Rajgad Sep 2012

This one is like the "baap" of all forts (so far). the grandeur, the architecture, the history, the difficulty level, the views, etc. etc. that is associated with Rajgad, makes it one to go for, and really the "baap" of all forts.

Treks getting sidelined with new entry in the family, our second little trekker :), was itching to go out before it gets really hot and the greenery vanishes without rains. this one was on the list from long, and based on the views reviews on the net, decided to leave our little trekker at home. So, it was just 2 of us this time.

The place is quite nearby, and in no time you reach gunjawane, the base village (one of the base villages) of the fort. there is ample space for parking and it has enough eateries around with option for you to receive lunch atop if you need. the chor-darwaza route was the one we decided to pick up with the thrills chills and uncomparable views that one can get. the route starts right from the base and within few minutes of decent hike you catch the highway kinda route towards the fort.

 

This snap has the bale-killa in the left and padmavati machi on the right. our first stop was the padmavati machi via chor-darwaza. the hike via this route is decent enough and easily climb-able. the last few meters are the one requires you to be in top of your shape and will power. Its just vertical and needs the railings support to climb. not sure how tough it wouldave been without those so-called railings. 

The steps become smaller and tougher, and if you are afraid of heights, forget about coming through this route and choose a lighter one via pali-darwaza. near vertical climb tests your  centre of gravity, so if you have excess fat spread across the body, every chance that you might get toppled over :)

A decent 2 hours is what it took us to reach our first base of padmavati machi, and we were happy enough to be there. as you come out of the chor-darwaza, soothing site of the padmavati lake awaits you. the water is ice-cold, and full of tiny fishes, which will nibble at your legs and gives a ticklish feeling, do not worry and just relax your feet in the ice cold water.

You can have the customary snaps around this place and go through the pages of history to identify what the fort remains that are spread across this place. would suggest to just read a bit about this fort to get the right feeling once you are here. there are so many view points around this machi and eating option as well, of the good-old pithala-bhakri.

We were not that tired, and after a brief break and photo session we decided to carry on and start for the bale-killa climb. now this one is a different beast altogether. few meters of vertical, railings supported climb, this patch gets really tough and takes toll on your legs. reminds you to lose the excess fat that you carry and dont mind while watching india-pak match on a comfy sofa :) took us nearly 30 min to reach the maha darwaza of this bale-killa.

 

And just when we thought weave arrived, these steps welcomed us and reminded us that the ordeal is not over yet. Of all the rock cut, near vertical, scary stuff that we had gone through to reach here, these few proper steps were killing. and took all our might to cross it. we were able to recognize only the "torna" from here, which is like next-door from here, everything else was hazy all around.

And this was the place where Shivaji spent a considerable amount of time of his life, and we were really thrilled to walk the same steps and stare at the non-existent walls of his fort, of which only few stones were there to remind us the story that it has witnessed. wondering how great it might have been to be here at Shivaji's time, we did our photo session and went through all corners, the views were just spell bounding and heart stopping at the same time.

We decided to have our lunch here, and just as we took the food out of bag, the thieves arrived in bunch and made us part with the food, the monkeys i mean :) we were distraught with the loss of mom-in-law made parathe. we came down in no time and had our heart full lunch.

Now if you are in just for a day, you could visit so much and just one of other machi out of suvela and sanjeevani. the fort is huge and takes some time, patience and strength in your legs to cover it fully. views that you can get from each one of the points is just so awesome. you do have an option of staying at the paryatan-niwas or the kacheri, or the temple. there were already like 100 people's luggage lying around :) upto you to decide.

climb down is really scary for first few meters and as easy as it can get later.

we were down at the base in no time and back home in some quick time.

parting shot.

The story so far...

Korigad Jan 2009

Lohgadh Aug 2009

Sinhagadh Oct 2009

Purandar Jul 2010

Tikona Jul 2010

Bhuleshwar Mar 2011

Raigad Aug 2011

Sajjangadh Sep 2011

Thoseghar Sep 2011

Shivneri Sep 2011

Varandah Ghat Jul 2012

Rohida Aug 2012

Rohida (Vichitragadh) Aug 2012

This one was long pending, with it getting rescheduled more than once, and as luck would have it, all things came together to accomplish one of the best treks that I ever had. Best, because the things that you experience at Rohida-aka-Vichitragad is one of a kind, cant have at any other fort around.

Day started with one of the toughest step that you take, the first one getting out of bed, on a rainy sunday morning, getting out of your cozy bed, it does'nt get any tougher that this. once you go beyond this, rest assured that your day is going to be the best one you ever had :)

Drive towards Bhor was a known one, and the Bangalore highway makes it much more easy. post Bhor, the 10 min drive takes you to Bazarwadi and gives you a clear view of the intimidating Rohida in the background.

Post parking the vehicle near the school in the village, the climb starts right from there. if required people are around to tell you the directions, but no place to have tea or vada-paav at the base. Have it at Bhor itself while coming in and pack it up for the lunch as well.

The start of the climb provides you a very awesome view of the fort and the near vertical climb :) you can very well negotiate the steepness by going a little bit around the hill which takes a little bit more of your time, but who is in a hurry with such beautiful nature around.

look for yourselves :)

We kept wondering about the "Vichitragadh" name and within 30 minutes of our initial climb, we came to know just why. Ferocious winds hit us like hurricane, one can easily get toppled over if he is not cautious, such was the speed. It was just raw nature at its worst. Posing for photographs was really useless, could keep ourselves and the camera still at that point. 

The climb from here onward gets nearly vertical, and scary to the core, with all the wind ready to throw you off the cliff. The ridge that you see in the above snap, is the actual path to climb the fort. We had to literally climb with hands and foots firmly on the ground :) with the kid in tow, that was some fun. The path just goes up and up.

But once you see the stones on the first door of the fort, you know you'ave arrived. the fort provides you number of photo opportunities, and the view doesn't let you down with its awesomeness. There is nice little shelter in the form of recently renovated Rohideshwar temple, it was locked, but still the verandah provides enough shelter for you take some respite from the rains and fog and the ferocious winds.

Weather god provided us some window and gave us enough light to move around the fort post lunch, and see the awesome points around, the watchtowers are in pretty good shape and from there the view is just so awesome. According to the documentation you are able to see couple of forts like rajgadh, torna, etc. from here, but we dumb people cudnt make out anything. but were content enough with what was in front of us. its a small fort and within an hour or so, with sight seeing and snaps session, we started our journey back.

The journey back was no different in terms of difficulty with steep downhill and the ferocity of wind continuing to lash us. slowly but cautiously we were down in no time and thus ended an exhilarating journey of Rohida. That was it, trek to Rohida aka Vichitragadh was successfully completed.

A farewell snap of the place depicts the grandeur of the fort.

Varandah Ghat- Shivtharghal Jul 2012

Season starter... the beautiful varandah ghat.

Had seen a hell lot of posts and those many hundreds of photos of this place and was itching to go here at the first thing this season. And we did :)

Mommy away with family duties, kiddy along with daddy and his friends decided to get onto this trip. and what a trip it turned out. with literally no rains so far, chances of meeting rains even in ghats was a little bit doubtful, but rain gods did not disappointed us and made sure it welcomed us in every turn of the road.

enroute some of the best turns of the ghats, lies some of the best of the scenes in the world. the route is not at all scary as being termed as in most of the blogs and forums(hinjewadi is much more scarier in broad daylight), its one of the most scenic ones. see for yourselves, as we go further.

stopped at hell lot of places, clicked hell lot of snaps and kept praising dear god for showing us this. being in pune makes you wonder, why the hell... anywayz. by the time we reached the famed monkey point, we were kind of full with the photos clicked and trying to identifying the various shades of green. rains, sunshine, mist, cooled air, deep valleys, rivers, dams, trees makes you wonder , whatz at the next turn?

scenes like the one above reminds you what you are missing and confirms your decision of waking up from a sweet sunday morning sleep and coming out 100 odd kms away to visit this. once you are at the monkey point, depending on what time of the day you come, you can experience bliss, pure bliss. if its fog all around, you cant imagine "what lies beneath". clear weather is required to view the greatness all around, with kanda bhaji and garam chai. we were fortunate enough to be able to view, experience and click hell lot of snaps around, before fog engulfed the entire stretch of monkey point. 

spend as much time as possible around here, as trip to varandah is all about the journey and not about the destination, as there isnt one :) so sit back enjoy nature at its best, and screw office. within minutes, the scene changed and fog engulfed everything around, the mountains, trees, greenery, valley, vehicles and us. we moved ahead towards shivtharghal, there are two ways to reach there once you cross the monkey point, first a steep one, marked specifically for two wheelers , takes about 6kms to reach there, and another a little bit ahead after completing the ghat, and takes about 15 odd kms. would strongly suggest , irrespective of whatever vehicle you take, catch the longer route, as it takes you through the amazing "ride of your life" :)

narrow road, trees all around, huge mountain range on the left, countless waterfalls will make sure that you remember this last 15 kms for the rest of your life. once you reach shivtharghal, therz nothing much to do, except check out the huge waterfall, eat zunka-bhakri ka lunch, and takes some rest before starting the return journey. start early as darkness approaches pretty fast in the region and in rains you dont want to get stuck in nowhere in the ghats. and spend few more minutes at the monkey point, with garam chai. it dense fog all around this place, so was no point spending too much time. we decided to move on with a heavy heart and a impending fear that, how long before lavasa-like-sharks come up with few more ghost-towns of theirs, and ruin everything in the process :(

one last snap for you guys to think about it, and visit the place before you end up showing photos of rivers, mountains, grass, trees only on national geographic to your kids :)

season 2012

rains have started around here, the season begins in few days.

getting myself prepared for another good season. hope to cover few more of the majestic forts around.

keep listening folks. with the little trekker, ofcourse :)