Karnala (29th June, 2008)

While passing through the dense jungle on the Mumbai-Goa highway between Panvel and Pen, we all must have seen this weird thumb shaped pinnacle jutting out into the sky. This is the fort of Karnala, in the famous Karnala bird sanctuary.


Height: 2500 feet

Range: Panvel - Matheran

District: Raigad

Grade: Easy

History: Till 15th century, the Nizamshah had control over this fort. After that, this fort has seen many many rulers, like Shivaji, the Moghuls, Angres and the Peshwas. In 1818, Colonel Procter of the East India Company captured it, and was under the British rule till 1947. The inhabitants of this region are tribal-adivasi people who lead a simple life and have preserved their art form - The Warli paintings, for thousands of years.

Ways to Reach: Reach Panvel by local train/road. From the ST stand, catch any bus going to Alibaug or Pen and get down at the Karnala sanctuary gate.


The Climb: You have to buy an entrance ticket at the counter. Adult fare is Rs.20/-

As you enter the sanctuary, a short walk on the tar road leads to a board depicting information on the fort and the sanctuary. Here the route bifurcates. The left one goes up to the fort, the right leading into the sanctuary. The short climb over rocky route leads to a small col in about 45 mins. from here, the route turns right and leads to the plateau, where the temple of Karmaidevi is situated. From here, the route climbs up and a climb over rocky steps leads us to the entrance of the fort in about 30 mins.

Climbing time: 1 1/2 to 2 hrs

Fascinating spots: From the main entrance, the route bifurcates.

From the left, we can reach the pinnacle and the caves, where numerous water tanks are located. The tanks do not have potable water. Here, the route from the right joins from below at another gate.

Remnants of an old storage rooms are also visible.

Further beyond the pinnacle, the route leads us to 2 bastions. At the entrance of the Southermost machi, is the carving of an ancient legendary animal called "Sharabh".


Forts visible from the top: Prabal, Matheran, Irshalgad, Manikgad, Sankshi
Sometimes, on a clear day, we can also get to see the forts of Peb, Nakhind and the Mumbai Harbour (In the west).

(Prabal, Matheran and Irshalgad)

Accomodation: The caves on the top, but usually not necessary as its a one day trek.

Drinking water: The water cisterns near the remnants on the top of the fort.

Food: Carry your own food. Else, you can get food near Panvel ST Stand, the village below, or the Karnala restaurant about 10 mins walk further on the highway.

CAUTION: There are lots of bee hives present in summer months on the top of the pinnacle on the Northernmost face. Also, few bee hives are present in the caves. Utmost care must be taken by the trekkers staying in the caves not to disturb them. Also, pinnacle climbers should avoid the northern face and instead use the western or the southern face, as few accidents have occurred in tha past because of the disturbance caused to the bee hives.

Karnala Revisited
--------------------
Participants: Parag, Nishant

29th June was the big match day- The Euro 08 Final, between Germany and Spain. But I had a day to kill time, and as my earlier trek got cancelled, Nishant suggested we go for an easy one dayer to Karnala, as it would serve as a good outing in the monsoon.


So the plan was fixed, and we left early morning to Panvel. We had a heavy breakfast in the hotel near the ST Stand, packed our lunch consisting of half a dozen bananas, and hopped inside the ST going to Alibaug, before the rains could get us completely wet. Half an hour's bus ride, and we were at the entrance of the sanctuary...

I cannot describe, how awesome the air around the sanctuary smelled like.. The light drizzle, and the air was full of the aroma of the wet soil, and pierced by the occassional Tweet-tweet of the various exotic species of birds that reside here. This was going to be a trek-cum-photography practising session for us. We trodded along, capturing the occassional Moth feasting on the leaves, or the giant yellow and red crabs playing hide-n-seek, or the tiniest red or green insects that we in our everyday routine life even fail to see... We happened to pass by a group of experts, probably from the BNHS, and we got a few tips regarding the various insect species. We passed them by, and then met many other groups on the way to the top, groups consisting of naturists, or village kids, or young college girls wearing sandals with heels, and some few Germans... The plethora of the wild species coincided with that of the humans visiting this place.

As we reached the plateau, the rain started to become a bit heavy, and the cool breeze was sending a chill by the back of my neck. Finally we reached the top, and decided to explore the caves at the base of the pinnacle. We found the only dry place on the top, inside a cave near the water tank. We were soon joined by a group of kids from nearby, and as we had our banana-lunch, saw them taking a splash in the cave waters...

We decided to explore the bastions, where all the other groups were having their lunch and photo sessions. I finally managed to get a snap of a snail, which i failed to get while climbing up. After a few mins stay, we decided to return. Nishant's shoes were completely torn, and his chappals were not helping much, as we slipped our way on the slippery smooth wet red soil. Surprisingly, we found the snail, whos photograph i failed to capture while on our way to the top. Finally I did manage to get his snap :)

We reached the highway in an hour or so, and immediately got a ride in a tuk-tuk back to panvel. We had the most amazing fag session afterwards in the cool rain-struck afternoon.. and after hot teas , kothimbir vades and another round of cigs, we made our way back to the station, where luckily we got the 430 pm Andheri local train.

It was such a refreshing experience. I think, everyone should experience the nature by coming for this trek once every monsoon. Karnala and Kanheri caves in the national park are such beautiful and easily accessible places, where a person with good enough fitness can easily climb. After all, everybody needs a break from the regular mundane life.

[p.s. Germany lost to Spain 0-1 :'( :'( ]
Link to the Photo Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=44500&l=35347&id=670750758

Sankshi (15th June, 2008)

Height: ~800 metres

Range: Panvel region

Grade: Medium

Ways to reach: Reach Panvel by ST Bus/ Local train

From Panvel ST stand, catch a local bus going to Pen or Alibaug and get down at Chunabhatti village. From there, walk towards Balvali phata on the highway. Alternatively, one can ask the conductor if they will be able to stop the ST bus at the phata itself, as the walk is about 1 km.

From the phata, walk towards Balvali village (15-20 mins).

A single route from the village, crosses a couple of streams, a field and artificial dams and gradually climbs up to a plateau. A walk of about 10 mins and you reach the durgah of Peer Badruddin.

Then from the base of the mountain in front of the durgah, the route becomes rocky, and after a climb of an hour or so, we reach the small cave at the top. Here we can see many water cisterns.
At the final portion of the climb to the cave, we come across a narrow water pipeline. Here, the route to the left goes up steeply into the col, and should be attempted by only experienced trekkers. The route to the right, goes along the rock face. Here, the patch is full of scree and is quite windy. After a small rock patch, we reach the cave.

The route from the cave to the top should be done with proper caution, especially in the monsoon, as it is full of scree, steep and slippery. One reaches the top in about 30 mins.

Climbing time: 2 1/2 to 3 hrs



Hill forts seen: Karnala and Manikgad forts , with which Sankshi fort forms a triangle, can easily be recognized because of their peculiar shapes. On a clear day, one can also see Prabal, matheran, and Irshalgad.

Accomodation: The Balvali village at the base or the Durgah. The cave on the top can barely accomodate 2-3 people.

Food and water: Snacks and food can be arranged in the village. But as it is a one-day trek, its prudent to carry your own food and water. The tank near the cave has potable water, but the ones at the top dont. Drinking water is also available at the durgah.

History:

• 15th century - Gujrat sultan ruled over the fort
• 1540 - The Nizam captured the fort
• Gujrat sultan then recaptured it with the help of the portuguese
• 1656 - Shivaji included it in Swaraj
• 1818 - British conquered the fort

Some 400 years back, Peer badruddin came with some 500 odd followers from the middle east over here. The durgah was built after his death.

SANKSHI FORT TREK
---------------------------

Participants : Parag, Shaldavya, Kiran, Vineet, Anthony, Wilson and 16 other members of Bhramanti group.

This was my second trek with Bhramanti after my Manikgad trek with them last year. We started from Andheri, Anthony was our trek leader. At Panvel, the entire group assembled and we walked towards the ST stand, about 10 mins away. The bus to alibaug was totally full, and to make matters worse, we were caught in a huge traffic jam on the Mumbai-Goa highway, just near Karnala fort. There was no sign of rain and I started perspiring like pigs...

After an hour or so, we finally managed to get out of the jam (A broken down truck in the middle of the highway had caused the jam). After getting down at the Balvali phata, we proceeded to the village, where a villager greeted us with a basketfull of Gavthi Mangoes.. They were the most succulent and tasty mangoes i had eated for a long time. There were thousands of mango trees all around us, and we were sucking on mangoes for the most part of our trek. After getting the instructions about the route, we started off and stopped at a clearing where we all introduced ourselves. I met Shaldavya, who was working in Glenmark, and was also an amateur photographer and a wild life conservist! We struck together immediately and clicked some great shots together on the trek. It was an easy gradual climb to the durgah, where we were greeted with showers for the first time. After refreshing ourselves and filling our bottles, we started our actual climb.

The climb was just like Rajmachi... rocky, and easy... but the girls in our group were having a tough time. The final climb to the cave was so windy, that everyone decided to take a break at that point. The wind was literally blowing us away from our feet, just like I had experienced it on the Chanderi trek last year. The actual fun was the final climb which was a bit dicey, and full of scree, and myself and Shaldavya were busy doing stunts and getting up a more difficult route everytime :)

At the top, there were a few village kids who were jumping up and down the tree tops like monkeys. we went to the Col, which was amazing. We had our lunch consisting of baked beans, khakras, fruits, rotis, biscuits and of course, mangoes; and we started our descent. It was slow cause many beginners were there with us. At the rock patch below the cave, a huge chunk of wet, porous rock just came into my hand. And I nearly fell to my death. I stayed back along with Anthony to guide everyone else below. At the durgah, we had another break, washed ourselves, and finally reached the base of the plateau in another hour. Shaldavya had a bad moment as he fell inside a pit at the bottom of a pit, and nearly drowned. His Fuji digital Cam though couldnt survive the fall and malfunctioned.

We reached the highway late in the evening, and there was no bus available to transport us back to Panvel. We walked to Chunabhatti village, where we had some snacks, tea and cigs before we went back to the nearest bus stop in a tuk-tuk. After waiting for nearly an hour or so, we finally got a lift from a tempo rickshaw. All 22 of us got stuffed inside the back of the tempo like goats being send to the slaughter house. The rick though couldnt handle the load, and 9 of us had to get down and walk back to the stop, while the girls and a few others went ahead. We were lucky enough to get a lift from a truck, a few mins later, and we met again at the Panvel railway station, from where we caught the train back home.


All and all, a very eventful trek, for all the incidences on and off the road. A nice beginning to the trekking season this year for me and awaiting the next one...

Link to the Photo Album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43451&l=bb84d&id=670750758

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.