Ahupe Ghat (15th July,2007)

AHUPE GHAT - INFO
-------------------------

From the village Dehri, we can easily spot the famous trekking spot, Gorakhgad and its twin pinnacle, Macchindra. The Huge plateau behind the 2 pinnacles is Ahupe Ghat.

Height: 3100 feet

Range: Kalyan

Grade: Medium

Ways to reach: Reach Kalyan by Local train.

Kalyan ---> Murbad by ST bus (Rs. 15/person)

Murbad ---> Khopivli village by jeep (Rs. 25-30/person)

From Khopivli village, there are 2 routes.. The one on the left goes to Ahupe, while the right one goes to Gorakhgad-Macchindra. Hence it is advisable, especially in the monsoon, to ask the villager to guide you to the beginning of the route to Ahupe. The route from Khopivli crosses across fields and a pretty wide stream and then climbs the small ridge on the left. From here, the rocky route climbs up gradually to the top of the Plateau. You will come across numerous streams along the way. Its a pretty decent climb amidst thick forests.

From the top of the plateau, a further walk of about 15 mins will lead you to the Village and a lake on the top.

Climbing time: 3 hrs

Hill forts seen: from the top, we can get a view of the Gorakh-Macchindra pinnacles, which look
pretty minuscule.
Siddhagad, Damdamia, Durg killa, dhakoba and forts as far as the Jeevdhan
-Naneghat can be seen on a clear day.

Accomodation: No accomodation on the top. Its a typical one-day trek. Though one can try and
arrange for the same in the Ahupe village on the top or Khopivli village at the
base.

Food & Water: Water plentiful in the monsoon. Carry your own foodstuff. One can arrange for
tea and biscuits at the village at the top.

AHUPE GHAT
------------------

Participants: Parag, Wayne, Girish, Apoorva, Tejas, Madhav, Prajakta, Jai,

This was a tough decision to make. Id 4 options for trekking... Gorakhgad, Ahupe, Peb and Sarasgad. Gorakh id done numerous times, and Sarasgad was too easy. Peb was the only incomplete trek in my life, and so it was very tempting to climb Peb. But going by my previous trekking experience of being in a group of unknown people, I decided to join Wayne and his gang for the Ahupe trek. Anyways, Id climbed Gorakhgad , Siddhagad and half of Macchindra :)... so It would complete my chain...

Getting up on a sunday morning at 4 am is always a pain-in-the-u-know-where!! But i managed it, without even an alarm clock.. and that was pretty surprising.. We caught the 6.15 am Titwala local from dadar and got off at Kalyan, where we met the rest of the group members at the St stand. After a quick breakfast of sizzling hot vada pavs and masala chai, we caught the ST to Murbad, and from Murbad, we hired a Jeep to Khopivli. It was going to be a pretty sunny day as there wasnt an inkling of rain, or any clouds visible in the early-morning azure sky!

The range was looking pretty impressive.. the gorakh-macchindra pinnacles and the Ahupe.. Damdamia and Siddhagad.. and all the way upto Naneghat and Jeevdhan... At the village, we came to know about a group of about 120 ppl already on their way to the top! Shit!! 120 a number was too much... Catching a path, we walked across fields and gushing streams, and enjoying the scenic beauty, just to realize in about 1 hour that we were lost.. and we had taken the route to Gorakhgad instead. Duh!!! After much deliberation and pondering, we decided to head back to where we started. We reached the big stream at the beginning where we met a couple of villagers who agreed to guide us to the right way. By the time the call came for the trek to begin, i had already stripped to the waist and was enjoying the cool waters of the stream in my very own private pool. So , reluctantly, I came out, got dressed and finally we started our trek by about 12.30 pm!!! Our target was to reach the top by 4 pm come what may...

It was quite Humid and sunny, and the previous fruitless wandering on the wrong route had sapped away half our energy... After a brief pause for Glucon-D and Tango... 5 of us- Girish, Apoorva,Tejas, Wayne and Myself started managing well, while the girls were too tired to carry on, the rest of the 5 dropped out of the trek. The route then climbed up steadily and was quite rocky.. We started meeting the trekkers coming down by the time we were half way to the top.. some said we still had 2 more hrs to the top, while some said an hr... we kept our hopes and spirits high.. and constantly watching the top of the plateau coming nearer cheered us up even more. Girish's 3 min stop- 10 min walk strategy worked really well, though i waddled my way behind the 4 (as i call it- bringing up the rear!!) just to avoid any cramps...

Finally, we made it to the top, just before our target of 4 pm.. and it was a huge sigh of relief. As none of us had brought any foodstuff with us, we decided to head for the village to have some food. The view from the top was amazing.. at one place, there was a U-shaped straight drop of about 200-300 feet with strong wind.. just like the Konkan-kada of Harishchandragad...
At the village, we bought 10 packets (!!!) of Parle-G and one of the villagers agreed to make some tea for us. 2 cups of hot tea made of jaggery and Parle-G was like a treat to our by now highly acidified tummies!! Having snacks in a dimly lit hut, sitting on floor made of dried cow-dung, besides 3-4 bulls grazing on dried fodder.. and dogs and chickens hopping around.. and not to mention, curious villagers observing our every move, like we were aliens... It is an experience I get only while trekking...

After our snacks and thanking the villager, we started our descent at about 430 pm.. and Voila!! Surprise.. surprise!! the rest of our group had made it about half an hr from the top!! We met the rest of our group, and since it was too late for them to get to the top, we all started descending down the rocky path... Myself and Apoorva raced through the descent in our typical splash-dash style while the rest ambled down the way. With our knees trembling cuz of the rocky route and feet aching, the two of us reached the main stream in about 1 hr flat.. and without a second thought, off went my clothes and splash!!!! :)

Apoorva joined me in.. and after about 45 mins, the rest joined us in the melee! It was damn refreshing to just lay back and enjoy the chilled mountain water.. though the flow was too heavy to start giving us a headache. After a quick change of clothes, we headed back to the village by about 6.30 pm. At Khopivli, there was no jep to take us back.. so as the sun was setting in the distance, and the pinnacles of Gorakh-macchindra glowing in the red setting sun, we started walking towards Dehri, some 3 kms away. A qucki stop for some drinks and we were on our way back to Murbad. Zonked as we already were, Wayne hypnotized us even more cuz of his cam flashes!! The Bhurji-Pav at Murbad st stand never tastes more delicious! But the worst was yet to come.

The St to Kalyan came at 9.15 pm and it was packed to the brim. We somehow squeezed our way in. The bloody driver came about 15 mins later and by that time, our change of clothes proved quite futile as we were totally drenched in sweat once again. The Bus didnt seem to start.. and the last thing we were doing was push-staring an ST bus packed to the brim... WTF yaar??!! we push-started the ST and we had to stand all the way upto Kalyan too.. But our agonies didnt end over here. Due to the sunday mega block, the trains were running late, and we had to stand in packed locals all the way upto Thane... and at dadar, i caught the borivali slow local in which i slept off.. just to know that Id reached Borivali when i woke up. I decided to take that same local back, just to hear the announcement that the local would be entering the yard!!

Bloody m$%#^%$ b%$^%!!!!

Again a change of local, and an auto-rickshaw ride got the half-dead me back to the comforts of my home.. and after a change of clothes and chilled nimbu-paani.. I hit the sack like a Log of wood!!
Phew!! quite an exhaustive and an eventful trek... but like Tejas rightfully said, Next Sunday it will be the same story!! :)


Wayne's ALBUM : http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559990763mfzaZH

My ALBUM : http://picasaweb.google.com/Pyromaniaaac/AHUPE22JULY07

Chanderi ( 8th July 2007 )

COMING SOON....

Kohoj (17th June, 2007)

KOHOJ - INFO
------------------

A traveller journeying on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway will notice an imposing mountain to the right, just short of Manor. At the top of this mountain is the 3000+ feet high Kohoj fort. This fort, with its peculiar twin human-shaped pinnacles are easily recognizable from a distance.


Height: 3200 feet

Range: Palghar

Grade: Medium

Ways to Reach: Catch a local train to Virar(last station) on the western railway.
From Virar, catch the Dahanu shuttle and get down at Palghar railway station. From the Palghar ST depot, take the ST bus to Manor, and from Manor, catch another one going towards Wada, and get down at Vaghote village which lies at the base of the fort. You can also get a direct ST going towards Wada and get down at Vaghote.

Alternately, One can drive on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad national highway and reach Manor in about one and a half hrs, and turn right at the Manor Faata towards Wada and reach Vaghote village.

From Vaghote village,catch the path which goes adjacent to a heart-shaped lake. Further ahead, it passes through a few fields and then u hit a rocky road. The road goes to the neighbouring village. Catch a right turn in between which goes towards the fort.. The path climbs up a bit to reach a beutiful lake called the Paazhar lake in which u get to see the reflection of the fort. Walk over the damn. The path then climbs up gradually In between a small col to reach a small opening where a concrete slab bearing the name of a trekker who had died lies on the right. A further climb of about half an hr and u reach the plateau where theres a Temple and a few water tanks. Climb up a few rock cut steps and you will reach the top in about 15 mins.

Climbing time: About 2 1/2 - 3 hrs

Things to see:

1]A Shankar temple on the plateau. It has now been renovated. A path from the left of the temple leads to about 6-7 water tanks. Quite a few of them are spoiled or clogged. A couple of dirty cisterns are also present in front of the temple.

2]A hanuman idol is present midway to the top. Here 3 big cisterns are present with potable water.

3]Just as you cross the fort entrance and the ruins of a fort wall, you come across a
bastion, which is now in a dilapidated state. A temple of Lord Hanumana is located to the left of this bastion. From here, we climb up the steps and within 15 minutes of walk reach at the top of the fort. Here we come across many natural pinnacles formed due to wind-erosion. A man-shaped pinnacle is one of the greatest wonder of nature’s creation. This is the most attractive place on the fort. Different shapes of this pinnacle are evident when viewed from various directions.

4]Further ahead, theres a temple of Lord Krishna.

5] From the northern side of the fort, you can see the Deharaja river valley and the Vikramgad area. To the south, the Pinjal and the Vaitarna river valleys provide a picturesque view. Beyong the river Vaitarna is the Vandri lake, while in the distance, the outline of the Takmak fort can be seen. To the west is the Tandulwadi fort in the Asavgad range of mountains.

Accomodation: There is no accomodation on the top. Hence, the trek is best done as a day trek. However, one can stay overnight at many hotels in Manor or Wada.

Food and Water: Carry your own foodstuff. Drinking water is available in the cisterns on the top during the monsoon. However it is advisable to carry sufficient drinking water during the summer, as many tanks on the top have become dirty.

History: Very few of the historical evidences are coherent to this fort. Looking at its well-dug cisterns, the fort can be said to be belonging to Bhoj-period. But no such evidences are available. In 16th century, Portuguese captured this fort from the King of Gujarat. They constructed fortifications and bastions on this fort. Later, in 18th century, Peshwe conquered this fort in their campaign of 1737. Afterwards the fort remained under the British rule.

KOHOJ - THE UNKNOWN FORT

Yeah.. true to its name, this fort is really a one which is not so popular with the trekkers as the others on the central side. After being bugged by trekking in the central region in raigad and pune, me and Amit decided to venture out in the Western region for a change. The description of the Kohoj fort with the so-called-human-shaped-pinnacles really fascinated me, and so we decided to trek Kohoj instead of Asherigad.

As usual, it was just me and another person - this time again, it was Amit. We caught the early morning 5.15 local to virar, but unfortunately, we just missed the connecting shuttle by a whisker. So we had our breakfast of hot vada-pavs and tea at virar station and waited for the next shuttle at 8.30. We got down at Palghar and caught an ST to Swargate, and got down at the base village of Vaghote. The massive fort of Kohoj standing tall over the national highway looked pretty imposing. We started our trek and within a few minutes reached a peculiar heart-shaped lake.. and then the bigger lake at the base of the fort. We stopped for a while, and after looking at the village kids having a ball of a time bathing in the lake, we decided to have a dip while coming back...

After crossing the dam over the lake, the actual climb begun. The numerous routes which the villagers, the wood cutters and the cattle had made.. just made things difficult for us. After geting lost n number of times, we finally caught the right path well marked with arrows..
Sometimes i wonder that the whole fascination of trekking and finding your route is lost with the route well marked with arrows, as was the case with Kohoj.. but i guess with a tight schedule, it was like a blessing in disguise. As dark clouds loomed over the valley, we awaited eagerly for the showers.. thats what we had come there for.. but we were disappointed as they just flew past without shedding a single drop of rain. It was raining.. no doubt .. but it was pouring down from our foreheads rather than the sky!!

On the way to the first plateau, we passed through a thick dense path of forest.. but we were appalled to see giant tall trees been burned, cut and chopped down for deforestation.. This wasnt the first time we had encountered such a scenario. Even during my earlier trek to Siddhagad, we had seen such deforestation been carried out on a large scale. But it brought back memories from my last years trek to Matheran to Garbett point, when i saw the government had encouraged afforestation and had planted numerous trees all along the way.. There was some hope, i told myself.. and we moved on..

Huffing and puffing, we finally reached the plateau at the base of the fort. We took a break for lunch near the shankar temple, and waited for a group which was on the fort to get down. We running out of drinking water and all the water tanks were clogged and muddy. And there was no sign of the rain..
We packed up and started our final ascend and as we were reaching the fort wall, we saw the approaching rain far away on the horizon... hurry.. i told Amit.. we climbed as fast as we cud and reached the fort gate and made our way to the top of the bastion and awaited eagerly for the first showers for the day. It was an amazing sight, as we saw the thick dark rain cloud bringing the rain along with it.. and the sun-bathed valley in front and behind it... The cloud approached us and slowly it grew darker all around us .. and as we saw the plateau been engulfed by the rain showers, we began to feel the first showers on our face.. and voila!! Finally it came.. with a gust of a strong breeze, it began pouring over us ... and before we could enjoy the first showers, it was sunny all over again!! Duh!!!

Just an hr's sleep and the lack of another cup of tea had made my head pretty heavy and i was totally drained out of energy. I had to sleep.. i told Amit.. we reached the Krishna temple on the top.. but it was too small to accomodate even a single person. Then we found the perfect place for our afternoon siesta.. just behind the first pinnacle, overlooking the valley, we slept on the ground, with our feet dangling 1000+ feet above the ground! That was the most peaceful sleep id experienced for a long time ! :) After i woke up, i was feeling fresh as ever.. we explored around a bit.. climbed a pinnacle.. and soon started our descent.. as we had a very urgent need of taking a dip in the lake below..

We zoomed our way across trees, shrubs and rocks and reached the dam in less than a couple of hrs.. And as soon as we reached the lake, it began to pour again.. we needed no time, and paying no heed to the village girls and other women folks watching us with curiosity, we stripped down to our bare minimums and splash!!! Brrrrrrrr.... the lake water was as chilled as it could had been! Just didnt feel like getting out... curious village kids tried to entertain us with their acrobatic stuff in the waters.. after about an hr or so, we decided to move on..

We had to wait for a long time for the bus, and finally when it came, it was packed.. so we had to stand all the way to Palghar station.Thankfully, we got a passenger train to Bombay central which was stopping at Virar and then Borivali.. so we rested our tired legs and slept all the way to Borivali... It would had been more fun if ud have brought your Bike along.. I told Amit.. as Manor was just a couple of hr's drive from Borivali.. Next time.. we said. and we parted good bye..

Elephanta Caves

I'd been wanting to visit these caves since my childhood... But due to sheer laziness or lack of company, i was unable to visit Elephanta.. till my vagrant feet could hold on no longer..

How to get there??

Elephanta caves is located about 10 kms north east of Gateway of India. To reach the island, one has to catch the jetty from the gateway. Economical and luxury, both types are available. I took the economical one, costs about Rs.120 for a round trip.. and it takes about 1 hr to reach..
Once u reach the island, a path leads u to the bottom of the stairway.. and 120 odd rock cut steps flanked by small shops and restaurants, leads u to the top of a hill, where the caves are located.
There is a small diesel run mini train which ferries passengers from the jetty to the base of the steps.
Entry ticket for an adult is Rs 20.
The caves are open from 9 am to 530 pm and shut on mondays.

History:

Earlier, the island was known as "Gharapuri" (Ghara: shudra priests of the shaivite temple, Puri: town)
In 1534 AD, the Portuguese landed on this island. They saw a colossal statue of an elephant in the caves and named it Elephanta caves. The statue has been now shifted to Jijamata Udyan in Byculla.
Based on the Aiholi inscriptions datable to 7th century, it can be inferred that Elephanta was initially governed by the Konkan Mauryas, when it was taken over by the Chalukyas. Afterwards, Rashtrakutas defeated the Chalukyas and thereafter it went to the Chalukyas of Kalyani in the reign of TailaII (997 AD) and from them to the Yadavas.
Allaud-din Khilji overthrew the Yadavas in 1294 AD and remained in his possession upto the 16th century.
In 1594, the island passed into the hands of the portuguese and in 1682, to the marathas.
Finally, the British occupied it in dec 1774.
The sculptures depict that it belonged to the Gupta period in medieval India, when Hindu sculpture was at its zenith.In Hinduism, there are 2 sects, namely Saivism and Vaishnavism, in which Shiva and Vishnu are regarded as the supreme respectively. The sculptures in the elephanta caves portray Saivism.

The Caves:

There are in all 5 major caves in the complex.

The Main Cave:

(The Plan of the First cave)

The main cave has 3 entrances, one each pn the north, east and the west. It has a central hall and 4 vestibules. It measures about 130 sq.feet, and is supported by 36 pillars. The temple faces the north from where one enters. The whole ceiling is having fresco paintings.
Innumerable sculptures depicting various forms of Lord Shiva are seen on each and every wall of the cave.



A] Nataraja Shiva: Nataraja, the king of dancers is shown performing his mystic dance of creation. This is known as the cosmic dance of Lalit Nrutya.He is shown as setting the whole universe in motion, but he himself remains unperturbed. The wild movements of his limbs and his legs, are markedly contrasted with the serenity and dispassionateness expressed on his face. The figure of Nataraja is shown with 8 arms, but many of them are broken. There are in all 108 postures of Tandava dance. Parvati is also shown participating in the dance. But Shiva performs the Urdhva Tandava posture, in which he touches one of his legs to his head, which Parvati is unable to perform, due to delicacy of womanhood. She surrenders and admits defeat. This sculpture can also be seen in Ellora cave no.16.
On the right side, we can see Shiva's sons, Ganesh and Kumar Kartika, and above this group, we can see lord Brahma and Vishnu.



B] Shiva Shrine: It consists of a cubical cell with 4 doors facing each principal direction. On either side of each of the door, we see the figures of 8 Dwarpala, i.e. God of directions, or door keepers, standing majestically. The main temple faces east. To the East is Lord Indra, to the south is Lord Yama, to the west is Lord Varun , and to the north is Lord Kuber. In the middle of the temple stands a pedestal in the centre of which is the Shiv Linga.






C] Kalyan Siva - Sunder murti , or the Marriage of Shiva and Parvati: We can see the handsome, benevolent face of Lord Shiva, full of serenity. Parvati can be seen at Shiva's right, indicating that the actual marriage has not taken place.After marriage, she is supposed to occupy the left side. Behind her is her father Himalaya, her mother Menaka with Chauri and her brother mountain Mainak with the holy water pot. Brahma to the right is seen acting as the main priest. Lord Vishnu is also seen attending the wedding.









D] Mahesh Murti (Trimurti): This sculpture is seen right in front of the north entrance. The total height of this sculpture is 8.3 metres. It has 3 faces of lord shiva.
Central face- It is the calm face of Tatpurush, with its full sensuous lips rests on chest of mighty proportions which is adorned by rows of necklaces.One of the front hand holds a Citron,while the other is damaged which represents as a preserver of the universe.
Face on the Left- It represents shiva as Rudra i.e. Aghor, the destroyer of the universe with severe looks, cruel eyes and third bulging eye on the forehead.It also shows curling moustaches and beard.. and several snakes are seen wriggling out of his matted hair.
Face on the right- It represents Vamdeo, the beautiful God in a feminine look of creation with a calm and pacific expression. It is an ornamented statue. The left hand with bangles on the wrist
and lotus is another hand indicates creation.





E] Mahayogi Shiva: Shiva is shown as the lord of the Yogis i.e. Yogeshwara. Shiva is shown sitting on a lotus in a cross legged position, the stalk of which seems to spring out from primeval water, held by 2 Naga kings.The figure is badly damaged, but the powerful swelling chest and silent absorbed face, though damaged, exhibits great spiritual strength and calmness.













F] Andhakasura Vadh i.e. Shiva as the killer of the demons

G] Gangadhara Shiva - Descent of the Ganges : The main figure shows Shiva and his consort Parvati. Above the head of Shiva is Triveni, or the confluence of the three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

H] Ardhanareshwar Shiva : In puranas, this form of shiva is known as Shiva- shakti. Here, half of his body is feminine and leans against the bull Nandi.

I] Shiva - Parvati laying a game of dice: Parvati here is depicted in a somewhat affectionately angry mood. Shiva has lost the game and has nothing left with him. She appears to be teasing him with a mild smile.

J] Ravana shaking Kailash : It is seen opposite to the Shiva parvati playing a game of dice.

(The entrance of the fourth cave)

(Inside the fourth cave)

(Fifth cave)

(A statue of a lion on top of the first cave)

Other Caves:

As we move ahead from the main cave, we come across 4 other caves with fluted pillars at their entrances. It has smaller caves within, which may have served to house the priests. Some caves have small shiv lingas.
The entire complex is very serene, especially on a weekday. From the edge of the hill, we can see the other hill in front. It is believed to be a home to various Buddhist caves and sculptures, like the one at Kanheri, but have been shut down for visitors. We can also see the port on the other side of the island.

Cannon Hill:


Once we get out of the complex, we come across a series of small rock cut steps leading further up to the top of the hillock above the caves. It is called as the Cannon Hill, as 2 huge iron cannons are installed over there. One is right when we reach the top , and the other one is on the other end of the hillock, a further 200-300 metres away. Monkeys are a major nuissance on this hillock. We can also see few ruins of storehouses on the way to the second cannon. One can trek down the hillock from the second cannon to reach the port on the other side of the island.

(The first Cannon)

After a tiresome venturing and exploring the entire area, I relished on some cucumbers been sold by local women o the cannon hill. As for restaurants, there are plenty of them on either side of the stairway leading to the caves. MTDC restaurant is really good and the view it provides is simply amazing. On a clear day, we can even see the Mumbai shores.. and the sea provides a beautiful backdrop to enjoy a chilled mug of beer..!! (yes... they even serve Hard drinks!! ;)

As for company, no need to worry, as there are plenty of foreigners you can hook up with for an interesting conversation.And thats what i did. This guy called Nick and his girl friend Stephanie, both Australians, were having a stopover in Mumbai for 3 days before they flew back to UK, where they were working... Australians really do have an amazing beer drinking capacity!! :D

The local shops sell all sorts of memorabilia ranging from small statues to key chains and shells and post cards and books... The main occupation of the locals is fishing, but they do earn the extra bucks by this side business..


As the day began to end, I wearily made my way to the jetty... You have to pay Rs 10 extra to get to the top deck, and thats what i did.. Enjoying the cool sea breeze, the ferry moved swiftly thru the waters, passing through several Oil carriers and Navy ships nearby... And the sea gulls flying over our heads just made for an amazing view..
Finally, after an hr long journey, I reached the gateway.. it was the first time i saw the gateway and the Taj hotel from the otherside.. It was a pretty sight..


Waiting to go the Elephanta again sometime in the monsoon!! :)

View My entire Photo collection of Elephanta Caves at

http://picasaweb.google.com/Pyromaniaaac/ElephantaCaves

Bibliography : Guide to Elephanta by V. M. Wani

Sion Fort

Of the several forts dotted around the city since the colonial days, the Sion fort is one of them.
Situated between the hustle and bustle of the city, this fort has been now getting the attention of the ASI, which has its office bang besides the fort.
Now, the fort has been kept clean, and a park called Jawaharlal Nehru Udyan, has been created around this fort.

The fort is dilapidated and a collection of broken stone steps, scattered walls and ruins, overrun by trees and ground cover.

The fort wall has a small room on top with wooden trussed ceiling of old tree trunks. A series of pathways lead to it.The fort offers a panoramic view overlooking the salt pans in the Thane creek and countless skyscrapers mushrooming in the area.

Vandals and jerks have ruined the fort walls, trying to carve out their and their lovers' names, thinking about immortalizing their names in history!!! Bastards!!



How to get there:

To get to the fort, get down at sion railway station and walk towards the eastern express highway and walk straight past it under the flyover. You'll come across the SSC board office, and just past it lies the park amidst which lie the ruins of the sion fort. Avoid going on weekends as the park is full of bhaiyyas and bhaiyyanis and couples cuddling around every nook and corner of the fort...A short trek from the garden leads u to the top of the fort.


History:

It was built by the British Governor of Bombay,Gerard Aungier, atop a conical hillock. The hillock is situated a few metres from the Sion railway station. Sion was the boundary between British-held Parel island and Portuguese held Salsette island. The castle marked the northeast boundary of their possession. The fort was built between 1669 and 1677.

Nearby forts include Rewa fort and Sewri fort.

Siddhagad (26 Jan 2007)

SIDDHAGAD

----------------------

Height : 982 m or 3223 ft

Range: Kalyan

Grade: Easy till Siddhagadwadi, Medium till the pinnacle

Ways to

reach : Kalyan --> Murbad ST bus [Fare Rs.19/-]

Murbad --> Narivali St bus [Fare Rs.13/-]

From Narivali village, Walk towards the col between Damdamiya on the left and Siddhagad on the right. This route is well trodden and well marked and all the villagers are helpful and they can guide you. After walking on level ground for about an hr and after bypassing another small village on the left.. the route climbs up gradually between the col. This route is quite rocky and zig-zags thru the col for abt 1 hour till u reach the plateau. There is the Mahadarwaja at the entrance of the plateau. A further half an hr walk on level ground on this plateau leads u to a quiet and small village of Siddhagadwadi. U can hire guides from this village for abt 50 Rs to take u to the top. From siddhagadwadi.. the route climbs up rather steeply and in about half an hr u reach the baba's cave. A further 1/2 hr of dangerously steep rock cut steps and u r on top of the fort.

Climbing time: 2 to 2 1/2 hr from narivali to siddhagadwadi

a further 1 hr from the wadi to the pinnacle
Total climbing time approx 4 hrs

Things to see: Namrata devi temple

Kotwal Smarak-- Freedom fighter Kotwal was shot dead by the britishers here in the 18th century
Both of them are on the western side of the fort and one has to come on a 2-day trek to see them.

The Baba's cave. A baba is staying there for around 8 yrs

A Machi, few water tanks and shivling on the top

Forts visible- Gorakhgad, Macchindra, Ahupe, Damdamiya, Bhimashankar, Padak killa and peth

Accomodation: One can stay in Siddhagadwadi school for the night.

Food and Water: Siddhagadwadi villagers are very helpful. they can provide u with food and potable water. no potable water is present on the top during the winter and summer months so it is advised that u shud carry enough.

SIDDHAGAD : A "ROCKING" EXPERIENCE !!!

I had planned this trek well a month in advance last december. Its a yearly thing, just like a ritual for me to go trekking on Republic day. And this trek was going to be something special, as it was going to be the much awaited reunion trek of "THE FALCONS", the trekking group that our much belowed pal Zankhan had once created.

But my trek had all the flavors of Betrayal, Back-stabbing, Lies.... and purely unenthusiastic to begin with...

Rahul and Swajit, as usual, backed off from a trek which i planned at the last moment with various reasons (Read: caught a cold!!??).. And there we were just the two of us.. myself n amit.. to carry forward the torch of THE FALCONS passes on to us by Zankhan.. and we were not gonna back away from this challenge!!

This trek was the first for both of us. Id dreamt of climbing siddhagad ever since my first trek to gorakhgad 7 yrs ago when i was fascinated by the sheer height , mightiness and the peculiar trapezoid shape of this fort..

well i was about to realise my dreams soon today.. but not before paying a price.. READ ON...

We started our journey pretty late, caught the 7 am local to kalyan.. but were lucky enough to get the connecting buses first to murbad and then to narivali, on time.We started out from Narivali at around 10.30 am .. and we could see that a hard days trek under scorching afternoon sun lay ahead of us! After taking the directions from the villagers, we took the route which led us to the col between Damdamiya on the left and Siddhagad on the right.


Further left, we could see the twin pinnacles of Gorakh-Macchindra, which appeared as tiny babies in front of this huge monster! The route to the col was pretty easy walk on level ground but was very confusing as numerous trails were criss-crossing each other and we were walking on pure instincts! But eventually we lost our way, not once but twice.. but i realized that i was making the same mistake i did on my Peb trek last yr and decided to turn back. It turned out to be the right decision as we were actually leading to the col between Ahupe and Damdamiya. After taking precise directions from a villager whom we met on the way back.. we re-joined the real trail. After an hrs walk on level ground, the route started to climb up steadily. Our poor cardio status started showing immediately as we started getting palpitations after 15-20 mins of climbing up..

Time for some Glucon-D!!! This route which climbed up thru the col was pretty rocky, but went up thru thick forests, so had relief from the scorching heat! These forests are a continuation of the Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary and are pretty thick even in winters and summer months.

After an hr and a half"s climb, we were relieved to reach the Mahadarwaja of the main plateau on which Siddhagadwadi is situated. After we climbed the col, the route bifurcates.. the one to the right lead to the mahadarwaja while the one to the left led PROBABLY to Ahupe ghat.. from where we can do Siddhagad-bhimashankar 3 day trek [which we were planning to do earlier]. Anyways, after walking for half an hr we reached the village of Siddhagadwadi. Its a very quiet and small village, consisting of about 10-15 huts , population of abt 200 and few fields. From here we could see Gorakhgad which appeared so small.. we were easily above the level of its pinnacle. We camped at the village school, and after a quick wash and lunch, were ready to head for the pinnacle. It was quite late , around 2 pm and we didn't have much time. So we decided to hire a guide from the village who can lead us to the top, as we couldn't afford wasting time in finding the right path. His name was Naresh, 23yrs old.. quite a helpful chap..

So we started our final "REAL" climb to the top , with Naresh leading the trio. As he was accustomed to climbing this place.. he started scurrying up while we were left behind, huffing and panting!!! :) I t was an interesting climb.. we were chatting with Naresh about the village, about him,.. and about the sky,the stars and the universe .. till the rocky patch began. It was a very tough climb.. not because it was technical or something, but because it was totally exposed, and there was a lot of scree throughout. The rock cut steps were very narrow and quite high and slippery. The route cut across many dried up water falls, looking at which i realized that this must be a pretty hard part during the monsoons when the path becomes even more slippery. Initially i was climbing up pretty easily as i had the experience of 7 yrs behind me, but after a few slip-ups cuz of the scree (scree= a mixture of loose mud, small rocks and dried up vegetation which makes the path slippery), Naresh told us about an accident last winter when a guy became over-confident and he slipped and fell to his death. Well that was pretty helpful Naresh.. thank u very much!!!! :(

We finally reached the Baba's cave after about 45 mins of climb. The Baba is a middle aged man who is staying in the cave for about 7-8 yrs. He welcomed us and made us hot tea.. which was ammmmazingly refreshing. He even kept a record of all the trekkers who've visited this place. We proudly entered our group name.. "The Falcons" and i ended up filling up an entire page with my experience, ending up with "JAI HIND"!! Well the party had just started as the rock patch further up to the top was even more treacherous, Exposed, and as slippery as it can be.. My best companion for the last 7 yrs of trekking, i.e . my shoes.. we keeping me safe all the time.. but they had begun to wear out .. and the sole of the right show was also beginning to get split into half.. i was sweating profusely , as i had to concentrate really hard, but the shoe thing was also in my mind. One look down, and i could see tiny houses like ants straight down into the valley.. and i had no chance of slipping this time as i could see my fate if i slipped, as that of the loose rocks , which went tumbling down into the valley with each and every step i took.. But then i saw Naresh climbing up like a mad daog in front of me.. and he was wearing just a pair of rubber slippers!!! well that really made me forget about all my worries and the three of us climbed on like monkeys!!

It was an overwhelming sense of achievement when i touched the dried up grass and mud on the pinnacle... a dream realized... Siddhagad conquered at last!! Zankhan.. i wish u were here at this time!!

We then made our way to the Machi or the Citadel which is at the northern end..

It was a beautiful sight.. from left to right we could see the peaks of Gorakhgad, Macchindra, Ahupe, Damdamiya, Bhimashankar and Padarkilla. The sight of the plateau and its triangular projections, and the water reservoir and the villages and fields below gave me that "On top of the world" sort of feeling..

So after some sight-seeing and an extensive photography session, we started our descent, which was gonna be even more dangerous than the climb. While descending, we were looking straight down into the valley and it took immense concentration to negotiate that patch. Understandingly, it took us more time to get down to Siddhagadwadi than it took to climb up.

After a quick filling up of bottles we made a dash for the descent from the plateau. It was 5.30 and the light was fading pretty quickly. We weren't ready for this scenario and so were not carrying our torches. the moon, which had already risen wasn't looking all that helpful either. So we gad no option rather than to run all the way down.. and that is what we really did. We LITERALLY RAN all the way down to the base of the plateau thru the entire rocky col.. We started playing our usual F-1 race game.. with Amit in his Ferrari and myself in my Mclaren shooting down .. playing stepping stones.. on our pure reflexes! At one point Amit unfairly straight-lined a chicane and took the lead from me,.. and even Refused to take the Drive-thru penalty!!!! :(

But we were battered..and bruised.. This dash-thru coupled with the grueling descent of the rock patch put a lot of pressure on our knees and feet.. and the result was in numerous blisters and tremendously aching feet for me and cramping calves for amit! Time for another Glucon-D break!!!

But that didn't help us much. though we descended the entire col in less than half an hr.. the sun was already setting at 6 and we still had a lot of distance to cover. We just kept on dragging our legs.. or rather .. our legs were just dragging us... as we had to reach the village before the light faded out completely.. A nitro boost here and there and a few more determined efforts and we finally reached the village just before the light faded away completely at 7 pm. The Falcon , with one wing and both his feet clipped off, had successfully completed the trek!

The bus journey back to Murbad wasn't pleasant either, with the pathetic road (it didn't even qualify as per the definition of the road) and the ST bus.. a lethal combo.. adding to our woes!! So we Rocked away.. we head banged away.. not out of pleasure but out of sheer helpless compulsion, to Murbad. Thankfully we got a direct bus to Kalyan and we slept all the way to dadar in the local train and back home..

Back home and i spent the rest of the night with aching Foot, 7 blisters.. 2 off them 1cm in diameter.. and an upset tummy... But i wasn't complaining.. as i had achieved what i wanted to for so many yrs!

SIDDHAGAD CONQUERED AT LAST!! JAI HIND!!!

Why the Hell do I trek????

Hmm... nice question!! Ive met many people who ask me this same question... friends.. parents.. just abt anybody... why do i trek?

I never thought about it.. rather, never tried to give it a thought! Was happy with what i was doing for the past 7 yrs.. yeah.. 7 long yrs

But now i guess its time to ask myself the same question i havent been able to answer for such a long time. And nowadays i dont like to keep any questions unanswered...

So here i go.. taking a notepad, a pen and to the place where i find some calm n peace, to my building terrace!

Ok.. now lets start it from the beginning..

It was the winter and the yr was 1998-99.. I was in junior college.. a tall lean guy who used to be lost in his own world, like just another teen trying to fight away the teen-temptations after getting the much awaited freedom, abt movies.. discs.. juvenile crushes.. or just pure lukkhagiri!! Amit was my pal in joon coll and he used to constantly mention this "ALIEN" sort of word.. wht did he used to call it??.. aahh... "TREKKING"!! I didnt exactly understand wht he actually meant when he used to say "we r going for a trek to blah blah place for the weekend" as my ideas for trekking were purely restricted to the Himalayan mountaneering n such other stuff which i sporadically used to watch on Natgeo.. But then came the turning point in my life when the junior college teachers' strike took place in that december.

Amit once again asked me out for a trek... I was fed up with him using this unknown term with me so i just wanted dwelve deeper into this "Trek" thing.. so i started bombarding hi with thousands of questions like how? what? when ? who? blah.. blahh...

And so i finally agreed to join him and his other pals for my first trek to a place called "GORAKHGAD".. Gorakh what??? it sounded greek to me in the beginning, but later i was to realise that i was an expert in these greek terms and i was to climb gorakh whtever 4 more times!!!

So off we went that one evening in december.. i clearly remember.. we were 8 of us with 2 more rookies... Myself, Nishant and Satej.. so i wasnt that nervous. Then I met that person who was to change my outlook and my life forever.. no it wasnt any from the female species that i wud fall in love with, but was this talkative, philosophical chap who used to wear a hat and had a few extra pounds here and there.. His name was Zankhan.. Whoa!! first Gorakh whtever and now Zan.. ??? Aliens ve really started invading Earth as this cant even b greek!!

Well guys, i wont describe my entire first trek experience..[it was a night trek] cuz i will take ages to do the same.. and so wud u, reading.. But that one night made me realise that hey.. theres a whole new world out here.. This world gives me the much needed calmness and satisfaction i crave for... and i was to discover much more what trekking had to offer later as yrs passed by..

But there r so many things that i cant just single out any particular reason..

Is it for the pure Love i have for mother nature.. for the forests, the birds, for the gushing streams and rivers and waterfalls..

Or is it for the fluffy clouds in the sky.. and the feeling which u get when u get to touch them and be above them..

Or is it for the innumerable stars that twinkle at night.. and when u lie down in the open above the world looking at them and getting a feeling as if u r floating thru the galaxies.. and counting the shooting stars zipping past by u .. so many of them that u run out of wishes...

Or is it the sheer thrill of achieving ur goal.. that being "On top of the world" feeling which i get on climbing any mt.. though knowing its only 1/10th the size of mt.everest

Or is it for the Deepest desires i have inside of me to fly away like a bird after spreading my wings.. that have no boundaries..

Or is it for the village food that i get to eat.. tht bhakari, onion and dal-rice, poha, pickle... and the oppurtunities to meet my fellow Countrymen who live in the far off villages, and their warmth and simple lifestyles just making me realise the importance of cherishing whtever im enjoying here in my life..

Or is it for the freedom of living like a cave man... sleeping in the grass.. on the muddy road.. in the caves.. in open ground.. just about anywhere.. and to top it all.. answering mother nature's call anywhere, anytime i feel to and not feeling embarrased!! [yeah many ppl do experience this heavenly feeling on the streets of mumbai.. but... i cant do tht in my outer world!]

Or maybe its for the the perennial, clear, cold, mineral water as we call it.. from the tanks cut out in the mountain face by the maratha warriors.. and filling up bottles and getting it back home and irritating my mom cuz of it [yeah.. thts even more fun!! :)]

Or maybe its for the countless photography oppurtunities that i get on any trek!!!

Phew! im out of my breathe.. i can think of many more but i guess these are the main reasons.. or are they??

Years have passed.. my trekking pals have changed.. first Zankahan betrayed me and passed away.. then Puneet went away to Dubai.. now i just wait for anyone and literally anyone who is willing to come with me for a trek..

True, there are trekking groups and communities.. But i dont achieve the whole purpose of trekking with them.. that of achieving Solitude!!

Trekking Checklist

Hey Guys ... if anyone of u wanna go for a trek and wondering what to carry.. i can help u a bit..

Ill list down a few things which I CARRY.. [remember this is my blog!! ;)]

So here we go...

TREKKING CHECKLIST

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THINGS THAT ARE MUST

1. A good Backpack.. size depends on how long are u gonna go out for the trek. Check out all the zippers whether they are proper. The bag shud be compact so that it doesnt dangle but fits snugly to ur back.
   
2. Shoes.. They r ur best pal during any trek.. make sure they ve a good grip and tread on their soles.
   
3. Water.. according to the season.. extra water in summers
4. Food as required
5. Carrymat or sleeping bag
6. Matchbox and candles
7. Torch with extra cells
8. Pen knife
9. Cap/ Sunglasses
10. Extra set of clothes and socks
11. Personal toiletries---> Soap, Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Sunscreen, Deo
12. Toilet paper roll
13. Plastic bags for clearing the waste.. plz keep the environment clean
14. mugs, plate, spoon
15. Medical kit
16. A length of rope
17. Rubber bands and safety pins
18. Water purifier like KMnO4
19. Whistle, Magnetic compass, maps if any
20. Slippers for campsite use
21. Dairy and pen
22. Money

OPTIONAL THINGS TO CARRY

1. Tent if required
2. Barsati / Plastic Sheets / Raincoat / Windcheeter for the monsoons
3. Utensils for cooking if required
4. A small bottle of kerosene for startin a fire for cookin if required
5. Mosquito repellent
6. Technical equipment for technical climbs
7. Camera
8. Binoculars
9. Radio... Yes most places catch the transmission at the top
10. Inflatable pillow and chaddar
11. Reading material
12. Playing cards
13. And whtever else u may feel like carrying :)

HAPPY TREKKING!!!