Nighoj

Nighoj is just another village in India. It is located in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra and it takes a couple of hours drive from Pune to get there. Tourists coming to this place are not interested in this village, but in a a group of naturally created potholes about 3 kms from this village. River Kukadi flows beside the village and at one point forms a deep canyon. The rock bed along side the canyon is hugely potholed due to natural erosion. The place is also visited by scientists who come to study the phenomenon of such formation.

Pictures from Nighoj!!

To get to Nighoj, one needs to take the Nagar road from Pune and reach Shirur. At Shirur, take a left onto the SH51. Nighoj is about 20 kms from Shirur. Another 3 kms from Nighoj is where you would find these potholes.

Patratu

I've been long thinking of writing a blog on some of the beautiful and incredible places to see in India. So here I am with the first place - Patratu.

Patratu is a small town situated in the state of Jharkhand about 45 kms from the state capital, Ranchi and can be reached by road in less than an hour. The town is famous for the Jindal Thermal Power Plant. It has some beautiful vistas. The waterfalls, the rivers, the colorful flowers and the greenery make it an ideal 1 day tourist destination. The valley has some stunning views and the curves on the road make it a biker's delight. The view of the Patratu dam atop the hills is simply breathtaking.

Time for some pictures now! (courtesy  \\M - bhpian from Madurai)

In spite of being a beautiful place, Patratu does not attract many tourists, thanks to the excess Naxal activity in the region. This region has been termed as one among 7 most dangerous places in Jharkhand. A day drive on the road between Ranchi and Patratu is considered safe by many and night drives are best avoided.