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A
hundred odd kilometers from Bombay, Matheran is a small hill station on the
Western Ghats at an elevation of around 3000ft. It is the only automobile-free
hill station in Asia. When we went up the steep slope up to Matheran I had to
park my car at a designated lot about a kilometer away. We had to walk the
distance over kuchcha roads to get to our guest house.
It was high season for the town and the small
township was bustling with visitors. The narrow gauge line which climbs the
steep Western Ghats from Neral Jn. steams right into the town to disgorge its
passengers. The Light Railway is a little more than 100 years old and yet it
missed being selected as a world heritage entity. Perhaps, the want of proper
maintenance and irregular runs were the reasons. Nonetheless, the Railways are
trying again to get the tag.
As
the place is declared as an eco-sensitive zone private automobiles are banned
in the town. One has either to walk it or use a horse or even a hand-pulled
rickshaw.
About
35 look-out points can keep visitors engaged. Some of them are really
breathtakingly beautiful. Walking up to them in the bracing cool climate of the
place can be invigorating.
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