Trek Buddies

Heritage of Karnataka....PART I

2011-01-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

Since 2009, Youth Hostels Association of India, Mumbai Unit had started a new intiative of arranging a trip to some historic destinations or destination which are not typical which the tour operators arrange. Last year it was the Lonar, Ajanta & Verul (Ellora). This year we all were eager to know where is Youth Hostel’s Mumbai Unit taking us.

When the program was announced during early June, we saw the last program in October, 2010 as ‘Heritage of Karnataka’. The program didn’t give much idea as to what was in store for us during the 10 days of program starting from 2^nd Oct to 10^th Oct.

Mr. Sanjay Ghosh who manages the program then gave us a fair idea of the Heritage of Karnataka program. In Karnataka there are two World Heritage Sites FIRST being HAMPI and SECOND being at PATTADAKKAL. Apart from these two sites we will be visiting other important sites in Karnataka which will give us an overview of the culture, Architecture, dynasties of Karnataka.

Our first halt was in Bangalore. Bangalore is anglicized version of Bengaluru, which is the name of the town in Kannada language. The city was formed around 1000 years back. There is a inscription found which refers about the battle fought in Bengaluru in 890. We paid our respects to the Bull temple in Bangalore and moved towards the next destination.

Our next destination was Hasan which was around 186 Kms from Bangalore. Hasan proved to be the centre point from where we were going to visit some of the important places such as Shravanbelagola, Belur and Halebidu, in South Karnataka.

In ancient times when Hindus ruled India before the Muslims or even the Christens set foot on to the soil, the Kings followed two sects Vaishnav and Shaiva. Vaishnav stands for followers of Vishnu and Shaiva stands for followers of Shiva. All the carvings, temples in Karnataka are based on what sect the rulers followed during those days. Sometimes there is a mixture of both the sects as well as influence of Jainism in the carvings.

We kicked off the trip from Hasan to visit Shravanbelagola first, which is the pilgrimage place for Jains. Shravanbelagola is famous for 57 feet monolithic statue of Bhagwan Gomateshwara Bahubali. It is considered to be the world’s largest Monolithic statue.

The Monolithinc structure of Lord Gomateshwara and the View of pond and Chandragiri taken from Vindhyagiri

The carvings around the Statue

The town gets its name from the white pond of Sravana or the Jain Monk. The derivation of the word 'Belagola' appears to have been from the two Kannada words Bel (white) and Kola (pond) in allusion to the beautiful pond in the middle of the town.

The Town is situated in between 2 hills:

Chandragiri: The last shruta-kevali, Bhadrabahu Swami, and his pupil, Chandragupta Maurya (formerly the King), is believed to have meditated there. Emperor Ashok, the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya is said to have originally built the Chandragupta basadi in 3^rd Century.

Vindyagiri: This hill has the monolithic statue of Bhagwan Gometeshwara Bahubali. This large structure is said to have been constructed by Chamundaraya, a general of King Gangaraya. The base of the statue has various inscriptions in Kannada, Tamil and Marathi.

The stepped climb the hill takes you to the monolithic statue of Lord Gomateshwar. There are few carvings on the pillars and rock around in Shravanbelagola. The Carvings depict the nature which the artists saw around the hill in those times.

After spending nearly half a day at Shravanbelagola we moved towards Belur. Belur was the early capital of Hoysala Empire.

We reached Belur around 1.30 p.m. and we were amazed to see the huge gopuram (entrance). As we entered the temple Complex the guide told us to first enter the temple pay respects to Lord Chinnakeshava (Handsome Vishnu) as after 2 p.m. the doors of inner sanctum shall close of devotes.

The Gopuram, the temple premises and Lord Chinnakeshava

The main attraction is the Lord Chinnakeshava Temple(built by King Vishnuvardhana) at the centre of the complex and there are two more shrines and a stepped pushkarni on the right hand side of the entrance. The temple is an example of Hoysala Architecture and is a surprise not to have been destroyed by the Muslim Rulers.

The temple is built in Soap Stone that the reason for some excellent carvings which give a 3 Dimensional effect.

The carvings of the temple have different layers of carvings. The first layer at the bottom shows elephants for strength, the second layer of carvings show the lions signifying courage, the third layer of horses signifying agility.

The carvings around the temple depict mythological epics and dancers, queens and their maids, etc. Inside the temple are a number of ornate pillars. Darpana Sundari (Lady with the mirror) carved on walls of Belur Temple is one of major attractions in the complex.

The Guide after showing us the trailer of the carvings around the temple and left us photograph the temple and the carvings.

We proceeded to Halebidu, the other most important site in Hasan District. Halebidu means the ruined city. Originally known as Dwarasamudra (door of the ocean) was the capital of Hoysala Empire in the 12^th Century. The City was destroyed twice by Bahamani Sultans. The complex boosts of two temples Hoysaleshwara and Kedareshwara temples. Halebidu can be considered as the university of Hoysala Architecture.

The Monolithic structure of Nandi on the side of Hoysaleshwara temple is attractive piece of carving. The Halebidu temple has 11 layers of carvings compared to 7 layers in Belur. The temple in Halebidu has some of the kamasutra poses also similar to the ones of Khajurao.

The carvings in Halebidu have more mythological epic stories from Mahabharat, Shiva, Vishnu, etc.

As the day turned into evening, we with a heavy heart returned to our hotel in Haasan. In Haasan we found out that there is more cheaper place to stay, the newly started Youth Hostel with its brand new building. The Hostel Building is little far from the main town but a decent place for bag-packers like me.

The Group then started thinking of the more awaited Hampi or the Vijayanagara. ................Contd.

RATANGAD, A STAY IN THE CLOUDS WITH A GROUP THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE

2010-09-22T02:12:00.000-07:00

Ratan(diamond) gad(fort)[4255 feet], the name as it suggests means the Diamond Fort. I first happened to visit the fort 3 years back that time with Youth Hostels’ Mumbai Unit. Our leader, Umesh Lotlikar, is a veteran in leading treks around Sahyadris. After 3 years when the job of leading the trek to Ratangad fell upon me and Milind.
As the figure of participants was being finalized, we started the preparations for the trek, the dinner and breakfast at the fort and other necessary things to carry. The group was small and just enough for both of us to manage. On the day of the trek we were a group 19 trekkers, few of us we trekking the Sahaydris for quite a long time and the rest were new comers. We had the advantage of 2 NIM certified trekkers amongst us, Milind and his sister Archana. We started on our journey on 28th August, 2010 early morning at 600 hrs. The group dozed of immediately after boarding the bus. At Bhandardara everyone got refreshed by the scenic view of the dam and the fog surrounding the mountains.

Bhandardara from the top

The journey from Bhandardara to Ratanwadi (base village for Ratangad) was around 45 minutes.

Another Jewel awaited the group at Ratanwadi. The 1000 years old Amruteshwar Mandir built by Hemadpant, a minister in the court of Yadav Kings. The carvings and the construction of the Temple are spellbound. Hats off to the people at Ratanwadi who have maintained the temple over all these years.

Our Group At Amruteshwar Mandir Ratanwadi and Amruteshwar Mandir

After having a quick bite at Ratanwadi, we moved on towards Ratangad. We were to follow a stream till we reach the base of the hill, thereafter the upward climb to the fort begins.

On route to Ratangad

After a climb of around 1 ½ to 2 hours you reach the ladders. The ladders are shaky and the trekkers need to be careful while climbing to or getting down from the fort. Near the second ladder we saw a few broken steps, from those broken steps we understood that during the time when the fort was fully operational the rock cut steps were fully operational and in good condition and used by the residents of the fort to climb up to the fort. The steps were destroyed by the Britishers. The present ladders are built by the enthusiastic trekkers who visited the fort. After climbing the 2 exciting ladders one has to be careful with rock climb which leads into the Ganesh Darwaja. As we started the climb up the ladders and rock patch, the rains started pouring in and it made it difficult for us along the rock patch. But we negotiated the rock patch very well. After the thrilling climb to the fort, then the trekers have to get geared up for another walk up the rocky stairs. The stairs were also exciting as the water flowed over the stairs making it slippery to climb in Monsoons.

After a walk of 3 ½ hours we reached the caves in the fort. On reaching the fort we took stock of surroundings. First we thought that there is a need to clean up the caves as the caves are always in a bad condition. It’s a sad thing that the trekkers or villagers who visit the fort take pain to clean up the fort when they leave. We saw many paper dishes thrown around the caves. Milind had thought about it and had brought a ‘kersuni’/mop. The cave was small and would occupy around 12-13 of us.

Dinner Time: Milind, Mangya and Archana

After cleaning up the cave, we prepared the soup and dinner. For dinner we had got a stove with the cubes which on burning produced a flame. However the flame took a lot of time in heating up things. Another good thing that we had bought ready to eat food which saved the day for us.

After a delicious tomato soup and dinner, some of us played UNO, the card game and were awake till around 11.30.

At the first break of dawn, I, Milind, Mangya and Sanjay woke up. The rain had stopped but the visibility around the fort was very less. We could manage to see around 10 feet only. All the other participants slowly woke up after us. After everyone woke up, we all sat for the breakfast in a circle. The Breakfast session lasted for an hour most of time was consumed in preparing tea. Around 8-8.15 a.m. we all decided to pack up and see the fort as much as we can.

In the Gol Buruj

Some carvings around the fort

After inspecting the gol buruj and a few fortifications above the caves, we decided to climb down the fort. This time around again I missed out on needhe and I shared my thoughts to visit the fort in winter to which Milind and Mangya immediately agreed as they want to see the needhe.

Now to the climbing down part, the new participants were nervous while climbing down and it was the time Milind, myself and Sanjay Modi had to prepare all the new participants for climbing down the rock patch. Milind started to work with the rope and the equipment stuff for the safety of the participants.

He tied the rope to the rock which operated as the Hinge for the Door in the ancient days(as seen above). The other end of the rope was tied to the participants. After the safe landing of the regular participants, the newcomers too gathered the courage climb down. During this time also it started raining again and we had to climb down when the water was falling on our head. The monkeys also added to our woes when the came near the ladder and we had to move fast across the ladder. After climbing down the ladder, the major and risky part of the trek was over, now was left was just to walk down to Ratanwadi village. I alongwith Archana, Mangesh, Milind, Madhavi did another job of being the clean up marshal and picking up all the plastic on route to Ratanwadi. Archana and Madhavi did the job of carrying the garbage.

On the way to Ratanwadi we enjoyed ourselves to the fullest in the stream. The water was cold and free flowing. We had to be careful not to lose balance or else we would have been drifting along with the water. The group had a gala time in the waterfalls. I think the waterfall was the highlight of the Ratangad trek. It was a PAISA VASUL time of all of us.

On reaching Ratanwadi we got some scenic moments to capture. The best part of this trek was the group though new we all gelled together and everyone enjoyed the trek to the fullest. It was a trek which none of us could forget.

Rajgad (the King of Forts), 1394 Mts. ASL, Torna (1405 Mts. ASL) & the Walk on the Ridge

2010-04-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

This Trek had been haunting me for last 5 years. Somehow or the other reason I missed this Trek for quite a many years. In trekking fraternity especially in Maharashtra, visiting Rajgad is like visiting a pilgrimage spot or like having a dip in Holy Ganges. Rajgad had been the capital of Swarajya for 25 years. This was the fort on which Shivaji Maharaj spent major span of his life.

I and Mangesh Dhaimade alongwith our trekker friend Milind Thakur started to plan for Rajgad initially. But we altered the plan to include Torna also thanks to Mehboob. The days for the trek were fixed, 5-7th March, 2010.

But the information we had was too less compared to the glorious past of these forts, so we started our search for more information.

Torna as we all know was the first fort captured by Shivaji Maharaj. Immediately after capturing the fort he took over the hill besides Torna which was know as Murumbdevacha Dongar. The Murumbdevcha Dongar was used as check point or as check tower during the period from Bahamani Kings to Adilshah, who was the last King before Shivaji Maharaj took control over the area. Sometime during 1645, Shivaji Maharaj conquered this fort along with Torna. He undertook major reconstruction work of the fort. It included construction of curtain wall for the three machis and later named them as Suvela, Sanjivani and Padmavati; construction of a building on the main fort and later renaming it as Rajgad. Shivaji Maharaj stayed on this fort for 25 years and this fort witnessed many historical events.

After the demise of Shivaji Maharaj, Sambhaji Raje took over the reins of the Swarjaya. In the year 1689, he was captured and killed by Aurangzeb. Mughals captured many forts and Rajgad was one amongst them. But Marathas immediately snatched it back from the Mughals.

During the year 1703-04, Aurangzeb led the task of capturing Rajgad. After clearing the roads and paths he reached Rajgad. In the battle that fought for 2 months, Aurangzeb managed to capture the fort. But it was later recaptured by Marathas in 1707. Thereafter the fort was in the possession of Marathas till British took over.

Our Group

Coming back to our trek, on the day of the trek, we were 10 of us. On Friday night all the trekking enthusiasts headed to Velhe (the base village for Torna). Some of us were fast asleep immediately as the car took off, while some of us kept on chatting. We drove past Pune and then took a right turn to Velhe. Due to the night we first reached Gunjavane then Pali and atlast circled our way to Velhe. It was around 0545 hours on Saturday morning when we reached Velhe. After catching a few winks, our primary objective was to have breakfast. And to our luck a small road side hotel opened and we immediately filled in our stomachs with some delicious missal, pohe and tea.

Torna In the morning

From Velhe, Torna was clearly visible and we captured the fort in our cameras with the morning rays lighting up the fort. Around 0830 hours we began our trek to Torna. It was bit late, we should have started the trek around 0700 hours. The climb tested our stamina and with the summers nearing, the climb was becoming more and more exhausting.

Torna half way thru

At some point of time the climb had a gradient of 70 Degree. The railings on the climb helped to us in climbing such gradient. On our way to the Fort we passed through the Binni Darwaja and Kothidarwaja. (below is the picture of how the Darwajas are. They are called as Gomukhi Darwaja. Kothidarwaja is next pic.)We reached Torna around 1145 Hours. We rested for some time and after having our lunch we decided to explore the fort within the time left at our disposal. We were also lucky to capture some of the acrobatics of the monkeys on the fort. The fortifications were still intact compared to the other forts in Maharastra. The Zunjar Machi was simply fabulous to watch. I just wished we had some time to climb down to get a closer view of the Machi.

Torna

Rajgad and the Ridge

But Rajgad was more important for all of us and so we moved from the Balle-Killa towards the ridge which connects both these forts. As we walked towards the ridge, we passed by Darukhana and few other temples but we could hardly stop at any of these structures as we were already behind schedule.

Reaching the ridge was equally difficult. The route was narrow and facing the valley, the scree and rock patches making it difficult for us to climb down to the ridge. After taking pains to cross the rock Patch, we safely made our way to the ridge. It was 1600 hours when we decided to take last halt before we walk the ridge.

The ridge is a route over the hills. It is an up and down route over the number of hills and with no trees or shade, the walk on the ridge was even more tiresome than we thought. At that point we felt that it was a never ending trek. The distance between Rajgad and Torna never seemed to be reducing. Infact we lost our way and climbed down to the ridge towards the Pali Village however thanx to the villagers who helped us get back on the track. From the Ridge we could see both the forts but Rajgad being the destination seemed too far away for us to reach on Saturday. But After a walk of 2 ½ hours, we decided to take a halt in Dhangar wadi before the Khind (Pass). We all prepared some Khichdi and asked our host to prepare some bhakri and bhaji.

The meal was simple but delicious. After a days’ long walk anything would taste delicious. The sleep was just waiting for us to lie down and we were snoring the moment our backs touched the matt.

At night Mehboob repeatedly reminded us that we need to start the trek at 0700 hours, we manged to woke up at 0600 hours and then it was not possible for all of us to leave at 0700 hours. After getting ourselves refreshed next day we started around 0815 hours back on our quest to reach Rajgad.

Torna & the Ridge

We took our first halt at base of Rajgad in the open space below Sanjeevani Machi.

Rajgad

When we reached the open space below the fort, it was like a dream come true. The fort which eluded me for last so many years was about to be explored by me.

We all were astonished to see the fortifications and the quality of construction. On reaching the fort we could not believe what we saw. The Sanjeevani Machi had 2 walls and even a protective covers at some points. This Chilkati (armor) walls were simply fabulous. What was more surprising was that at the tender age of 16 years, how did Shivaji Maharaj plan the design of the Fort keeping in mind reactions/attacks of the enemies.

On our way to Rajgad, we drank the Tak which the locals carried for sale on the fort. Tak (Marathi name for Lassi/buttermilk) is the best drink this season.

We entered the fort through the Alu Darwaja. We spent nearly an hour exploring Sanjeevani Machi(though it was very less). The Dual walls, the chilkhati Buruj, doors to reach the Chilkhati Buruj and the view around Sanjeevani Machi all was mesmerizing. One thing we couldn’t miss was the Torna Fort and the ridge which could be easily seen from this Machi. From Sanjeevani Machi we managed to catch the glimpse of Raigad and Lingana on the west. We hoped that the sky would be more clear so as we would be able to see the other forts too. Rajgad is surrounded by lot of forts and was perfect capital for swarajya. On east we saw Sinhagad, further towards the north-east direction there are the ranges of forts Lohagad, Visapur, Tikona and Tung. Towards the south are the Pratapgad, Kamalgad. Apart from these forts the river beds of Velvandi, Kanandi and Gunjavane Rivers provided the perfect protection to this fort from the enemies. Besides the fort as such is difficult to capture as the circumference of the fort runs around 25-30 miles which is very difficult for any enemy to lay a siege.

Sanjeevani Machi

We could have lingered even more on Sanjeevani Machi but due to paucity of time we had to move on to Padmavati Machi. By now it was clear that we were to miss the Balle-killa. So we decided to explore all the Machis and come back for viewing the fort as a whole again.

The Padmavati Machi has few structures such as the temple of Padmavati Devi, Rameshwar Temple, Padmavati Talao, Sadar, Ambarkhana. On reaching Padmavati Machi we quenched our thirst with the sweet water from the tank. We then proceeded to Suvela Machi to check out the Hatti Dagad and the Needhe.

It took us nearly half an hour to reach Suvela Machi. On the way we passed by Balle-Killa. We could see the fortifications but didn’t had the time to visit it.

The fortifications around Suvela Machi were quiet intact and very less destroyed by the British. We climbed the Hatti Dagad and sat in the needhe for around 15 minutes. The view from the Needhe was simply superb. We could see Sinhagad at a distance, the Ghatghar Dam, the valleys of Nere, Velvandi, Kanandi and Gunjavane Rivers.

Pintya enjoying the view from needhe

By now it was clear that we had to move on back to Padmavati machi for our Lunch which was waiting for us. After the delicious Lunch of Zhunka Bhakar & Curds, we quickly collected our belongings to move towards Pali Village where our car was waiting for us.

This was the only trek during which I could not see the fort at leisure. I also missed the Balle Killa (where Shivaji Maharaj stayed). We all wished to stay for 2 more days to see the fort again but we all knew we had to go back to Mumbai. The trio, Milind, Mangesh and Me then immediately planned our second visit to Rajgad in winters of 2010.

SIDDHAGAD (3223 FT ASL)

2010-02-10T06:10:00.000-08:00

After Kulang, it was time to celebrate the New Year and there were no treks for 2 weeks. So I was more excited to visit the fort. The google searches didn’t reveal much except for the route.

Around a year back when I visited Gorakhgad in February, 2009, I got to see Siddhagad from a distance. The fort was in my bucket list so I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to visit the fort.

We started on Saturday, January 16, 2010. The Venue was Kalyan ST Stand. Around 2 p.m. the group gathered to proceed to Murbad. The group was of around 10 of us, again a mixture of regulars and freshers. We immediately hopped in a taxi waiting near Kalyan Station. In an hour’s time we reached Murbad to change our transport for Narivali.

We reached our destination around 4.00 p.m. A 5 minutes walk through the Narivali village and we were out of the village for an introduction round. After taking a break, we proceeded with our journey to Siddhagad. Our leader Raghuveer Lotlikar showed us all the forts around the place. On our left hand side we could see Gorakhgad and Machindragad watching us on our route to Siddhagad.

Gorakhgad

A little further from Gorakhgad was Ahupe Ghat. Then was Siddhagad and far beyond in the midst of the clouds we could manage to see Bhimashankar.

Siddhagad

On the way we passed through another small village Thalewadi. We also met a lonely villager who had built his hut on the way to Siddhagadwadi. We passed a pinnacle named Zhavdyacha lingi.

Zhavdyacha lingi

Taking halts on the way we reached Siddhagadwadi by 7 p.m. just in time before the dark. The main entrance to the fort was before Siddhagad wadi. Though the fortifications have fallen as the British destroyed the Fort in 1818, the Main gate was still intact and analyzing the construction of ancient times we all wished that the remains would stand for another 100 years.

The Main Gate

Preparing Dinner

The walk to Siddhagadwadi was exhausting and after having some Khichdi and soup for dinner we dozed off to be awakened in morning at 7 a.m. Now we were able to view the whole of the surroundings from Siddhagadwadi. In the North direction we could see Gorakhgad, on the East was Ahupe Ghat and behind in southern direction was Siddhagad waiting to be explored by us.

We were more excited to climb the fort which looked pretty dangerous and steep. We had a nice walk till the Cave where an old villager lived. We could hear Commentary of Cricket Match between India and Bangladesh. We interacted with him, his name was Patil and used to work in some factory in Kalyan after retirement he spends his time practicing yoga in midst of Sahyadris. He noted all our names in his diary. Thereafter we proceeded on our way to the fort. The climb by no was getting steeper and dangerous. One of our fellow trekkers aptly said one side is the WALL the other side is the FALL.

After a climb of 1 ½ hours we reached the fort at 11.30 a.m. A cool breeze welcomed us as we reached the fort and inspite of the time we wandered around the fort. Though there was nothing much left on the fort except the 3-4 water tanks and few fortifications. The water in the tanks was not potable and hence its necessary to carry water from the village or from Patil babas' tank.

Few Structures left on the fort

The fort was standing tall in east-west direction. On the southern side we could see Bhimashankar. This fort covered a vast area on both sides and well protected from the northern side by Gorakhgad, Machindragad, Durg Killa, Jivdhan, Bhairavgad, etc. Just as climbing up the fort was exciting, climbing down was equally thrilling. (check the picture below)

Gorakhgad

We had to watch each and every step. The patch was full of dry grass, rock and dry earth(sand) making things difficult for us to climb down. To add to our woes a group of 2-3 trekkers were climbing the narrow path up the fort. The rocks were pretty comfortable to walk but when we reach the patch of dry grass/sand, we had to be very careful. After a careful climb down we reached the cave of Patil baba all safe and sound.

Patil Baba's Cave

There after we visited the temple of which was near to the main entrance at Siddhagadwadi. We met some of the villagers who informed us that at 5 minutes distance there is a Canon and we decided to check out the canon. The Place where the broken canon was kept was right below the eastern side fortifications of the fort. The only question which came to our minds why is the canon lying below the fort. It could be possible that the British with intention to destroy the fort brought the canon there destroyed the fort and left leaving the broken canon behind.

By now it was getting late. It was 2.00 p.m. and we were left with very less time to reach Narivali village. We traced our steps as fast as we could to the village. But we didn’t miss to have a nice refreshing bath at the small rivulet below the fort, just in time to catch the 5.30 p.m. bus to Murbad.

During this year I have completed two of the most exciting forts in Malshej Region, Gorakhgad and Siddhagad. In the coming year, I hope to complete Jivdhan, Bhairavgad and few other forts in this area. So that I could delete these forts from my bucket (bhatkanti) List. But the top most in my bucket list still remains Ladakh and I hope to visit it this year.

KULANG FORT (4822 ft ASL): Once in a life time trek

2010-01-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

This fort stands tall along with the other two forts Alang and Madan Gad and the trek to Kulang when combined with these forts becomes the most difficult trek in the Sahyadris. But when you do all the forts together you hardly get time to see the forts at leisure. So when I heard of YHAI, Mumbai Unit planning a trek to Kulang, I didn’t want to miss the golden opportunity of trek to Kulang Fort.

Madan Gad and Kulang

Kulang

But before the trek, I looked up the internet for some brief information about the fort but was disappointed that there was no information about the History of this fort. It was mentioned that this fort was captured by the Peshwas from the Mughals and then the British captured it from Marathas. The British after capturing the fort destroyed the entrance and fortifications of this fort in order to prevent fresh attacks from Marathas. The staircase which leads to the fort has thus been destroyed by the cannons from the British Army.

The long weekend was a nice opportunity to visit the fort and the weekend of 25th December, 2009 provided ample time to visit the fort at leisure. We were under the leadership of Mr. Satish Rajput who had just completed an expedition in Himalayas in the Chandrabhaga ranges (CB-14).

The group was small (in nos.) and young. It was a perfect group for an overnite trek. We left Mumbai by Kasara local at 11.20 p.m. from CST and our fellow trekkers climbed in the compartment at various stations. By the time we reached Kasara at 2 a.m. we were a group of 8 trekkers. But we were received a rude shock at Kasara Station, where the railway officials told us that due to some technical faults all the trains to Nashik are delayed and the next trains for Nashik will reach Kasara only after 6 a.m., so we were left stranded at Kasara for next 4 hours or more and were not able to reach Igatpuri as planned.

After catching up on sleep for couple of hours, we decided to search for alternate mode of transport to Igatpuri. To our luck we found a vegetable truck, which was leaving for the weekly market at Ghoti. We all hopped into the truck to reach Igatpuri around 7 a.m.

We made inquiries for reaching Kulangwadi, which was the Base village for Kulang when our leader visited the fort 4 years back. But ST officials told us to catch the bus to Ambewadi. At the given time, the bus to Ambewadi arrived and we set off on our last mode of transport.

We reached Ambewadi around 9.30 a.m. on 25th December, 2009. Inspite of all the delays we started our trek around the same time as was predicted by our leader. Since the route was different, we took the services of the villager Mr. Raju Thavle. He was a quite fellow and in a world of his own and would give a smile on some of jokes which we cracked amongst us. We had to walk a lot till the actual climb started. It was a zig – zag route which lead us to the last frontier of the trek.

The climb was a mixture of earth and rock and the last part was a rocky climb with steps carved in the rock. The climb was around 50 degree incline. In case you loose your balance you have a valley behind you and we all were feeling the dangers of climbing but I thought it would be pretty difficult climbing down. But I didn’t have to bother about it now, may be tomorrow I need to place my steps carefully.

The Steps leading to Fort

But now that we have walked up the last climb, we were at the top of the fort. It was pretty flat compared to lots of other forts in Maharashtra and first thing you notice when you reach Kulang was the water tanks. There are many water tanks on the fort and all filled up to the brim even in the month of December. It was around 2.30 p.m. when we reached the fort. A 5-hour walk to the fort was exhausting and few of us immediately dozed off to catch up on last nights sleep.

When we reached the fort, the fort was pretty empty. Also this was for the first time that we had enough time to roam around the fort and enjoy the beauty around the fort. The only thing, which disappointed us, was the state in which the fort was. It was like after the British Army destroyed the fort, we (Indian and Maharashtra Government) did not bother to look at the maintenance part of the fort. The fortifications are standing due to the excellent construction quality of our ancestors.

On a view around the fort we saw two structures completely demolished whats left of the structures was the plinth or the foundation. Besides these structures there were around 10-12 water tanks, which used to provide water to the residents of the fort and now for the trekkers and nature lovers.

The Water Tanks on Kulang

We spent most of time clicking photographs of Alang and Madan forts, which were adjoining to Kulang. At a further distance, we could see the tallest peak in Sahyadris, the Kalsubai.

Kalsubai (top photo), Alang and Madan (Down photo)

We didn’t realize how fast the time flew and it was time for the sun to light up the other side of earth, which reminded us to unpack our bags to cook food. The make-shift cooks along with two girls from our group took the centre stage around the kitchen which comprised of just 3 rocks.

After having dinner we listened to the heavenly classical music under the stary sky till we could listen no more. We drew back to the caves for rest.

Sunrise At Kulang

We got up early in morning at 6 a.m. and immediately opened the shutterbugs for capturing the sunrise. Then we had upma, tea & biscuits for breakfast. By now 2-3 trek groups started coming in and we were making way for them by leaving early morning at 9.30 a.m.

On the way Down to Ambewadi

Now the dangers of climbing down started to haunt us. But left with no alternatives we had to climb down to Ambewadi to catch the bus to Ghoti/Igatpuri. The group while climbing down was extra cautious. But it was a breath taking view of the valley and inspite of the perils of climbing down I still managed to take some snaps. On our way down we took a couple of halts to refresh ourselves. We reached Ambewadi at 1.30 p.m. that was 1 hour less than what we climbed. Since it was time to catch the bus to Ghoti we all decided to skip on the lunch of pithle-bhakri at the village. But I had made plans to visit Alang next year and to satisfy my taste buds with some pithle-bhakri at Ambewadi.

KALAVANTEEN MACHI (2300 ft)

2009-11-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-10-07T09:29:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-09-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-08-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

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)

2009-07-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

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.

2009-05-02T02:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Monsoon trek to Peth-Kothligad fort (1550 feet)

2009-04-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

On 29th June 2008, we all planned to make it to Kothligad (Peth cha Killa, Peth is the village below the fort Kotligad). This was the beginning of our Monsoon season for 2008. We took the 05:41am local from Dadar to Karjat and many, including me and janhavi joined the group at Dadar. We reached Neral station at around 07:49am and as one of four group members missed the train we had to wait for him at Neral. The wait was worth it as we had a quick round of canteen hot tea and slurrping batata wada. I guess cutting chai and batata wada seems to be the staple diet when you make a trekker. So finally the whole group assembled at Neral Station and we had a brief round of introduction.

We hired around 3-4 tamtams (the six seaters you ideally find outside Mumbai) and proceeded towards Ambivali. The tamtam ride was just great as you ideally dont get to experience this in Mumbai. The scene which followed us till we reached Ambivali was breath taking with all wet ground, small water ways here and there. Ambivali is the base village for the trek to Kothligad. This is termed as a simple trek and ideal for those who want to start trekking. At the base, after some discussion about the group formation we all started shouting loudly our maha mantra "har har mahadev". We followed the tar road for around 2-3 minutes and then after taking a left turn we have a typical muddy road with stonesthat will lead us to the Peth village.

The journey from here to Peth village takes you approximately one hour. The village is on a plateau enroute to the fort. This road has numerous turns and curves which makes walking this road a pleasure. This road is basicaaly used to commute from Peth to Ambivali. We also came across a bullock cart coming down.

The ideal climate for a monsoon trek should be one in which rain plays hide n seek with you. The rain played our companion right from start till the time we reached the cave.As we were reaching the plateau of Peth village we could find ourselves surrounded by fog. Wowwwwwwww, what a lovely scene it was ! Suddenly we could here the shutterbugs clicking and we decided to take a break here.

After the break we proceeded to reach the Peth village. This is the place where very heavy rain surrounded us. We all ran for shelter and some enthusiast preferred drenching themselves. It was just amazing and it made us all forget our tiredness. We even supplemented us with garma garam batata wada again. The hot crisp wada made us loose count of how many we gulped down.

Now the real climb began towards our ultimate destination. The climb here becomes gradually steep and the monsoons make it more slippery but not a risky one. We need to be careful while negotiating this patch and should not be in a hurry to reach there. Now we had the fort in our sight on our way up. This all made us more excited to make it to the top.

Now we could all see the fortifications. With rain playing our companion we all reached the cave completely drenched. This cave is safe and clean for a group to reside. After settling in the cave, we all gathered to have lunch together. As always there are some curious trekkers who found that we had bats in a small dark enclosure resting after a long nite. A wonderful lunch cum gossip session had us completedly relaxed and refreshed. We all shared what we had got and everybody appreciated each others food stuffs. Some photo session happened and finally we all decided to make it to the ultimate top.

From the cave you have a set of steps that lead you to the top. The steps do give you the impression-"Staircase to Heaven". The stairs are about a foot high and that keeps us wondering throughout were the Maratha's that tall ? Climbing the stairs is a herculean task.

We finally reach the top and the view is really awesome. That time it started raining again and we just enjoyed our stay at the top. There is a huge tank at the top and pipes are seen to supply water to the Peth village from this tank. It’s a small fort and was normally used for storage of ammunition. We can see a canon gun at the top.

After capturing the breathtaking views in our cams we all started to come down to the cave. After changing our clothes and all set to leave, we decided to descend. When we were leaving, I bet no one would have left the place but kyaa kare paapi pet ka sawaal tha that we all had to resume office the next day. If it wouldnt have been the case we all would have stayed a day more.

We reached Ambivali and could see the tamtams waiting for us to get us back to Neral. On our way back we just couldn't stop seeing the pics clicked and what all we experienced at Kothligad. The trek was worth and we wish to make many more trips especially during the monsoon.

One Rainy Day at Raigad Fort (820Mts above sea level).

2009-03-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

I am an amateur trekker wandering in the foothills of Sahyadris. The name Raigad is like a pilgrimage to all Maharashtrians and also to all Indians who worship Shivaji Maharaj. There are many articles already written on this great fort. There are many stories told by many trekkers on the route to Raigad fort. So I would not be adding anything more to the stories. This is about my experiences on how we survived the day full of rains on Raigad.
My first visit to Raigad was in January, 1998 for the program (RAIGAD PRADAKSHINA) organized by YHAI, Maharashtra State Branch. It was a program when there were no rains and I enjoyed the trek under the bright sunshine and the chilly winters at Raigad.

We also need to know about this great fort before I begin with my experiences on that rainy day. We need to know as to why Chatrapati Shivaji selected this fort as the Capital of Swaraj. Strategically perched atop a wedge-shaped block of hill, split off from the Western Ghats and inaccessible from three sides. The fort is seprated from the main mountain range of Sahyadri, by a valley approximately 1.5 km wide. Through this valley the rivers Gandhar and Kal flow. It is surrounded by Lingana on the east, Rajgad, Torna, on the South-east direction. A little far away is Pratapgad, Vasota and Makarand Gad in the Southern Direction. In the West it’s the Sahyadris which protect the Capital and with one enemy (Siddhis) coming from the west who needed to climb the hills to reach the Capital it is virtually safe from west. That leaves only the northern direction unprotected however the fort is very steep to climb, and is nearly inaccessible from north also. Besides in Monsoons, it is not possible for anyone to reach near the fort. Being the Capital, Raigad is the only fort, which has maximum monuments, built on a hill fort in Maharashtra.

The map of Raigad

After 10 years, in August, 2008, I got the chance to trek Raigad through YHAI, Mumbai Unit and that too in the monsoons. By this time, I had read about the onslaught of rains at Raigad in the book “Durgabhraman gaatha” written by Shri G. N. Dandekar but was not able to visualize the intensity of the rains till I visited Raigad this monsoon.

We had planned a small trek for the weekend of 9th – 10th August, 2008. We were to begin from Mumbai around 11.00 p.m. on Saturday. In Mumbai there were few drizzles and it was felt that we would be having a wonderful trek in rains. We were a group of 9 (nine) people who immediately dozed off in the car only to be rudely awaked by the driver at about 4 a.m. in morning to see the first site of the floods at Mahad. All we could see was water everywhere on the road. The houses and factory near Mahad were all submerged in water. We took a decision of turning back to a small temple near Mahad and tried to bid our time till the rains eased off. By now the rains also stopped for an hour or so. But it was impossible for us to go by the same route to Raigad. The villagers suggested that we should try by Mangaon route and we took the suggestion as all of us wanted to visit Raigad. Many of us were first timers to Raigad so they were even more excited to see Raigad. On the route to Mangaon our first halt was at a small bridge which at 7.30 a.m. We could see the bridge submerged under water. However, it was easy for our car to cross the bridge. We took our chances with the rain as the bait of visiting Raigad was more tempting than the floods.

The bridge at Mandgaon in Morning

The drive from the bridge to the Fort was little bumpy but the surroundings were like heaven, we could see numerous waterfalls and lush green Sahyadris. It was a scene which none of us could forget in this life. We reached base of Raigad at 8.30 a.m. and we were welcomed by some heavy rains. We immediately took refuge in a hotel at the base of Raigad. However, the onslaught continued for a while but we had no alternative but to start the trek. One important thing about trekking in Sahyadris is the time schedules, which are to be strictly followed. As if you fail to reach the railway station/ Bus Depot in time you are bound to miss the connecting bus or train and this may result in missing the next day in office, which may be crucial to many of us who trek during the weekends in Sahyadris.

After having tea and some snacks, we started our Trek around 9.00 a.m. and we planned to climb the somewhat 1400 steps to the fort by 11.00 a.m. and after seeing the fort we had to come back by 3.00 p.m. Though we had no idea what the route would be due to the heavy rains. On Account of the continuous pouring we had wasted a lot of time reaching Raigad so by now we hardly had anytime to see the great fort. As to see the Capital of Maratha Empire 2 to 3 days are not sufficient and we were planning to see it in half a day and that too with heavy rains behind our backs. But unnerved by the rains, we continued our quest to see the Fort. The rains were continuously pouring, it was a feeling as if the tank in the heavens was overflowing and the Gods had forgotten to shut the tap. All of us were drenched from head to toes. Water was slipping in and out of our clothes and shoes and none of us dared to pull out our cameras for the fear for damaging the equipments. We walked along the water filled concrete staircase to the Fort. There were numerous waterfalls and some moments when we were to hold our breaths while crossing the waterfalls, which were obstructing our path on the way to the Fort. On one such waterfall we were at cross roads and we needed to take a decision whether to go ahead or to abandon the trek. A small group of trekkers were waiting at the same spot unable to decide. However, we mustered some courage and crossed the waterfall by some of planting ourselves in the waterfall and helped the rest in crossing the dangerous waterfall.

Waterfalls on the way to Raigad

After crossing the hurdles and obstacles, we managed to reach the Mahadarwaja (Main Door) by 11.00 a.m. The Mahadarwaja like its called is a huge structure and is still intact even after the onslaughts by enemies and nature. It’s so big that an elephant can easily pass through it. The structure of Mahadarwaja is called “GOMUKHI DARWAJA”. The Uniqueness of this structure is that there is hardly any space for the enemy to use the methods that were available during the time of Shivaji Maharaj to break open the Big Door. Besides if anyone approaches the door he would be instantly killed by the soldiers standing on the huge fort walls.

Statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Holicha Maal, Raigad

After paying the entry fee, we all reached the main fort but all we could see was fog, rainy clouds, rains and nothing else. The first monument we could manged to see was the Hatti Talao and Shirkai Tample on the right hand side of the road. The environment around the fort was misty. The visibility was not more than a few metres. Even the ones who had visited Raigad earlier also could not see the monuments in the fort. We had to take the services of a lady, who was the local guide, she then showed us around the fort starting from ‘the Holichal Maal’, Rajya Sabha, Manores (Minars), the fountains for entertainment in the Manore (Minars), Sinhasan, the Kings Palace, Queens’ Palace, the Bazar Peth (Market), the Dungeons, Palkhi Darwaja, the temple of Lord Jagdishwar and last but not the least the Samadhi of Chhatrapati Shivaji. The lady guide explained the uniqueness of each monument. She told us that the Bazzar Peth which is at height of about 5 ft. above ground is to enable the horsemen to make their purchases while they were riding the horse. The snake indication in one of the shops signified that the shop-owner was the prime business man of the market named Nagappa. Now it was clear to us that without her help we could not have been able to identify the monuments around Raigad. She also told us that when British conqured this fort in 1818, the fort was set on fire by the Britishers and majority of the monuments and documents (bakhris) were destroyed in the fire, which was continuously blazing for a week. The lady guide then took us to her hut on the fort premises for delicious Lunch of “Zhunka Bhakri”. After having a small but a delicious meal (though everyone of us wanted to stay in that small hut which had no electricity), we thanked the lady for her hospitality and we resumed our trek back to our vehicle. Though we failed to visit or see many of the spots like Takmak Tok, Gangasagar Talo, Vagh Darwaja, Barataki, Bhavani Tok, etc. we had to return keeping in mind that it would not be easy for us to return home in these tormenting rains. Many of us remembered the rains of 26th July, 2005 when the rains brought Mumbai to standstill. We too had to halt our trek for 15 minutes on our way to return due to heavy rains in midst of the Bazar Peth. But our time limits did not permit us to halt any longer as we all had to reach Mumbai by 10.00 p.m. We began our descend from the fort and within no time we managed to reach the foot of the fort. But the trek was not over for many of us until we safely crossed the Bridge we encountered in the morning. Now we were worried about the water levels at the Bridge. Now again through the bumpy road we reached the Bridge and to our astonishment the bridge was submerged under the water completely and there was a long queue of bus and cars waiting to cross the Bridge. Now it was a long wait for us. All we could do was to pray so that the rains stopped for a pretty good time and soon our prayers were being answered the rains slowed down and the water on the bridge receded but still the bridge was not completely dry and it was even risky to walk on the bridge without a rope. I along with a fellow trekker crossed the bridge with ropes tied around our waist as to enable us to judge the gravity of the situation and also check the force of the water. We again decided to take our chances with the water and managed to cross the Bridge safely. Everyone was happy to complete the trek but everyone was clear in their minds not to go trekking at Raigad fort in monsoons. I along with everyone learned a valuable lesson from History and not to commit the same mistakes again.

Let it snow, let it snow ....

2009-03-15T04:59:00.000-07:00

Himalaya .. the name brings images of snow capped peaks to your mind. For every trekker, Himalaya is a dream destination. It had been my dream too. Ever since I started trekking, I dreamt of visiting, and trekking in the Himalaya. Atleast once during my lifetime.
Sharing with you the memories from my first trek in the north.

How it all started:
Summer of 2007 .. Me along with my friend, were planning to join the youth hostel trek to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund. All details had been chalked out, and we were all set. The only catch was to go to the YH office and register. Well, that proved to be the biggest road block for us.. A bit of laziness came in the way, and we missed the opportunity to visit the VOF.
Another opportunity lost.. we had to make up for that lost chance, we just had to trek up north, in the Himalaya.
Around September 07, the winter trek schedules were put up on the site, and this time we decided to throw away our laziness, and register for one of the treks.
Dalhousie, supposed to be one of the easiest treks offered by YH. That was to be our first Himalayan trek! Once the trekking destination was selected, we had to go register ourselves for the trek. This time, it was a bit easier as there was an option for online registration! Ah, good news for lazy people like me :)

The travel plan :
The registration process was a piece of cake. Alright then, registrations done, we now had to worry about how we'd reach the base camp, Dalhousie. That too wasn't much of a hassle, as the website had mentioned different routes by which we could reach Dalhousie.
The next logical step, after the registrations, was booking train tickets. Initially, we had planned to take a direct train to Chakki Bank, which is the nearest railway station, and had already looked up trains that would take us from Mumbai to Chakki Bank. Our travel plan took a slight deviation, and we reached Chakki Bank in two stages. First we travelled from Mumbai to Delhi, and then Delhi to Chakki Bank.
By mid October, every thing trek related was done.. we had registered for the trek, booked our tickets, and had started trawling the net for information. Every one was just waiting for December. Oh, by the way, this is a 6 day trek, of which we had 3 days of trekking, one for acclimitization. Once all the details were in place, all we had to do was wait eagerly for December.

And finally, we're good to go!! :
24 December 2007, the D day! The day of our journey to Delhi. A friend and me, travelled to Delhi, by Rajdhani. The journey was uneventful, except for a snoring co-passenger. Reached Delhi on Christmas morning, 25 December 07. Another friend, who is based in Delhi, was supposed to join us for the trek. Our next stage of the journey, Delhi to Chakki Bank, was a night train. So,we decided to do some sight seeing in Delhi.. that is, the usual stuff. India Gate, which I wanted to see, Qutab Minar, Akshardham temple, etc. After a short sight seeing drive, we rested for some time at our friends place. Soon it was time for us to leave for the railway station, for our train to Chakki Bank. The train was about 2 hours late, not surprising, as it was winter, and 99.99% of the north bound trains are late, owing to fog.
The journey from Delhi to Chakki Bank wasn't as uneventful as the one from Mumbai to Delhi. Here, we had a couple and their brat for company. The kid kept wailing all night. Well, can't complain about that, it takes all sorts!

Reporting Day : 26 December 2007, We reached Chakki Bank in the morning. It was around 8 am, and it seemed like the town was just about waking up. A refreshing cup of tea at the tea stall on the platform, and we were off. We stepped out of the station, and realised that buses to Dalhousie start from the ISBT (Inter state bus terminal) located at Pathankot, which is about 20 minutes from Chakki Bank.
No sweat! There are plenty of tum-tums (atleast that's what they are called here in Maharashtra), outside the station. These 6 seater vehicles charge about Rs. 10 per person for the short trip. Well, the 6 seater was converted to a 12 seater, and we were off. At the bus terminal, we found that a bus to Dalhousie was just about to leave in 10 minutes, and the next one would be after an hour. Without any further time pass, we decided to board the first bus. On the way to Dalhousie, we got the first glimpse of snow. I was super excited, as this was the first time I was seeing it "live"!! An hour and half later, we were in Dalhousie.. Our destination, the base camp for the trek! We were finally there. 2 months of dreaming, and there we were. In Dalhousie.
Youth hostel Dalhousie is a short walk from Dalhousie bus stand. We inquired about the place at a shop at the bus stand, and were directed to the hostel.

Youth Hostel, Dalhousie

The first thing that struck me here was the time table. A white board was displayed at the entrance of the hostel, which showed the things we were supposed to do over the next 6 days! The very idea of time tables freaks me out. But here, on a trek, it was the most sensible thing to do. It's always better to be paranoid and disciplined, in unfamiliar territory, atleast.

Trek Schedule

After completing the reporting formalities, and lunch, we decided to rest for a while. Shortly, we were joined by a big group of around 10-12 people, from Mumbai. While filling up the reporting forms, we realised that we hadn't got the two most important things required for this trek, Plate and a mug! After a brief rest, we walked up to the market to buy the stuff.
There was a short introduction session in the evening, where we were told about the trek, and the things to do, or rather the things not to do. They emphasised more on the do-not list. There had been accidents in the previous batches, where some over enthusiastic trekkers had slipped over the ice, and had suffered fractures. During this introduction/information session, we were asked to nominate a trek leader and an environment leader from amongst us. An environment leader is some one who would take care not to leave behind any garbage, or plastic bags etc. In short, some one
who would ensure this would be a pollution free, eco friendly trek. Introductions over, it was time for camp fire. This wasn't a proper campfire, with bonfires etc. YH discourages burning of fire wood, so our campfire was a candle, lit by a senior member of the group. A short session of singing, and jokes, and it was time for lights off. We had a long day ahead.

Acclimitization : 27 December 2007, Since this place is at a height of 6411 ft above sea level, it is very important to get acclimitized to the high altitude, and rarefied air before starting any trek. We were up at 5 in the morning, and were taken for a jog. We jogged through the streets of Dalhousie, and reached a chowk. Here we did some basic exercises, like stretching. After exercises, we all were feeling a bit breathless. We stopped at the chowk for some time, to watch the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful sights. I had not taken my camera with me, so couldn't capture the beautiful moment. Back to the hostel for breakfast. After breakfast, we had to take our rucksacks, with two 1 litre bottles filled with water, and a blanket, and go for a acclimitization walk.
We walked around Dalhousie, stopping plenty of times for photos, or just to admire the scenery. We saw some interesting places like, Sat Dhara (the place where Netaji Subash Chandra Bose stayed), and the samadhi of Shaheed Ajit Singh.

Shaheed Ajit Singh

Day 2 also ended with the campfire.

The Trek Days,

Dalhousie to Kalatop : 28 December 2007, The actual trek started on Day 3. We gathered on the youth hostel ground, after breakfast. We were told about the do's and dont's again. After a short send off speech, we were off. We were given a proper YH style send off, which is two short claps, followed by 3 claps. Each participant was given a packet, containing biscuits, and chocolates. We were also supposed to take packed lunch for the day from the base camp.
The route we were to follow was like this,
Dalhousie -> Kalatop -> Khajjiar -> Chamba -> Dalhousie.
This is one of the easiest YH treks.. actually, all treks are organised in such a way that anyone with a moderate level of fitness can take part.
So, we started from Dalhousie on the morning of 28th December. It was cold, but by now every one had got used to the cold weather. The sun was up, when we started, but there was a chill in the air. After trekking for some time, we reached Lakkarmandi, where we took a much needed break for tea, and snacks.
The real high point of the trek started from this point... Snow. It had snowed at night probably. We could see snow on the road, on the mountains, every where. There was snow as far as the eyes could see. From here to the place where we had lunch, Ahla, we trudged through the snow, slipping and falling many times. It didn't matter for most of the group,including me, because this was our first snow experience.

Snow all around...

After a short break for lunch, we started again. We had to reach Kalatop before sunset, and sunset in these parts during winter means 5:30 pm. It gets pitch dark by 6:00.
At Kalatop too, we followed the same routine that we had followed on the previous two days at Dalhousie. That is, snacks and tea in the evening, followed by soup and dinner. A small campfire, and end the day with a 'milo'.

Kalatop to Khajjiar : 29 December 2007, We woke up at 5:00 in the morning, for tea. Late comers do not get tea. Todays trek to Khajjiar was the longest in terms of distance covered, and the trail passed through a forest. After breakfast, we collected our lunch for the day, we started Trek day 2 to Khajjiar. The trail takes us through a scenic forest. The first part of the trail was relatively easy as it involved going downhill. The next part was a bit tough, as it involved a bit of a steep climb. We took a short break to recharge ourselves. Some locals had put up food stalls along the trek route, and they served hot tea, omlettes and maggi to the trekkers. I must mention here that I never enjoyed eating maggi at home, but here, in the freezing cold, it was the best thing I've ever eaten!
After a long tiring trek we finally reached Khajjiar. The temperature here wasn't as low as at Kalatop. There is a huge, or rather enormous open ground at Khajjiar, where tourists can enjoy horse rides, zorbing, etc. Basically, its a very "touristy" place, somewhat commercialised.

Khajjiar to Chamba : 30 December 2007, Last day of the trek. This was a slightly boring day, it didn't involve any climbing, or walking through forest trails, and there wasn't any chance of getting snow on the way. The trail moved through beautiful villages, before we reached Chamba town. The last one hour was walking on proper tar road!
Finally we reached Chamba sometime in the afternoon. That was the official end of the trek. We had to go back to the base camp at Dalhousie to collect our participant certificates and also to collect our bags. We had taken only the essential things with us, and kept most of our belongings at the base camp. Since we had the entire evening free, we decided to visit Chamba town, and its main attractions, namely, Chamunda Temple and the museum.

Chamunda Temple

Back to Dalhousie : 31 December 2007, We were transported back to the base camp at Dalhousie. It is a short bus ride, about an hour. On the way we did stop for some photographs. At the base camp, we collected our belongings, and our certificates. And soon it was time to say good bye.
In the past 5 days, the group had gone from being total strangers to good friends. After exchanging phone numbers, and email id's, we set off to our respective destinations. We took a bus from Dalhousie to Pathankot, and then the group dispersed. Since it was new years eve, some decided to stay back. Others visited the Wagah border. Every one had their own plans for welcoming the new year. Mine was spent in the train. I dozed off the moment I settled in my seat. So, I missed the midnight madness!
I had to rush back to Mumbai, back to reality, to pollution, and crowd. We reached Delhi at about 4:00 in the morning on January 1st. Rested for some time at a friends place. After a good 2 hours of sleep, and a delicious breakfast, we started for the airport, only to realise the flights were delayed due to fog.
Reached Mumbai in the evening, with memories that will last a lifetime. It's been more than a year since the trek, but I could remember the details like it happened just a few months ago.

A few pointers, some observations from the trek:
Travel :
From Mumbai, you can opt for a direct train to Chakki Bank, or travel in 2 stages like we did. Swaraj express has a halt at Chakki Bank.
From Chakki Bank, you would need to go to the Bus terminal at Pathankot. There are plenty of tum-tums available outside Chakki Bank railway station.
If possible try to get a window seat, for the wonderful views.

Other things:
Though this isn't a tough trek, taking precautions and some basic common sense helps. Since the walking is at a high altitude, people do feel breathless, and tire out easily. It helps to walk at a slower pace, and also take frequent breaks. This isn't a race, walk at an easy pace, enjoy the scenery.
It is useful to keep lozenges, chocolates handy. Have plenty of water, even if its cold, you tend to get dehydrated. Camphor too helps in easing breathlessness. Keep a piece of camphor in your pocket or somewhere in your backpack, where you can reach out and get it easily.
Do not treat the mountain like a dust bin. Keep chocolate wrappers, plastic bags etc with you and dispose off at the next camp.
Respect nature, and nature will leave you alone!

Trek to Peb Fort.

2009-03-11T01:11:00.000-07:00

A write up on our trek to Peb Fort on 17 August 2008.

This fort is not heard by many. It’s a small fort near the ranges of Matheran (the famous hill station in Maharashtra). It is situated on northeast side of Panvel, on Mumbai-Pune road, at a distance of 3-4 km on west side of Neral. This is a one-day trek and also one of the most enchanting trek in Monsoon. It is also known as Vikatgad. The forts and hills in and around Peb Fort are Nakhind, Chanderi, Mahasmal. Prabalgad is another fort opposite this small fort. Peb fort overlooks the Konkan region and also is approachable from Pune. So Chatrapati Shivaji must have given a thought before building this strategic fort. The fort is at a height of 460 Mts. Above sea level.

I had seen the fort from the edge of Panorama Point at Matheran. The Panorama Point at Matheran is at much higher level and gives a clear view of the small fortification of the fort. It was in May, 2008 when I happened to see this fort and decided to visit it as and when I get the chance.

I was lucky to get the chance to be a part of this exciting trek in August, 2008 the same year. Sharing some memories of the trek with you all.

How to reach Peb:
For the Mumbai trekkers, the Trek starts from Neral station. After a walk of an hour or so we immediately saw the green mesmerizing cliffs of Panorama Point and Peb fort facing each other. In monsoons the valley changes from a dry desert to a beautiful and enchanting lush green valley. The moment I saw the fort from below, I felt this would be one of my memorable treks.

Panorama Point and Peb Fort facing each other

We traveled along some difficult rock patches and some breathtaking thin paths, which had valleys on either side of the road. The climate was one, which is best suited for the trek. Not much of rains however it was cloudy throughout the trek. The routes are somewhat tricky and we need to be careful, as there is every possibility that we may loose track of the road and wander off to a different route. We got lost twice but managed to get back on schedule after loosing some time in hunting the correct road. We avoided the temptation of getting in the waterfalls, as we had to reach the caves before sunset.

The narrow Path to Peb Fort

We reached the caves by 6.45 p.m. after a climb of nearly 4 hours. The cave is one of the most neatly kept caves on such forts. It had a grill door to keep the wild animals from entering the cave. The first thing you notice when you enter the cave is the beautiful statue of Shivaji Maharaj. The cave is clean and whitewashed. There is a neatly tiled place of seat outside the cave, which enabled us to sit and relax in the enthralling and chilly climate. Far away we could see the Panvel road where the traffic was moving up and down indicating that we are not far away from civilization.

Statue of Shivaji Maharaj in Caves

After a dinner and a long chat we dozed off as most of us were tired. At 6 o’clock in morning we heard a distinct whistle as if some one is approaching the caves but soon we realized that it was the monsoon bird which whistles at 6 o’clock as if its an alarm to wake up.

When we came out of the cave we could see the charismatic the valley in front of us which was filled with fog. The valley was being cleared with the gust of wind as if to enable us the access the height of the fort and as the wind died down the valley would again be covered with fog. It was a kind of hide and seek game being played between the wind and fog and we as spectators enjoyed the game to the fullest.

The Mesmerizing Valley behind us

In the morning, we could see the surrounding of the cave and to our surprise there were 3 small caves just enough for a man to crawl. The tunnel extends to a length of around 15 ft after that there is 6 ft vertical trench and again the tunnel extends lengthwise to lead to a chamber big for five people to meditate. With our torches we explored the tunnel crawling on our knees and reached the chamber. Bats greeted us inside the tunnel caves. May be during the old times, the tunnel caves were used to stock the food-grains. In Monsoon, 2 of the tunnel caves were filled with water and we could explore only one of them. But we assumed that the remaining 2 caves are of the same structure and size.

The Tunnel Caves

There was no sign of sun breaking the cloud barrier so we assumed it would be a pleasant day to trek with waterfalls all around us. Our trek was to walk to Matheran’s point 132. The first climb the fort wall with the help of the ladder. The ladder overlooked the valley below it. Climbing the ladder is like walking under a shower, as there was a small waterfall besides the ladder.

Climbing the Ladder

After climbing the fort wall we walked our way to the top of the Fort where Swami Smarth Math is set up. Its easy for the devotes to pray for salvation in this heavenly atmosphere. The route to the top was even more thrilling as it was muddy and slippery. At the top, the devotees had placed the footprints of Swami Samarth and a worship place. The narrow path from the top leads us to the Math and the temple of Lord Shiva. This temple was unique with its roof made of Stainless Steel. The roof was like normal huts in Konkan except some slits in between so as to enable the adequate light inside the temple. The temple was small but clean. Now we decided to see the fortifications, which can be seen from Panorama Point. It happened to be the most beautiful of the spots as it was misty all around the valley and due to the mist we were not able to catch the glimpse of Panorama Point.

The Temple of Lord Shiva

Now after confirming our route to end our trek at the base of Panorama Point, we proceeded our route towards Point 132. On the way we had to climb down two ladders (about 60 ft.) which were little shaky but we managed to climb down taking necessary precautions.

The Ladders on the way

The view on our way to was simply panoramic and it was apt to give a similar name to the point, which overlooks such a magnificent view. We crossed a narrow path, which had valley of about 200-300 ft on either side. The narrow route led us to the railway tracks of the toy train. The rail route, which is closed during rainy season, was good for us to walk down towards Neral and is loaded with waterfalls at every nook and corner of the cliffs and it was this time we jumped in the waterfalls for a nice shower. The shower refreshed us and we did not realized the difficult terrain, which we crossed to reach to point 132. In short it’s a wonderful fort to visit for every person who loves to be in the hills and escape the city pollution. But we need to be careful and cautious, as it’s slippery in the monsoon to climb this fort.

Gorakhgad

2009-03-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

The trek to Gorakhgad is one of the most thrilling of the winter treks I have done so far. Gorakhgad, when I heard about the trek, I immediately checked up the books (Trek the Sahyadris) and other Books in Marathi (Kille by Shri G. N. Dandekar, Giridurganchya Paharyat by Shri Anand Palande) for details about the trek. The authors mentioned that this fort is situated 12 kms. North East Direction from Murbad and 2 kms. From Siddhagad. This fort can be easily noticed because of its peculiar appearance. From the base of the hill, the height of this fort is around 400 Mts. The fort is divided into two parts, the fort below with caves and the main fort on the top. The route to the caves on the fort is a rock patch staircase, which is uneven, and faces the valley below. The open area in front of the caves is approx. 15-20 feet. There are a few water tanks near the caves. There are narrow steps, which lead to the second half of the fort and due to this Gorakhgad is said to be one of the toughest treks in Maharashtra. However, it is generally stated that this Trek especially the last patch is to be avoided in monsoon otherwise this trek is safe in winters. So how can I sit without visiting this fort since it’s winter.

We were a group of 9 people. Our program was simple, meet at 5 p.m. on a Saturday at Kalyan Railway Station. Proceed to Murbad and from Murbad to Dehri. Dehri is a small village at the foot of the Gorakhgad and Machindragad. When we reached Dehri it was night around 8.30 p.m. On reaching Dehri we saw a forest fire at the foot of the Fort. The locals told us that it was lit by the hunters who are hunting for wild boars and rabbits.

Being the end of February it’s always necessary to carry extra bottles of water and fruits like oranges and mosambis; we realized it the hard way during our previous two treks to Harishchandragad and Dhak Plateau. So we decided to carry a lot of water and fruits this time of the year. So at the Base of the fort in Dehri, we got our bottles filled with water and moved ahead in the darkness.

Within minutes we started our climb but being in the darkness none of us realized how we were climbing. All of us were just following the beaten path (with the limited Light which we had) with no idea about the height we have attained. As we passed by the Forest Fire we could clearly hear the drum beats showing clear sign that the hunters were on kill. The climb was slow and gradual till we reached the rock patch.

In the night we moved slowly on the rock patch taking halts wherever necessary and sipping water at regular intervals. Even during the night the climate was warm and the climb was exhausting all of us. By now all of us had emptied nearly half of the water stock with us.

Due to Darkness all of us were extra cautious during the rock climb. At around 11.30 p.m. when we reached the caves, all of us were exhausted and hungry but by now the water stock was as good as over and we had to look for the water in the tanks nearby the caves. After a long struggle in pulling the water from the water tanks, we began with our dinner and normal trekking chats which relaxed all of us after an exhausting trek.

One good thing in treks is that even a sleep of 4 to 5 hours is enough to get yourself recharged for the next day. When we came out of the cave we noticed the Huge Pinnacle like fort which was Machindragad right in front of us. We also realized that the mountain was blackened due to the forest fire lit by the local hunters who didn’t care for the environment, trees and weeds that were burnt in the fire.

Our next day began as early as 6 a.m. and after about an hour or so we started on our last climb to the top of Gorakhgad. The route was a proper staircase route by an extremely steep one. The start was a rock patch climb of about 10-15 feet height. The staircase also had slit in the rock, which enabled us to get a proper hold of the rock during our climb to the top. The first thing you will notice when u reach the top of the fort is the saffron colored Shiv temple, which has a pleasing painting of Lord Shiva.

The top of the fort was much windy and we could get a proper view the adjoining area and the forts. From the top we could also see the forts and ranges of Machindragad Siddhagad, Ahupe Ghat, Durg Fort, Jivdhan, Nane Ghat (which was in the mist all the time till we left). Thus we can imagine how during the time of Shivaji Maharaj the Killedars used to keep a vigil or surveillance over the adjoining areas and also send messages across to the other forts.

We also were visited by the most found wild life in these ranges, the Monkeys, who were in search for their early morning breakfast attacked the garbage bag kept outside the caves and we had necessary action for preventing the plastic from spreading. We also tried to learn some tips of rock climbing from them by shooting some videos of the monkeys but couldn’t learn much in the short available time.

After a spine-tingling rock climb, we decided to bid adieu to one of the most difficult caves and the fort in Maharashtra, for our downward journey. Since the climb was in the darkness of night, we were more excited to know what and how we had climbed during the night. The climb down to village Dehri was also equally as exciting as the rock patch we climbed during the day. Following the Rocky Patch we encountered the slippery sand and rocks route which was more dangerous to cross. As we descended, we could get the view of the forts (Gorakhgad and Machindragad) standing tall like the Twin Towers which could never be demolished by any one.

The twin towers of Maharashtra

A memorable trek to Kohoj (1918 feet)

2009-03-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of monsoon, all trek enthusiast get excited about the monsoon treks. So was I and when it was learnt that we will be trekking Kohoj my joy knew no bounds. As I had heard about this place for the very first time, I started googling about this place for more information. Finally I got to know that this place falls in the Dahanu region and me was all set for it.

It was decided that sunday morning (8th July 2007) we all gather at Borivli station platform #4 from where we were supposed to catch the train to Virar. We all assembled there at 6:30 am sharp. We took the 6:45 am local to Virar. At Virar we were supposed to be getting into the shuttle for Dahanu. Since we were a bit late, we sprinted in such a way that it they were olympics we would have won the gold. We did win the gold by getting in time inside the shuttle. After half an hour in the shuttle we reached Palghar from where we would travel by ST to Waghote which is on the way to Manor. We reached Waghote and for the very first time got a glimpse of what we were gonna climb.

It was monsoon time and the whole surroundings were green. After a brief break for tea/coffee, we were guided about how are we going to proceed and we started off. A walk through the fields, we reached a lake of fresh water. We all started refilling our bottles so that we dont fall short of water on our way up. We were also told the shape of the lake is heart shaped which will be more evident as you climb up.

The climb started and we were enjoying every bit of it. There were clouds accompanying us but no signs of rain. That was actually making us sweat a lot. But we continued. After walking by the side of the lake and clicking some nature pics, the actual climb started. The climb isnt very tough, but rest points at regular intervals will ensure you dont fatigue yourself out. The climb takes around 3 hours to reach the top. As it was monsoon we could see a lot of small waterfalls on our way. On our way we were passing through dense vegetation and we were just surrounded by greenary. The sight was just amazing and they are still as fresh as they were that time in our memories. As you climb higher and higher the heart shaped lake becomes more visible. At times the climb was steep. We had to be cautious that time as the way we were going through was slippery because of the rains. We negotiated and made it to the top. We all were fatigued out and some started experiencing cramps too.

At the top you have a temple, water tanks from where you can again refill your liquid supply on your way down. One note, there are no caves or places where you can hide for shelter. The temple is too small to put in it. This is the place where you ideally gather in circle and have lunch and get yourself introduced to some new members joining in. From this very place, a small climb for 5-10 minutes and you reach the penultimate top where you get to see amazing rock formations. The highlight is the man shaped rock formation. An amazing structure created due to erosion by wind. To get there you go through steep stairs which are not very tough. A photo session on the top we all got down and had our lunch. Now it was time to rest. With quick rest and all refreshed we started getting down. Finally we got down and when it was time for us to catch the bus to get back home we all got nostalgic. It was such a feeling, we decided we gonna come back to it again and again. A perfect destination to trek during the monsoons.