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Bhanja Dargah |
The
dual Dargah
or 'Holy Shrine' right on top of the peak of the Yeoor
Hills is about 150 years old. According to legend, says
Mastaan Baba who has been the caretaker of the graves
with his family for the last 40 years or so, at prayer
time at the Jama Masjid in Mumbai, some people were
asked to come to the graves on the Hills of Yeoor. |
A view of Thane from
Mama Bhanja Dargah |
As the people arrived there and climbed about 1700 feet, they found two graves of the Uncle and Nephew - 'Mama Bhanja', each about half a kilometer apart. Devotees of all communities come to the shrines here to pay their respects, and to ask for favors. Mastaan Baba who resides about half way up the hill with his family, pigeons and peahens, offers each visitor a cup of black tea with garlic, keeping alive the tradition of another sage who lived there a long time ago.
Those of you who wish to visit the Shrines, are advised to do so on a Thursday or Friday when there is a safely large crowd going up to the Shrines, as there are panthers and other animals around who inhabit the jungle. On any other day, the forest officer should be contacted for any help that they might be able to offer. From the mountaintops, you can enjoy a fantastic view of Borivili, Goregaon, The bridge spanning across the creek to Bassein, Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake, and Thane City. |
A shrine on the way |
On the way up you pass trees of red silk cotton, The trees vary from deciduous trees, which shed leaves in summer on the lower ranges, to the semi evergreen in the mid ranges, to the evergreen on the top peaks. Especially the Kokum, and the Anjani, trees that are a rarity in Maharashtra, are growing wild here |
at your doorsteps. The park is a tree lover's delight in all seasons, with great amount of biodiversity ranging from Kadamb, Shrish, Pongamia Pianata, Karanj, Teak, Sesum to species of Acacia, Zizyphus and evergreen patches of Euphorbia.
The
forest has a lot of Liana (Woody climbers), remnants
from a wetter, greener past, many species of Orchids
and a large variety of shrubs. Among the many spectacular
sights one which is definitely is most worthy, is
the seven yearly mass flowering of Strobilanthes species
Karvi.
It is a feature of the Western Ghats and one can find
extensive flowering in the park. Thousands and thousands
of these flowers cover the hilltops giving a purple
touch to this beautiful landscape.
The climb up statts from Wagle Estate side, but the
forest dept. should be contacted for details.
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