Matheran, in Matherai, is around 90 km from Mumbai and has been declared an eco-sensitive region by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
"From Neral I caught what the locals called a toy train to climb up to the old hill station of Matheran. The narrow gauge train took over 2 hours to make the 2,500 ft climb. I particularly enjoyed the last hour of the ride with its fine views of the valley as the train twisted and turned on the last steep ascent.
Matheran, the name means 'wooded head' was an undulating hill top cloaked in shady trees, and pleasantly cooler than the heat of the valley and Bombay. It was very much a holiday resort for people from the area with many small hotels and rest homes. A row of cafes and souvenir shops greeted you as you left the station, and being a resort, you had to pay a small government tax on your arrival.
I soon found a small guest house, B&B and a evening meal, the latter consisting of fried eggs and rice with a large bottle of local beer, £4.50 in all. It was soon dark and I was glad to have an early night. I slept well, but was awakened very early the next morning by monkeys running up and down on the tiled roof. I put up with it for a while but after 1/2 an hour decided to get up. I'm glad I did as I was able to watch a most beautiful sunrise over the nearby hills. I spent the rest of the morning painting and having an enjoyable walk round, watching people taking horse rides out to the different view points. There were no cars in Matheran which also helped to make it very nice." - MH
The Main Street in Matheran Hill Station, near Mumbai, 1980
All items are produced from original paintings by Martyn Hanks.
Prints: Size is A4 (8.27" x 11.69"/210 x 297mm). Printed onto high quality 245gsm fine art watercolour paper to give the print an authentic look and feel. Supplied in a textured off white mount size 12" x 16" (305 x 406mm), backed and sealed in a clear cellophane wrap and delivered in a protective carton to ensure it reaches you in perfect condition.
Cards: Size 7" X 5"/178 x 127mm. Packaged in a clear cellophane wrap with a top quality 150gsm self-seal white envelope.