's monsoon is almost over now.

[deathwalkr]

WOW! Really envious looking at these pictures. Thanks for making a rough day end on a happy note.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by UD17

Falling for the (water)falls:
Magical western Ghats- Monsoon
…
Months: July- September. This year the monsoon was quite consistent.
Location: Around Pune
…
Below are few pictures taken during monsoon mostly this year, but few are from last year as I skipped these locations in 2022. A small effort from my side to showcase the beauty around pune and nearby waterfalls originating during monsoon. May all of us strive to save our environment to enable future generation to cherish the magical mother nature.

I am loving your threads UD 17. First the stunning and unique one on the Fan throated lizard and now this one with the beautifully scenic vistas, something that I share a love for as well.

I am planning my first visit to Necklace Point and nearby Bhatghar dam viewpoint but I’m sure I’ll never muster the kind of images you’ve clicked. We also plan to visit Thoseghar waterfalls further up from Satara a few weeks from now, onward from our visit to Necklace point.

I had a small request. I actively try to plan drives / rides to points like these where there are beautiful dams, waterfalls or other scenic vistas, specially in the monsoons. Could you please (only if you don’t mind) share google pin locations up to the point where you can access these specific locations by a vehicle. Will be handy when we’re planning our visits to these areas.

Look forward to more such incredible posts from you. Happy traveling.

[anand.shankar82]

Sir, your English was so excellent that I had to get a Thesaurus out to understand some of the words. Lovely write-up and even lovelier pictures

[S2K]

Originally Posted by Axe77

.

I had a small request. I actively try to plan drives / rides to points like these where there are beautiful dams, waterfalls or other scenic vistas, specially in the monsoons. Could you please (only if you don’t mind) share google pin locations up to the point where you can access these specific locations by a vehicle. Will be handy when we’re planning our visits to these areas.

I second this. Having the pin, as well as a rough idea of the route to get there, would be of tremendous value.

[RedTerrano]

What absolutely fantastic pics. Though I am fed up of the rains by now, your post is still a visual treat.

Originally Posted by UD17

A necklace enkindled by Nira River;

Of all the pics, after lot of contemplation, I finally decided, this is my favourite.
Thank you so much for sharing.

[sandeepsc]

Ohh! What the fabulous pictures you have clicked of mesmerizing western ghat. You have taken cult efforts and that has evolved in your skilled photography. Every year myself visit these places especially Tamhini ghat but your photos have showed new charm and warm in those places.

And special mention to your writing skill. Wah! Wah! Have you sat with Oxford dictionary while scripting those magical moments? At least I needed to take the help of Google to understand the meanings of some of the adjective words .

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Travelogues.

[Drlmtukkar]

Great mind boggling photography and a equally great write up. Its been a disheartening experience of visiting almost all great places - all it ends up becoming dust bins.

Where animals go they leave behind foot prints and where humans go they leave behind garbage.

Hope everyone realises their responsibilities and all become concerned citizens. We need to love Mother Nature for her to love us back or soon these floods n quakes n other disasters will wipe us all out sooner than later

[Sumer]

A treat to the eyes. The amount of dedication gone into each shot is commendable

[UD17]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

WOW! Really envious looking at these pictures. Thanks for making a rough day end on a happy note.

Thanks a lot sir for your appreciation and encouragement.

Originally Posted by Axe77

We also plan to visit Thoseghar waterfalls further up from Satara a few weeks from now.
Could you please (only if you don’t mind) share google pin locations up to the point

Thanks a lot. Thoseghar has a quite good flow this season although i had not went there this year. You can very well cover Kass pathar to see the bloom- its available currently. A pass (online with very insignificant fee) is needed to access the pathar.

Sure i can share these google location (and few more worth visiting places), these are not my personal property. Attached below:

Palshe Waterfall Mulshi Dam (3 waterfalls):

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...m0!1m0!1m0!3e0


Tamhini water falls (3 locations):

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...m0!1m0!1m0!3e0


bhimashankar:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...11!1m0!1m0!3e0

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...297811!1m0!3e0

Necklace Point and Varandha Ghat:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...18.1696675!3e0


Konedeshwar (near kamshet):
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...98!1m0!1m0!3e0

Khandi (near Talegaon/Kamshet):

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chin...m0!1m0!1m0!3e0

Originally Posted by anand.shankar82

Sir, your English was so excellent that I had to get a Thesaurus out to understand some of the words. Lovely write-up and even lovelier pictures

Thanks a lot sir. This is the beauty of Solo driving- you get to get lot of observation which reflect in story.

Originally Posted by S2K

I second this. Having the pin, as well as a rough idea of the route to get there, would be of tremendous value.

Sir attached above. I have for simplicity sake put the starting point as chinchwad.

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Of all the pics, after lot of contemplation, I finally decided, this is my favourite.

Thanks a lot. Indeed this was one of my favourite. Because of this picture i had visited Necklace point in different months to just feel the place and take the sunset. Will share pic sometimes.

Originally Posted by sandeepsc

Ohh! You have taken cult efforts

Thanks a lot for encouragement sir. Means a lot to me.

Originally Posted by Drlmtukkar

Where animals go they leave behind foot prints and where humans go they leave behind garbage.

Thanks very true. From office side every post monsoon we organize the garbage collection drive to these places, since i know about these. It helps in getting sustainability point to us as well.

Originally Posted by Sumer

A treat to the eyes. The amount of dedication gone into each shot is commendable

Great to know you loved and rejoiced. The purpose of these picture is fulfilled.