Bhandardara

Here I am posting some photos of my recent visit to Bhandardara
I am posting it with order of chronological order

1)Pemgiri Banyan Tree near Sangamner on Bhandardara road








It is a largest banyan tree in Asia and oldest Banyan tree in world.It is believed to be atleast 10000 years old.This tree is spread in more than 2 to 3 acres and
How to go:
From Sangamner,take left to Bhandardara road and around 20 kms ahead,after crossing a small bridge on Pravara river,you reach village Kalas.From this village,take left and Pemgiri is 5 kms away.From this village,you need to walk 2 kms till the banyan tree because road is in very bad condition hence not suited for 4 wheelers.Only 2 wheelers
What more to see in Pemgiri:
Pemgiri fort which is located in village Pemgiri itself.From the village itself,you will see a board of Pemai temple with steps going up.You can reach the top in hardly 10-15 minutes.
This is the place where ShahajiRaje the father of Shivaji Maharaj saved the Nizam of Ahmednagar and crowned him as emperor and Nizam.The combination of Adilshahi of Vijapur and Nizamshahi of Ahmednagar kept Mughals away.

2)Agasti Rishi Ashram Near Akole
It is located 2 kms from Akole on banks of Pravara river.It is believed that in Ramayan,Agasti rishi gave one arrow to Ram which he used to kill Ravan
There are no photographs because Photography is not allowed inside Ashram premises
How to go:
From Akole,you have to just cross the bridge on Pravara river and take left.it takes hardly 10 minutes to reach this place.

3) Randha falls:
It is third largest waterfall in India with a height of 170 feets.Most important is that you will see pravara river falling into a deep gorges and moving ahead by tearing apart the rocks.

How to reach there:You dont have to go anywhere if you are on the Sangamner-Bhandardara road.9 kms from Rajur and 11 kms before Bhandardara,you have to go towards right and hardly 500 meters away is Randha falls.



That day collector was on visit to Bhandardara hence some gates of dam was opened little bit hence you can see some force in the waterfall.But in rainy season,the waterfall is 5-6 times more than this one.



Also notice how Pravara river has torn apart the rocks while flowing from Randha falls




Bhandardara dam.
These are the photos taken next morning


View of Katra,Muda,Wakri and Ghanchakkar mountains from Bhandardara dam



View of Ghanchakkar(Right side mountain1532 meters) third highest peak in Sahyadris.This mountain is very complex with ridges spread all over(almost 11 ridges) hence any trekker can easily get lost thus there is no mention of trekking groups visiting this mountain.Very few people have visited it.Maybe soon,I wish to be one of them.
This mountain is full of crystal stones out of which some crystals are believed to be precious ones and since very few trekkers have visited it hence you can get those crystals.



View of Kalsubai from Bhandardara dam.I postponed it at last moment because I want to sign the Mount everest 2012 expedition flag which will be hoisted on top of Kalsubai on 5th and 6th Nov 2011(Sources Maharashtra Times 17th oct 2011) hence I dropped my plan of climbing Kalsubai 4 days before coming to Bhandardara because anyway I have to come there after 10 more days.




View of Bhandardara dam wall




A view of Kalsubai on way to Ratanwadi



Ghatghar Kokankada point:
Though this kokankada is nowhere when we compare with Harishchandragad kokan-kada but still this point is worth watching.
This spot is free from nonsense,idiot and hooligan people from metros and big cities hence you can enjoy the nature here(I challenge you to enjoy the nature like this in Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Kaas Pathar,Sajjangad,Lonavla,Sinhagad.You will not be able to do it inspite of spending too much money.)
Very few people visit hence it is a good place to visit.

How to reach here:
From Bhandardara-Shendi village,take the road going to MTDC resort and further in front on MTDC gate,take right.This road belongs to forest department hence vehicles are allowed only from sunrise till sunset from this point.
This road is situated on the sides of Bhandardara lake for most of the time.There are very few villages on this road.You will have village Murshet from where Government ferry boats are available.Further you will reach Uddavane which is also a base village to Kalsubai and further you will reach another dam called as Ghatghar.From here Kokankada point is 2 kms away.
There is also a garden developed on the edge of kokan-kada point.
From this kokankada point,you have a steep road descending in konkan to village Sakurdi hence this road further is called as Sakurdi ghat/Chonde ghat.
Further from village sakurdi,you can reach Shahapur/Asangaon on Mumbai Agra highway


Kokan kada point.This point is having a steep descent in konkan via Sandhan valley through "Chor Nali chi vaat" via Samrad village.It takes around 6 hours to reach villages in konkan by this route


Dam reservoir near Sakurdi in konkan seen from kokan kada



Another view of dam at sakurdi


Sunset at kokankada point

View of Kulang fort to left, sharp pinnacles of Madangad in center and Alang fort to right
These 3 forts are the most difficult forts to trek




We all at Ghatghar Kokan kada point




Ratangad from Kokan kada point near Samrad village





The next day,We proceeded towards Nasik and came back to Pune around 9:00 pm

Something New Avandh Patta Fort near Nasik

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Edited my post and placed the description at bottom of this article
New photos posted at the bottom of this page
*************************************************Basically in my school and college days when I was in Nasik,I had one favorite spot called Pandavleni 4 kms from my home which I used to regularly climb twice/thrice in a month.Whenever I use to climb this mountain and view from its top,I used to see the whole Igatpuri,Trimbakeshwar and Bhandardara region and the Darna valley.Along with Kalsubai,AKM(Alang Kulang Madan) one fort always fascinated me and that was this one"Avandh Patta" beyond the Darna dam standing next to Darna valley.
I always use to see this fort beyond Deolali but was not able to visit it till 2 days back.
Finally I planned for this fort but from Pune,it was a very interesting and long journey because I was not going to travel on highways very often.
Around 6:15 am,I started from Pune and reached Sangamner around 9:30 am and took the road going towards Bhandardara and from Akole,I took right towards road going to Sinnar.The road is very nice almost all the times hence no problem of slow moving.I just halted at Akole for few minutes and started again.The road was plain but was little bit narrow.15 kms from Akole was Devthan village from where I took left towards Samsherpur village which goes till Igatpuri/Ghoti via Taaked.
After leaving Samsherpur, the hilly journey started with streams flowing all the way green pastures everywhere and clouds sailing in the sky and sometimes sunshine followed with rain.
I reached the base village of this fort "Kokanwadi also called PattaWadi" around 12:00 pm

From this village,Patta is not very huge.From this base village,Patta is hardly 300 to 400 meters in height(Little less in height than what Raigad is from Pachad village) and it takes hardly 30 to 45 minutes to reach the top through a easy way in the rock carved stair cases.
and it takes almost 2 -3 hours or even more to see the fort completely.
There is nothing to stay on the top

Patta fort has three to four base villages.
1)From Akole Sangamner side,the easy route is via Pattawadi(400 meters easy climb).You can climb this fort even if you are alone due to courtesy of very very helpful villagers.
2)From Nasik/Igatpuri via Aswali/Lahavit railway station near Deolali till Base village Taaked via Girwadi(800 meters exhausting climb of 2 hrs takes to the Dilli Darwaza on top of fort)
3)From Aswali/Lahavit near Deolali via Ninvi village(Not recommended in rainy seasons due to steep and exposed rock faces)
4) From Igatpuri/Mumbai/Kalyan/Bhandardara reach Taaked and follow the route mentioned earlier

From Pattawadi village,beyond small hamlets to your right,the track starts climbing up.
in 15 to 20 minutes,you can see caves in front of you and in 5 more minutes and one steep climb,you reach the caves
These caves remind us of a big cave at Shivtharghal where a waterfall falls on the mouth of the cave and falls in the valley but since this area is in rain shadow zone,hence the waterfall is not big
15 to 20 years back one Sadhu called Laxmangiri Maharaj used to stay in this cave.He built his ashram here and educated the local tribal people.He had set a tradition.He never accepts anything from his devotees and people visiting him.But he only believed in giving to the people.
Even today if you visit,once you visit the cave,you will get some fruit/food from the ashram and that too without giving anything.If you try to give them anything,your offer will be politely rejected.In the current selfish world,this concept seems amazing where people think "what will I get".
People here only believe in word "Seva" means give service in return of any service.No help by means of money or any other things.

Laxmangiri Maharaj meditated in one cave with door closed and only opened the door on the day of Poornima else his door used to be closed and the sadhus were in meditation in the cave.
He died few years back and his Samadhi is in the cave but this cave is locked forever and nobody is allowed to go there.
But currently his disciples are carrying this tradition.
hence near Pattawadi and surrounding villages,you will find people who will only help you without expecting anything from you
Well after spending some near the cave,I headed towards the summit.From the cave,I took right and started heading further.After climbing ahead,again I encountered one small waterfall and from here dont cross this waterfall,instead take right and one stair case takes you towards the temple of Pattaidevi temple.
Thus the summit is almost reached here.
Further walking,you will see huge flat area on the top with water tanks and you will see Dilli Darwaza when you proceed towards north.
But unfortunately the weather started getting very very foggy and suddenly nothing was visible .After reaching the top you see the remains of a palace/ambarkhana but it seemed far away.
It started to rain hence I decided to come down because I forgot my rainwear in my vehicle parked down.Thus quickly I descended down in 15 minutes and again took shelter in cave for 2 hours because it started raining very heavily(Yes this cave opens only on the day of poornima and I was lucky to get blessings of Laxmangiri Maharaj's disciples.But mind well when you are in the cave, do not to speak a single word unless you are asked to.Just remain quiet.It is better not to interrupt their meditation).The cave is very dark even with the door opened.I guess how these sadhus stay inside with doors closed for one month.
I took blessings,got few bananas as prasad from the ashram and once rain stopped,I changed my clothes and decided to take a move because it was already 3:30 pm hence seeing this fort will take 2 more hours plus on top of the fort there is no suitable shelter hence in case of rain again,now I was not having spare clothes.The ruined palace on top cant protect you from heavy rains plus there are no big trees nearby on top where you can take shelter. hence I decided to come once again(Maybe on the day of Anant Chaturdashi).

Though not good sign but I was satisfied that atleast I reached the summit of the fort trekking alone plus It was a good thing to meet people who were providing selfless service in tribal areas and are trying to preserve our original and rich tradition Hindu culture.

Again I headed towards Igatpuri road.Now climbing down the ghat called Mhaiswalan Ghat is one more interesting thing.
Valleys from both side of flat mountain,lots of windmills from Kalsubai till Sinnar follows you plus you are on top of a mountain hence you get experience of sailing on the clouds
After climbing down this Mhaiswalan ghat,you reach Taaked village famous for temple of Jatayu.It is believed that in Ramayan ,Lord Ram met Jatayu at this place where he was breathing his last.
Further,this road joins the road going to Igatpuri to right and Kalsubai/Bhandardara/Sangamner to your left.
I took right and further again from Darna dam,I took right towards road going to Sinnar-Shirdi
Reached Sinnar on Pune Nasik Highway in 1 hour and from there reached Pune till 10:30 pm.

History of Patta Fort:
After war at Jalna,Shivaji Maharaj reached Sangamner.But at the same time,Mughal army came in large number till Sangamner.Maratha army defeated them in a huge battle and On 16 November 1679(6 months before death) Shivaji Maharaj arrived on this fort and stayed here for 1 month to recover from prolonged illness hence this fort is also called as Vishramgad.After that Shivaji Maharaj proceeded towards Raigad via Kunjargad and Kaladgad(neighbours of Harishchandragad).
Hence Patta was the only fort where Shivaji Maharaj stayed for long time after Rajgad and Raigad.

Geographical location
Patta is situated in Kalsubai range having height of 1390 meters and spread in north-south direction.Its one base village is located in Akole taluka in Ahmadnagar and other base villages are located in Sinnar taluka Nasik.
Patta has a long flat top plateau connecting its neighbours Bitandgad,Mahankal and Kalsubai to south and Avandh and Aad fort to north

From top of this fort,one can see the whole Nasik-Deolali region and the Darna valley and region right from Kalsubai till Trimbakeshwar.Thus this fort was used as a watching tower because the whole Nasik Region can be viewed from here.

Other places to see

From here one can visit the Avandh fort famous for its pinacle and proceed to Sinnar from Avandh via Girwadi.(It is believed the grand and majestic view of Patta fort can be seen only from Avandh fort)

Proceed to Igatpuri from Pattawadi via Taked and visit Kavnai fort near Igatpuri(just 45 minutes trek) and proceed to Mumbai/Nasik/Pune

Proceed to Indori via Taaked and visit Kalsubal/Kulang fort and proceed to Igatpuri


Here are few photos taken from Mobile camera


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Edited my article from here

*************************************************As said earlier in my blog,I planned trek to this location on Anant Chaturdashi regardless of anyone joining me or not..Hence fulfilling my promise given earlier one month back.
On Anant Chaturdashi morning,I started around 8:30 am in morning and this time I followed the malshej Ghat route till Otur village and from Otur ST bus stand,I took right towards Brahmanwada-Kotul-Akole.By doing this,my distance was saved by around 50 kms instead of going via Sangamner on Nasik highway.
I reached Pattawadi the base of fort around 1:30 pm and started the trek.In 15 minutes I reached the cave near Laxmangiri Maharaj Ashram and from there I followed the route towards Pattai Devi temple by taking right on top of the cave.
After the temple,I started climbing up towards left.I was able to see few water tanks during Satvahan era.From these tanks,I took left and started heading further through trees and bushes and in 5 to 10 minutes,I reached the top of fort.
For a novice trekkers or someone who is trekking alone on this fort,here is one useful information
If you feel like getting lost during trek,always look for electricity poles and wires which are coming down from the fort summit till the cave and further down till Pattawadi village.These poles and wires are visible from almost 3 to 5 kilometers also.So by referring these poles,you can easily reach the cave where you will always find somebody with whom you can ask the route/any help.
But since the route is easy one plus there are not too much dense trees,hence chances of getting lost is almost impossible(even in case of a alone trekker)

On reaching the top, you will see huge flat area everywhere and around 30 meters small hill which is the summit of fort and a small palace to your right side.
Last time I was able to reach the reach the top but had to retreat due to dense fog and very heavy rains.
This time though weather was cloudy but it was not raining that much hence I comfortably reached palace.
This palace is ruined from inside and use by local villagers for sheltering their cows and buffaloes for the whole rainy season.Hence the palace is not suitable to stay now(atleast in rainy season).
This palace from inside is like Palaces of Pavagadh in Gujrat and Gingee in Tamilnadu.But these two palaces are well maintained and they are big whereas this ambarkhana on Patta fort is not well maintained.But still this palace is worth watching.You need a good camera and a powerful torch because inside is very dark and hence photos are not clear(So instead of watching photos of this palace,its good to visit this place and watch it with your own eyes)
Further from the summit and after the palace,if you keep walking in north direction,you will reach a place from where you will be able to see whole deolali camp,Nasik area and adjoining villages and neighbouring Avandh and Aad forts.
Further northwards,you will find huge water tanks with crystal clear water called as Sapta-Teerth of seven water tanks.Water is always clear here.

But moving further north was not possible because ground surface was too much muddy.My shoes were already 6 inches high with mud by walking just few feets.Local people said that there are two more small palaces after the sapta-teerth but they were not visible due to cloudy weather and too much mud on surface.
Now it started raining.It was not that heavy like what I experienced before.I again had shelter in that palace for 10-15 minutes till it stopped raining.There are no trees for shelter literally on this mountain.This whole top is grassy.
Patta fort was used as hill station by royal families right from ancient times till Peshwa rule.Even Shivaji Maharaj stayed here for more than a month to recover from illness hence it is also named as Vishramgad

There are lots of windmills from suzlon on nearby mountains right from Bhandardara till Sinnar on this Patta-Avandh pleateau

I came down till 4:30 pm and headed towards Taaked village via Mhaisvalan ghat.
Again at Taaked,the Sarvateerth is a worth watching place.Last time I missed it out due to heavy rains
In Ramayana,it is believed that when Jatayu was breathing his last ,Prabhu Ramchandra shot an arrow in this ground and one water spring orignated from here by which he quenched thirst of dying Jataayu.
This sarvateerth is the water source which orignated from arrow of Shri Ram.Taaked has got temple of Jatayu build on the edge of the kund.
Also one interesting thing is seen here.There is a 4 to 4.5 feet pit in a shivlinga and one stone at the bottom.You have to lie down on that shivling,put your hands in that pit and try to take out that stone.
As per local belief,it is said that if you are lucky,you will be able to take out the stone outside the shivlinga.
Believe me or not but the stone which was heavy and bigger than my palm size,while lifting it,I felt that I was lifting a small piece of thermocol.surprisingly I was able to take it out without any problem whereas before me I saw around 25-30 or more people who tried to take taking it and out of them only one person was succcesful.Some people were saying its too heavy/Too slippery/doesnt fit in the palms/hands not reaching there etc etc whereas the other person who took it out also said that it is very light in weight and surprisingly that person was very short in height and his arms also were shorter and yet he was able to take it out whereas I saw persons with longer arms also failed in taking out that stone.
Quite miraculous
Also those who are succesful in taking out that stone,it is their duty to wash it in the sarvateerth water and again put the stone in its previous place.
After having prasad at this place,I headed further towards Igatpuri road.
But my mind was travelling more fast than my car towards Nasik, hence headed towards Nasik and reached Cidco area on Mumbai Agra highway where I stayed earlier..After many years I was able to taste the best sweets from famous Atul Dairy near Cidco.
I had dinner in Nasik and further I started my journey towards Pune and reached home in around 3.5 hours

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Edit ends here

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The trek starts from above Pattawadi here





reaching nearby the cave



Cave on the fort samadhi of Laxmangiri Maharaj



heading towards summit of fort




way to the caves on fort


approaching summit




Entering the fort



Vastness of fort nearby Dilli Darwaza route




Patta fort from halfway




Inside the fort before entering the summit




View of Patta(Right) and Avandh(Left) from Igatpuri-Shirdi road nearby Sinnar



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Edited: Added few more photos

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Pattai devi temple.This cave is believed to be from Satvahan period.Also it has got water tanks nearby




Entrance of the fort from Pattawadi




   Palace from Inside(This is just a 25% view.Actual palace is big but its photograph cant be taken due to dark)





   View from Patta fort Summit(High point 1390 meters above sea level)

Harishchandragad Trek 21 May 2011

"Harishchandragad" This word itself is the trekkers delight.This fort is such that the trekker must visit it.Yes this fort tests your trekking abilities.Harischandragad is famous for mant things like its rugged and rough trek,its vastness,nature's miracle,and ofcourse the huge kokan-kada.

Harishchandragad is located in Akole taluka Ahmednagar district bordering Thane district Murbad taluka to west,Junnar taluka in Pune district to south.The mountain of Harishchandragad is divided into three parts 1)The main Balekilla in the east 2)Taramati peak in center the highest point of Harishchandragad and 3)Rohidas peak with a difficult approach located towards west neighbouring kokan-kada.Harishchandragad is located in Malshej area adjoining the Bhandardara mountain ranges.Also from this fort,a branch of mountains run towards east direction till Beed district also called as Harishchandra Mountain range.

Harishchandragad is 1429 meters above sea level slight higher than Mahabaleshwar and Torna fort.

This fort has many approaches

1)The popular one which trekkers from Pune,Mumbai does ie Get down at Khubi Fata near Malshej ghat.From there along the wall of pimpalgaon-joga dam,walk 4 kms to reach khireshwar village.From the temple in khireshwar village,a route will take you till Tolar Khind which is a pass between Harishchandragad and its neighbour Karkrai mountain.From this Tolar khind,take left and a rocky patch climb of 600 feets welcomes you.After climbing this patch,you will have to cross almost 4 hills to reach the balekilla.It takes around 4 hours to reach the top fom Khireshwar. Harishchandragad from this route is approx 800 meters climb from base village.You need to walk more than 10 kms to reach the balekilla

2)Somewhat easy approach is from village Pachnai 26 kms from Rajur.From sangamner on

Pune Nasik highway,take road going to Bhandardara/Ghoti and reach Rajur,take left towards road going to Pachnai/Kumshet.After reaching Pachnai village,walk for around 1 km,after crossing a small bridge,you will see a board from forest and wildlife department Maharashtra state welcoming you to the Harishchandragad-Kalsubai Wild life sanctuary and few rules about the forest written on it.

From this board itself take left and start moving.After climbing a small rocky patch(Iron bars are there for support) and after walking for around 45 minutes,you will find a huge rock towards your left with small caves and valley towards your right side.Follow this route till you encounter a river bed(in rainy season,there is a huge waterfall here).Dont cross that river bed.Instead keep going towards left by keeping the river bed towards right(just walk for sometime on left bank of that river).After sometime now cross that river bed by taking right.Now the road enters into a dense forest with somewhat steep climb.You have to walk around 8 kms to reach the top.

After crossing 2 hills from here you will reach the top.You will see Harishchandreshwar temple to your right,a pool of water called as pushkarni and a small ganesha temple and a chain of caves behind that temple.Balekilla from here is around 60 to 100 meters climb.The Pachnai route is somewhat easier and it is approx 600 meters climb from base village and takes around 2.5 hours to reach the top.

3)The third approach is from Belpada village in Thane district at the foothills of Malshej ghat.Belpada village is 8 kms from Savarne on Ahmednagar-Kalyan Highway.But this climb from Belpada is very much exhausting because it is just adjoining the kokan-kada with steep and exposed rock faces of more that 3000 feets.Suitable for only rock climbers.From this side Harishchandragad is approx 1000 meters climb and takes too much time.

There is a strong wind blowing all the time on the top hence in month of may also you dont feel any heat after reaching the top.

One more popular route among trekkers going to Ratangad

After climbing down half Ratangad,there is a bullock cart road going through forests.From that point take right turn and walk towards Katrabai Khind and further going you will reach near Kumshet,Shirpunje the approach village for Ajoba from here again proceed by bypassing the mighty Ghanchakkar and Muda,Wakri mountains near Bhandardara.After walking 20 kms for around 6 hours you will reach Pachnai village.

After reaching the top of balekilla,you can have a view of Malshej ghat,Nane Ghat to your south and Bhandardara Kalsubai mountain ranges,Muda,Wakri and Ghanchakkar mountains to north.

Places to visit on this fort

1) Kokan-Kada; Ofcourse when we talk about Harishchandragad nobody will miss out the kokan-kada It is the 900 meters(approx 4000 feet) huge semicircular rock and concave in shape.It is the highest rock patch in the Sahyadris
At this point there is always a strong wind blowing.I tried to throw few stones in the valley from this point but surprisingly most of them came back towards me due to the air pressure.There is a tremendous gusty wind blowing here.At some point I felt that this wind might blow me away.Also this kokan-kada point is famous for another nature's unique phenomena the huge circular rainbow and your shadow inscribed in that circle rainbow.During rainy season , people have experienced it and believe me, kokan-kada point is the only point in this world where you can see this unique phenomena (But this doesnt occours too often.In 18th century an british officer Col. Sykes observed this and in 1988 few trekkers experienced this and in 2009 a group of doctors from mumbai who were trekking saw this but this nature's phenomena is experienced only here and nowhere in world anyone has experienced this)

From kokan-kada point you can view area from Nane Ghat till Ratangad.To your front you can see twin projections of Napta,to further north west you can see a sharp projections of Ghodishep and further you can see mighty Ajoba dongar,Katrabai and Ratangad

About Harishchandragad

The top of this fort is very vast and you have a approx10,000 year old Shiva temple Harishchandreshwar temple built in Hemadpanthi style with a huge rock cut and carved.Surprisingly how can such beautiful temple be situated at a difficult location.There are few caves and water tanks surrounding this temple (full and crystal clear water)

Another natures Miracle:Just near Harishchandreshwar temple there is a Shiv Mandir in a cave Kedareshwar temple in which a shiv linga is surrounded with around 3 feets of water.Even in month of may, the water in this cave is ice cold.Believe me or not,nobody dares to get into this water.If you insert your hand in this water,you will find that even water kept in refrigrator is not that much cold.

Harishchandragad is believed to be around 10,000 years old.There are no traces in history available about Harishchandragad and Shivaji Maharaj but in 12th century,noted saint Changdev Maharaj during Dnyaneshwar Maharaj period used to stay here for meditation.The balekilla has some walls of fortification.Harishchandragad was in Peshwa rule for some period before the britishers captured it in 1819.

Where to Stay:

There are lot of caves on fort behind Ganesh temple and in Harishchandreshwar temple so at the most more than 100 people can be easily accomodated plus there are 2-3 houses belonging to people of Pachnai village hence getting food and tea is not a problem.In the water tank at Harishchandreshwar temple,there is abundant crystal clear drinking water available.

Also at base village Pachnai there are few houses who can allow to accomodate if requested.

If trekking from Malshej Ghat-Khubi Fata side,then base village Khireshwar has got few temples to acomodate people

My route:

I started from Pune saturday 21 May 2011 around 3:30 am from pune and reached the base village Pachnai 7:00 am.Parked car in Pachnai village and started walking towards the bridge from the board,I followed the path which the villagers of pachnai use.Also one more family from Rajur accompanied me at Pachnai village.After crossing the the river bed and entering dense forest,there was lot of black berries/karvanda .We were 7 people and within 1 hour walk,almost everyone were able to collect about 1 kg of berries.These berries were abundant.Also At few times I seen the blue mormon butterflies found in deep forests of sahyadris.One butterfly I seen was almost equal to my palm size(It is not a moth.A proper butterfly but I dont know about its species)

There are too much medicinal plants available in that forest.You can find Hirda,Beheda,Arjuna(Called Sadada in Marathi),karapa,Jambhul very commonly plus you can get wild lemons(Junglee limboo) and karvand abundantly

I reached the top around 10:00 am.In 30 minutes,I reached balekilla,saw view from top and came back to the temple,had lunch in afternoon in the temple caves and headed towards kokan-kada around 2:00 pm and came back to Temple around 4:00 pm.it is a 30 minutes walk from temple to kokan-kada.After having some tea,I decided to move back around 4:30 pm(I was not able to go to Taramati peak because again for that I have to traverse round the balekilla and come back from kokan-kada side again to temple so again 2 more hours) and after folowing the same route,I reached the base village around 5:30 pm and in 15 minutes I headed back towards Pune and reached Pune around 11:00 pm

Approach and Public Transport to base villages:

1) From Malshej route no problem at all.Buses from Mumbai to Ahmednagar halts at Khubi Fata as well as Savarne(near Belpada 8 kms).Also buses from Pune to Kalyan going through Otur halts at Khubi Fata.

2)From Pachnai,looking at road condition, I dont think that ST bus comes till that village.Few Jeeps are seen but still I think that they drop you around 3 kms from the base village.

Petrol Pumps Availability

1)From Malshej ghat nothing to worry because you can find petrol pumps till near Malshej Ghat coming from Pune side and there are many petrol pumps from Kalyan-Murbad till Tokavde

2) From Sangamner-Igatpuri route there are very less petrol pumps.After Sangamner there are 3 pumps near Akole, 1 near Rajur(always closed/no stock) and after that you wont find any pump till Igatpuri.

Well Here are some Photos

Way towards Harishchandragad from Pachnai

Harishchandragad seen after climbing half the route

Balekilla of Harishchandragad to left and Taramati peak to right

Pushkarni on Harishchandragad

Rock carvings near Harishchandreshwar temple

View of Harishchandreshwar temple

Harishchandreshwar Temple

Caves and Water Tanks in Harishchandreshwar temple

Kedareshwar Temple famous for Shiv-linga immersed in ice cold water of around 3 feet

From top of Harishchandragad (Ghanchakkar and Muda mountains view in front)

View from Kokan-Kada point

Rohidas Peak in front seen from Kokan Kada Point(It is very difficult to reach there)

Aerial view of Kokan Kada(There is a small trench at kokan-kada point and from here just lye down and stretch your hands as much as you can with camera in air and you get this photograph of kokan kada)

Aerial view of Kokan Kada 2

Wish I could Fly

Forest trek in Siddhagad Ahupe Ghat Area

Siddhagad

Coming with an interesting trek which I did recently.

Siddhagad and Ahupe Ghat area always fascinates me and I was always willing for this trek from 1 year and finally I did it this week.

This trek was an exciting trek for me because it is in forest region with area having varieties of flora and fauna and mainly because this area comes under Bhimashankar Wildlife sanctuary hence It was more and more exciting trek.

This trek was walking alond the edge of sahyadris just below Ahupe Ghat mountain and reaching the Tungi of Siddhagad-Wadi(Actually I planned to climb up the Balekilla of Siddhagad also but it was around 2:30 pm in afternoon and It takes around 30 minutes to climd balekilla of siddhagad from siddhagadwadi hence it was too late for me and I hence I decided to climb up Siddhagad top next time )

Location of Siddhagad and Ahupe Ghat

Ahupe Ghat lies in main range of Sahyadris around 15 kms north west of Bhimashankar and Siddhagad is located in Murbad taluka of Thane district and lies between Ahupe Ghat,Damdamia mountain and Bhimashankar.Siddhagad mountain is jutted out from main range of Sahyadris into konkan.

Since these mountains are in main Sahyadris range,hence they have ferocious and sheer drop of 700 meters into konkan

Height of the mountains in this region

Gorakhgad: 618 meters

Macchindragad: 560 meters

Ahupe Ghat: 870 meters

Siddhagad: 982 meters

Damdamia:1008 meters

Bhimashankar: 1005 meters

How to reach Siddhagad?

From Pune,reach Karjat and take a bus to Murbad.Get down at Mhasa village.This village is famous for market place of buffaloes.One can get good quality cattle breed from this village(hence the name Mhasa)

From Mhasa,take a bus/Jeep to Naarivli which is 12 kms from Mhasa.Village Naarivli is the base village

Also one can reach Kalyan/Murbad from Pune via Malshej and reach Naarivli.

From Murbad there are lots of buses and jeeps available till Dehri/Dhasai which goes through Mhasa and to Naarivli village hence commuting in this area is not a problem.

You can get a first bus/jeep from morning 6:00 am till 8:00 pm in night

Starting the trek

After reaching Naarivli,get past the end of village,from small paddy fields there is a good bullock cart track going towards your left hand side.Follow that track by walking around for around 3 kms. At a first glance you would feel that you are heading towards Gorakhgad because on this track you will see Gorakhgad to your front and Siddhagad to your right side

This road joins a small river(Now a bridge is been built).Cross this small river and now the road starts heading to your right side towards Siddhagad.Now follow this track and in 1 km walking,you reach a village called SiddhagadPada.It is a village of some 10 houses.

Beyond this village,always follow the track on your right side.

The key to this trek is that if you go towards left,you will reach Bhimashankar in 8 hours and if you keep walking to your right,you will reach Siddhagad in 2.5 to 3 hours

From the SiddhagadPada village,the road gets narrower and starts going inside the Bhimashankar forests.There are many instances where you have confusion of which way to go.

But the local villagers gave me one advice that at any cost dont take left turn if you want to reach Siddhagad.

I followed this advice strictly

After walking 3 to 4 kms in the dense forest,the road starts getting more and more narrow and the forest gets more and more dense.The climd is somewhat steep and somewhere is is a gentle climb.

You cant imagine but in 12:00 pm afternoon,you feel as if you are approaching sunset.Very rarely,you are able to view open space with sunshine.

Suddenly you reach a place in forest which has a open space with few rice/paddy fields and only one house.If you reach this house,then it is confirmed that you are on the right track.

At this point,You are just below the Ahupe Ghat mountain near a place Sakhar Machi.

From that house,you can see three big mountains on your front.Just above your head to your left is Grand Ahupe Ghat mountain.In center is Damdamia the neighbour of Bhimashankar and to your right is Siddhagad

From that small house and fields,again the road enters into a very very dense forest.Again you will find a road to left going towards Bhimashankar and right to Siddhagad

While walking through the forest,you can here all sort of sound

You will hear many chirping birds,you can also hear the barking sound of deer.I first thought that it might be some dog barking but when I met one woodcutter in the forests,he told that is is the sound of a deer.

There might be around lacs/millions of butterflies in this forest.Most common are Blue Mormon variety of butterfly which is velvety black in color and having red and white dots on its wings.It is good that these butterflies are in abundance in this forest.You will find butterflies flying all over the jungle.

Also you can hear roar of Leopard/Tiger rarely but nothing to worry because they stay miles away from humans.Very rarely a Leopard /Tiger has attacked anybody in this area in 100 years.Its my feeling that if you dont do harm to them,No tiger will attack humans unless provoked.Hence I continued my jungle walk inspite of hearing the roaring sound coming from Ahupe area for 6 times but many times it was in repeated intervals.It is believed that Bhimashankar Sanctuary is having more than two tigers,around 30 Leopards at present.This is a good sign that Tigers are back in Sahyadris.

Many times there is a confusion between tiger/Leopard sound and the sound caused due to wind blowing in mountains.one needs to identify that.

If the roaring sound is continuos,then surely it is an animal sound whereas if the sound is in repeated intervals , discontinuous and of same frequency,then the sound is of wind blowing and not of any Tiger/Leopard .

Also a Leopard rarely roars because it is a silent hunter.It roars only when some person comes suddenly in front of him.But at that time also the intention of leopard is just to frighten that person and to run away because leopard doesnt attack from front.It hides and attacks.A Leopord can easily hide behind only 6 inch height grass and still cant be spotted from 10 feets distance.But this is not the case of tiger.A tiger is three times big than Leopard hence it cannot hide easily.Hence it roars very aggressively to show its existence.But again a tiger also never attacks directly from front hence it is also not visible in the jungle.

Now the road becomes very very steep and ater climbing some 200 meters in dense forests,you reach a waterfall.Even in month of January,this waterfall was existing with a good force.

Through the dense forest,I continued till the waterfall.Also while trek,I met few people in between.Most of them are woodcutters,shepherds of village while some of them are residents of Tungi of siddhagadwadi..

From this waterfall,the road becomes more and more steep and there are rocks all over the narrow road and very dense trees with no sunlight reaching you.

from here the steep climb is continued for more than 300 to 400 meters.

Finally you reach the main gate of Siddhagad on your right after climbing around 650 to 700 meters from base village(Almost height of Torna,Rajgad fort).

At the gate of Siddhagad also you see a road going to Bhimashankar to your left .

After entering through the gate ,you will find a temple in dense trees to your left.

This is the temple of Shri NaarMata .

Now the straight walk of 20 minutes will take you to what is called as Tungi of SiddhagadWadi.

I reached there in 3 hours.I started around 11:00 am from Narivli and reached around 2:00 pm

From the top,I was getting a fantastic view of Ahupe Ghat and Gorakhgad in front,Damdamia and Bhimashankar to right.

The pinnacles of Gorakhgad and Macchindragad were appearing dwarf in front of Siddhagad and Damdamia with Ahupe Ghat in background.

This village is a small settlement of tribal people who live on top of the fort.There are small huts of villagers.Nearly 50 people live here.This village also has a school which is now closed because no teacher is ready to come till there.

The villagers of SiddhagadWadi are very respectful for their guests.The moment,I entered this village,I was greeted,offered water and two ripe bananas grown in the forests.

I just spent around 30 minutes in that village.

From villagers,I came to know that to reach Balekilla,it takes 30 to 45 minutes and there is a road going in dense trees behind the School in village.

It was 2:30 pm and I realized that it was not possible to reach Balekilla because it takes 30 minutes more to reach the top and 30 minutes to see the top of fort and 45 minutes or more to climb down(the rock patch is exposed more hence climbing down balekilla is difficult than climbing up)

So it will take 2 more hours if I reach the balekilla and come back.

Hence I decided to come somewhere next time in early morning and climb till balekilla of Siddhagad

My camera battery also drained up completely while climbing up hence only few photos taken.

I started climbing down around 2:30 pm and I reached around 5:00 pm in base village Naarivli.Overall,it was approx 20 kms and 6 hours trek in dense forests of Bhimashankar Sanctuary

According to the villagers in Naarivli,very rarely only single person has done this trek alone(other than local villagers).

Hence when I reached the base village,almost all the village gathered to greet me because they said that very rarely some alone person has succesfully done this trek.People say that there are many trekkers coming every saturday/sunday but they are minimum in group of four to five people and yet many people have returned back from halfway itself.

One person in Naarivli greeted me with a pet jar containing 6 feet cobra.I hold that pet jar and observed carefully.He told me that he will release back that snake in forest again so that it would go to its natural habitat.

Thus people in this area are very cautious about preserving nature.

Some people in village came to drop me till village gate from where I got a jeep till Murbad and from there,I reached Kalyan around 9:00 pm.

Some History of Siddhagad

There is no incidence in history about Shivaji Maharaj and Siddhagad.But this fort was in Swarajya till year 1690.It was taken by british in 1818.

Siddhagad was at a difficult location and cannons fired by britishers were not reaching siddhagad hence britishers brought their cannons through Pune-Bhimashankar till Damdamia which is slightly higher than Siddhagad.From Damdamia,britishers fired cannon shells to destroy Siddhagad in year 1819.

The villagers tell that those cannons are still left in dense forests of Damdamia.

Siddhagad was used by freedom fighters during british rule.One of the prominient freedom fighter in this region was Bhai Kotwal a social reformer from Neral who along with local tribal people from Neral,Murbad of Colaba province had driven away britishers from this place.Britishers didnt dare to come in this area till 1943 when Bhai Kotwal and his colleague Hiraji Patil were killed by Britishers on 2nd January 1943

Memorial of Bhai Kotwal and Hiraji Patil is south of Siddhagad and around 9 kms from Mhasa village.

Other possible combinations from this trek

1) From Main entrance of Siddhagad , continue to the road in your front .This is the road going towards Damdamia ,Sakhar Machi of Ahupe Ghat.From here walk in dense forests for approx 6 hours to reach Kondhwal and from here you can reach Bhimashankar in 2 more hours and get a bus to Pune/Kalyan/Mumbai.

2) Overnight halt at Tungi of Siddhagadwadi/Naarivli village and reach dehri 6 kms from Narivli to climb Gorakhgad and from there one can climb Ahupe Ghat to reach Ahupe village and get a bus to Mumbai/Pune

3)Climb up Balekilla of Siddhagad and overnight stay in Tungi of Siddhagadwadi.Next day you can get down from Southern side of Siddhagad to go to Memorial of Bhai Kotwal.From here you can enjoy walk on the edge of ghats till bhimashankar but this is a very long route and a difficult one.

Here are some interesting photos of the trek

View of Ahupe Ghat while climbing Siddhagad from Naarivli

Ahupe Ghat in front and the dense forests in Bhimashankar wild life sanctuary

Grand view of Ahupe Ghat

Close View of Siddhagad fort

Siddhagad fort seen from base village Naarivli

Bhimashankar's Neighbour Damdamia mountain

Siddhagad main entrance

School in Tungi of Siddhagad Wadi village top of Siddhagad