Monday, February 23, 2009

21 to 22-Feb-2009 Vasota Fort (Vyaghragad), and Nageshwar Cave

Vasota fort is a jungle fort situated in Sahyadri ranges. From this fort, one gets beautiful view of the Koyana dam backwaters.

How to reach
Vasota fort can be reached by two approaches.
a) Via Met Indavali
From Satara, take a bus to Bamnoli. This village is situated on the banks of river Koyana. From Bamnoli, one has to take a launch to Met Indavali forest camp. This journey through Koyana backwaters takes nearly one and a half hours. Met Indavali is situated at the base of fort Vasota. It takes nearly two hours from this camp to reach fort Vasota.

b) Via Choravane

From Chiplun, take a bus to village Choravane. Path from village Choravane has a steep ladder in the route. By taking this route, one can first visit Nageshwar cave and then come to Vasota fort.

This area is unbelievably cold during night due to Koyna dam backwaters and thick forest. Hence be prepared.

History
As per the ancient legend, Sage Agasti, a disciple of Sage Vasishtha came to reside on this hill. He decided to name the place after his Guru. In due course of time, the name evolved into Vasota.

During Shilahara dynasty rule over the area, this fort was named as Vasantgad.

When Shivaji was trapped in Panhalagad, he dispatched a battalion to win this fort. He won the fort on 6-June-1660. In 1706, Tai Telini brought the fort under control. The next year, Peshwa senapati Bapu Gokhale attacked the fort. After 8-10 months of battle, the fort was conquered by him.


22-Feb-2009
6:40 AM Started from Pune
Started little late from Pune. All of us had gathered near Furgusson Collage main gate.

11:30 AM Reached Bamnoli via Satara
Due to less sleep, we fell asleep. We did not realize when Satara passed by. From Satara, Bamnoli is 35 kms approximately. However, all the road is mountainous. Hence the travel takes time. Finally we reached Bamnoli. This village is situated in a valley. The bus descends through the hills.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09



1:30 AM Boat ride to Met Indavali
From Bamnoli, we took a boat ride to Met Indavali. The boat ride of about 1:30 hours is very beautiful. Hills on one side are covered by thick forest. The expanse of the water is large.

Vasota and Old Vasota forts can be seen when the boat nears Met Indavali. Met Indavali is a forest department camp in the jungle.

Upon our arrival, we had our lunch that we had brought with us.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09



2:30 PM Start trek to Vasota fort
After lunch, we started the trek to Vasota fort. There is considerable walk before climb starts. All the way is covered with thick forest. Hence sunlight cannot deprive you of your energy. We can hear sounds made by various animals. It is told that the jungle is home to every animal except Elephant and Lion.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09



From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09






4:30 PM Reached fort
Finally we reached the fort. The entrance of the fort is broken. Immediately at the entrance, there is one Hanuman temple.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09


From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09


There are two entrances to the fort. One lies in the dilapidated condition. We enter the fort through the other entrance. As soon as we enter the fort, we see a Hanuman temple devoid of roof. From this place, the route to left goes to Babu Kada and route to the right goes to Shiva temple.

When we take the route to the left towards Babukada, there are two water cisterns (tanks). This is the only source of drinking water.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09



This road further takes us to Babu Kada. From this point, Old Vasota is seen in front. The fort has steep cliffs and is difficult to climb. These days, nobody dares to go to old vasota.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09




From Babu Kada, again come back to Hanuman Temple. Proceed straight. We come to a Shiva temple. From this place, we proceed to an extended plateau. Nageshwar caves can be seen in the distance.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09


From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09


The view of Koyna backwaters is breathtaking from top of the fort.

5:30 PM Started descent
We started to descend as we were instructed to be back in the camp before twilight. Since there the area is declared as a reserved forest, we had to rush back to the camp before darkness. The forest department rules mandate so.

7:15 PM Reached camp at Met Indavali
By the time we reached the base camp at Met Indavali, it was almost dark.

9:00 PM Dinner
Sridhar Joshi sir had stayed back at the camp. He had prepared tea and dinner for all of us. After the trek, all of us were hungry. We attacked the dinner.

10:00 PM Astronomy
Post dinner, Sushrut Bhanushali took our astronomy class. He taught us how to find out North direction. He explained all visible constellations to us. By 10:30 we were in bed.

22-Feb-2009
7:45 AM Start trek to Nageshwar cave
The next day morning, we were late to start from the camp. We had our breakfast. This time we took different route than yesterday. We started walking in a dry stream upwards. The entire walk was very beautiful. Trees were covered all around. Hence there was shade across all the path except at the upper part. But the walk was difficult because of the stones on the bed.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09


At the end of the stream, there is some steep climb. This climb took us directly at the base of the cave.

11:00 AM Reached Nageshwar cave
From here, we climbed Nageshwar cave. This is a Shiva temple. The next day was supposed to be Maha Shivratri. On this occasion, several thousands of devotees were expected to be in the cave.

From Trips - Vasota Nageshwar Feb 09




11:30 AM Start descending
We started to descend by the other route. For nearly one and half hours, the trek is almost horizontal. It takes us over a cliff. There are not many trees. If the sun is shining bright, then this portion might be difficult. Morever, there are no railings even though the ground is slippery.

We learned that during rainy season, there are lot of jalwa leeches - which sucks one's blood.

1:00 PM Reached Vasota trek
Finally, the trek merges with the trek to Vasota fort. Now again we were in the shades of the trees.

2:15 PM Reached base camp at Met Indavali
We reached the base camp of Met Indavali. We had our lunch hurriedly.

3:10 PM Start for Bamnoli
Immediately, after having lunch, we started for Bamnoli in the launch.

4:45 PM Reached Bamnoli
We reached Bamnoli through scenic Koyna backwaters.

5:45 PM Started for Pune
From Bamnoli, we started for Pune.

9:30 PM Reached Pune
By 9:30 PM, we were back in Pune via Satara.

6 to 8-Feb-2009 Ramsej, Dhodap, Kachana Forts

On a long weekend, I joined this trek without realizing the difficulty. In the end, I was rewarded appropriately.

The trek consisted of three forts in the Nashik region of Maharashtra. These forts are in the Chandor (or Satmala) range. Dhodap is the highest hill in this range. Vani, the temple of Saptashrungi is also in the same range.

How to reach
For all the forts in this region, one has to travel to Nashik from Mumbai or Pune.

Ramshej lies about 11 kms north of Nashik. Buses must be available from Nashik. However, having one's own vehicle is the most convenient mode of transport.

Dhodap is about 20-25 kms north west of Chandor. It is the highest hill in the Chandor (or Satmala) range. It is clearly idendified by its deep cleft at the top and a dome shaped peak. It can be reached by two approaches.
a) From Dhodambe village from South
From Nashik, take NH3 towards Malegaon. After going for about 15-20 kms, leave NH3 and take a left to reach Dhodambe village. From Dhodambe village, take a route to Hatti village. This village is at the base of the fort. From this village, one has to walk for nearly 2 kms to reach the base of the fort. After climbing for nearly an hour or so, the first level is reached.

b) From Otur or Kalvan village from North
This route is easier but very long. Leaving Otur to the west, the path winds up a long and gentle slope. After a short distance the first scarp is reached. Continuing the path along the north slope of the hill, the bed of a small torrent is reached, across which there seems once to have been thrown a rough outwork, the first trace of fortifications. At the top of the scarp, which is ill-defined towards the north and north-east, is a large level space of rocky ground covered with a thin coating of soil, the result of the, disintegration of the trap above. Following the path southwards for about half a mile, the outer gate of the lower fortified portion is reached, a strong building flanked by walls running on each side to the upper and lower scarp respectively. Inside the wall is a fine pipal tree and one or two small wells, containing remarkably offensive water. From this point the upper scarp presents the appearance of a smooth wall of basalt, the south-eastern corner alone being somewhat jagged and broken. The path follows the line of the hill southwards, and after about three quarters of a mile or rather more, the second gate of the outer line of defence is reached, of more solid construction than the first.

From Nashik, one has to take some private vehicle to roam this area. The public transport may not be the best option. These places lie 30 t0-35 kms from Nashik.


6-Feb-2009
11:00 PM Departure from Pune
7 of us departed in a vehicle from Pune. After realizing that I was also part of the group, the group leader kept some rope and other equipment in the vehicle just in case it was needed.

Sports Utility Vehicle is not the best to travel overnight.

7-Feb-2009
3:30 AM Reached Ashewadi village at the base of Ramsej fort
The driver took only 4 and a half hours to reach the destination. This provided us with 3 hours of sleep before we could begin the day.

We slept in the Hanuman temple in the village.

6:30 AM Wakeup before villagers come to the temple
We had to wake up before the villagers arrive at the temple. After getting ready, we put the bags back in the vehicle. The fort looked very small and narrow from the base village.

From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


7:30 AM Start climbing Ramsej fort
We started to climb the fort. However, we realized that the fort is quite big, area wise. From the village, we could see only a small edge of the fort.

8:00 AM Reached Ramshej fort
Within half an hour, we reached the top of the fort. There is nothing left on the fort except a tank which was empty.

The name means Ram's bed. It is believed that Lord Rama was in Panchavati, Nashik during his exile. He is believed to have stayed on this hill during this time.

The only reference to Ramshej fort is a notice from Aurangzeb to Shahabuddin Khan in 1664 to reduce the forts in Nashik and Khandesh. At Ramshej, Shahabuddin laid a seige and raised a platform of wood high enough to hold 500 men and high enough to see inside the fort. During the siege, Sambhaji's army arrived to relieve the garrison. Khan Jahan advanced from Nashik to help Shahabuddin. After two unsuccessful attempts, the siege was raised. The huge wooden platform was burnt.

Ramshej was one of the 17 forts surrendered by the Marathas to the British in 1818 after the fall of Trimbak.

In 1819, Captain Briggs described Ramshej fort. There were two gateways, one within the other, large but not so formidable as those of Hatgad. There was less uncovered ground on the way up to the gates than in any other Nasik fort. The works connected with the gates were able to give a good flanking fire at a short distance from them. There was a way down by a trap-door kept covered with dirt and rubbish, called the secret road or chor-rasta affording passage for one at a time. All round the fort ran a wall tolerable in some places but mostly indifferent. Within the fort were two or three bombproof and ammunition chambers built of stone. The water-supply was ample.
Captain Briggs left two companies of militia in the fort, one on the top of the hill, the other in the village below. This large party was left at Ramsej that the garrison might always spare ninety or a hundred men to march after Bhils and other marauders. In the fort besides about a ton of grain and a small quantity of salt there were eight guns, nine small cannon called jamburas, twenty-one jingals, thirty copper pots, forty-one brass pots, 256 pounds of gunpowder, forty pounds of brimstone, forty-five pounds of lead, and 240 of hemp. There were also elephant trappings, tents, carpets, and iron ware, which once had been Shivaji's.

A cave temple on the fort has idols of Lord Rama and Hanuman.


From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09



9:00 AM Started descending the fort
We started descending the fort.

9:20 AM Back to Ashewadi
Within 20 minutes, we were back to Ashewadi. By now, the entire village had gathered near temple to fill the water.

Children were playing in front of the temple. Experiencing early morning in a village is an altogether different feeling.

Within minutes, we left for Dhodap fort.

12:00 PM Lunch
En route, we had lunch on highway. Once we left highway, we would not expect any decent place to eat. Compared to most other treks, this was early lunch.
After having lunch, we started for village Hatti.

1:00 PM Reached Hatti village
Within an hour, we reached village Hatti. We rearranged our sacks and readied ourselves for the climb.

From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


1:30 PM Start from Hatti village
Within half an hour, we left village Hatti. The sun was unbearable. Our task was not made easy by the lack of trees in the entire region. Most of the time, sun would be directly on our back. By this logic, the best way to climb the fort would be in the morning.

The earliest known mention of Dhodap is the somewhat doubtful notice of a fort named Dharab which surrendered to the Moghal general Allah-vardi Khan in 1635. From the Muslims it passed to the Peshwa who made it the chief of the Nasik forts. In 1768 Raghunathrav was defeated at Dhodap by his nephew Madhavrao Peshwa. Under the Peshwas two subhedars Appaji Hari and Bajirav Appaji are said to have once hold the fort with 1600 men. At that time Ajabsing and Sujkum, two Kshatriyas in Holkar's employ, attacked and took it, and plundered and burnt the village, which never afterwards recovered its prosperity. It seems to have passed back to the Peshwa as it was the Peshwa's officers who, in 1818, ceded the fort without a struggle. In 1818, immediately after its cession, Dhodap was visited by Captain Briggs. He described it as a large hill of the same basaltic nature as others in the Chandor range, with very strong artificial fortifications. The town, which was tolerably large, stood some hundred feet up the hill and at the bottom of the perpendicular rock where there was much tableland. A road into Khandesh ran under the town and fort wall. There was a very strong gate to the town, and a gate to the pass on each side leading up from Khandesh and Gangthadi. Resides these in the fort there were several guns in the town find on other, parts of the tableland, pointing to the plain below. The roads to the town and over the pass were rough and steep on both sides, but not difficult for horses. The only way to the fort was through the town. The fort had many rock-cut storehouses and a large water-supply. There were thirty-seven militiamen or sibandis in the fort, and of military stores 1590 matchlock balls, two pieces of lead, and a large quantity of gunpowder.


2:45 PM First halt near water source
We took the first halt is on a plateau. This plateau has a water source. It had some interesting structures. There is a very beautiful well constructed. The well is two tiers.

From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


There is an entrance which has a stone inscription.

There are 3 temples on this level.

4:25 PM Started ascending again for the fort
After some rest, we started ascending the fort again.

During this period, there are two rock patches. I was helped by others on both of them. While returning, I realized that the first patch was very easy!

At last the real entrance to the fort is reached. This is a completely hidden passage cut in the living rock with two towers in it, and concealed by an outer wall of solid rock and, in its upper portion, by passing through a tunnel. Two inscriptions in Persian are cut on the rock near the doorway. One has been defaced by weather, and the letters are very indistinct. The other is much clearer, and in addition to the Musalman creed records the name of the builder of the fort. On emerging, from the passage, the first sight that presents itself is the peak, still towering perpendicularly at a height of three to four hundred feet above the gateway.

5:30 PM Reached caves
We reached the caves where we were supposed to stay. There are several caves on top. But only one cave has a tank and a temple. This is the cave where most trekkers stay.

En route to the caves, all of us picked up some dry wood for cooking.

All of us were exhausted by the time we were in cave.

6:00 PM Climbed a cave
Immediately, we rushed to a cave which is high above in a rock. The climb was difficult. Here again I was helped by others. Within minutes, we climbed down and ran towards a place from where we could see the sun setting.

6:20 PM Sunset
This is the place which can be easily seen from a distance. It has a cut cliff. This is the farthest place one can reach without any equipment. There is a constructed bastion.

We saw the beautiful sunset. We talked for a long time on various topics. Dr Ravi Shilotri explained us about night sky.

8:30 PM Tea time
We came back to the cave. Prepared tea.

9:30 PM Dinner
Once tea was ready, every one started to prepare dinner. Vikas prepared Khichadi. This was the first time he was preparing something other than tea.

There were lot of mouses in the cave. I had taken 2-3 onions with me just in case to respite from the heat. We thought of using the onions in the dinner. But despite searching a lot in the torch light, I could not find any in the bag.

Finally, the dinner had to be prepared without onions. Later someone discovered one mouse eating the onions! The food had to be protected. The khichadi was not fully cooked. Most of us did not have patience to cook it fully. We ate it as it was. At that time, we felt this was the best meal one could get in these situations.

11:00 PM Bed time with mouses
The night was made interesting with mouses running all over. If one has to stay on top of Dhodap, be prepared to sleep with mouses.

8-Feb-2009
7:12 AM Sunrise
We woke up early in the morning. We wanted to see the sunrise on Dhodap and then start descending the fort.

We saw sunrise. We also saw some broken structures near the entrance of the fort. One structure was very beautiful with designs.

To the right of the gateway facing east, is the sadar,or masonry apartment for the captain or killedar from the top of which a fine view of the Chandor range is obtained. Behind this is a pool of filthy water in a small quarry. To the south is a bastion on which was mounted a ten-pound gun, now lying on the ground, with its muzzle pointing over the plain it once commanded. Behind it is a high flagstaff with a small white rag tied to its top. It belongs to the temple of Devi on a higher part of the fort, which receives from the state a small cash allowance which is spent at the Dasara (October-November) in decorations, and amongst others in anointing the ten-pound gun with yellow ochre. Between the court and the foot of the peak lies a grassy slope after crossing which are found chambers formerly used by the residents of the fort for various purposes. These are cut in the living rock of the highest part of the hill. First is the powder magazine, a spacious chamber every crack in which has been carefully built up, leaving only a single entrance. At the side of this is the small cave from which the powder guardian had to keep watch. Beyond, to the west, are the provision chambers, including a huge one for grain and a smaller one at the sides with two rock-hewn sarcophagi, one of which contained clarified butter, and the other molasses. Between these and the next cave, that of Devi, are a few small recesses, walled in with rough stone work, apparently modern, which now serve as rest-houses for mendicants and pilgrims. Immediately to the west of the Devi's cave is a rock-cut reservoir said to be unfathomable, containing excellent water, probably filtering through cracks in the rock from above, as there is no appearance of any spring. It is a peculiarity of this south face of the rocky peak that the base of the scarp inclines outwards a little from the point where it springs from the grassy slope, a formation which has been taken advantage of in building up these chambers. On the north side of the peak the strip of grass-covered and slippery ground between the base and the vertical scarp is much narrower than on the south, and the cave chambers on the former side appear to have been for the gunners and soldiers. The path can be followed right round to the court again, and up the peak itself, though the climb is somewhat dangerous except to hard and naked feet. The summit which consists of a huge mass of rock nearly precipitous for half its height and then conical, rises about 400 feet above the level plateau on which the main portion of the fort was situated, and is all but inaccessible. At the very summit of the peak is a Musalman shrine said to have been miraculously built in connection with a tomb below, known by the name of Belpir, and adventurous Muhammadans make occasional excursions to visit it. Leaving the peak, the western side is perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the fort. A wall of basalt, thinly covered with soil and coarse grass, juts for some 300 or 400 yards from the base of the peak. Its top is fairly level, and its sides, some 200 to 300 feet high, appear to be sheer precipices presenting scarcely a crack or inequality. The wall is in no place more than perhaps thirty feet wide and is inaccessible from every side except the fort. As the western abutment was less steep than the rest of the wall, it was apparently thought advisable to cut off communication from that quarter by making a breach in the wall about 100 feet deep and some ninety feet wide, from the sides of which the extreme thinness of the basaltic slab can be well seen. Perhaps, on the other hand, the indenture was no more than a freak of some of the Padshahs who resorted to the fort, who, finding so peculiar a natural feature, considered it a profitable task to show the power of man over it in this very unmistakable manner. This view is in some degree supported by the fact that at the very brink of the gap on the fort or eastern side, there is a small rectangular mosque, a building intended for worship, over the door of which is a stone carved with an Arabic text from the Kuran. To the left-hand corner of the door, there is, curiously enough, a smaller stone with an inscription in what seem to be Devanagari characters. Wherever the precipice below the peak is a little less perpendicular than usual, or presents irregularities which might be taken advantage of by an escalading force, there are built walls with loopholes and bastions, which extend along a considerable portion of the east, north-east, and north sides of the fort. The height of the peak is 4741 feet above the sea level, whilst the caves and main portions of the fort are 4317 feet high. There is a trigonometrical base-mark just at the starting point of the basaltic wall, from which observations were taken a few years ago connecting this hill with the fort of Ankai-Tankai to the south-east, Ramsej and Anjaneri to the south and southwest, and the huge mass of Saler to the north.

From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


7:30 AM Start descending Dhodap
We started descending Dhodap. The entrance of the fort has two stone carvings in Urdu or Farsi script. The descent was fast. We faced the sun even in the morning.

8:45 AM Back to Hatti
Within one hour and 15 minutes, we were back in Hatti village. After drinking water and changing clothes, we started for the next place.

9:30 AM Breakfast at Dhodambe
We had our breakfast in Dhodambe village.

10:00 AM Ancient Shankar temple
Immediately in front of the hotel, we saw an ancient temple. We saw the temple. It is a Shiva temple a few centuries old. This was a gem we unexpectedly stumbled upon.

11:00 AM Base of Kachna fort
We were at the base of fort Kachna. Somehow, we started climbing from difficult side. The road to it lay from the north, and from that road a bad pass to Gangthadi led to the fort. A wall of loose stones, with a small opening in the middle which could be filled in no time, ran across nearly the whole breadth of the pass, and could enable a handful of men to defend the pass. The only fortification on the hill-top was an indifferent wall and two small old doors. There was plenty of water and very good granaries and other rooms cut in the rock. There were seven of the Peshwa's militia in the fort. Kachna was one of the seventeen strong places that surrendered to the British after the fall of Trimbak in 1818.

From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09


From Trips - Ramsej Dhodap Kanchana Feb 09



12:30 AM Reached summit of Kachna fort
There were two rock patches. A rope was tied to me. Vikas and Avinav, Siddharth halped me climb both these patches. One of the patch was extremely difficult. However, Vikas's presence helped me climb it without much difficulty.

Any slip on this side would directly lead to death.

At the summit of the fort, there is a rock with some slope. We prepared lime juice and ate sweet lime to energize ourselves.

There are two tombs of unknown persons. Apart from these, there are some water tanks. Entrance is the only constructed entity on the fort. It is also in ruins.

1:00 PM Cave with multiple water tanks
There is a cave with multiple water tanks.

1:15 PM Started descending the fort
We started to descend the fort from the other side. All along, we followed one dry stream.

2:30 PM Reached the vehicle waiting for us
The descent was quick. Within one hour we were at the base of the fort. We had to walk to reach our vehicle.

5:00 PM Lunch at Sinnar near Nasik
We had our lunch near Sinnar near Nashik. The hotel was nice and very economical.

10:00 PM Reached Pune
At last, we were in Pune by 10:00 PM.

Forts in Nashik region do not have any green cover. Avoid to climb them during daytime. They can be climbed during daytime only during winter.

1-Feb-2009 Bird Watching Kawdi, Dalaj, Dhiksal

I was starting to recognize a few birds. Thanks to Mrs Manasi Wagh. She had arranged a trip for watching birds. I thought of augmenting my knowledge.

Birds are resident and migratory. winter is the season when most of the migratory birds visit various parts of India. Birds are found where they can get food easily. This can be wetlands.

Along Pune Solapur road, backwaters of Ujani dam offer a beautiful place to watch birds.

1-Feb-2009


6:45 AM Start from Pune
We started from Pune early so that we could see one place before sun rises.

7:30 AM Kawdi near Pune on Pune Solapur highway
On the outskirts of Pune along Pune Solapur highway, there is a village called Kawdi. It is very near to highway. Yet it is untouched by the urbanization of Pune. A bund is constructed on the river. The resultant wetland is home to several birds.

Lot of bird watchers come to the place from Pune. We saw several birds like sunbirds, parrots, ducks, etc.

From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


10:00 AM Breakfast
After seeing several birds, we proceeded to another place. On the route, we stopped for breakfast and tea. There was a field of flowers behind the restaurant.

11:00 AM One lake near roadside
On the route, there was a lake. There were several birds in the lake. We stopped our vehicle.

12:30 PM Backwaters near Dalaj village
This place offered us a beautiful view of several different birds. Bramhiny Kite, different varieties of ducks, etc.

From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09




1:30 PM Lunch under a tree in the village school of Dalaj
All of us were hungry by the time we enhanced our knowledge of different birds. We sat under a tree of the village school for lunch.

2:30 PM to 5:00 PM Boating in Ujani backwaters near Dhiksal village
After lunch, we went to the backwaters of Ujani dam from Dhiksal village. We entered the lake in a boat. There were thousands of birds of different varieties. Ibis, stork, flamingos, etc.

From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09


From Trips - Birdwatching Kiwadi Dhiksal Feb 09




6:00 PM Start for Pune
After seeing enough birds for us to ponder over, we returned back. It will take us some time to upgrade our learning.

9:30 PM Return to Pune
We reached Pune by 9:30 PM.

The children were very happy to see different birds. The trip was worth from that point of view.

24 to 26-Jan-2009 Sangameshwar, Marleshwar, Mahimatgad

We did not know what is Marleshwar and where it lies. We just wanted some outing on this particular week end. Seeing that Marleshwar jungle trek is organized by Trekdi, we enrolled ourselves.

One has to go to Sangameshwar in Kokan. Marleshwar temple, and Mahimatgad are in the vicinity of Sangameshwar. From Sangameshwar, there is a village called Kundi. This is one of the base village for the jungle. Sangameshwar is accessible by bus and train (Kokan Railway). We had taken a bus from Pune.

24-Jan-2009

11:00 PM Departure from Pune
We started from Ferguson Collage main gate. The bus was little late.

25-Jan-2009
6:00 AM Sangameshwar railway station
The bus halted at a hotel opposite to Sangameshwar railway station. It was dark. All of us waited for the hotel to open and have breakfast. The hotel did not open for long.

Meanwhile, Pinakin had setup a spotting scope in the open field to watch birds. There were several birds that one could identify. We interacted a lot with Pinakin. He had an amazing knowledge about several things. It was time well spent interacting.

On the flip side, we did not utilize our time for the purpose we were there.

Finally the hotel opened at around 9:30 AM. We had our breakfast. Plan for the day was laid. At last, we started for our first place.

11:00 AM Sambhaji maharaj memorial
We reached Sangameshwar village. We saw a statue of Sambhaji maharaj. It was sad to know how he was captured from this village and taken as a prisoner to Aurangzeb. Sambhaji maharaj's own brother in laws were involved in this treachery.

11:30 PM Karneshwar temple at Sangameshwar
A few meters from this statue, we visited a very old Shiva temple. This is Karneshwar temple. The temple is very old. It has beautiful carvings in stone. One should fall in love of this temple. It is a priceless heritage that our ancestors have left us.

From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Karneshwara temple


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Karneshwara temple


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Karneshwara temple


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Karneshwara temple


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Karneshwara temple


12:30 PM Shiva temple at Sangam
After seeing Karneshwar temple, we left to the confluence of two rivulets. The sangam has one old temple. This is Shiva temple. There are few trees surroundings. The place was very calm and peaceful.

From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Sangam of two streams


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Shiva temple at sangam



5:00 PM Lunch
Our next destination was Maral. However, it was 2:00 PM when we were at the base. We decided to have our lunch first and then go to Maral.

The wait was too long! Meanwhile, we went behind the restaurant. This was a dry river bed. We spent some time in the calm place.

Finally at 5:00 PM, we could have our lunch.

6:00 PM Marleshwar temple and waterfalls at Maral
After our lunch, we went to Maral to visit the Marleshwar temple. The temple is situated in the hill. Nice steps are constructed along with railings. At last, we reached the cave. Had darshan of Shiva. The scene is very beautiful outside the cave. It is said that until a few years ago, a lot of snakes used to lie in the cave. Now that everything is constructed, there are only idols of snakes.

From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Marleshwar temple


Behind the temple, there is a waterfall. Some of us had a bath in the waterfall.

By the time we were back at the base of the temple, it was pitch dark. This was no moon night. The sky was very clear. Pinakin explained us how to track the directions from the night sky.

9:00 PM Halt at Kundi village school
We came to the village Kundi. Arrangement was made for night stay in a school. It was supposed to be inaugurated the very next day on the 26th Jan.

11:00 PM Dinner
Initially, there was no light in the school. We took out torches. Soup and pulav was prepared for dinner. We slept in the school keeping in mind that we must vacate the school very early the next day.

26-Jan-2009
7:30 AM Start trekking to Mahimatgad
We woke up before the daybreak and readied ourselves for the trek. The students started gathering in the school for flag hoisting.

We kept our bags in the bus and started to trek.Immediately afterwards, we could experience that this was a forest with lot of trees. By chance, there is a half constructed road. This road was supposed to cross the Sahyadris and open on the other side. However, since this was an area of dense forest, the permission was denied fortunately.

From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Palash tree


From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Jungle around


At one point, we left the road for small foot way. This traversed through dense trees. At one point there is a slope with slippery grass.

9:30 AM Reached the fort
Finally we reached the entrance of the fort. It is broken with lot of stones falling in front of the entrance.

As soon as we enter the fort, there is a temple. Now there is nothing left. Some base of a pillar gives testimony that the temple must have been constructed a few centuries back.

10:30 AM Flag hoisting
We settled near another temple. There one police had also come. We hoisted our national flag.

From Trips - Marleshwar Mahimatgad Jan 09 Small Shiva temple


There are 3-4 canons lying near this temple. They are rusted. There was a challenge to lift the canon lying there. One person successfully did it!

We prepared Maggi and had our breakfast.

12:00 PM Summit
After having our breakfast, we reached summit. This part is little slippery due to the grass. There is a flagpole on the summit.

Some of us clicked photographs there. The place offers beautiful view of the surrounding area. We could see that the forest area was really big.

We started to descend the fort. Four of us stayed back to explore the fort. This fort is not very often visited. Due to time constraint, we could explore only a part of it. Lot of trees have grown way wards all over the place.

2:30 PM Kundi
Finally, we started for Kundi. In half an hour, we caught up with others. In the village, we met a group who were trekking for 5 days continuously.

5:00 PM Lunch at Sangameshwar railway station
We came back to Sangameshwar railway station and had our lunch again at 5:00 PM.

5:30 PM Return journey via Chiplun, Kumbharli ghat
After our lunch, we started back for Pune via Chiplun and Kumbharli ghat. The bus reached Pune at around 10:00 PM.

17 to 18-Jan-2009 Suvarnadurg Fort

Suvarnadurg is one of the most important sea forts built during Shivaj Maharaj's era. Shivaji Maharaj laid emphasis on building strong forts. This was one of the pillars of swarajya. Suvarnadurg, along with Sindhudurg, Vijaydurg, and some others searve the testimony of this strategy. The rising dominance of the foreigners through sea was rightly recongnized. Building strong sea forts and army was the answer to the prevailing situation.

This is the place where Kanhoji Angre spent his earlier part of life.

17-Jan-2009

11:30 PM Departure from Pune via Dapoli
We took a vehicle from Pune. The vehicle started very late due to some problem with the vendor. In the night, the vehicle stopped for a halt in Dapoli.

18-Jan-2009
5:30 AM Reached Harne beach
At last, we reached Harne beach. One accomodation was booked on the beach for the entire night. However we could reach in the morning. We tried to have some sleep. Some of us managed to sleep for an hour or so.

8:30 AM Started from Harne
After having our breakfast, we started to Suvarnadurg by a motor boat. The Harne beach is very dirty. If someone come to this place for beaches, they will be disappointed.

10:00 AM Suvarnadurg fort after seeing some dolphins
These boats offer to show the fort along with dolphin sightings. This is a good attraction in Harne. The boat went well inside the sea in search of dolphins. The boatmen have now become experts in knowing when and how to sight the dolphins. At last we could see the creatures. We were told that dolphins are never captured by the fishermen. Even if they are cought in the net, they are released back in the water. I am not sure about the reason. Surely some economics must be behind this. Only mercy will not be the reason.

Finally the boat took is to the fort. Sindhudurg is nearly a kilimeter inside the sea. It has very well built fortifications. Not much has survived inside the fort.

From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09


From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09


From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09


From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09


From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09


Giridarshan had another agenda in this visit. Some of the team members were involved in doing some cleanup activities inside the fort. They cut the trees growing out of the strong ramparts. After seeing the mighty fort, we left by the boat to Harne harbour.

12:30 AM Kanakdurg
The harbour is at the base of a hillock. This hillock has a lighthouse on top of it. There is nothing to indicate that it can be a fort. Only a small section of the hillock has a constructed wall.

1:00 AM Skipped Fattedurg
Fattedurg fort is also an hillock. It has been occupied by residents for every square meter. There is no sign as of now to indicate that this might be a fort sometime. We skipped this fort anyway.

1:00 PM Goagad
The third fort was Goagad. Amongst the three, this is in far better shape. It is also closest to Sindhudurg. However, this fort has been sold to a private party! A new construction has blocked the majestic main entrance fo the fort. There is a small temple in the main entrance.

From Trips - Suvarnadurg Jan 09 Main entrance of Goagad


A makeshift entrance has a security guard. One has to sign in the register to enter the fort.

There is nothing much inside the fort. The ramparts are also collapsed in a couple of places.

2:00 PM Lunch
We had our lunch in Harne village.

3:00 PM Started for Pune
Immediately after our lunch, we started for Pune.

9:30 PM Back to Pune via Tamhini ghat
We reached back to Pune via Tamhini ghat.

Except Suvarnadurg, there was nothing much to see. However, Suvarnadurg is worth visiting.