Matheran

resort town, India

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Matheran, hill station (resort town) in western Maharashtra state, west-central India. It is located at an elevation of about 2,625 feet (800 metres) on the western side of the Western Ghats range, about 28 miles (45 km) east of Mumbai (formerly Bombay).

Matheran was first frequented in the mid-19th century by British officials and visitors from Bombay, and it has continued to be a popular tourist destination for those from Mumbai and from Pune, about 50 miles (80 km) to the southeast. The town, situated along a north-south ridge, allows no motor-vehicle traffic, but it is served by a narrow-gauge light railway from nearby Neral. Many of the colonial-era buildings there have been preserved. Pop. (2001) 5,139.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.