An art and craft village near Pune is an ideal place to let your hair down and learn traditional skills as well

Enticing locales, facilities that stimulate the adventurer within and an ambiance where art and creativity can evolve into their creative best -- Avanti Kalagram, an art and craft village, nestled in the lap of the mystic Sahyadri hills, may be a lesser known glory among the tourist hotspots of the city, but when it comes to its capacity to attract tourists, this place still needs to be explored by the picnickers of Pune. Stretching over an area of 15 acres of land, the site, located at Mulshi, is around 20 kms from the Hinjewadi IT Park.

Its romance with nature makes it overlook the backwaters of Mulshi river's tributary, while the neighbouring Katherkhadak village adds on to the rural charm of the place. Kalagram was developed as a tourist destination in 2001 and over the years it has enchanted its visitors with exquisite locales and enigma.

Bathed in a rural ambiance, Avanti Kalagram is a place where traditional art and craft thrives. Artisans specialising in bamboo craft, pottery, batik painting, landscape and thumbnail painting, terracotta pottery and other crafts have their workshops in the huts at Kalagram and even sell their creations to tourists. Interestingly, apart from buying the traditional craftworks, tourists can also get a hands-on practice at making the same.

"Avanti Kalagram was basically conceptualised to promote traditional Indian art and crafts," says Girish Deshpande, project coordinator of Avanti Kalagram. The tourist place has been developed by the Nalanda Pratishtan Trust and has facilities for day revelers as well as night boarders. The premises flaunts six huts where artisans run their workshops, two 18-seater dormitories, four double rooms and four tents pitched on green lawns for boarding purposes. Catering facilities of tourists are taken care of by a village kitchen on the premises, which offers Maharashtrian cuisine. The options are galore when it comes to adventure sports and entertainment. From rock climbing to river rafting, night treks and even rain dances, it promises a lot of fun and enjoyment to those walking through its gates.

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