The lake city ‘Thane’ as it is called has many artificial and natural lakes. Of all, 2 famous and most visited lakes are Masunda (Also called ‘Talao Pali’) lake & Upvan Lake at Pokhran Village near hilly slopes of Yeoor (Park of National Park), Both with attractions & ideal for family & friends.
If planning to explore both these lakes, The distance between both is 6.5 Kilometers only within Thane city vicinity. While Talao Pali is near Thane station, Upvan Lake is little far. Both famous for Morning walks, Leisure, Fun time Outing & Hangouts, Boating and Feel of the Nature kind. Below are updated and complete details of same as of year 2020..
Masunda (Talao Pali) Lake Thane
Real Name : Masunda Lake (Also locally famous as Talao Pali / Talav pali).
Address : Ganthali Shivaji Path, Talao Pali Lake, Thane (West), Maharashtra 400602.
Lake Timings : 24 Hours Open.
Entry Fees : Free.
Car Parking : Road side, Outside the lake.
Washroom / Bathroom Facilities : Available.
Cameras & Video Shooting : Allowed with No Cost.
Boating Timings : 4:00 pm to 9:30 Pm.
Boating Charges : A half hour ride will cost Rs.70 Per Person (Paddle Boat), Rs.130 (Nano Boat, 2 Seaters) & Rs.350 (4 Seater Family Boat).
Attractions : Lord Shiva Temple in Middle of lake, Boating (Closed during Monsoons), Horse Cart Riding, Lush Green Trees for Shade, Eateries, Fountain & Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak (Golden Idol on Horse).
Locals calls this lake with name Talao Pali (Or Talav pali), where Talao actually means ‘Lake’ & Pali is a ‘Seating Place’ in Hindi & Marathi. It is one of the oldest and biggest lakes of Thane city situated very near to the station at a walking distance of 5 to 7 minutes. Masunda lake regularly attracts large crowd, most locals as it has beautiful view, Ample seating place and most important large green trees that gives shade with cool breeze all around and few entertainment & leisure options.
This place can be reached in 15 to 20 minutes from any other location of Thane city, This water body is a perfect place in city that gives option for morning & evening walk, shades to tired people who wants to relax for a while before going to home or already out on field work and want little leisure time. Of around 35 other lakes in Thane (If not wrong), Talao Pali is one of the favourite among thane residential families & group of friends who comes for Casual walk, Hangout & Leisure any time as it is open 24 hours.
Masunda talao is an ideal place for a great pass time and relaxation. For foodies it has lakeside eateries, vendors & stalls like ‘Chana masala’, ‘Peanuts’, ‘Chinese corner’, ‘Frankie Stalls’, ‘Pav Bhaji’ etc. It also has Mumbai’s famous Jhunka Bhakar stall and Cutting chai options. For toddlers the lake has entertainment options like Balloon vendors, Sweet candy (Children calls it ‘Buddhi Ke baal’ in Hindi) & Little playing zone which makes it an ideal location for a family group.
Thane’s biggest auditorium (Ram Ganesh Gadkari Rangayatan) is adjacent & connected to the lake area. This whole location has now become chaotic as Thane is not a small village anymore. Few decades back, This lake used to be a serene location with limited crowd, major Senior Citizens seen. Worshipping Lord Shiva at the temple inside & Spending quality time morning to afternoon & in evening, talking with friends was what this lake was mostly famous for. Talking about temple & god, This lake is very popular during Ganesh Immersion (Also called ‘Ganapati Visarjan‘).
Today, This place is Chaotic during day, major due to traffic, Street Vendors & Markets around. Evening and Morning see a major traffic jam in surroundings roads. Car parking on road side is a challenge in itself in evening. Talking about safety at Masunda lake, Nothing to worry about during day time or even in evenings. Just that family avoid late evenings (After 9:30 Pm) upon enjoying the lit-up fountain etc here as it is one of the favourite places in Thane for couples / lovers.
Apart from leisure, Horse cart riding, Paddle boating and munching at fast food corners and restaurants around is what people come here for. Millennial are seen having fullest of fun making Tik Tok videos at lakeside. Their is also a special children garden called ‘Shimla Park’ at this lake, No much of details available (Help in comment below if you know).
Many frequent visitors have complains regarding stinking & odd water smell and cleanliness in surrounding area of this lake. Although authorities do the needful Desiltation & Aeration as and when required, Something more can be done to improve the air quality and removing that odour totally. It will also reduce the mosquito problem and people will enjoy more. Early mornings are beautiful & fresh with locals taking advantage of the place for Jogging and Walking purpose. Beautiful Seagulls are frequent companions here.
The Kopineshwar temple of Lord Shiva (Mahadev Dhyan Mandir) is one main attractions here. This temple is a significant place inside water body since decades & can be seen from distance. Lord Shiva is a Hindu God and so the name ‘Mahadev Dhyan Mandir’ which means, A place to focus & worship lord Mahadev (Shiva).
What one will see from distance is the giant idol of Lord hanuman also called ‘Bajrangbali’, Famously called ‘The Monkey God’ outside the temple area. The Only god which has a human body with Tail & Face like a Monkey. It is a giant 20 feet orange colour idol which looks vibrant & displays power, Which is why Hanuman is known for.
Couples are seen during day and around till mid-night. These love birds spend some quality time at this lake regularly enjoying boating rides, enjoying some junk food or by just sitting around below some of their favorite trees with shades. Late evenings & Sunset time is very beautiful, Eateries & Trees are all lit-up with the fountain inside the water. But nothing like late evenings for these lovers as they get privacy around the low lit-up zones after 9:30.
Upvan Lake (Pokhran Village), Thane
Real Name : Upvan Lake (Also called Pokhran Lake due to the village).
Address : Upvan Lake Road, End Of 1st and 2nd Pokharan Road, Thane West, Mumbai 400607
Lake Timings : 24 Hours Open.
Entry Fees : Free.
Car Parking : Outside the lake.
Washroom / Bathroom Facilities : Available.
Cameras & Video Shooting : Allowed with No Cost.
Boating Timings : 4:00 pm to 9:30 Pm.
Boating Charges : A half hour ride will cost Rs.100 Per Couple (Paddle Boat), It does have a speed boat facility
Attractions : Scenic mountains, Boating, Cool Breeze, Food Joints, A Kids garden & Ganesh Temple near.
Talking about Pokhran village where this Upvan lake is situated, The distance is about 7.5 Kilometer which takes about 20 minutes from Thane Railway Station. Of many, This is the second preferred & famous lakes of Thane city among many others. The reason being connected to Yeoor Hill Forest area of the widely spread Sanjay Gandhi National Park of Mumbai city that make the surrounding scenic & much near to nature.
This is a fresh air, cool breeze and serene location connected to forest. Lake water often gets stinky, But during monsoon, Upvan lake is one of the very beautiful and must visit place as the hilly forest location and greenery around this water body attracts beautiful birds, Butterflies, Monkeys, Tortoises and Snakes too. So, a perfect heaven like location for nature lover in thane vicinity. Also one of the recommended short distance cycling location around the lake and as the cycling groups already explore Yeoor hillocks on MTB since many years now.
Best time to visit Upvan lake is early morning and evenings. Morning walkers and Evening lovers are always seen around the premise. At times during holidays and weekends it is too crowded, But not that typical traffic problems like Masunda lake. All the tiredness goes away as soon one experiences the evening breeze, musical fountain and the lightings around.
For foodies, 2 joints inside the lake premise are available that majorly serves fast food. In the menu is Pizza’s, Wraps, Tandoori Nawabi Makhani Tikka, Chicken & Fish dishes, Pasta, Mojito, Mint & Peach, Mango Shake, Bubble Ice tea and few more. Charges are comparatively higher as experienced by many, But the open air seating area which is just outside the outlet (See the Picture) makes it worth some trial.
Although any days is the best to visit such beautiful natural lakes, One should not miss the specially visit during the ‘Upvan Art Festival’ & ‘Sanskruti Arts Festival’ that takes place during January & February every year. During this yearly cultural & art festival, Complete lake area is lighten up which makes it a perfect place to visit with family & friends for fun, education and quality time.
One of the locations inside the lake premise is called ‘Upvan Lake Deck’. And as the name defines, it is a specially designed elevated area from where one can see complete lake, Best for those selfie lovers. It does have some seating arrangements which is a unique USP of this place to visit. When lights are on in evening, Musical fountain tickles the mood, Specially during those festival days, One should not miss going to the ‘Upvan Lake Deck’ area for few minutes and capture some photographs for future memories.
The Blue Coloured large idol of Lord Shiva in the middle of Upvan lake is always seen from surrounding area. If you want to give a beautiful surprise to your beloved, Just take a boat ride in evening as soon it is little dark and when fountain is lit, Reach the centre area of the lake and enjoy the view.
Just to be informed, Their is a Ganesh temple near this lake and a small garden too with wild animal models inside. Kids just love seeing those artificial wild animals. Overall very quite & peaceful location at one of the corners of Thane city with lots of green trees & mountains around.
Finally, not to miss, a heaven for couples here too. A perfect lovers point of thane city and so parents needs to take care of kids when around, Especially in evening late hours.
Checkout both these lakes on Google Map.
All Above Pictures Credits : Amol Ghotkar, Shruti Gaonkar, Anant Naik, Shweta Singh & Thane Vlogger.
See also : Sagar Upvan Garden at Colaba
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