Harishchandragad is a part of the Sahayadri range with one of the most amazing concave fall called the Konkan Kada. After days of searching for fellow trekkers, we both (avinash and Uday) went ahead with this trek. We started early in the morning to catch a bus for Ale Phata. We were supposed to check out for a bus to Khireshwar, the base village for our trek.
The area for Harishchandragad is Ahmednagar district, close to the famed Junnar, the den of leopards. We got down at Ale Phata only to realize we wouldn't get a bus for Khireshwar. We had just missed it by about by 40 odd minutes. For future budding trekkers, there is one bus which goes directly from Pune to Khireshwar which also passes through Otur bus stand by around 9.30 am. We managed to wriggle into a bus for Khubi Phata, which is located about 4 Kms from Khireshwar. We started the journey to Khubi Phata and were mesmerized by nature's beauty present enroute in form of the huge Sahayadri range.
We were all set to deal with the leopards and even the chilling cold , looming over us it being the end of January. Though it was quite pleasant in Pune, we had expected it to be a little tougher in this region, especially at the top of our summit, which was approx 4500 ft high. We got down at Khubi Phata only to realize that we would have to walk 4km to reach at the base village, Khireshwar, along the Malshej Ghat. This place is buzzing with tourists and a heaven for an ornithologist during the months from June to September with Flamingoes who have travelled thousands of kms from Siberia, flocking in hoardes during the rainy season.
The water seemed very calm and cool and we after a long,dusty walk in the hot sun, we could not resist it for long. We decided to halt and take a break.
We started our trek to the summit. It took us grueling three and a half hours from the base village to reach the top. The terrain is good but extremely demanding and physically taxing for novices till one croses the Tolar Khind. We rested at the Khind for some time. The vegetation along the way is thick and though we started in the daytime we did not feel the heat due to the greenery , it being winter also added in.
One golden rule is to carry as much as water as possible, it's a long and tiring trek. There are water cisterns on top of the hill but its better to carry water from the start itself.
Post Tolar Khind, the terrain becomes steeper and we ended up on a place where we had to manage with just a frail and thin rod to catch hold while climbing from the edge, with the sheer fall beneath us. The path is well carved yet it would be demanding to climb this terrain in the rainy season. We reached at the top of the hill and then a long walk of about an hour and half brought us to the temple. The temple seems quite old , almost a few hundred years old. The temple is of Lord Shiva and according to the details given by the villagers, it gets real crowded during Shivaratari.
Totally exhausted, we rested for a while. There is a small ramshackle stall where we had some taak(buttermilk), which was truly refreshing at that moment. It was getting a little dark so we moved on to see the famed Konkan Kada, which is about 20 minutes from the temple. We hastened to the Kada and were well rewarded for all our efforts with the majestic view from the Kada. The sight took away all the pain and made us feel worth the effort put in. It is an out of world experience to sit near the edge of the Konkan Kada and watch the sun set. It's an amazing piece of nature's art . One has to be there IN PERSON to experience its beauty. We realized photographs can never inspire the feeling that one would experince when actually seeing this wonder.
We came back to the temple. It was already dark. We reached our shelter for the night with the majestic view and experience of Konkan Kada, captured in our minds forever. We reached back to the temple and hunted for some space to sleep. The guy at the ramshackle stall offers a simple dinner as well and can also help to find a place to sleep.
There are a lot of huge and ancient caves where one can take refuge , have a small fire and cook one’s meals. Some of the caves can house even around 15 to 20 people.We decided to stay in a small cave within the temple premises.
We had our dinner that we carried from Pune and arranged our sleeping bags ,preparing to sleep in the cold and clammy cave. One can get clean and fresh water from the underground water cisterns at the temple. The water is always cool, which is truly refreshing at that time. We came out to have some fresh air and were amazed by the sight of the sky, which was full of stars. This was a new discovery for us. Millions of stars, brightly sparkling. A sight a city slicker can only dream of. It was a truly amazing sight and we sat there for about an hour or so gazing at the sky, so different from a polluted city sky. We had brought a few stout sticks with us in case we would require to have a small fire. However, there seemed o need for it now. We were also to weary to have a fire. We used the sticks to bar the cave entry point. Just to ensure no one enters the cave while we were sleeping, no humans, dogs or as we had heard , leopards!!
The night passed peacefully. We got up early in the morning and went to see the two peaks of Taramati and Rohidas as well as the Balle Killa. It was amazing to see a score of hills of the Sahayadri surrounding the peak. The temple looked like a speck amidst a green carpet. The greenery was amazing, pointing to the rich Flora and Fauna surrounding the peak.
We bid adieu to the peak and started our descent. We completed the descent in one and a half hours as compared to the four and a half hours it took us to climb the place. We also visited an old temple along the way back to Khubi Phata. This walk from Khireshwar to Khubi Phata was quite painful with us almost dragging ourselves . Walking four more kms in the hot sun after a grueling trek was sapping. We reached the main road and tried almost two to three times to flag down the buses. However, all the buses seemed to be in a tearing hurry. Finally, we did manage to get a bus to Ale-Phata and returned back to Pune, in apiece.
It was a wonderful experience to be there at the peak. However, the major attraction of this trek would be the fantastic Konkan Kada and the crystal clear sky with the sparkling stars. A sight not easily to be forgotten.
The area for Harishchandragad is Ahmednagar district, close to the famed Junnar, the den of leopards. We got down at Ale Phata only to realize we wouldn't get a bus for Khireshwar. We had just missed it by about by 40 odd minutes. For future budding trekkers, there is one bus which goes directly from Pune to Khireshwar which also passes through Otur bus stand by around 9.30 am. We managed to wriggle into a bus for Khubi Phata, which is located about 4 Kms from Khireshwar. We started the journey to Khubi Phata and were mesmerized by nature's beauty present enroute in form of the huge Sahayadri range.
We were all set to deal with the leopards and even the chilling cold , looming over us it being the end of January. Though it was quite pleasant in Pune, we had expected it to be a little tougher in this region, especially at the top of our summit, which was approx 4500 ft high. We got down at Khubi Phata only to realize that we would have to walk 4km to reach at the base village, Khireshwar, along the Malshej Ghat. This place is buzzing with tourists and a heaven for an ornithologist during the months from June to September with Flamingoes who have travelled thousands of kms from Siberia, flocking in hoardes during the rainy season.
The water seemed very calm and cool and we after a long,dusty walk in the hot sun, we could not resist it for long. We decided to halt and take a break.
We started our trek to the summit. It took us grueling three and a half hours from the base village to reach the top. The terrain is good but extremely demanding and physically taxing for novices till one croses the Tolar Khind. We rested at the Khind for some time. The vegetation along the way is thick and though we started in the daytime we did not feel the heat due to the greenery , it being winter also added in.
One golden rule is to carry as much as water as possible, it's a long and tiring trek. There are water cisterns on top of the hill but its better to carry water from the start itself.
Post Tolar Khind, the terrain becomes steeper and we ended up on a place where we had to manage with just a frail and thin rod to catch hold while climbing from the edge, with the sheer fall beneath us. The path is well carved yet it would be demanding to climb this terrain in the rainy season. We reached at the top of the hill and then a long walk of about an hour and half brought us to the temple. The temple seems quite old , almost a few hundred years old. The temple is of Lord Shiva and according to the details given by the villagers, it gets real crowded during Shivaratari.
Totally exhausted, we rested for a while. There is a small ramshackle stall where we had some taak(buttermilk), which was truly refreshing at that moment. It was getting a little dark so we moved on to see the famed Konkan Kada, which is about 20 minutes from the temple. We hastened to the Kada and were well rewarded for all our efforts with the majestic view from the Kada. The sight took away all the pain and made us feel worth the effort put in. It is an out of world experience to sit near the edge of the Konkan Kada and watch the sun set. It's an amazing piece of nature's art . One has to be there IN PERSON to experience its beauty. We realized photographs can never inspire the feeling that one would experince when actually seeing this wonder.
We came back to the temple. It was already dark. We reached our shelter for the night with the majestic view and experience of Konkan Kada, captured in our minds forever. We reached back to the temple and hunted for some space to sleep. The guy at the ramshackle stall offers a simple dinner as well and can also help to find a place to sleep.
There are a lot of huge and ancient caves where one can take refuge , have a small fire and cook one’s meals. Some of the caves can house even around 15 to 20 people.We decided to stay in a small cave within the temple premises.
We had our dinner that we carried from Pune and arranged our sleeping bags ,preparing to sleep in the cold and clammy cave. One can get clean and fresh water from the underground water cisterns at the temple. The water is always cool, which is truly refreshing at that time. We came out to have some fresh air and were amazed by the sight of the sky, which was full of stars. This was a new discovery for us. Millions of stars, brightly sparkling. A sight a city slicker can only dream of. It was a truly amazing sight and we sat there for about an hour or so gazing at the sky, so different from a polluted city sky. We had brought a few stout sticks with us in case we would require to have a small fire. However, there seemed o need for it now. We were also to weary to have a fire. We used the sticks to bar the cave entry point. Just to ensure no one enters the cave while we were sleeping, no humans, dogs or as we had heard , leopards!!
The night passed peacefully. We got up early in the morning and went to see the two peaks of Taramati and Rohidas as well as the Balle Killa. It was amazing to see a score of hills of the Sahayadri surrounding the peak. The temple looked like a speck amidst a green carpet. The greenery was amazing, pointing to the rich Flora and Fauna surrounding the peak.
We bid adieu to the peak and started our descent. We completed the descent in one and a half hours as compared to the four and a half hours it took us to climb the place. We also visited an old temple along the way back to Khubi Phata. This walk from Khireshwar to Khubi Phata was quite painful with us almost dragging ourselves . Walking four more kms in the hot sun after a grueling trek was sapping. We reached the main road and tried almost two to three times to flag down the buses. However, all the buses seemed to be in a tearing hurry. Finally, we did manage to get a bus to Ale-Phata and returned back to Pune, in apiece.
It was a wonderful experience to be there at the peak. However, the major attraction of this trek would be the fantastic Konkan Kada and the crystal clear sky with the sparkling stars. A sight not easily to be forgotten.
1 comment:
Nice writeup..!!! please attach some photos if possible...
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