Kaas plateau/Koyna, Maharashtra

A little over half an hour's drive up the hills from Satara, covering a distance of 25 km on a narrow winding road, which can just about accommodate a 4-wheeler, brings one to “K a a s," the Plateau of Flowers. Trees are rare on the plateau as the rock is hard with just a thin layer of soil on top.

After lashing and drenching the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Mid-may and pounding the southern states of India in the first week of June, when the moisture-laden clouds of the southwest monsoon move further up, relieve themselves and shower their bounty on the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra in the second week of June, millions of hidden seeds germinate and Kaas plateau, formed of basalt, comes alive. Small plants, ranging from a few centimeters to a couple of feet high come up, start flowering by the end of August and stay until mid-October.  It is a relatively flat mountain top with miles of tiny flowers of different shapes in shades of blue, yellow, red, pink, white and many in between, spread over an area of roughly 10 square kilometers. The colors of the spread change every 2 weeks as the flowering season differs from species to species. The plateau is home to nearly 850 species of flowering plants including orchids and carnivorous plants like Drosera Indica, out of which 39 are found only in Kaas. The mountain top resembles a carefully woven carpet with intricate designs and colors, spread out for miles.  While the views are special from any angle, since most of the plants are less than a feet high, when one goes down to the level of the plants by lying flat on the rock, the views are spectacular as all the distractions are eliminated. 




Kaas has been declared a World Heritage Site. The instances of careless visitors driving cars on flower beds and throwing trash have stopped since, with the flower beds having been fenced off from the road and security guards posted at various locations. They charge a fee of Rs.10/-per visitor, Rs.50/-for a camera and parking charges for private vehicles.  Kaas is on the way to a remote village by the name Bamnoli in the district of Satara, Maharashtra. Koyna, one of the biggest dams in the state and among the most beautiful, is not too far away from there.  The backwaters of Koyna offer boat rides in the crystal clear waters nestled between folds of the majestic mountain ranges.  Cut off from everything else, on the boat ride, often the only sounds one gets to hear are those of the engine and the gurgle of water as it splits making way for the sailing boat. The Zen-like tranquility reminds one of  Matsuo Basho's haiku: 

The   old   pond
A   frog   jumps   in--Plop! 
Silence   again