Fort : Pandavgad
Height : 4185 ft above MSL
Region: Mahabaleshwar
Grade : Medium
Pandavgad is situated in Mahabaleshwar region at the end of the Mandhardevi Ghat towards Wai side. It is a peculiar fort.
After doing Vairatgad we did Pandavgad. We passed through Wai city and saw that the famous ganesh temple was under water due to the heavy rains that year. We traversed slowly in the city and finally came out and started towards Pandavgad. After around 45 mins we arrived at the base of Pandavgad. (Base village : Gundewadi)
History : Pandav gad was built by the Shilahar king Bhoj - II , and it was under the rule of Adilshahi before the Marathas captured it. Aurangzeb again captured the fort and after him the British took over it.
We started up towards Pandavgad and it was an easy ascent. The Mandhardevi Ghat road was looking awesome from a height and we took some photos. We reached up in about 45 mins. The fort is nothing much to look at. Pandavgad is private property as per records and its caretaker is 1 Sher Wadia....we could see his home at a distance there.
Finally we started down in around 10-15 minutes and came down in about 40 mins. Changed our clothes and started towards Pune. We came to Pune at 8pm and went home weary but happy ...
Trek 11 accomplished!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Vairatgad
Fort: Vairatgad (3939 feet above MSL)
Region : Wai
Grade : Medium
We did this trek during monsoons last year July 2006 when the monsoons were on peak. I did it through vxtrek a company trekking group with Shash, Asmita, Abhijit, Swati and one more person.
Vairatgad is located in the Wai region.
We were to assemble at around 6am at Mayfair office but like always IST we assembled at 6.30am and started finally at around 7am from Pune. We went via the satara road towards wai. The sky was overcast and it was raining like hell in Pune too.
We had a break in between at Natraj Hotel for breakfast. I had some Upma which tasted good and again we started towards wai. We reached at around 8.30am nearby wai and asked for directions towards Vairatgad.
Finally we found the right way and went to the base and started climbing. It was pouring by now and the route was too slippery thanks to the rain and the mud which had turned to slush.
Finally after around 1 hour we reached the top. Took some photos and had our lunch in the temple there. After lunch we immediately started down and now the actual fun began. As we were descending we were slipping like hell and I was really scared this time as I was afraid to go down but well anyway with Shash and Abhijit's help we came down and heaved a sigh of relief !!
We started towards our vehicle and went towards Pandavgad. Pandavgad in next blog write up. Trek 10 accomplished!
Region : Wai
Grade : Medium
We did this trek during monsoons last year July 2006 when the monsoons were on peak. I did it through vxtrek a company trekking group with Shash, Asmita, Abhijit, Swati and one more person.
Vairatgad is located in the Wai region.
We were to assemble at around 6am at Mayfair office but like always IST we assembled at 6.30am and started finally at around 7am from Pune. We went via the satara road towards wai. The sky was overcast and it was raining like hell in Pune too.
We had a break in between at Natraj Hotel for breakfast. I had some Upma which tasted good and again we started towards wai. We reached at around 8.30am nearby wai and asked for directions towards Vairatgad.
Finally we found the right way and went to the base and started climbing. It was pouring by now and the route was too slippery thanks to the rain and the mud which had turned to slush.
Finally after around 1 hour we reached the top. Took some photos and had our lunch in the temple there. After lunch we immediately started down and now the actual fun began. As we were descending we were slipping like hell and I was really scared this time as I was afraid to go down but well anyway with Shash and Abhijit's help we came down and heaved a sigh of relief !!
We started towards our vehicle and went towards Pandavgad. Pandavgad in next blog write up. Trek 10 accomplished!
Rajgad - again
We went to Rajgad again during the monsoons. This time it was planned that we would go to Rajgad enroute Satara to Pradeep's home. Myself, Rahul, Amit, Prasad and Pradeep started from chinchwad towards pune. We halted near Satara Road for more people to join in.
Finally we started towards Satara. Basically we thought we would not do Rajgad as it would be slippery during the monsoons but then later we said we can do it and then at the phata we turned right and went towards Rajgad. At one point we saw Rahul's bike's rear tyre was punctured. Luckily we were at a village in between nasrapur so we repaired his bike and had some breakfast of vada sambhar.
Then we started towards Rajgad. The roads were too good and as it was not raining we were speeding towards our destination. we turned left at one point at Margasani phata and went towards Gunjawane village. Finally we reached Gunjawane village and parked our bikes at a hotel. We changed our clothes at the hotel took some water with us and kept all heavy baggage there and started towards Rajgad.
Initially I was feeling some problem with my stomach so i decided not to go ahead but then i said if i have come this far why not to go up. So I went ahead. It was not raining and the nature all around was too good. The fort itself was shrouded in clouds and was all green over. We climbed for around 1.25 hours and finally reached the rock cut steps. Here we saw a person who was afraid to ascend the steps also because he was having fear of heights...that guy turned back :(
We anyway ascended the steps and had some photosessions. Now it had started raining hard and we were soaked to the skin. Finally we reached the fort. It was heaven there. All clouds had descended down there and we could see nothing. Finally the others decided to go to the balekilla i stood down as i was in no mood.
I stood admiring the nature and taking some photos from my cell. Finally the group came down and we again started down. There were quite a lot of people on the fort and were part of some trekking group.
Finally we started down the way we came and came down quickly. At one point the rain started again heavily and we were at a muddy part of the descent and due to the rain it had become all slushy so we walked slipped and fell down again got up and walked through...it was fun. Finally we came to level ground and saw a small hotel. We asked the owner to prepare some tea and it was very refreshing.
While coming down we talked to 1 villager who told us whether we would take a snake (cobra) to the Katraj zoo. He had basically caught the snake nearby and it was a small cobra. He said he had hidden it on a tree as the villagers would kill it if they saw it. He pleaded with us to take it to the Katraj Zoo because he knew he could not care for it properly and the zoo authorities would care more for it than him. My bag was full and i couldnt take it. I felt so bad for that.We saw the snake in the bottle...it was an awesome sight...it was a small cobra and it was beating against the bottle....
After having tea we again started down and came to the hotel. There it was a rivulet of sorts because of the heavy rain and it had become very slushy. We had a satisfying lunch at the hotel and now I was feeling feverish as though something was wrong. I decided against going to Satara and started towards home. Trek 9 accomplished.
Finally we started towards Satara. Basically we thought we would not do Rajgad as it would be slippery during the monsoons but then later we said we can do it and then at the phata we turned right and went towards Rajgad. At one point we saw Rahul's bike's rear tyre was punctured. Luckily we were at a village in between nasrapur so we repaired his bike and had some breakfast of vada sambhar.
Then we started towards Rajgad. The roads were too good and as it was not raining we were speeding towards our destination. we turned left at one point at Margasani phata and went towards Gunjawane village. Finally we reached Gunjawane village and parked our bikes at a hotel. We changed our clothes at the hotel took some water with us and kept all heavy baggage there and started towards Rajgad.
Initially I was feeling some problem with my stomach so i decided not to go ahead but then i said if i have come this far why not to go up. So I went ahead. It was not raining and the nature all around was too good. The fort itself was shrouded in clouds and was all green over. We climbed for around 1.25 hours and finally reached the rock cut steps. Here we saw a person who was afraid to ascend the steps also because he was having fear of heights...that guy turned back :(
We anyway ascended the steps and had some photosessions. Now it had started raining hard and we were soaked to the skin. Finally we reached the fort. It was heaven there. All clouds had descended down there and we could see nothing. Finally the others decided to go to the balekilla i stood down as i was in no mood.
I stood admiring the nature and taking some photos from my cell. Finally the group came down and we again started down. There were quite a lot of people on the fort and were part of some trekking group.
Finally we started down the way we came and came down quickly. At one point the rain started again heavily and we were at a muddy part of the descent and due to the rain it had become all slushy so we walked slipped and fell down again got up and walked through...it was fun. Finally we came to level ground and saw a small hotel. We asked the owner to prepare some tea and it was very refreshing.
While coming down we talked to 1 villager who told us whether we would take a snake (cobra) to the Katraj zoo. He had basically caught the snake nearby and it was a small cobra. He said he had hidden it on a tree as the villagers would kill it if they saw it. He pleaded with us to take it to the Katraj Zoo because he knew he could not care for it properly and the zoo authorities would care more for it than him. My bag was full and i couldnt take it. I felt so bad for that.We saw the snake in the bottle...it was an awesome sight...it was a small cobra and it was beating against the bottle....
After having tea we again started down and came to the hotel. There it was a rivulet of sorts because of the heavy rain and it had become very slushy. We had a satisfying lunch at the hotel and now I was feeling feverish as though something was wrong. I decided against going to Satara and started towards home. Trek 9 accomplished.
Raigad
Fort : Raigad (2851 feet above MSL)
Region : Raigad
Grade : Easy
Raigad is the capital of all the forts of Shivaji. It is situated 22 km from Mahad and there is a whole district which has the name derived from this fort.
Raigad is a very big fort with many of the things quite present on this fort. There is a hotel too on top and facilities for living are too good. Myself and some friends decided to go to Raigad in the month of December 2004. We left by 10.21 local from Chinchwad and reached Shivajinagar. From Shivajinagar we took a bus to swargate and entered the swargate ST stand.
From Swargate we took an Asiad Bus for Mahad. The route was via Katraj Ghat -Bhor phata - Bhor - Varanda Ghat - Mahad.
The road at Varanda Ghat was too bad and the ghat was too dangerous and we were scared to our limits when on the ghat. It was a long ghat. Finally at about 4 in the evening we reached Mahad. From Mahad we got an ST bus which goes right upto the base of Raigad. We reached Raigad at around 5.30pm with plenty of sunlight. We decided to climb through the steps. Its an easy way up there with steps right upto the top and no problems. There is a rope way too which goes up but we decided against it.
We climbed on through the steps for 1 hour looking at the scenery on the way while going. We also saw the Hirkani Buruj on the way.
Finally after an hour we reached the darwaza of the fort. We could see the vast expanse of the fort and climbed towards the place where we would rest for the night. We had a sumptuous dinner and then did some time pass talking for sometime.
Finally we decided to have a night walk. Being december it was too cold out there and we were shivering. Finally we came and slept at around 11pm. Morning we woke up freshened up and finally started exploring the fort. For exploring Raigad you need atleast 2 days as its a very big fort.
We saw the bazaar peth (market place) which is still intact. We saw Chhatrapati's throne and the durbar which were still intact and the ASI were making amends to some broken structure. It is said that the throne of Maharaj was set of pure gold and with precious stones on it. The English when they invaded Raigad took away everything with them.
We then had a look around the fort and saw the Mahadev Mandir. The top of the temple was looking like a masjid. In those days Aurangzeb and other invaders used to bomb temples so while designing the temples the worksmen would design the top as a Masjid to fool the invaders. There we saw the samadhi of Waghya and Maharaj. Waghya was Maharaj's pet dog who had died on Raigad.
Then we saw the Kali Kada or Devi Kada which is quite steep. We saw Lingana fort from here and the view was breathtaking from this place. We then decided to climb down the fort. Finally at around 12 in the afternoon we reached the base and hired a six seater and went towards Mahad. At Mahad we had our lunch and boarded the bus to Pune via Tamhini Ghat - Mulshi. We reached Pune at around 8 in the evening and started towards home.
Trek 8 accomplished...
Region : Raigad
Grade : Easy
Raigad is the capital of all the forts of Shivaji. It is situated 22 km from Mahad and there is a whole district which has the name derived from this fort.
Raigad is a very big fort with many of the things quite present on this fort. There is a hotel too on top and facilities for living are too good. Myself and some friends decided to go to Raigad in the month of December 2004. We left by 10.21 local from Chinchwad and reached Shivajinagar. From Shivajinagar we took a bus to swargate and entered the swargate ST stand.
From Swargate we took an Asiad Bus for Mahad. The route was via Katraj Ghat -Bhor phata - Bhor - Varanda Ghat - Mahad.
The road at Varanda Ghat was too bad and the ghat was too dangerous and we were scared to our limits when on the ghat. It was a long ghat. Finally at about 4 in the evening we reached Mahad. From Mahad we got an ST bus which goes right upto the base of Raigad. We reached Raigad at around 5.30pm with plenty of sunlight. We decided to climb through the steps. Its an easy way up there with steps right upto the top and no problems. There is a rope way too which goes up but we decided against it.
We climbed on through the steps for 1 hour looking at the scenery on the way while going. We also saw the Hirkani Buruj on the way.
Finally after an hour we reached the darwaza of the fort. We could see the vast expanse of the fort and climbed towards the place where we would rest for the night. We had a sumptuous dinner and then did some time pass talking for sometime.
Finally we decided to have a night walk. Being december it was too cold out there and we were shivering. Finally we came and slept at around 11pm. Morning we woke up freshened up and finally started exploring the fort. For exploring Raigad you need atleast 2 days as its a very big fort.
We saw the bazaar peth (market place) which is still intact. We saw Chhatrapati's throne and the durbar which were still intact and the ASI were making amends to some broken structure. It is said that the throne of Maharaj was set of pure gold and with precious stones on it. The English when they invaded Raigad took away everything with them.
We then had a look around the fort and saw the Mahadev Mandir. The top of the temple was looking like a masjid. In those days Aurangzeb and other invaders used to bomb temples so while designing the temples the worksmen would design the top as a Masjid to fool the invaders. There we saw the samadhi of Waghya and Maharaj. Waghya was Maharaj's pet dog who had died on Raigad.
Then we saw the Kali Kada or Devi Kada which is quite steep. We saw Lingana fort from here and the view was breathtaking from this place. We then decided to climb down the fort. Finally at around 12 in the afternoon we reached the base and hired a six seater and went towards Mahad. At Mahad we had our lunch and boarded the bus to Pune via Tamhini Ghat - Mulshi. We reached Pune at around 8 in the evening and started towards home.
Trek 8 accomplished...
Sihangad
Fort : Sinhagad (4320 ft above MSL)
Region : Pune
Grade : Easy
Finally had the time to go for this. Went to this fort numerous times but this time went with friend group.Its near to Pune and is around 34 km from my place. We started by bus from Nigdi around 6.00 am in the morning and went up to Swargate.
From Swargate we caught the Sinhagad bus and started off towards Sinhagad. We alighted at around 8.00am at the base village of Sinhagad and started to trek up. It was tiring as I had not done treks for sometime now.
We walked for around 1.5 hours before we finally reached the top near the door. There we had cool lemon juice and started towards the fort. The fort is a good one and had 2 doors near the entrance. From here you can see the doordarshan tower also on top there. Finally we went inside and had a look here and there.
We sat near a hotel up and had pithla-bhakri and it tasted like heaven.We also had bhaji and tea and then started off exploring the fort. We descended the steps towards the Kalyan Darwaza and sat there sometime enjoying the nature. Finally we went around and made a whole round of the fort and reached windpoint. The wind was blowing fiercely and we could feel ourselves been blown by the wind. The scenery here is too good..finally we started from here and saw the Rajaram Samadhi and then finally started down. While going down we descended in 45 mins and when down had a cup of tea at a small hotel and caught the bus to swargate. From swargate we went home by Nigdi bus... trek 7 accomplished
Region : Pune
Grade : Easy
Finally had the time to go for this. Went to this fort numerous times but this time went with friend group.Its near to Pune and is around 34 km from my place. We started by bus from Nigdi around 6.00 am in the morning and went up to Swargate.
From Swargate we caught the Sinhagad bus and started off towards Sinhagad. We alighted at around 8.00am at the base village of Sinhagad and started to trek up. It was tiring as I had not done treks for sometime now.
We walked for around 1.5 hours before we finally reached the top near the door. There we had cool lemon juice and started towards the fort. The fort is a good one and had 2 doors near the entrance. From here you can see the doordarshan tower also on top there. Finally we went inside and had a look here and there.
We sat near a hotel up and had pithla-bhakri and it tasted like heaven.We also had bhaji and tea and then started off exploring the fort. We descended the steps towards the Kalyan Darwaza and sat there sometime enjoying the nature. Finally we went around and made a whole round of the fort and reached windpoint. The wind was blowing fiercely and we could feel ourselves been blown by the wind. The scenery here is too good..finally we started from here and saw the Rajaram Samadhi and then finally started down. While going down we descended in 45 mins and when down had a cup of tea at a small hotel and caught the bus to swargate. From swargate we went home by Nigdi bus... trek 7 accomplished
Monday, April 02, 2007
Rajmachi
Rajmachi consists of 2 forts (2710 ft above MSL)
Region : Lonavala
Grade : Medium
Forts : Shriwardhan and Manoranjan
The Rajmachi fort is located near lonavala and is covered by thick jungles from 3 sides. We decided to do it during graduation on a saturday and a sunday.
We left from Pune at 9.00am and reached Lonavala and went to Deepak's home. Everyone had come along there. We started for Rajmachi at 4.00pm in the evening and bought raw material for food and stuff and started trekking. We crossed the express highway at 1 spot and then the road was like straight but it was covered by jungle on all sides. We kept walking and pulling each others legs and were a merry bunch...we were around 20 people this time.
We reached Rajmachi at 8pm and immediately settled down in the temple there. The night was eerie and we started cooking. The rice got burnt when being cooked but we were spared eating it as we had rotis for us also.
As night advanced the cold took over. It was too cold out. We huddled in the temple and went to sleep like never before. All of us were shivering even under our bedsheets. Morning we woke up at 7.00am and went to Shriwardhan Fort.It was not much effort as its not at a height of more than 1500 ft. From above we could see the Rajmachi Point, the BorGhat , Dhak chi Bahiri and other forts around. We idled there for a few more minutes and started down.
Then we got around Manoranjan. It was also not much effort as the height was not too much. We came down and then some guys said ki class jana hain so leaving. I also left and overtook these guys. Did not have any breakfast or anything. And the walk in the sun had me dehydrated so much that when I reached Lonavala it was fine but in the local when coming to chinchwad I was not able to see anything everything was going blank...my stupidity had made me like this...but well i got down at chinchwad and had some juice after which I regained senses..:)
Then trek number 6 accomplished...!!
Region : Lonavala
Grade : Medium
Forts : Shriwardhan and Manoranjan
The Rajmachi fort is located near lonavala and is covered by thick jungles from 3 sides. We decided to do it during graduation on a saturday and a sunday.
We left from Pune at 9.00am and reached Lonavala and went to Deepak's home. Everyone had come along there. We started for Rajmachi at 4.00pm in the evening and bought raw material for food and stuff and started trekking. We crossed the express highway at 1 spot and then the road was like straight but it was covered by jungle on all sides. We kept walking and pulling each others legs and were a merry bunch...we were around 20 people this time.
We reached Rajmachi at 8pm and immediately settled down in the temple there. The night was eerie and we started cooking. The rice got burnt when being cooked but we were spared eating it as we had rotis for us also.
As night advanced the cold took over. It was too cold out. We huddled in the temple and went to sleep like never before. All of us were shivering even under our bedsheets. Morning we woke up at 7.00am and went to Shriwardhan Fort.It was not much effort as its not at a height of more than 1500 ft. From above we could see the Rajmachi Point, the BorGhat , Dhak chi Bahiri and other forts around. We idled there for a few more minutes and started down.
Then we got around Manoranjan. It was also not much effort as the height was not too much. We came down and then some guys said ki class jana hain so leaving. I also left and overtook these guys. Did not have any breakfast or anything. And the walk in the sun had me dehydrated so much that when I reached Lonavala it was fine but in the local when coming to chinchwad I was not able to see anything everything was going blank...my stupidity had made me like this...but well i got down at chinchwad and had some juice after which I regained senses..:)
Then trek number 6 accomplished...!!
Torna - Rajgad
Forts :
1. Torna (Prachandagad) (4604 ft above MSL)
Region : Velha (Pune)
Grade: Tough
2. Rajgad (4514 ft above MSL)
Region: Gunjawane (Pune)
Grade : Medium
This was the greatest ever trek done during my whole trekking life till now. We did this during TY BCS October 30th 2002. It was diwali time and we decided to go for this trek with class friends.
We had 14-15 people for this trek. Saurabh,Deepak, Shankar,Ganesh,Amit,Prasad,Deepak M, Yashwant,Uday,Rahul, Nitin, Sachin,Chetan and Me.
We started at 6.00am from chinchwad towards Pune by local and got down at Shivajinagar station and all of us gathered together.
We boarded a bus to swargate ST stand from where we would board a bus to Velhe the base village for Torna (also known as Prachandagad). Torna was the first fort which was captured by Shivaji at the age of 16 years.
We got down at Velhe and the iternary was climb Torna and stay for the day, morning get up and start for Rajgad, climb Rajgad and stay for the day and then climb down and go home.
We freshened up ourselves changed to shorts , got vessels for cooking and other raw materials and then had some photo sessions and then started the climb. The climb to Torna is difficult and even in the winter the sun shines down hard. Some few minutes and every body was panting. Torna is difficult to ascend but thats what we are here for and nobody got bogged down...all were very enthusiastic.
Finally after 3 hours we reached the main darwaza of Torna. The sense of relief after having got there is like something which cannot be described. We had water and did some timepass waiting for people to come up.
Then we went inside the fort and went to the temple where we were planning to stay for the night. We had our lunch outside the temple. Then we went on a site seeing of the fort on all sides and had a nice time clicking photographs and all and doing things. We went to the machi and looked in awe at the structure there. The sights around were too good and we had good time exploring the fort.
We came back and did some timepass. We collected some firewood and started to make tea for the evening. It was turning dark and we had tea. The temperature had also dropped down as it was winter and we had chilly wind blowing all around. Uday started cooking dinner with every1 doing his part and after that we had a dinner of rice and boiled potatoes which was like a treat for us because we were that hungry :)
After dinner it was time to do timepass but there was a problem...the cooking utensils had to be given back to the villagers from whom we had taken them on rent. So Uday, Prasad and Amit volunteered to go down Torna to Velhe give the utensils and climb back in the dark!! :-O
It was like something I could have never done. They started with torches and went down. We sat there in the cold night talking, singing and doing all sort of antics and stuff.
Uday and company came back within 2-3 hrs after which we all started going inside the temple for a good sleep. There was another group of school girls who had come there too. While sleeping suddenly Amit saw the flag atop the mandir and thinking it was a snake he said "arre saap"...it was mayhem all over and everyone was running like mad. Finally we saw that it was not a snake but the flag and settled down again to sleep.
Morning we woke up and had a cup of tea and started for Rajgad at around 7 pm. We descended Torana from the other side (Budhla Machi side) and had a hell of a time climbing down as it was too steep and slippery. Finally we came to a rock patch which had to be descended :-O and it was a steep one. Saurabh and Deepak brought a rope with which they secured it both ends and one by one we started down on the rope.
Coming down was a weird experience and was frightening too with all stuff but it was thrill.Finally we descended the fort and heaved a sigh of relief but wait we had yet to walk all the way to Rajgad and climb up....
The walk from Torna to Rajgad took us around 6 hours of walking in the sun and we had 4-5 breaks in between as such it was just walking on the ridges but still it was tiresome. Myself,Uday , Shankar and Ganesh decided to go up fast and climb Rajgad faster than others so we started walking very very fast and wat happened is my floater (which should have not been worn) tore and I could not walk with it...i had to walk barefoot now....and the stones were killing me. I climbed Rajgad without any shoes or aid and finally at 3pm in the afternoon we four came up Rajgad.
Rajgad was the erstwhile capital of the Marathas until Raigad was born or made actually. It is a huge fort and is built on the hill Murumdev.Shivaji built this fort using the money from the treasure he found at Torna fort when he had conquered it.
Continuing then..all of the other guys came up and we started to go towards the temple there. It is a huge temple with capacity for 30-40 people. We settled in one corner. There were many groups there who had come. We made some tea and refreshed ourselves and then we had a tour of the fort. Sanjivani Machi and all. It was an awesome fort. We also climbed the balekilla (kings quaters) and saw the BazarPeth over there too.
We came back and it was dark now. Co-incidentially that day Babasaheb Purandhare had also come over to Rajgad so we went and attended his pravachan there. They asked us to eat food there but we politely declined and said that we had made our own food. We made food later and ate it. Every one was tired so we lay down and did some timepass with all singing some songs and laughing and doing childish things. Everyone was tired so by 10 everyone was sound asleep.
Morning we woke up and prepared tea and breakfast.Did some timepass and then started on our way down the other side to Gunjawane....
We started descending and me this time too without any aid descended down. Chetan was kind enough to give me his floaters for the last leg of the journey. We descended to Gunjawane in around 50 mins and waited for some transport to come. We came across a Trax owner who agreed to drop us at Vajeghar from where we could get an ST to swargate. We reached Vajeghar at 3pm and immediately got a swargate ST bus and reached swargate at 5.30pm. I had my floaters stiched from a cobbler and felt good wearing them. Myself and Rahul along with all went to Pune station and the local was just about the start. We entrained a moving local. Some guys were left behind because they could not entrain. So they were left out. Others were there. So we got down at Khadki and waited for the next train so that we all could go together.
Finally everyone got together and we went home. Treks 4 and 5 done. Total count: 5 :)
1. Torna (Prachandagad) (4604 ft above MSL)
Region : Velha (Pune)
Grade: Tough
2. Rajgad (4514 ft above MSL)
Region: Gunjawane (Pune)
Grade : Medium
This was the greatest ever trek done during my whole trekking life till now. We did this during TY BCS October 30th 2002. It was diwali time and we decided to go for this trek with class friends.
We had 14-15 people for this trek. Saurabh,Deepak, Shankar,Ganesh,Amit,Prasad,Deepak M, Yashwant,Uday,Rahul, Nitin, Sachin,Chetan and Me.
We started at 6.00am from chinchwad towards Pune by local and got down at Shivajinagar station and all of us gathered together.
We boarded a bus to swargate ST stand from where we would board a bus to Velhe the base village for Torna (also known as Prachandagad). Torna was the first fort which was captured by Shivaji at the age of 16 years.
We got down at Velhe and the iternary was climb Torna and stay for the day, morning get up and start for Rajgad, climb Rajgad and stay for the day and then climb down and go home.
We freshened up ourselves changed to shorts , got vessels for cooking and other raw materials and then had some photo sessions and then started the climb. The climb to Torna is difficult and even in the winter the sun shines down hard. Some few minutes and every body was panting. Torna is difficult to ascend but thats what we are here for and nobody got bogged down...all were very enthusiastic.
Finally after 3 hours we reached the main darwaza of Torna. The sense of relief after having got there is like something which cannot be described. We had water and did some timepass waiting for people to come up.
Then we went inside the fort and went to the temple where we were planning to stay for the night. We had our lunch outside the temple. Then we went on a site seeing of the fort on all sides and had a nice time clicking photographs and all and doing things. We went to the machi and looked in awe at the structure there. The sights around were too good and we had good time exploring the fort.
We came back and did some timepass. We collected some firewood and started to make tea for the evening. It was turning dark and we had tea. The temperature had also dropped down as it was winter and we had chilly wind blowing all around. Uday started cooking dinner with every1 doing his part and after that we had a dinner of rice and boiled potatoes which was like a treat for us because we were that hungry :)
After dinner it was time to do timepass but there was a problem...the cooking utensils had to be given back to the villagers from whom we had taken them on rent. So Uday, Prasad and Amit volunteered to go down Torna to Velhe give the utensils and climb back in the dark!! :-O
It was like something I could have never done. They started with torches and went down. We sat there in the cold night talking, singing and doing all sort of antics and stuff.
Uday and company came back within 2-3 hrs after which we all started going inside the temple for a good sleep. There was another group of school girls who had come there too. While sleeping suddenly Amit saw the flag atop the mandir and thinking it was a snake he said "arre saap"...it was mayhem all over and everyone was running like mad. Finally we saw that it was not a snake but the flag and settled down again to sleep.
Morning we woke up and had a cup of tea and started for Rajgad at around 7 pm. We descended Torana from the other side (Budhla Machi side) and had a hell of a time climbing down as it was too steep and slippery. Finally we came to a rock patch which had to be descended :-O and it was a steep one. Saurabh and Deepak brought a rope with which they secured it both ends and one by one we started down on the rope.
Coming down was a weird experience and was frightening too with all stuff but it was thrill.Finally we descended the fort and heaved a sigh of relief but wait we had yet to walk all the way to Rajgad and climb up....
The walk from Torna to Rajgad took us around 6 hours of walking in the sun and we had 4-5 breaks in between as such it was just walking on the ridges but still it was tiresome. Myself,Uday , Shankar and Ganesh decided to go up fast and climb Rajgad faster than others so we started walking very very fast and wat happened is my floater (which should have not been worn) tore and I could not walk with it...i had to walk barefoot now....and the stones were killing me. I climbed Rajgad without any shoes or aid and finally at 3pm in the afternoon we four came up Rajgad.
Rajgad was the erstwhile capital of the Marathas until Raigad was born or made actually. It is a huge fort and is built on the hill Murumdev.Shivaji built this fort using the money from the treasure he found at Torna fort when he had conquered it.
Continuing then..all of the other guys came up and we started to go towards the temple there. It is a huge temple with capacity for 30-40 people. We settled in one corner. There were many groups there who had come. We made some tea and refreshed ourselves and then we had a tour of the fort. Sanjivani Machi and all. It was an awesome fort. We also climbed the balekilla (kings quaters) and saw the BazarPeth over there too.
We came back and it was dark now. Co-incidentially that day Babasaheb Purandhare had also come over to Rajgad so we went and attended his pravachan there. They asked us to eat food there but we politely declined and said that we had made our own food. We made food later and ate it. Every one was tired so we lay down and did some timepass with all singing some songs and laughing and doing childish things. Everyone was tired so by 10 everyone was sound asleep.
Morning we woke up and prepared tea and breakfast.Did some timepass and then started on our way down the other side to Gunjawane....
We started descending and me this time too without any aid descended down. Chetan was kind enough to give me his floaters for the last leg of the journey. We descended to Gunjawane in around 50 mins and waited for some transport to come. We came across a Trax owner who agreed to drop us at Vajeghar from where we could get an ST to swargate. We reached Vajeghar at 3pm and immediately got a swargate ST bus and reached swargate at 5.30pm. I had my floaters stiched from a cobbler and felt good wearing them. Myself and Rahul along with all went to Pune station and the local was just about the start. We entrained a moving local. Some guys were left behind because they could not entrain. So they were left out. Others were there. So we got down at Khadki and waited for the next train so that we all could go together.
Finally everyone got together and we went home. Treks 4 and 5 done. Total count: 5 :)
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Visapur
Fort Visapur
Height : 4000ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade: Medium
Visapur is a fort near Malavli and is close to Lohagad fort. Though not much to see there but worth the climb.
Me , Mehul and Rahul started from Chinchwad at 7.00am towards Malavli. We met Hemant , Sanjay at Akurdi and Indrajeet, Vikram and some friends at Talegaon. Arriving at Malavli we started our walk. The same way towards Lohgad. At one point there is a bifurcation where 1 road leads to lohgad and the other towards Visapur where one should start the climb. We started on this route.
Mehul was enthusiastic as it was his first time. We actually lost our way to find the climbing route and were helped by a villager who showed us the route amidst bushes which was hard to spot. Thanking him we started on. Here there are no steps but huge rocks on which 1 has to climb. There is shade all along but its quite excruciating climb and everyone was growing tired.Finally we reached after 1.25 hrs of climbing.
The Visapur top is too big and one has to walk round it to have a good view. We went to the other side and walked near to the walls where we could see the route from where we had come. We had a look at the balekilla and it was awesome.
Looking for some shade we started our lunch after settling down and removing our lunch boxes...had a nice wholesome lunch and walked round the fort enjoying the nature and taking photos.
Finally we started descending down. It was another nightmare over the boulders hurting the legs...finally we came down in about 45 minutes and got on the main road. Mehul's condition was worse and he could not even walk. :)
We decided we would go up to see the Bhaje caves.The route we took was over a dried waterfall.It was pure rock climb and we did it. Mehul had to be escorted up with help from Indrajeet and others as he was not even in a position to walk. We sat in the cool caves at Bhaje and had one more lunch session where we ate chiwda and other stuff and had an afternoon siesta.
Finally we came down the steps from Bhaje and walked to the station and took a train to Pune. Visapur done : 3rd Trek!!
Height : 4000ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade: Medium
Visapur is a fort near Malavli and is close to Lohagad fort. Though not much to see there but worth the climb.
Me , Mehul and Rahul started from Chinchwad at 7.00am towards Malavli. We met Hemant , Sanjay at Akurdi and Indrajeet, Vikram and some friends at Talegaon. Arriving at Malavli we started our walk. The same way towards Lohgad. At one point there is a bifurcation where 1 road leads to lohgad and the other towards Visapur where one should start the climb. We started on this route.
Mehul was enthusiastic as it was his first time. We actually lost our way to find the climbing route and were helped by a villager who showed us the route amidst bushes which was hard to spot. Thanking him we started on. Here there are no steps but huge rocks on which 1 has to climb. There is shade all along but its quite excruciating climb and everyone was growing tired.Finally we reached after 1.25 hrs of climbing.
The Visapur top is too big and one has to walk round it to have a good view. We went to the other side and walked near to the walls where we could see the route from where we had come. We had a look at the balekilla and it was awesome.
Looking for some shade we started our lunch after settling down and removing our lunch boxes...had a nice wholesome lunch and walked round the fort enjoying the nature and taking photos.
Finally we started descending down. It was another nightmare over the boulders hurting the legs...finally we came down in about 45 minutes and got on the main road. Mehul's condition was worse and he could not even walk. :)
We decided we would go up to see the Bhaje caves.The route we took was over a dried waterfall.It was pure rock climb and we did it. Mehul had to be escorted up with help from Indrajeet and others as he was not even in a position to walk. We sat in the cool caves at Bhaje and had one more lunch session where we ate chiwda and other stuff and had an afternoon siesta.
Finally we came down the steps from Bhaje and walked to the station and took a train to Pune. Visapur done : 3rd Trek!!
Lohgad
Fort Lohgad
Height : 3450 ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade : Easy
This was my second trek with Saurabh, Chetan, Deepak and Avinash. Lohgad is situated 9km from Malavli station. Vehicles go upto the foot of the fort and then there are easy steps to climb.
I started from Chinchwad at 7.00am towards Lonavala.Met Chetan who had boarded from Pimpri and met Sauri at Talegaon. Deepak and Avinash joined us at Malavli.
There is no bus from Malavli. We started walking along the road towards Lohgad. After 20 mins we reached a village where we stopped and had tea and again started. We started walking through lush fields....the environment was excellent to say.
Some time later towards the right we could see the Bhaje Caves. These caves are of much importance and are said to be of the Buddhist Era.
Next we had to cross a small hill. Though there is a road going up it is winding so walking along it takes most of your time so we decided to take shortcuts...already i and chetan were panting and Deepak and Saurabh further pushed us....:) .We could see the fort at a distance. It looked huge.
We took some photo graphs and again started walking.
Now we were on top of the hill after 1.5 hrs. N we were walking towards Lohgad.To the right we could see the vast expanse of the Visapur Fort. It is another awesome fort. Now we were at the base village (name not known). We started up the steps which were normal ones. We then got towards the darwaza...it was good. Then we started exploring some stuff...some said that an underground route goes directly from here to Sihangad :))
We got on top of the fort after climbing some 100-200 steps. Took photos. There is a masjid on top of the fort. It was learnt that Muslim rulers had also ruled here so the masjid. Then we started walking the perimeter of the fort. At the end was the most amazing form I had ever seen in my whole life. The "Vinchu Naangi" (Scorpion Fang) was an amazing site. It was a part of the fort.
To get to there we had to cross a rock patch which was well my first one. I descended with much difficulty and fear so as not to roll off the edge :)
Finally we started walking along the nangi walls and reached the end. Cool air was blowing and we sat there saying nothing and enjoying the nature. Finally we started back from there and again the rock patch to be climbed. I climbed again with much difficulty with help of Deepak and Saurabh.
We had lunch and then started down the fort. After 2 hours we arrived at Malavli station in the hot sun exhausted and boarded a local to Pune. Lohgad also done - trek count : 2 !
Height : 3450 ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade : Easy
This was my second trek with Saurabh, Chetan, Deepak and Avinash. Lohgad is situated 9km from Malavli station. Vehicles go upto the foot of the fort and then there are easy steps to climb.
I started from Chinchwad at 7.00am towards Lonavala.Met Chetan who had boarded from Pimpri and met Sauri at Talegaon. Deepak and Avinash joined us at Malavli.
There is no bus from Malavli. We started walking along the road towards Lohgad. After 20 mins we reached a village where we stopped and had tea and again started. We started walking through lush fields....the environment was excellent to say.
Some time later towards the right we could see the Bhaje Caves. These caves are of much importance and are said to be of the Buddhist Era.
Next we had to cross a small hill. Though there is a road going up it is winding so walking along it takes most of your time so we decided to take shortcuts...already i and chetan were panting and Deepak and Saurabh further pushed us....:) .We could see the fort at a distance. It looked huge.
We took some photo graphs and again started walking.
Now we were on top of the hill after 1.5 hrs. N we were walking towards Lohgad.To the right we could see the vast expanse of the Visapur Fort. It is another awesome fort. Now we were at the base village (name not known). We started up the steps which were normal ones. We then got towards the darwaza...it was good. Then we started exploring some stuff...some said that an underground route goes directly from here to Sihangad :))
We got on top of the fort after climbing some 100-200 steps. Took photos. There is a masjid on top of the fort. It was learnt that Muslim rulers had also ruled here so the masjid. Then we started walking the perimeter of the fort. At the end was the most amazing form I had ever seen in my whole life. The "Vinchu Naangi" (Scorpion Fang) was an amazing site. It was a part of the fort.
To get to there we had to cross a rock patch which was well my first one. I descended with much difficulty and fear so as not to roll off the edge :)
Finally we started walking along the nangi walls and reached the end. Cool air was blowing and we sat there saying nothing and enjoying the nature. Finally we started back from there and again the rock patch to be climbed. I climbed again with much difficulty with help of Deepak and Saurabh.
We had lunch and then started down the fort. After 2 hours we arrived at Malavli station in the hot sun exhausted and boarded a local to Pune. Lohgad also done - trek count : 2 !
Tikona - My first one
Done this during Grads!
Tikona is a fort situated near PavanaNagar, Maval near Kamshet. The base village is Tikona Peth.
Height : 3580 ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade : Easy
This fort is not much known among people but its well worth a trip up there. This was my first trek n thus started my love for trekking. :)
Tikona essentially means triangle or pyramid. The shape of the fort is like a pyramid and looks quite a small fort from below.
We started at 7.00am by the Lonavala local from Chinchwad. We reached Kamshet at around 8.00am. Avinash (Khengare) and Deepak came from Lonavala and were already waiting for us. We took an ST bus from the Kamshet ST stand located just outside the station towards PawanaNagar.
Pawananagar is a small village near the famous Pawana Dam. The bus ride was of around 30 mins and we could see the huge Pawana Dam walls from the bus. The bus stopped at the village and we started our walk towards Tikona.The road was well in between green shrubs, trees and more. More or less was flat land then we started to climb a hill. Here the road started steepening and me as it was my first trek was huffing and puffing....
We got a glimpse of the fort from far and it looked like "hey thats too small and easy..eh? "
But the climb got even steeper now and i realized that it was not so easy !!
At one point Purvesh, Deepak and Saurabh tried some stunts. They went down a steep incline and said that we could continue they would join us. Later we heard that they had a hell of their time there because there was no foothold they had to climb over dried grass literally holding onto anything on hand and come up. Quite an adventurous bunch!
After 1.5 hours we reached the entrace of the fort. Though small the steps were too huge..one had to climb over the steps to climb higher...here the place was cool and we took some photos there. After some initial photo sessions and timepass we started exploring the fort. The fort was awesome to say and being my first I started exploring stuff. We went near a cool place where water had collected and refreshed ourselves.The water felt like nectar cooling our parched throats...we collected water in our bottles too.
We had a lunch session where everyone had brought quite a great amount of food and we had a great lunch. Then we explored the fort and went to the highest point. Sat down there and did some timepass.Then we decided to start going down now.
We descended down to Tikona Peth and again had a session of chiwda and asked locals about the bus to kamshet. We were informed there was none until 2 hours now. Reluctantly every1 agreed to walk towards kamshet...we did tp while walking...singing and pulling everyones legs. On route we saw the pavana backwaters and things. We sat at a place for rest. Suddenly we heard a bus coming our way. It was an ST and heading towards Kamshet. Wow....but the problem was again the adventurous bunch were behind busy exploring.We started shouting their names and in a flash all of them came running for the bus. All boarded the bus and started towards Kamshet....arrived at Kamshet took a local for Pune. Whew...first trek accomplished....:)
Tikona is a fort situated near PavanaNagar, Maval near Kamshet. The base village is Tikona Peth.
Height : 3580 ft (above MSL)
Region : Maval
Grade : Easy
This fort is not much known among people but its well worth a trip up there. This was my first trek n thus started my love for trekking. :)
Tikona essentially means triangle or pyramid. The shape of the fort is like a pyramid and looks quite a small fort from below.
We started at 7.00am by the Lonavala local from Chinchwad. We reached Kamshet at around 8.00am. Avinash (Khengare) and Deepak came from Lonavala and were already waiting for us. We took an ST bus from the Kamshet ST stand located just outside the station towards PawanaNagar.
Pawananagar is a small village near the famous Pawana Dam. The bus ride was of around 30 mins and we could see the huge Pawana Dam walls from the bus. The bus stopped at the village and we started our walk towards Tikona.The road was well in between green shrubs, trees and more. More or less was flat land then we started to climb a hill. Here the road started steepening and me as it was my first trek was huffing and puffing....
We got a glimpse of the fort from far and it looked like "hey thats too small and easy..eh? "
But the climb got even steeper now and i realized that it was not so easy !!
At one point Purvesh, Deepak and Saurabh tried some stunts. They went down a steep incline and said that we could continue they would join us. Later we heard that they had a hell of their time there because there was no foothold they had to climb over dried grass literally holding onto anything on hand and come up. Quite an adventurous bunch!
After 1.5 hours we reached the entrace of the fort. Though small the steps were too huge..one had to climb over the steps to climb higher...here the place was cool and we took some photos there. After some initial photo sessions and timepass we started exploring the fort. The fort was awesome to say and being my first I started exploring stuff. We went near a cool place where water had collected and refreshed ourselves.The water felt like nectar cooling our parched throats...we collected water in our bottles too.
We had a lunch session where everyone had brought quite a great amount of food and we had a great lunch. Then we explored the fort and went to the highest point. Sat down there and did some timepass.Then we decided to start going down now.
We descended down to Tikona Peth and again had a session of chiwda and asked locals about the bus to kamshet. We were informed there was none until 2 hours now. Reluctantly every1 agreed to walk towards kamshet...we did tp while walking...singing and pulling everyones legs. On route we saw the pavana backwaters and things. We sat at a place for rest. Suddenly we heard a bus coming our way. It was an ST and heading towards Kamshet. Wow....but the problem was again the adventurous bunch were behind busy exploring.We started shouting their names and in a flash all of them came running for the bus. All boarded the bus and started towards Kamshet....arrived at Kamshet took a local for Pune. Whew...first trek accomplished....:)
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