Lonavala
Lonavala-Khandala is a hill station and a municipal council in the Pune district, Maharashtra. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy chikki and is also a major stop on the railway line connecting Mumbai and Pune. From the Pune suburbs, local trains are available from Pune Junction. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Mumbai-Pune national highway both pass through Lonavala.
Lonavala is also home to INS Shivaji, the Indian Navy's premier technical training institute. On 16 February 1945, the Establishment was commissioned as HMIS Shivaji and since then, the premier Technical Training Establishment of the Indian Navy trains officers.
History
Present day Lonavala was a part of the Seuna dynasty. Later, the Mughals realised the strategic importance of the region and kept the region for an extended time. The forts in the region and the "Mavala" warriors played an important role in the history of the Maratha Empire and that of the Peshwas.In 1871, the Lonavala and Khandala hill stations were established by Lord Elphinstone, who was the Governor of Bombay Presidency at the time.
Politics
The President of Lonavala Municipal Council is Smt. Surekha Nandkumar Jadhav and the Vice president is Shri. Sanjay Mohan Ghone.Demographics
India census, Lonavala had a population of 57,698. Males constituted 53.47% of the population and females 46.53%. The sex ratio in Lonavala is 870, lower than the state average of 929. Lonavala has a literacy rate of 89.33%, which is higher than the state average of 82.34%. The Male literacy rate is 93.4%, and the female literacy rate is 84.57%. 10.37% of the total population in Lonavala is of children under 6 years of age.Religion
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 75.18% of the population of Lonavala followed Hinduism, 10.13% Islam, 8.75% Buddhism, 2.67% Jainism, 2.32% Christianity and the remaining 0.96% of the population followed other religions or stated no religion.Climate
Lonavala has an extreme version of tropical wet and dry climate which barely is borderline with a humid subtropical climate due to the January mean temperature being shy of 18.9°C. It has an extreme wet and dry climate because it's quite dry during the dry months while it's extremely wet from June to September. July and August rainfall values are higher than most well known cities annual rainfall.Tourism
Lonavala and the adjacent Khandala are twin hill stations above sea level, in the Sahyadri ranges that demarcate the Deccan Plateau and the Konkan coast. The hill stations sprawl over an approximate area of. Tourism peaks during the monsoon season. The name Lonavala is derived from the words 'leniTransport
By road
Lonavala is on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and is well-connected to several towns of Khopoli, Karjat, Talegaon Dabhade, etc.By train
Lonavala is well-connected by train. Local trains run from Pune at 2-hour intervals. Those originating from Mumbai along the central line have Khopoli as their last station. Buses are available at regular intervals to complete the remaining 15 km of the journey to Lonavla from Khopoli bus station. It takes 2.5 hours by train from Mumbai and 1 to 1.5 hour from Pune. All trains, travelling between Mumbai and Pune, halt at Lonavala. Before the push-pull technology, trains from Mumbai used to halt at Karjat in Raigad District to attach banker locomotives before the train started the journey up the Western Ghats to reach Lonavala.By air
The city of Aamby Valley, which lies near to Lonavala, has its own private airport. The nearest commercial airports are Pune International Airport at 64 km and second nearest commercial airport is D.B Patil international airport in Navi Mumbai, that is 65 km and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at 104 km. A seaplane service is also available between Juhu and Pawana Dam, which is 14 km away from Lonavala.Skywalk
Lonavala Tiger Point Skywalk is a 125 meter long, 6 meter wide, horseshoe-shaped glass-bridge skywalk costing Rs 909 cr at Tiger Point in Lonavala being constructed under parvatmala project.Lonavala Skywalk project also includes 5000 sqm rooftop cafe, 1000 seat amphitheatre, adventure sports, parking for 2000 motor bikes and 1600 cars. The road from A1 Chakki to the skybridge will also be widened into 11 km long elevated toll-free expressway between Mulshi and Lonavala. The construction will commence in 2025 and will be completed by June 2027.Tourism
Rajmachi Point
is located about 6.5 km from Lonavala. This point commands a view of Shivaji Maharaj's fort, Rajmachi, and the surrounding valley. Regular State Transport buses ply between Rajmachi Point and Lonavala from the State Transport Bus Stand. The Vaghjai Dari is also located here.Rajmachi Fort
is a historic fort close to Lonavala and attracts a lot of trekkers during the monsoon season. The fort also comprises two other forts - Shrivardhan Fort and Manaranjan Fort. Besides, the fort is known for the fireflies that lit up the surroundings in nightRyewood Park & Shivaji Udyan
This is an extensive garden situated in Lonavla. The garden has a number of tall trees - some of which are very old. There is an old Shiva temple in the park.Valvan Dam
Valvan Dam is a Britisher-built garden and is more than a century old. This dam has a garden at the foot of its wall and is 2 km from the town. The dam supplies water to the Khopoli power station at the foothills of the Sahyadris for generating electricity. The Kundali River feeds into the dam's reservoir.Della Adventure Park
is India's largest adventure park situated in Lonavala hill station. The park is spread over an area of 36 acres. It is located at about 3,000 feet height above MSL. Della Adventure Park offers close to 52 adventure activities.Lonavala Lake
Lonavala Lake is surrounded by natural scenery, about 1.6 km from the town. The lake dries up during the winter and summer months offering an expanse of green grass that is used by walkers and joggers. This place attracts tourists for its street food, including convenience food items like smoked corn on the cob, shaved ice, vada pav, chaat, and hot ginger tea.Duke's Nose
Duke's Nose stands 12 km from Lonavla, clearly visible from the highway while driving towards Mumbai. This landmark in Khandala is visited by hikers. Also known locally as Naagphani, the cliff owes its name to the Duke of Wellington, whose ample nose it resembles.Tiger's Leap
Tiger's Leap also known as Tiger's Point is a cliff-top with a sheer drop of over 650 m, giving an extensive view. Buses are available up to INS Shivaji and the remaining distance of about 1.6 km has to be covered on foot. Legend has it that while being chased by a tiger once, the Maratha Empire king Shivaji jumped into a ditch on the hill and the tiger leaped off it into the valley giving it the name of tiger's leap.Just around the tiger's leap, there is a small waterfall active only during the monsoon. It serves the purpose of relaxing in the water better than Bushi Dam, as the force of the fall is higher. Also, after the brief steep descent, the fall becomes a stream with a fair amount of force to go all the way down to the base of the Tiger's Leap. Adventurers can trek down the stream whilst intermittently stepping back on land where the water current is too strong and the fall is steep.