Karjat Taluka, Raigad District

Karjat is a city, a Municipal Council, a Tahsil and a sub-district in Raigad district.

Karjat is located on Bhor ghat, Sahyadri, Western Ghats as well as at the end of coastal plains of Konkan region near Deccan. It has an average elevation of 194 metres (636 ft). It lies on the banks of the River Ulhas.

Tourism, Adventure Sports, Higher Education, Film Shooting, Retailing, Nurseries and Plantation and Spa Hospitality are the main occupations.

As Karjat is a part of Mumbai Metro Region Mumbai metropolitan area, MMRDA has cleared Karjat for advanced Urban Planning with minimum FSI of 1.0 and CIDCO is being entrusted with town planning and implementation.

Karjat has engineering, pharmacy, medical, management, advertising, hospitality colleges and also a Mass Media Advertising Institutes (AICAR) affiliated to the AICTE and University of Mumbai and also a few other graduation colleges and Oxford Schools. Karjat has an advanced bio-tech institute which has been developing patented hybrid varieties of rice of international repute, apart from other crops and techniques.

Karjat is a preferred spot for weekend holidays, picnics, river rafting, trekking, hiking, and mountain climbing. It is a favored destination during rainy season. The place has several tourist attractions including Palasdari, Matheran, Khandala, Bhimashankar, Malshej Ghat, Lonavla, … etc.

Karjat has got one of the largest chains of Farm Houses in Asia. Many farm houses and residential colonies are situated here with all civil amenities and a municipal corporation. People from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Pune have second or weekend homes here and regularly celebrate festivals, new year parties, week-end bash here. It is also popular for pleasure visits during the monsoon season.

Karjat is also a trekking destination: it offers plenty of trails, ranging from medium to very demanding. The undulating hilly terrain and lofty slopes make it an ideal spot for trekking enthusiasts. The three prominent trekking trail leads to Matheran via Rambagh point, Peth Fort, and Chanderi Fort.

The pictures are contributed by Aslam Siddiqui.