KALAVANTEEN MACHI (2300 ft)

After a beautiful monsoon trekking season with YHAI (Mumbai Unit) I was raring to go for a trek after Diwali and a month long break from treks. I alongwith couple of friends planned a one day trek to nearby areas. We had decided to go around Irsal-Prabalgad or a bit further in Konkan near Kolad region. But still we were not sure of which fort we were going to visit till the time we started.

But I was very positive to visit Prabalgad or its adjoining Machi (Watch-tower) Kalavanteen so I happened to go thru some books in order to collect some information about this fort.

Prabalgad is a fort located in between Matheran and Panvel, visible from the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The fort is located at an elevation of 2300 feet in the Sahyadri mountains. It is located on a plateau very close to Matheran. Prabalgad was known as Muranjan until it was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Shivaji's rule.

History of the Fort
Around 1458, the prime minister of Nizamshah, took over the fort during his conquest of Konkan. The fort was later conquered by Shivaji from Mughals in the year 1658. After establishing himself in Kalyan-Bhivandi area, Shivaji's forces attacked the fort then governed by Kesar Singh, a Mughal sardar. On seeing the signs of defeat Kesar Singh along with all the ladies in the fort committed suicide to save themselves from being dishonoured in the hands of enemy. Inspite of Kesar Singh's orders, his mother hid herself along with her grandchild. Shivaji in an act of kindness made sure the lady and the kid were allowed a safe passage.

In the year 1826 Umaji Naik, a freedom fighter, and his associates are believed to have made this as their home for a brief period of time.

Kalavanteen Machi is adjacent to Prabalgad. We had heard that the climb is little tougher than the normal but not difficult. So in the end we decided to climb to the Kalavanteen Machi dropping the idea of Irsal-Prabalgad.

One of us had a car and we decided to go to the Base village of the Machi via car. We took the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway and on the left hand side we immediately noticed the big flat plateau and a pinnacle which was the Prabalgad and Kalavanteen Machi respectively. We took the Shedung Exit on Mumbai-Pune Expressway to take a left turn at Bardoli phata. It took us an hour to climb to the Prabal village after resting and refilling our water bottles we began our journey to the Machi.

The Kalavanteen Machi & Prabalgad

In another half an hour or so we reached the Col (the V) between Kalavanteen Machi and Prabalgad. By the time we reached the Col it was afternoon and time for lunch. There was a nice breeze in the valley and an excellent place for us to have lunch. After finishing our lunch we proceeded to climb the steps to the top of the Machi.

The Col (V Between the hills)Peaceful lunch in the Col

The steps were neatly carved out in the Basalt rock. The zig-zag staircase leads us to the top near the last 10-15 ft rock patch. After negotiating the rock patch we reached the top of the Machi. From the top it was a breath-taking view of the surrounding area. In front of us was the Prabalgad, standing tall. On the Left hand side we could watch the Matheran ranges and the Peb Fort followed by Chanderi and Maismal then the Bhivpuri Hill and Haji Malang.

Chanderi and Mhaismal from Kalavanteen Machi

On the right hand side we saw the region right upto Karnala fort in the North Konkan. The Machi was a fantastic watch tower for the fort and really proved to be the most significant part of the fort. When we were climbing down, on the right hand side, we saw a rectangular shaped water tank nicely cut in the rock. The Tank was approx. 10 ft long and 4 ft broad. The water tank provided water supply to the guards posted on the Machi and didn’t have to carry water from the fort. It was a miracle as to how did our ancestors found the water source at such a height.

On reaching the Col we found that it was bright and sunny and had to drop the idea of relaxing. Further climbing down on the left hand side we saw a cave and immediately decided to explore it. Luckily one of us had a torch which enabled us to explore. The tunnel to the cave was of around 20 feet long and we had to crawl inside the caves. The cave was nice and cool enough for 5-6 people to stay in the cave.

After exploring the cave we carried on our journey back to the Prabal village where we found the village kids enjoying themselves a cricket match. They found a group of spectators from Mumbai who spent some time to catch their breath and watch a few overs too. It was a small but a wonderful trek and we all felt it would be exciting to visit this place in monsoons.

LONAR – THE METEOR LAKE

After a long gap of nearly 2 months the trek buddies got together for another exciting trip around our home State, Maharashtra to explore some World Heritage Sites and a Lake formed by the Meteorite around 50,000 years ago. At first we like to clarify that though we friends have come together to write something about treks but as you know the objects change with time and we have decided to include the important historic sites we visit through treks or information tours or even jungle trails.

The World Heritage Sites in Maharashtra as you all know are the Ajanta Cave Paintings and Verul (Ellora) Caves. These world famous caves are known for the paintings and carvings so we are not going to bore you by giving in the details about these caves.

Ajanta Caves

Verul Caves

We will restrict our views on the part which is less heard by many i.e. the Lonar Lake, which happens to be the World’s Largest Lake formed by a Meteorite in Basalt Rock.

Lonar Lake

At first lets get to know more about the lakes formed by Meteorite Impact. The World’s biggest Lake formed by Meteorite impact is at Ghana in Africa and is called Bosumtwi Lake. The Lake Bosumtwi impact crater is 10.5 km in diameter, slightly larger than the present lake, and is estimated to be 1.07 million years old. The Second Largest lake in world is situated in Canada known as New Quebec Lake (formally known as Chubb Crater). This lake is around 250 meters deep.

The initial reports we heard about Lonar Lake is that this lake has a diameter of around 1.8 Kms and a circumference of 6-7 Kms. Presently, the depth of this lake is around 24 feet. It is said by the researchers that the Meteorite may be around 60 meters in length and around 2 tons in weight and it hit the earth surface at a speed of 20 Kms/ second. On hitting the surface of the earth the meteor created a crater which is 2.1 kms in diameter on top and 1.4 kms diameter at the bottom of the crater. The first Geological survey of this lake was made by Mr. C.J. E. Alexander in 1823 who gave the analysis that this lake is formed due to Meteorite fall. Till 1823 it was believed that the lake is formed due to volcanic eruption.

Historic Value

The place has some ancient temples and hence the lake has a historic importance. The geologists are also conducting research on the magnetic fields generated by the rocks which is due to the Meteorite impact hence, we decided to be a part of the group which was visiting Lonar Lake.

Our Journey

Our Journey began from Mumbai by train. We reached Jalgaon where a bus was waiting for us. Our immediate destination was Ajanta and after having breakfast we moved to visit the caves. It was a bright sunny day in Marathwada Region. The information about the caves and the surroundings did not tire us and acted as a boost for us to climb on to the point on the adjoining hill where Captain Smith rediscovered the Caves in 1819. The view from the hill opposite to the Caves gave an excellent view of the horse shoe shaped Ajanta escarpment.

From Ajanta, we moved to the more exciting part of the journey to the Lonar Lake which was around 3 hours drive from Ajanta Caves. By the time we reached Lonar Village it was 7.30 p.m. We had to wake up very early as we had to leave around 6.00 a.m. for the walk to the most awaited lake. Lonar is around 130-150 Kms from Aurangabad.

The walk to the lake was a nice morning walk of around 15-20 minutes and we were astonished to see a huge crater and a lake formation in the crater. All of us were spell-bound but we had to listen to our knowledgeable guide, Mr. Anand Mishra who informed us that to make a crater of the size of Lonar lake in Basalt rock of thickness 600-700 mts. you would need a 6 mega-tonne bombs. He further told us that there are around 22 temples around the lake.

We started our tour around the Lonar Lake with the first temple which is the Shankar-Ganesh Temple. All of us assembled in this temple to hear about the construction of the temples and the era of the construction, the ancient history of the temples and all the details that we could hear from Mr. Mishra.

Mr. Mishra then explained to us type of Construction and the period during which the temples were constructed. The Style of Construction of the temples is known as ‘Hemadpanthi Temple’. The Construction style is named after the Prime-minister named Hemadpant in the Court of Seuna Yadav of Devgiri. The speciality of the construction was that no cement or lime-stone was used in the construction of these temples. The Temples were constructed by fixing the stones or the moulds one above the other. All these temples were built around 8th Century A.D to 11th Century A.D.

The Hemadpanthi Temples are divided into three parts the entry is called Sabha Mandap, the middle portion is Antrayal and the last is called the Gabhara.

The entrance to Gabhara (the carvings)

Another important way to recognize the Hemadpanthi Temple is the carvings on the entrance to Gabhara. There are a fixed set of carvings starting with ‘Toran’ on the innermost lining then the ‘Anand Sthar’ followed by ‘Kalash’ and lastly the carvings of ‘Vyaal’. Vyaal is an old animal, presently extinct but its said that tiger (Vagh) in its present form has evolved from Vyaal. The Anand Sthar is generally depicted on the entrance of the Gabhara or in the later stages of the carvings is on the Pillars of the temple. But Anand Sthar is most important part of Hemadpanthi Temple and has to be there in each and every temple built in the style of Hemadpanthi.

Temples around the Lake

After the initial discourse about Hemadpanthi temples we moved on to the next Ram Temple. The idol of Lord Ram is relatively new and is said to be placed by the locals. It is said that Lord Ram performed the last rites of his Father, King Dashrath at this lake. This temple is a nice place for meditation. Another speciality of this temple is that if any person standing in the Antrayal, one can see 7 shadows of the person standing. Our guide Anand Mishra also showed us the magnetic effect in the rocks by placing the compass on the floor and moving the compass on the rock. It was like magic, the compass changed the direction of north/ south. Leaving this temple we moved to the next temples, the Vagh-Mahadev Mandir, Bhor Mahadev Mandir and then to Kamlji Devi Mandir. The Kamlji Devi Mandir is the biggest of the temple at Lonar Lake. We took a little rest at this temple and enjoyed some light snacks and moved ahead to the other temples such as Ambarkhana Mahadev Mandir, Mungla Mahadev Mandir.

Shukracharya Shala

On the last lap of the temple visits we first sat at the temple which is called Shukracharya Shala (School of Shukracharya). It is said that at this place Shukracharya performed many yagnas and the hill adjoining this temple is called Bhasmachi Tekdi (hill of ashes). This temple is also an excellent spot for meditation. We all again spent a few minutes meditating and felt fresh and refreshing after a long walk around the lake. The rareness of this temple is that the sabhamandap is circular in shape as compared to the rectangle or square. The roof is also kept open which gives way to the stars for the person studying astronomy. This was made in view of the fact that Shukracharya used to study astronomy and astrology for which the open sky can be viewed from the temple. Just besides this temple one can hear a sweet noise of free flowing water which comes from the top of the hill adjoining the temple. This water continuously flows in the lake. On climbing the top we got overselves refreshed in the Sita-nahni and the whole group enjoyed themselves in the free flowing water at Sita-nahni.

Bio-Diversity at Lonar

The crater is rich in Bio-Diversity housing diverse population of flora and fauna. Home to variety of animal species and birds, most found are peacock, black crane, lizards, red wattled lapwing (tittwi), dung bettles, owls, millipedes, squirrels, langur monkeys, etc. Among the fauna you can find custard apple, eucalyptus, lemon grass, bamboo, teak, ram-fal, sitafal and many other trees can be seen.

The bio-diversity of the flora and fauna is divided into 5 parts. The First being area outside the crater, then slope of the crater comprises the second part, the flat land at the base of the slope is the third part, the muddy area around the lake is the fourth part and the fifth and last part being the lake part.

On the slopes you can see the trees of sitafal. These trees have survived for long as the cows, goats don’t eat the leaves of this tree. The forest Department has planted trees like teak, nilgiri, banayan, coconut, mango, etc. thus adding to the fauna around the lake.

The water in the lake has a very high salinity level of around 10 to 10.5 PH, which does not allow any marine life to survive inside the lake.

From Lonar we proceeded to our next destination the Verul Caves but Lonar still lingered on our minds and in our memories forever.

It’s a treat to be able to visit such a place for any nature lover or trekker and having achieved it once in our lifetime we are happy and content that one more place is off the bucket list.

Trek to Dhak Plateau Karjat Region-(704 meters/2309 feet)

28th June 2009 was the date decided to trek Dhak Plateau and we all were very excited about it. First, as not many trekking groups trek the village of Dhak and second, the description we got from our recce group who trekked Dhak was just too cool. Paddy cultivation at a height of 704 meters/2309 feet above sea level is just unimagineable. Paddy cultivations are synonymous with the coastal areas so we decided to trek it soon after the advent of the monsoon.

We all met at Dadar station at 0545 hrs sharp and caught the 0559 hrs slow train to Karjat. Some who were supposed to join us from Ghatkopar and Thane joined in and now the compartment started to get noisy. We could hear talks about treks people have done earlier, their experiences and some genuine queries by first time trekkers. The group was a wonderful mix of first time trekkers and seasoned one. We reached Karjat at 0806 hrs we went straight to a restaurant for our routine pit stop. After all this we proceeded to the base village of Vadap. From here it takes you around two and a half to three hours to reach the village of Dhak.

The start is real hectic one. Just as you get out of Vadap, you are greeted with a nice steep rocky patch. But this is the only patch that will make you feel tired. After reaching on the top of the patch the view you get just gives you an impression of what lies in store for you ahead. After taking routine stops for water, we kept movin on. After around an hour we came across a flat table land where we could see a nice small hut built. Everybody thought of taking rest there, but that would have delayed our climb so we gave up the idea and proceeded ahead. We were accompanied by 2 small kids from Dhak village who came to Vadap to get household stuffs. They offered us a place to rest at the village and we all were very happy about it. The kids took us through the entire trek.










After trekking for another half an hour we reached a spot where we could see huge trees covering the path ahead. Wowwwww the view was just breathtaking and suddenly we could hear the shutterbugs clicking. Many also clinged to the branches and relived the childhood swings. When we get out of this area we are greeted with the plateau of Dhak. You come across a temple on the left hand side. Wherever your sight will reach what you see is just the paddy fields. As rains had just begun, the shades of green were a lot soothing. They just made us forget the fatigue we experienced for nearly 3 hours. The village is a nice little hamlet with a well at the begining. You also see a school, many houses around.




















Everything is so beautiful about this place, but life is not so leisure here. There are no chances of constructing motorable road to the village which makes it very difficult to reach this place. Also if there is any emergency (incase of medical help) people have to go down the whole route which is time consuming. Also the school which is there has not seen any teachers for the past many months. And as the elections had just got over, there was solar panels to be seen which might be a medium to woo voters. Can we imagine to come across such a place in independent progressing India? This gave all of us a thought of doing something for this village.

After washing ourselves, we all opened our tiffins and started to gulp down stuffs we had got along with us. We were also served with the typical Bhakri, chutney and raw onions. Sluurrrppppp was what everyone did that time. After resting for sometime it was time for us to get back and we started our trail back. As usual nobody was in the mood to get back but we had no options but to get back. Though this was a wonderful trek, it also made us aware about the problems faced by the villagers which we urbanites might not be even aware of. We all are planning to start off with some mission, but its a humble request to all blog readers if you have any idea that can help us or you would like to help us out in our mission do feel free to get in touch with us. Lets all get together and make a difference in their lives.

Rangna gad / Prasidhagad, A Jungle Fort. (770 Mts)

When I heard that YHAI, Mumbai Unit is planning a trek to Rangna Fort, I quickly googled the net to find out more information about this Fort. But I found nothing. It was bit surprising for me that no one has till now written anything about this fort on any of the websites. I immediately thought there was a need to visit this fort and also to know more about it. So I decided to explore in the history of this fort and also the Shilahar dynasty which built it.

We will have to know a few details of the Shilahar Dynasty, so lets start with the History of Shilahar Dynasty. The family-name Shilahara (meaning food on a rock) is supposed to have been derived from this incident. It is said that the Shilahars are of Afghan origin, as Silar Kafirs are still found in Afghanistan. But the "Ayya" used in the names of almost all their ministers and the un-Sanskritic names of some of the Chiefs favour the view that they were of southern Indian or Dravidian origin. The Shilaharas of South Konkan were the feudatories of Rashtrakutas. The Shilahar Dynasty ruled the region around present-day Mumbai between 810 and 1240. They were split into three branches; one branch ruled North Konkan, the second South Konkan (between 765 to 1029), while the third ruled what is now known as modern districts of Satara, Kolhapur and Belgaon between 940 to 1215 after which they were overwhelmed by the Chalukya. Now coming back to Rangna, this fort was built by King Mahamandleshwar Bhoj of Shilahar Dynasty around 1187. After being defeated by Chalukya, the fort passed on from one king to another. After Chalukya came the Bahamani King Mohammed Gavan who conquered the fort around 1470 A.D. Then it was passed on to Adilshah till 1658. In the year 1659, Shivaji Maharaj captured this fort. However Adilshah managed to re-capture it in year 1666 but could not hold it for more than few months and Shivaji Maharaj re-conquered it back. Shivaji Maharaj being fully aware of the importance of this fort repaired the fort with a view to strengthen the fort and the region surrounding this fort. Shivaji Maharaj after conquring this Fort renamed it as Prasidhgad. It is said that Shivaji Maharaj spent 6,000 Hon. (a currency prevalent during Shivaji Maharaj’s regime). This fort does not have much wars or historic battles to be told of.

The Map of Fort

This triangular fort overlooks the Konkan region and also the Kolhapur belt. Shivaji Maharaj when captured the fort understood the importance of this fort and spent a considerable amount on repairs of this important but an unknown fort due to passage of time. From this fort one can see the whole Konkan region till Seashore to Saharpa. Thus you can imagine the importance this fort had during the old times.

This trek was planned during the month of August, 2009. This year there had been less rains and Mumbai was facing water cuts in monsoons. All of us were doubtful if we could enjoy the streams, the fog and the mesmerizing monsoon weather.

We started our journey on Friday night, reached Kankavli around 0800 hrs next day. After having breakfast and taking the food supplies for lunch, we reached the base village of the fort, Narur. The village is small around 20 odd houses made of mud and tiles. It is a peaceful village. The Village boast of the small Temple of Mahalaxmi. The idol of the deity is beautiful and made of black rock.

Mahalaxmi Temple at Narur

After paying our respects to the deity, we started our trek around 1300 hrs. The group was a mixture of oldies and new fellows. The leader was the oldest and most experienced of the lot. There were two retired guys who had not trekked for a long time and we had to wait for them to catch their breath but all of us were enjoying the trek and the shutterbugs were constantly clicking.

Dense Forests

The route was a jungle trail through a reserved forest. The rains were like ‘Shravan Sari’ and that kept the temperatures down to some extent and also helped us in climbing the fort. It was one of the best climb we had done in the recent times. The route didn’t had any garbage and rubbish which was a sign that very few people visit this fort. We didn’t find a single plastic bag or even a single gutkha packet. The Jungle was dense and there was no chance that sunrays could creep inside the forest.

The view from top

When we reached near the base of the fort we could see the forest area below. Nearly 2-3 Mountains were covered by the forest. It was lush green valley with full of trees and creepers and the monsoon weather added to its beauty with the mist and rains in the adjoining hills. The monsoons gave showed us the various shades of green color. It was most beautiful forest I had seen in recent times.

After taking a break we continued our route to reach the fort. On reaching the fort we came under the wrath of heavy rains and had to rush to the temple. We crossed 2 doors while reaching the temple of Rangnaidevi. The Doors as you can see were fully covered with Trees and weeds and were harming the ancient structure. I hope Archeological Survey of India looks into these structures too.

It was a small temple at the enterance of the Mahadarwaja. The Hanuman Temple besides the Rangnaidevi Mandir is in a dilapidated state. On our route to temple we saw two water tanks. One was filled with clean water and other was muddy water. We also crossed a stream which goes down the fort to form a waterfall.

Rangnaidevi Temple and Hanuman Temple.

On reaching the temple we waited for the rains to stop and immediately pitched our tent. The first and foremost thing was to make something to eat as we were famished due to the long trek. After having tea and snacks we got down to some round of talks with our fellow trekkers.

We also had company on the fort as another group of trekkers from Belgaum visited the fort. They told us that they had climbed the fort from Gargoti Village near Kolhapur. This fort thus can be climbed from Kolhapur. It is around 50-55 Kms from Kolhapur and one has to walk a lot of distance to reach this fort. The East-west side of the fort is 475 Feet long and the North- South side is around 2200 feet long.

Sleeping in tent was also exciting for us. We were able to hear the frogs croaking and noise made by the free flowing streams. We immediately fell to sleep in that musical environment.

Our Tent

We were woken up by our fellow trekkers at 500 hrs next morning who had been to attend natures’ call and lost their way due to heavy fog. After being awakened we too resumed to our duties so that we were able to leave the fort by 800 hrs. Though all of us were hesitant to leave the fort but we had no alternatives. Each one of us wished we could stay another day to see the fort in detail. But due to paucity of time we had to move. But nothing could have stopped us from taking pictures of the fort on our way to village Narur.

The Lake at the top of Fort

The waterfall seen from Rangna

For many of us this was the first time they had been trekking in Konkan region and we enjoyed our first trek thoroughly. So all of us were excited to hear when the leader told us that he would be taking another trek in Konkan region soon. But this time it would be to Songad and the adjoining fort Bhairavgad.

Lohagad 3,450 feet (1,052 m)

Lohagad is one fort which you can easily spot while you are traveling from Mumbai to Pune. As a trekker the fort attracts you with the sound fortifications and its historical background. This fort is exactly in center of two river basins i.e. of Indrayni and Pawna.

History of Lohagad
Lohagad can be said to be one of the oldest forts in Maharashtra. Lohagad has a long history and various dynasties ruled this fort. This fort is said to have been built sometime around the period of the great Satavahanas, the Andhra Kings who ruled Central and Southern India during the period 200 B.C. The Satavahanas ruled for nearly 200-300 years and are architects for some of forts in Maharashtra. The fort there after exchanged by many dynasties such as Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas, Bahamanis, Nizamshahis, Mughals and Marathas. The Nizamshah captured this fort in around 1564. This fort then passed on to Chhatrapati Shivaji in the year 1648 but he was forced to surrender it to the Mugals during the Purandar treaty. However, he recaptured the fort on 16th May, 1670 and was with Maratha Empire till the last Peshwa. It is said that the fort was used by Netaji Palkar to keep the treasure captured when Shivaji Maharaj invaded Surat. In the year 1713, Shahu Maharaj handed the fort to an able lieutenant, Kanhoji Angre. The fort was handed over to Peshwas in the year 1720 by the Angres. In the year 1789, Nana Phadnvis repaired and gave a new life to the fort. Nana Phadvis during the repair constructed big water tank which is till date known as ‘Solakoni talav’. The foundation stone is also engraved near the water tank. Nana Phadnavis breathed his last on this fort in 1800. In 1803, this fort was then captured by the Britishers. The Peshwa Bajirao II re-captured this fort. But the joy could not last long as the Britishers immediately captured Visapur and Marathas had to vacate the fort the very next day. The Britishers army camp was at Lohagad till 1845.

We had heard that there is a road, which reaches Lohagadwadi, which is at the base of the fort. However, we planned not to take that route and decided to go via Bhaje village which is near the Malavli Station(originally known as Karle). We saw the Bhaja Caves, which are on the left hand side of the route to Lohagad.

Visapur Fort

Lohagad and the Famous Vinchukata

After a walk of 15 minutes we were able to see the two forts Lohagad on the right and Visapur on the left. It was mid June and the rains were yet to set in. It had been a long and tiring summer. But to our luck there were some cloud formations and we could witness some cloudy weather around Lohagad.

The Lohagad at our First Pit Stop

Our first halt was near the base of a big fortification. We had a refreshing Lemon drink and proceeded further to Lohagadwadi.

The Pauna Valley

Now we were able to get a clear view of the fortifications of Lohagad on our way up to the fort. We were also able to see the beautiful Pauna valley. The valley was beautiful, even though the monsoons were not in full swing. We all dreamt of the time when the valley would be lush green and the Pauna Dam will be full of water.

The Fortifications near Ganesh Darwaja

Ganesh Darwaja

As we came near the Ganesh Darwaja (door) we were astonished to see the fortifications, which are standing tall even after the onslaught of weather for hundreds of years. It is said that a member of Savle family was sacrificed at the fortifications near this Darwaja and in return the Savle Family were declared as ‘Patil’ for the Lohagadwadi village.

The Zig-zag Fortifications

Narayan Darwaja

Some more beautiful Fortifications


After a zig-zag road we reached the next Darwaja which is the Narayan Darwaja, this Darwaja is built by Nana Phadanvis. There is a small godown near the door where foodgrains used to be stored. The next to be encountered is the Hanuman Darwaja, which is the oldest of all the Darwajas on Lohagad.

The Mahadarwaja

The last but not the least the Mahadarwaja is the main entrance to the fort. There are carvings of Lord Hauman on this darwaja. The repair work on this Darwaja is also done by Nana Phadanvis from 1st November, 1790 to 19th July, 1794. On entering the Mahadarwaja you set eyes on the Big Darga or Mosque. Near the Darga is the place for the Killedar to discuss some political issues with his trusted people (Sadar). There is a small but beautiful temple of Lord Shiva on the balle killa (citadel). There is also the remains of the iron factory or Loharkhana near the Darga. Hence this is the reason as to why this fort is called Lohagad. On the right hand side of the Mosque is the Flag post. There is a cannon near the Flag post, which is firmly fixed to the ground. On the right hand side of the Flagpost you can find some caves. The caves are good enough to halt for the night. But you need to be careful as it’s a home ground for the bats. As we proceeded towards the famous Vinchukata, we saw some marvelous tanks and one of them is called as Sola Koni taki. Though it was dry we were amazed by the size and construction of the water tank. There were numerous water tanks on the fort. The tanks ensured that there was enough water throughout the year.

Vinchukata and the route to Vinchukata (above)

On the left side of the water tank we saw the first view of the famous ‘Vinchukata’. It means the scorpions Tail in Marathi. The route to Vinchukata is pretty difficult one and we had to be very careful in climbing down to the vinchukata. Vinchukata is about 1500 meters long and 30 meters broad. The view of Vinchukata is marvelous and we were at loss of words when we all set our foot on Vinchukata. Vinchukata surely reminds us of Sanjeevani Maachi at Rajgad. The view from Vinchukata was simply superb and you can easily understand that Vinchukata was more used during the olden times to keep a view on the surrounding area below the fort. One can see an area upto 25-30 miles from Vinchukata which covers Lonavala – Khandala. If the weather is clear, on the right hand side from Vinchukata you can see Rajmachi. Thus in the olden times this fort was of strategic importance as this fort along with Visapur fort was like a big wall to protect the Deccan from the invader coming from Konkan. This may be one of the reasons for the number of Buddist Caves in this region. The Karle, Bhaje and Bhedse Caves are very near to Lohagad. Near Rajmachi are the Kondana Caves, thus the Buddhist felt that this area was secure from the invaders with the forts like Lohagad and Visapur around.

After a delicious Lunch we proceeded back to our bus. On the way we could see Visapur Fort right in front of us as if hinting us to come for a second innings in this region.

Rajmachi - the King of Citadels

RAJMACHI

The place reminds me of my wonderful experiences when I was just one trek old and was beginning to cultivate my passion for treks. I still remember I had been to this place when I was in XII i.e. (April, 1994). I had been to Rajmachi a couple of times after that year but was not able to roam around the place as I did during my first trip to Rajmachi.

I got a chance to visit Rajmachi in June this year as there was a group planning to visit Rajmachi in early June, 2009.

I took the opportunity for trekking to Rajmachi my only concern was the rains, which had not reached Mumbai till 5th June and were expected to reach anytime. But I took the risk to visit Rajmachi. I reached Lonavla around 5.30 p.m. The organizers of the trek had told us to that we would be having an early dinner and then would proceed to Rajmachi.

Around 9.30 p.m., after dinner we proceeded towards Rajmachi. The group was big and there were some new comers too. So the speed was going to be slow. Even though it was night trek due to the new comers we were taking constant breaks. The weather was not too cold but it was pleasant for trekking. One thing I realized that the route has changed drastically due to the new hotels coming up around Lonavla and since all the spots near the Mumbai-Pune Highway are already taken up, the new hotels are coming up the nearest hills by cutting the trees and destroying the environment around Lonavla. The worst was that even the usual Trekking route was being converted into a 2 lanes road till the hotels and the hotels have even taken to laying of paver-blocks on the route for vehicles to ply by. Even as we were walking to Rajmachi we could hear the loud music coming from the hotels nearby.

After a walk of around 2 hours we were finally out of the reach of music sound from the hotels and were left to watch the nature around us. The first thing, which drew our attention, was the fireflies, which too were enjoying the Saturday night by parting around trees. It was a wonderful site to see with fireflies clustered around the tree and it looked like a festive season with lighting during Diwali.

We progressed slowly towards Rajmachi enjoying the view around us. The route was a bit rough with stones and pebbles hitting most of us and with night the life was tougher. On the left we could see the fort at a distance but there was a big valley, which separated us from the twin citadels. After some time we felt as if we left the fort far behind and moved across the route in jungle but after a walk of another half hour we could again see the first citadel, Shrivardhan. But it was still another half an hour walk to the village. This is one of the most boring route to trek as u just pass by the citadel but for us to reach the base village we need to walk another half an hour.

After a numerous halts, we finally reached Rajmachi around 2.30 a.m. and we immediately hit the bed as all of us were tired. The weather during the night was cold and chilly. We all got up around 5.30 a.m. and ready to climb the two forts which now can be viewed properly and the enthusiastic trekkers were already clicking snaps on the first glimpse of the fort.

Rajmachi comprises of two citadels (Bale killa) Manaranjan and Shrivardhan. Manranjan overlooks the Konkan and Shreevardhan overlooks the Deccan Plateau. The Forts were basically meant as watchtowers overlooking a wide area of Sahyadris. Towards the west of Manaranjan are the Ulhas River and the Sahyadri Ranges, which protects this citadel. One can see the Dukes Nose and the adjoining Range of Sahyadris. Towards the north side of the forts very near you can view the Dhak fort and the Bahiri pinnacle. The Other forts one can see from here are Manikgad, Karnala, Irsal and Prabalgad. Lohagad is in the east and Koyrigad is in the south of Rajmachi.

The valley surrounding these citadels is just 1 km wide so if any enemy attacks these forts it would be very difficult for the enemy to camp around the fort. The flip side of this is that the camping by the enemy would result in blocking all the routes from this fort.

This Fort may be built around Satavahana Dynasty rule in South-Central India(Satavahanas ruled around 200 BC). It has been standing firmly since then and has witnessed the era of Chalukya, Rashtrakut, Yadav, Kadamb, Bahamani, Adilshahi, Shivshahi and Peshwas.

The Manaranjan Fort (Rajmachi)
The fortifications at Manaranjan

We first visited Manranjan (about 2700 ft. ASL) as it was nearest to the village Udhewadi that is the base village for the Forts. It was a 10 min climb to the fort.

The Killedar's Residence on Manaranjan

This fort has very less structures. There are around 2-3 Water Tanks. One big water tank supplies water to the village. Other tanks are dry around this time of the year. There is only one structure on the fort and it looks more like Killedar’s residence or the place of meeting on the Fort. The roof of the structure has collapsed but the walls are still standing firmly inspite of the weather onslaught for all these years. One can easily see the Trains plying on the Mumbai –Pune Railway track from this fort. One gets a very sad feeling when you visit the forts in Maharashtra, the forts are in shambles and the Government (Central and State) and Archeological Survey of India has been neglecting all the Forts in Maharashtra. The Government has 50 Crores to allocate for building a new Museum in Sea but has very little or no funds to cater to these old forts which protected our ancestors from the attacks by Muslims and Christian invaders. After a walk around the Manaranjan fort we decided to move along to Shrivardhan.

The Temple Bhairoba

The valley between the two forts is 300-400 Meters wide and a small temple of Bhairoba is situated in this Valley. The temple has 3 Deepmalas and some old ancient carvings. After praying for a few moments in the temple, we moved towards Shreevardhan.

Shreevardhan

The Balle-killa at Shreevardhan

Shreevardhan (around 3000 ft ASL) is the second and the tallest citadel amongst the two citadels of Rajmachi. This route to this citadel is not an easy one and you don’t seem to realize that you have reached the Mahadwar till you actually pass by it. This fort covers a wide area of covering Deccan Plateau. The fort is built at the pinnacle of one of the peaks in Rajmachi, so that one can view the movements of the downhill region. The view from the fort is breathtaking with wide greenish landscape and undulating hilly terrains. This fort runs parallel to Manaranjan fort. It’s called Shreevardhan as you can view the Sun (Shri) rise from this fort.

Chilkhati Buruj

The fortification of this small fort has a different architecture and cannot be seen on other forts in Maharashtra. The Chilkhati Buruj (Armored fortifications) is the specialty and needs to be seen by every fort lover. There are two such Chilkhati Burujs on the fort. The motive behind building the Chilkhati buruj is that the enemy who attacks the fort will try to destroy these fortifications to gain entry into this fort as the point where these Chilkhati buruj is built is on the lower side of the Fort and are likely to be attacked first. So even if this wall falls due to bombarding of canons the enemy will be surprised to see another fortification inside the outer covering. There are two exits or entry points between two walls of the Chilkhati Buruj. This entry/exit is not easily accessible and only one person can come inside at a time. So this destroys the strategy of the enemy to gain an easy entrance inside the fort. The Fort has a nice small water tank, which is inside the rock, covering most of the part of the water tank and keeps the water cool even during summer. There are a numerous other tanks that are filled with water. A beautiful view of Shirote Lake in the east can be seen from Fort Shreevardhan. Water from this lake is used by Tata Power Companies at their hydroelectric power generation station at Khopoli.

After a four hour-long tour around the forts, we moved on towards the ancient temple that was excavated by the villagers. The ancient temple dates back to around 1000 years old; it has a small water tank at the main entrance of the temple. The entry inside the temple makes you feel pleasant and soothing. The rock built structure keeps the temperature inside the temple cool for the devotees to pray even during the summers. There is an old water tank near this temple and the plaque inside the tank suggests the tank was built around 1712 by one Deshmukh family from Danda-Rajapuri.

The Ancient Temple of Lord Shiva

How Rajmachi was important even during the Olden Times?
The routes around Bhorghat connected the Konkan and the Deccan Plateau and hence were mostly used by traders. Rajmachi used to be an important strategic fort that used to control these routes in the olden days and maintain peace in the areas surrounding these forts. Hence, even Buddhist have built caves around this region which dates back to 200 B.C and are popularly known as Kondana Caves.

After having a small and early lunch we decided to leave, but the lunch was making us sleepy and everyone wished we could have slept a little but we needed to catch the train by 5 p.m. at Karjat so with lazy legs we decided to move towards Kondivde village to catch rickshaw.

As we proceeded through the tricky way down to Kondana village we could feel the heat and the halts became a constant affair and participants were empting the bottles inspite of the warnings given by the group leader. The heat was killing and there were very few trees to cover the heat. So as soon as the group entered the shade it was time to halt. The heat in the month of June exhausts you the most. After a long tiring journey of 3 hours or so we finally reached Kondana village. After filling our water bottles, we proceeded to Kondivde village. By now the trek was as good as over so before leaving I just turned back to see the most exhausting route we climbed down and I saw Manranjan fort standing tall in the ranges as if still guarding the villages down below.

A Trip down memory lane with Shivsaahir Babasaheb Purandhare

Trip to Shivneri, with Lenyadri and Ozar was not at all a trekking expedition but it was a magnificent opportunity for all those who respect and adore Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and also a lifetime event to hear it all from Shivsahir Babasaheb Purandare. The name Shivshahir Babasaheb Purandare is known to the whole of Maharashtra for his extensive knowledge on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. So when I read the advertisement of Sachin Travel regarding their plan to Shivneri I just couldn’t miss the golden chance.

I (Ganesh Nabar) along with a friend (Mangesh Dhaimade) enrolled us to the program of Lenyadri, Ozar and Shivneri. It was a two-day program starting on 10^th of April and ending on 11^th of April. The places to be visited were in the Taluka Junnar (Junna Nagar as it was called earlier).

We were informed at the beginning of the trip that after having lunch at Lenyadri we would proceeded to Ozar (which is one of the Ashtavinyak Temple). After our return from Ozar we would have to climb to the Temple of Lenyadri. Lenyadri is also one of the famous Eight Ganpati (Ashtavinyak) Temples in Maharashtra. We were also informed that Babasaheb Purandare will have a discussion with us in the evening before our visit to Shivneri Fort. This was something in addition to Babasaheb Purandare accompanying us to Shivneri. So all of us were excited to see Babasaheb Purandare and more than that were more thrilled to hear the historic stories about Shivaji Maharaj.

Our trip started at 7.30 a.m. in the morning from Shivaji Park. We had a small breakfast at the outskirts of Kalyan and proceeded towards Lenyadri via Murbad, Malshej road. On the way we could see many historic places like Naneghat, Harishchandragad etc.

We reached Lenyadri just in time for our lunch. Getting out of the bus for the first time we felt the sun hitting down upon us and could feel the intensity of the summer. But we didn’t mind the heat, as we were more excited to hear Babasaheb speak.

After lunch we immediately proceeded to Ozar, which is around 10 Kms from Junnar. The idol of Shri Vighneshwar was appealing and pleasant. The temple surroundings were also neat and kept clean.Ashtavinayak Temple at Ozar

The temple is famous for its Deepmala. The Kukdi River flows near the temple and people may find time for some boating in this river during the evenings. After the darshan of Vighneshwar and a small arti we proceeded towards Girijatmaja Ganpati at Lenyadri.

Deepmala at Ozar

The Ashtavinyak temple at Lenyadri is the only temple situated in the hills and is around 5 kms from Junnar.

Caves at Lenyadri seen from below

Girijatmaja Vinayak's temple is in the 8th of 18 Buddhist caves and the temple cave is known as Ganesh Gufa. It is located on a mountain, and one has to climb around 300 steps to reach the top. In front of the main mandir there is a large hall. The main mandir hall is 7 feet high and has 6 stone pillars with cows, elephants and other animals carved on them. Girijatmaja's idol faces east and is carved out of the stone wall of the cave.

Girijatmaja Idol at Lenyadri

We started our climb at around 4.30 p.m. We could climb to the temple within 25 minutes. The Climb was exhausting on account of the summer and everyone of us were feeling thirsty. Even the monkeys who stayed around the hills could feel the temperatures rising and were snatching the water bottles, coconuts and grapes from the hands of devotes. The Devotes had to be very careful in carrying the bottles to the temple and even while climbing down and we could hear lots of screams and shouts from the devotes who were climbing up the temple and were taken completely by surprise when the monkeys pounced on the bottles.

A Mineral Water Thirsty Monkey

On reaching th e dormitory, we relaxed for around an hour or so before we were informed that the Chief Guest of the program, Shivsahir Babasaheb Purandare will be reaching the venue in another 10 minutes. We immediately sprung in action and ran to catch the first seats to hear the learned man speak. The organizers informed us that it would be an informal chat session with Babasaheb Purandare and we were free to clarify our doubts. But before we could do, Babasaheb gave us an idea of the area we were staying.

Babasaheb at Lenyadri

He said that it was like straight out of some Bollywood or a Hollywood flick where the greatest of the enemies (Aurangzeb and Shivaji Maharaj) spent their childhood in same area/ Locality i.e. Junnar. Babasaheb was speaking clearly but from the voice we could understand that the age had taken toll on the great man. He continued to tell us that it was in 1620 A.D. when Shahjahan with his wife Mumtaz Mahal and 2 year old son Aurangazeb sought refuge of Nizamshah, who had his capital in Ahmednagar, after revolting from his father Jahangir, the Emperor at that time. Aurangzeb spent 3 years of his childhood period in Junnar at a place called Happshi Baug (presently know as Hapus Baug). Little did he know at that time that his greatest enemy would be born in a fort just a few miles away.

After a brief introduction about Junnar, the participants were called upon to ask their queries about History and Shivaji Maharaj. It was the most wonderful experience hearing Babasaheb speak. It was like he had so much to tell about Shivaji Maharaj and all we could do is to hear him speak. One of the Participants inquired about the dispute about the date of birth of Shivaji Maharaj. Babasaheb Purandare replied that the date is calculated from the Horoscope of Shivaji Maharaj which was found in Rajasthan. He informed us that the Astrologer Vyas had accompanied Mirza Raje Jaisingh when he came down to Maharashtra to defeat Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Astrologers always have a habit of studying the horoscopes of all the great men and may be out of curiosity Astrologer Vyas may have studied the Horoscope of Shivaji Maharaj. The Historians visited the native place of Astrologer Vyas where his descendants live. All the documents compiled by astrologer vyas were kept neatly by his descendents and hence the historians could find the horoscope of Shivaji Maharaj. The date of Birth which was as per Hindu Calendar in the horoscope and when matched with English Calendar the Historians found the date 19^th February, 1630 as the date of Birth of Shivaji Maharaj. We hardly could realise how time flew and now it was dinner time. The dinner too was delicious and more fitting to the place we were staying (Zhunka-Bhakar with Mirchicha thecha……sluuurrrrppppp).

It was pretty hot at this point of year and we could barely sleep and to top it all there was load-shedding for 15 minutes to play a spoil sport.

The next day inspite of insufficient sleep we were ready and fresh to climb Shivneri fort, the birth place of Shivaji Maharaj and to hear Babasaheb. Around 8.30 we reached at the foot of Shivneri which was around 8-9 Kms from Lenyadri.

Map of Shivneri Fort

On the climb to the fort we encountered Mahadarwaja, Ganesh Darwaja, Hatti Darwaja, Mena Darwaja, Kulup Darwaja besides a couple of water tanks. There was a small Shivling carved inside the rock near the water tanks near Hatti Darwaja. The stone built route lead us to the main fort.

On reaching the main fort we could see 3 to 4 structures. We were told to be seated inside a hall which had pleasing statues of Jijabai and Shivaji Maharaj. Babasaheb Purandare had already reached the spot for his discourse.

Babasaheb started telling tales of this Triangular fort. Babasaheb stated that this fort is situated in the vicinity of Bhimashankar, Lenyadri, Ozar, Nane Ghat, Mahuli, Jivdhan, Bhairavgad, Chawand, Narayangad, Hadsar. It is surrounded by various forts as well has a few sacrad and religious places around it. The Fort is seperated from the main range of Sahyadris. The construction of this fort may have been started during the Satvahan era. Thereafter Babasaheb went on to tell us as to Why Shahaji Raje selected this fort for the birth of Shivaji Maharaj?

Shivneri Fort, it is one of the most strongest of the Fort in Maharashtra with sound Fortifications and bastallions (Tat ani Buruj). To reach the main Fort (balle Killa) the enemy has to cross 7 big Doors and the most important was the Killedar who was a relative of Shahaji Raje. Besides, Shivneri was a very tough fort to win, so tough that even Shivaji Maharaj was not able to win it after making three attempts. The Fort even now has some structures like Kamani Masjid, the place where Shivaji Maharaj was born (though Babasaheb disputed and said that this must be the place where the Killedar or the King used to call for Darbar, but he added that the place where Shivaji Maharaj was born was somewhere nearby), the Fountain structures still exisit, the Hamamkhana, Badami Talao, Kadelotacha Burj (from where capital punishment used to by given to culprits), Shivai Temple, the Buddhist Caves, etc. Talking about the Buddhist Caves, these Caves are situated on the south, east and west side of Shivneri and have 3 Chaityagruha, 78 Vihars, 3 common rooms and 60 water tanks. After paying respects to Shivai devi, we visited the Buddhist Caves on the South side of the fort, which had a Chaityagruha. The other common room had a Foundation stone which mentioned the name of the community which donated for building the Bhojanmandap (lunch room).

The Structures on ShivneriBuddhist Caves at Shivneri

Now, we started realising that our messmerising trip with Babasaheb was coming to an end. With heavy hearts we returned back from Shivneri to Lenyadri for Lunch. But the events kept rolling in front of our eyes. It was like a dream come true to both of us and would surely treasure this memory as one of the most valuable moments of our life.