And then an amazing thing happened. As it often does when you travel away from civilization. Just 10 minutes away from the ugly hub of the city, the landscape started transforming rapidly and by the time we reached the foot of the ghats we were about to climb, the air started becoming cleaner, the roads less crowded and we felt a nip in the air. As the auto struggled its way up, bringing us some breathtaking views of the ridiculously flat table top plateaus of the Sahyadri range, I couldn’t help but wonder how civilization consciously transforms everything that is beautiful into filth. All it took were some unimaginative and greedy humans to change part of this dreamy hilly stretches into the stripped-of-all-charm-and-downright-unpresentable Satara.

As we climbed higher, we gawked in awe at all the beauty around us. Clues of what lay ahead of us greeted us in the form of tiny flowers dotted across the entire landscape, peeping at us with their pretty heads, everywhere we looked. After a blissfully serene auto ride (words that I never thought I could use in the same sentence) that lasted for an hour, we were at Kaas plateau, which is strangely enough, titled as the Valley of Flowers by the Maharashtra Tourism board.

Smithia Hirsuta - Kaas Plateau

I took a second to breathe in the fresh hilly air and turn a complete 360° to take in the view, I was delirious with the fact that I could see nothing but rolling greens and open skies around me. Us city people are easily pleased. A building-less view is enough to make us feel like we are experiencing a spiritual moment. Plus, there was hardly anyone else around, since we had the luxury of picking a weekday to be there, you know, being unemployed and all.

Everything was ridiculously idyllic. The weather just right. Delicious-looking clouds overlooking the state of affairs. A pretty lake with a symmetric border of flower beds all around. Unbridled views of the Western Ghats. Swallows soaring to, what has to be choreographed synchronisation — Kaas is a picture postcard come to life. Even though we were at least two weeks too late to the actual party when the violently purple and pink flowers famously overwhelm the landscapes, we saw enough patches of flowers, especially ones in cheery yellows and whites, to be pleased as those proverbial plums!

Smithia Hirsuta - Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

As we ambled around, I ended up doing everything I didn’t want to do in order not to look like those crazy tourists. The sight of beds of happy flowers snugly cushioning the lush green slopes was enough to make me squeal in delight, point excitedly at everything and stick the cellphone camera right in front of the faces of the beautiful blooms. I couldn’t help but imagine the jaw-dropped amazement that the first few explorers would have experienced as they set foot on this botanical marvel of a land — a single plateau, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to more than 850 varieties of flora!

Kaas Plateau

Pogostemon Deccanensis - Kaas Plateau

The trick is to not be in a hurry. Just like if you look hard enough at the night sky, more and more stars begin to reveal themselves to sight, the fun in the Kaas plateau stroll lies in observing long and hard at every patch of grass you pass by. There’s a surprise spotting waiting for you everywhere you look, if you battle the fact that the miniscule flowers can sometimes be hard to detect unless they exist in large numbers. Such incredible beauty exists in tiny details. A single petite bloom as tiny as a ladybug, flaunts multiple colours. Dazzling hues fade away into gentle whites at the centre or the other way around. Exquisite strokes adorn every petal. Flowers in all sizes, shapes and textures. Each kind with their own unique beauty like snowflakes. It sure makes you believe that evolution can’t just be a happy accident. Whatever be the forces at work can take pride in their aesthetic sense.

Kaas Plateau

Smithia Hirsuta - Kaas Plateau

Kaas Plateau

Senecio Grahamii / Bombayensis - Kaas Plateau

Eriocaulon - Kaas Plateau