Showing posts with label Into the Sahyadris. Show all posts

Into the Sahyadris: Sudhagad Trek




Sudhagad, also know as Bhorapgad is a hill fort situated in the Sudhagad Wildlife Sanctuary. It is about 110 kms from Mumbai and about 132 kms from Pune. The fort lies in the Raigad district of Maharashtra.

[table color="theme1"]
[row] [col]Location[/col] [col]Lonavala, Maharashtra[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Base Village[/col] [col]Thakurwadi[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Height[/col] [col]1935 ft[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Difficulty Level[/col] [col]2/5[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Duration[/col] [col]2 Hrs[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Season[/col] [col]Monsoon / Summer / Winter[/col] [/row]
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[item title="History"]
The fort is said to be as ancient as the Thanale Caves and Khadsamble caves nearby, which dates back to the 2nd century BC. Prior to it's capture by the Marathas in 1657, the fort was called Bhopargad. The Marathas renamed the fort to "Sudhagad" meaning "The sweet one". Sudhagad is a large fort and was considered by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to be the capital of his kingdom but he chose Raigad because of geographic reasons.

During the Peshwa rule, the ‘Pantsachivas’ of Bhor became the custodians of this fort. After the annexation of princely states in 1950 the fort became patron less. Hence the fort is in a state of ruins, even though it was never captured by the Britishers.
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[item title="How to reach"]
By car
By Public Transport
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[item title="The trek"]
By car
By Public Transport
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[item title="Important things to note"]
Food
Water
Shade
Things to carry
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Into the Sahyadris: Ajoba Trek




At 4500 ft, Ajoba is one of the highest peaks of Maharashtra. Ajoba means "Grandfather"in marathi. There are two treks here, one to the Ajoba top and the other one to the Luv-Kush caves. The direction for both these treks are different and this post describes the trek to the Luv-Kush caves.

[table color="theme1"]
[row] [col]Location[/col] [col]Shahapur, Maharashtra[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Base Village[/col] [col]Dehne[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Height[/col] [col]4511 ft[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Difficulty Level[/col] [col]2/5[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Duration[/col] [col]2 Hrs[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Season[/col] [col]Monsoon / Summer / Winter[/col] [/row]
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[item title="History"]
According to Hindu Mythology, it is believed that Luv Kush were born here and Valmiki their grandfather trained them. There is Valmiki Ashram midway through the trek where the samadhi of Valmiki is kept. There are caves of Luv Kush with their cradle known as Sita Cha Palna in Marathi.
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[item title="How to reach"]
By Train: Reach Asangaon station on the Central Railway Line. Take a Bus/Rickshaw to Shahapur village. The base village is called Dehne which is 40 kms away from Sahpur. Jeeps are available which take you to the Dehne village.

By Car: Reach Lonavala and proceed towards Aamby Valley. Take a right at the Y junction, the straight leads you to Aamby Valley. Continue on this path till you cross the Salter lake. You should reach Ekole village in about an hour. The road between Salter Lake and Ekole village is in poor condition.
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[item title="The trek"]
The Trek starts from the Ekole village. There is a trail running parallel to a fenced property which takes you to the fort. The start of the trail is right at the start of the village and perpendicular to the road that brings you to the Ekole. The initial 10 minutes are a gradual climb. You reach a temple halfway from the village to the fort. There is a board which mentions the history of the ghangad fort here.
There is a trail next to the temple that takes you to a gate which is in ruins. This is the entrance to the fort and it takes about half an hour to reach here from the temple. The gate leads you to a cave which can house upto 40 people. Towards the right side of the cave you have a flat surface which is a good spot for camping. To the extreme right of the fort is huge slab of stone resting against the mountain.
There is a ladder towards the left side of the cave which takes you to a trail that in turn takes you to the top of the fort. The ladder has been installed recently, the only way up otherwise was to climb with the help of a rope. The last part of the ladder is tricky, as there is a narrow foothold with space only to keep the front part of your foot.
An exposed trail continues from here that takes you to the top. You will find several water cisterns here. There are steel ropes attached to the side of the wall of the mountains which aid you in climbing up. One has to be very careful on this part.
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Into the Sahyadris: Kalavantin Durg Trek


Kalavantin Durg as seen from Prabalmachi

Kalavantin Durg, also known as Kalavati or Kalavantinicha Sulka is a 685m high pinnacle on the northern edge of the Prabal plateau. The peak along with it's twin brother, Prabalgad is easily seen from the Mumbai - Pune Expressway. It is well known for it's perilous winding staircase carved against the stone. It is a favorite amongst thrill seekers and adventure junkies.

[table color="theme1"]
[row] [col]Location[/col] [col]Panvel, Maharashtra[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Base Village[/col] [col]Thakurwadi[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Height[/col] [col]2300 ft[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Difficulty Level[/col] [col]3/5[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Duration[/col] [col]3 Hrs[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Season[/col] [col]Post Monsoon/ Winter[/col] [/row]
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[item title="History"]
Very little is known about the origins of the fort. According to the locals, it is believed to have been constructed in 500 BC for a queen named Kalavantin. The Prabalgad Fort was built by the Bahmani Sultanate to keep an eye on the Panvel Fort and the Kalyan Fort in the North Konkan area. Kalavantin Durg was used more as a watch tower.

After a brief passage of time which saw the fort changing it's ownership multiple times, Chhatrapati Shivaji conquered the fort from the Mughals in 1657 A.D. Before him the fort was ruled by the Ahmadnagar Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. The fort has been a theater for many battles.

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[item title="How to reach"]
By Train:
Reach Panvel station on the Harbour line. You can take a six seater rickshaw till the base village of Thakurwadi. The rickshaw drivers will charge you a two way fare and you may have to negotiate the prices. Alternatively you can take an ST bus from the ST depot going upto the village of Thakurwadi.

By Car:
Thakurwadi can be reached from Mumbai by taking the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and taking the first exit towards the Panvel Bypass Road. Then take a left towards Wardoli village and take a left from the village as well. This road will take you to the starting point of the trek.
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[item title="The trek"]
The Trek starts from the Thakurwadi village. Anyone in the village can guide you to the start of the trail. There is a small shack selling breakfast and tea adjoining a parking lot created by the villagers here. The trail starts right behind this shack. The trail is wide initially and there's no chance of missing it. It climbs gradually for a duration of 1 and 1/2 hours to the village on a plateau called "Machi Prabal" or "Prabalmachi". Prabalmachi is a small village which has electricity. There is a small hotel on top here which serves food and tea. The village is located on a big plateau which offers scenic views of the Panvel city.

The trail continues further from the right side of the hotel. You will pass a few houses on your way up. The trail climbs rather steeply till you reach the col between Kalavantin Durg and Prabalgad. One has to take a left from this point. You'll find a boulder which has proper footholds carved in but has to be crossed carefully especially during monsoon. It takes about half an hour to reach this point from the plateau . Post this boulder, there are high rock cut steps, with the wall of the pinnacle on one side and an exposed valley on the other. The steps are wide enough to walk on but care has to be taken at certain tricky spots. The winding stairs climb steeply upto an open patch.

The final part of the trek is a small rock climbing stretch which can be done without ropes. There are cracks in the rocks which aid in climbing this boulder. The top is a small flat structure with an orange flag erected by fellow trekkers. It takes half an hour to reach the top from the col.
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[item title="View from the top"]
One can view the mighty twin peak, Prabalgad on the left side of the fort. You get a brilliant panoramic view of the Panvel city and the nearby hills and fort. You can easily make out Irshalgad, the entire range of Matheran consisting of forts/peaks like Peb, Nakhind, Mhasmal Chanderi, Badlapur hills and Haji Malang. The col between Matheran and Peb is easily visible from here.
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[item title="Things to note"]
The villagers ask for a small fee for parking your vehicles at the base village. There are a few locals who have set up shops selling lemonade, chips and breakfast at the base village Thakurwadi.

Food and water is available at Prabalmachi as well. A family has set up a hotel on Prabalmachi with a dining capacity of about 40 - 50 people. equipped with a washroom. The family also rent out tents.

Potable water is not available on the way up to Kalavantin Durg. It is advisable to carry atleast 2-3 litres of water for this trek.
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Into the Sahyadris: Ghangad Trek





Ghangad is a 300 year old fort located about 30 kms from Lonavala in Maharashtra. The fort is famous for a slab of rock that has fallen form one side of the mountain and it still rests against the mountain, creating a cave like structure. The fort was recently renovated in 2011.

[table color="theme1"]
[row] [col]Location[/col] [col]Lonavala, Maharashtra[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Base Village[/col] [col]Ekole[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Height[/col] [col]3000 ft[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Difficulty Level[/col] [col]3/5[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Duration[/col] [col]2 Hrs[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Season[/col] [col]Summer / Winter[/col] [/row]
[/table]

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[item title="History"]
There's very less documentation of the history of this fort. The fort was used for keeping prisoners. It was also used as a watchtower to keep a watch on the trade route from Pune to Konkan. The Marathas ruled this fort till 1818. The fort was surrendered to the British forces after the fall of Korigad on 17-March-1818.
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[item title="How to Reach"]
By Train: Reach Lonavala station on the Central Railway Line. Take a Bus to Bhaburde village. The base village is called Ekole which is 20 mins away from Bhaburde. You will have to walk this distance on a mud track.
By Car: Reach Lonavala and proceed towards Aamby Valley. Take a right at the Y junction, the straight leads you to Aamby Valley. Continue on this path till you cross the Salter lake. You should reach Ekole village in about an hour. The road between Salter Lake and Ekole village is in poor condition.[/item]

[item title="The Trek"]
The Trek starts from the Ekole village. There is a trail running parallel to a fenced property which takes you to the fort. The start of the trail is right at the start of the village and perpendicular to the road that brings you to the Ekole. The initial 10 minutes are a gradual climb. You reach a temple halfway from the village to the fort. There is a board which mentions the history of the ghangad fort here. 

 There is a trail next to the temple that takes you to a gate which is in ruins. This is the entrance to the fort and it takes about half an hour to reach here from the temple. The gate leads you to a cave which can house upto 40 people. Towards the right side of the cave you have a flat surface which is a good spot for camping. To the extreme right of the fort is huge slab of stone resting against the mountain. 

 There is a ladder towards the left side of the cave which takes you to a trail that in turn takes you to the top of the fort. The ladder has been installed recently, the only way up otherwise was to climb with the help of a rope. The last part of the ladder is tricky, as there is a narrow foothold with space only to keep the front part of your foot. 

 An exposed trail continues from here that takes you to the top. You will find several water cisterns here. There are steel ropes attached to the side of the wall of the mountains which aid you in climbing up. One has to be very careful on this part.
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 [item title="View from the top"]
View from the top
The Ghangad summit offers amazing panoramic views of the raw and rugged terrain of the Sahyadris. You can easily see twin walls of Teil-Baila, Sudhagad and Sarasgad. The Mulshi lake can be seen too along with a some deep valleys around. 

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[item title="Things to note"]
Ghangad is an offbeat trek and is not commercialized. There are no hotels at the base village, however the villagers can arrange for food and night stay at reasonable rates. There are water cisterns available on top but the water may not be potable during winters and summers. There's enough space for camping near the main door of the fort. The way to the top of the fort is exposed but there are ropes bolted to the wall of the mountain for safety.
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Into the Sahyadris: Nakhind Ridge Trek



Nakhind ridge is medium grade scenic trek just 2 hours away from Mumbai. There is no fortification on the top but the "Nedhe" or a hole in the mountain makes this trek rather interesting. The trek offers brilliant views from the top and will definitely interest a lot of shutter bugs.

[table color="theme1"]
[row] [col]Location[/col] [col]Vangani, Maharashtra[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Base Village[/col] [col]Bedis[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Height[/col] [col]2300 ft[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Difficulty Level[/col] [col]2/5[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Duration[/col] [col]2 1/2 Hrs[/col] [/row]
[row] [col]Season[/col] [col]Post-monsoon/Winter[/col] [/row]
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[item title="History"]
As there is no fortification on this trek, there's little or no history associated.
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[item title="How to Reach"]
By Train: Reach Vangani station on the Central Railway Line. Reach the highway, cross it and take the small path to reach the Bedis village. It is approximately 5 kms from the station and taking a rickshaw is an option as well.
By Car: Bedisgaon is approximately 80kms from Mumbai and can be reached via the Badlapur - Katai road or the Neral - Badlapur Road. The latter has good roads albeit about 8 kms longer. You can park the car at Bedisgaon and continue your trek from there.
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[item title="The Trek"]
The Trek starts from the Bedis Gaon. There is an intermittent village between Bedisgaon and Nakhind ridge called the "Vaghinichi Wadi". Anyone at Bedisgaon will be able to direct you to this village. It is only accessible by foot and the way is a mud track which gains elevation quite quickly. Enroute you can also find a waterfall which is a regular spot for one day picnics. After about an hour on this trail you will reach the village on a plateau which is similar to Irshalgad's Irshalwadi. Vaghinichi Wadi is a very simple village with a school, a few brick houses and farms. The village does not have electricity. You may be able to find a guide to take you on the Nakhind Ridge top here for anywhere about 200-300 INR.

The way from here is a steep uphill climb of an hour on a trail of mud track till the point that you reach the ridge. This way is full of dense vegetation, thorny shrubs and sharp leaves. It is advisable to wear full sleeves and long pants for this trek. Once you reach the ridge, you have to continue walking towards the Nedhe on your left. There are deep valleys on either side. One has to be cautious on this part. It takes about 10 minutes to reach the "Nedhe" (hole in the mountain) from this point, which can be accessed from a trail on the left side of the mountain.

The Nakhind ridge top can be reached by continuing this trail further for 10 minutes and then taking a sharp left that brings you to a rock patch. This rock path can be climbed without the use of ropes. The climb is risky and exposed with little or no hand holds. The Nakhing ridge top is pretty narrow and small but offers good panoramic views of the Neral and Panvel regions. There are a few more holes in the mountain which can be reached from the right side of the Nedhe, but the route is very tricky, exposed and risky.


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[item title="View from the top"]The Nakhind ridge offers splendid views of the mountains on the Panvel and Neral region. You can easily spot Matheran towards the south, Irshalgad, Prabalgad and Kalavantin Durg towards the South-West and Chanderi, Mhasmal, Haji-Malang, Navra-Navri pinnacles and Tahuli towards the North. The view of Chanderi and Mhasmal from the Nedhe as well as the top is mesmerising.
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[item title="Things to note"]
As there's no potable water at the top, it is advisable to carry atleast 3-4 litres of water, if you are attempting this trek in the summers. One needs to wear full track pants (preferably synthetic) as the trail is full of thorny shrubs. The ridge is enticing yet lethal, one has to be very careful when walking through the ridge as both the sides are exposed. This trek is not recommended during the monsoons.
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