PURUSHWADI-The land of fireflies

Every year before monsoon beckons, A village glows as the sun goes down due to the dancing of twinkling fireflies, a phenomenon that is becoming rare as years pass by. However, this can still be witnessed in some villages of Maharashtra by those who seek. This happens only for a few weeks preceding monsoon, and the magic can be witnessed only by the naked eye and no picture could do justice.
If you are here, you might already be inquisitive about this magical place. So here are a few things to keep in mind.

Best time to witness fireflies festival:

The best time to visit Purushwadi is right before monsoon between the months of June and July.

Things you can experience whilst in Purushwadi:

The fireflies although the highlight, the beauty of Purushwadi is not only restricted to it. Here are a few things you can enjoy whilst here

1. Take a bath at the local river for a refreshing dip.
2. Nature walk: Climb up a hill to watch a spectacular sunset. There are many easy hikes around that can be explored easily.
3. Experience rural life: You can go on a walk across the village and witness villagers going about their day and get to know about the local life.

How to reach Purushwadi :

If you want to plan a trip there yourself, there are two ways you can go about.

Public transport
You can catch a local to Kasara station. After getting down at Kasara station, you can take a shared auto to Rajur. From Rajur you will have to catch another shared auto heading towards Purushwadi or get a private vehicle arranged. I suggest you to contact the owners of the homestay to arrange a vehicle for you from Rajur to Purushwadi as you might be overcharged otherwise. You can alternatively ask them to arrange a seat in a rickshaw if possible, as shared rickshaws departs every 1.5 hours, and you might just end up waiting upto 1.5 hours for an auto

Private Transport:
Purushwadi is easily accessible by road and you can reach there from major cities like Mumbai and Pune.
From Mumbai: If you are travelling by a private vehicle from Mumbai; take the NH160 from your location that will lead you to Nashik and from Nashik, head towards Igatpuri. From Igatpuri, I would suggest you to rely on GPS and directions from locals as the conditions might not the best once you cross Rajur.From Pune: you will need to take NH60 and then follow the same directions as mentioned above.

Stay options available in Purushwadi

There are a few organisations, including Grassroutes, that conduct events every week during the month preceding monsoon and you can indulge in an immersive experience, witnessing the dynamics of the community and have a glimpse into their lives as you relish homecooked traditional Maharshtrian food. The proceeds although a bit on the higher end is covered end to end.

We highly recommend staying with a local host as opposed to going with an organisation solely because you will have the liberty to spend time and explore at your own pace. We stayed with a local villager who hosts guests for the season. Their house is perched up on a hill providing sprawling and panoramic views of the area from where you can witness a breath-taking sunset. More so, after the sun sets for the day, fireflies in thousands throng the area surrounding the property and there is no need for you to venture any further if you do not wish to. If you do decide to venture further, the hosts will accompany you to all the remote spots that see a rise in their population and you can stay up all night with them if you want to. The stay is however inside a tent and you must be prepared for it to rain. If that is something that you are not comfortable with, you may choose other options.

How many days are sufficient to explore Purushwadi?

You can easily do a 1 night-2 day trip, since it is only 5 hours away. You can either reach there early morning, explore the region and leave the next day early morning or if you have time constraints, then reach Purushwadi by evening, witness the fireflies, have a hearty meal and leave the next day early morning. Alternatively, you can also extend your trip, and go on a trek to Harishchandragad or Kalsubai.

There are a lot of experiences we miss out in search of something extravagant and the need to explore regions unknown to us. Whilst living a life, we often forget to look at things right next to us. If you have time constraints, I would urge you to seek out more such local experiences right in our backyard and utilize your weekends, rather than waiting for that one big trip.

If you have any comments or queries, leave them below!