Matheran (South-West)
The following photos have been extracted from a video and show the South-West region of Matheran.
The flight path of the aircraft consists of approaching Matheran from the south west, then making a bank and then heading north. Even though some resolution has been lost in the conversion from video to digital images, many features in Matheran are clearly visible, as described below.
Unfortunately, one of the main discoveries from this set of photos is the enormous extent of deforestation the regions surrounding Matheran. In some photos, it looks like just about every tree has been cut away. Thanks to the protected forest on Matheran itself, a thick green canopy prevails.
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This picture was taken as the aircraft approached Matheran from the south and followed up with a steep bank to head north. The entire plateau of Matheran is visible in the top one-third of the image. In the bottom half, the impact of deforestation can clearly be seen.
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As the aircraft travels north, Chauk point is visible just over the wing of the aircraft. The 'bald' patch in the Matheran forest to the left of Chauk point is the race course. The range extending from Matheran to Karjat is visible in the background.
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This slightly blurred picture contains some interesting details if one observes carefully. The race course is still visible on the right. Charlotte Lake shows up as a small band of silver at the bottom center. Louisa point is just making an appearance in the bottom left.
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Louisa point is clearly visible as a sheer cliff in the bottom center. Charlotte Lake is also visible towards the right. The breaks in vegetation are houses and other structures.
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Another blurred image, which shows some interesting details on closer observation. The steep drop-off on the center left of the picture is Panaroma point. The eastern edge of the Matheran plateau leading to Garbut and Mt. Barry points is clearly visible. In the bottom center is Porcupine (Sunset) point.
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As the aircraft continues northwards, it clears the Matheran plateau. At the bottom center is Peb Fort, which looks rather flat on account of this unusual viewing angle. Just to the right of Peb is a ravine that separates it from Matheran. Immediately to the right of it is Panaroma point.
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Further travel northwards brings the aircraft to the large but gently sloping peak of Nakhind. Peb Fort is now beyond the field of view to the right. The aircraft is almost directly above Chanderi at this point.
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