Trip to Igatpuri / Nashik

We started our journey early in the morning on 26th November, 2017. We were a group of 31 students and 3 teachers of Dr. Pillai Global Academy, New Panvel.

We were all were excited and enthusiastic about the trip to Igatpuri and began our journey with full energy.

At around noon, we reached Dhamma Giri, which is one of the largest Vipassana meditation centres in India. We observed beautiful paintings and read stories based on the teachings of the Buddha. After that, we saw a video which explained the concepts and ideology of Vipassana Institutes and about their courses of meditation. We also meditated there for 10 minutes.

We left the meditation centre and reached our hotel ‘Dew Drops’ where we were served delicious lunch. In the evening, we visited Sulla Vineyard and had the amazing opportunity of witnessing the process of wine making. We also learnt about different types of wines made. Our first day ended as we rested for the remaining evening.

The second day was the most interesting. We headed off for the arduous Kalsubai Trek at around 9 a.m. after breakfast. Mt. Kalsubai is the highest mountain peak in the Sahyadris, the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats.

Most of the students were able to successfully reach the top of the mountain and enjoy the cool breeze and the beautiful view of the town. We all spent the entire day trekking. Even though it was tiring for all, all the students thoroughly enjoyed this activity.

The following day was much lighter compared to the previous. We went to the Pandavleni Caves. These are a group of 24 caves carved between 1st century BC and 3rd century BC reflecting the Buddhist meditation practices.

In the afternoon we went to the Watermelon Resort. After lunch, many adventure activities were conducted, like rappelling, rock climbing, zip lining, high rope activities and an obstacle course, followed by which were some water activities. After going back to our hotel, we had a bonfire after dinner.

The next morning, after breakfast, we headed back to our homes with smiles on our faces and tons of memories.