Myself and Denzil had went to Bhandardara on 8th Nov 08. We had taken the gitanjai express and after getting down at Igatpuri at around 8.25 a.m. proceeded to igatpuri east .since it was early morning and being a small town, almost all the shops were closed just near the station there were auto-rickshaws, however the people seem to be decent since none of them followed us . we decided to walk to the bus stand , which as told be one of the shop-keepers was close by. within 10-12 mns we reached the bus stand , and there was a bus which was already standing. on enquiring one of the conductors told us to catch the bus which was about to leave in next 10-15 mns. we were lucky , since if we would have missed the bus, the next bus was after 1-1.30 hrs and that would be upset our plans. the bus started at sharp 8.45-50 a.m. and was quite empty . the bus after travelling through the city , joined the highway and took the direction towards shirdi. the journey was quite amazing as igatpuri seems to be blessed witn numerous mountain ranges which were visible on both the sides of the road. we were enjoying the bus ride since was not so dull and boring as expected. after travelling on the highway , the bus at a point took a right turn and moved towards bhandardara. the journey now became more interseting as the road was surround by trees and there was no sunlight falling . the bus by the time becomes crowded since the local villagers use for travelling to other villages. while travelling to bhandardara, one can see mount kalsubai on the right side--the tallest mountain in maharashtra. at around 10.10 a.m. we had reached bhandardara. the market place was a quiet and small palce and has no hotel of the size and look they we had imagined. they were small shanties selling vadapav, tea, missal, sweets etc. after getting down we were clueless as what to do, since nothing was visible in the vicinity. we started walking towards the MTDC hotels since that was an important landmark in that area. since we were not able to book the mtds resorts, while walking we came across a amll hotel and we asked him about any hotel which provides accomodation. luckily there was a young chap named mahesh who was standing and he offered to show us a place, myself and denzil followed him. he took us to a place which was roughly around 10-15 mns walk from the bus stand and around 05-10 mns before MTDC.
the place was a room which was quite huge, with an attached bathroom having a facility of hot water. the back side of the room was great since on opening the door, there was a lake just in front--one of the most important sight-seeing place in bhandardara. we bargained for INR 900 .00 for a one night stay. there are total 2 separate rooms in total and is safe even for family. mahesh was actuallly the care-taker of the room and was staying close by . the hotel seems to be of local panchyat and actually had a view which was better then of MTDC.. the facilites cannot be compared with that of MTDC, and there is an issue of non electicity at night.,mahesh provided us few candles, mosquito repellant.fan was not required at night, since the air was chilling at night. after taking tea and breakfast, myself and denzil decided to see the nearby areas. on the right side there was a dam however the entry has been closed on account of security concerns. there are tourist who are allowed however they carry certain passes, which we couldnt figure out how to get. just beside the dam there is a route which takes to the bottom and one gets the full vies of the dam. there is a big garden at the bottom which is frequented by travellers. we then visited the marketplace, and had vadapav and tea. the tea which are prepared are very sweet and the vada pav was quite good. the market place is quite small and we were not able to find any hotel which could match the ones we have in matheran. after taking breakfast we came back and asked mahesh of the places that can be visited. he told us of a pandu temple, a sunrise point and the dam. we asked him to take us to a place which was not frequnetly visited and had to be a mountian range. Mahesh brother had a maruti van which he used for the travellers to take to spots. we fixed up for these places and a back journey to igatpuri the next day for INR 1400.00 . we started the vist at around 2.45 p.m. and he took us first to a dam which was amazing and we could actually see the doors and was a huge structure. he finally took us to a route on which was restricted and was a area of forest departmet and there was a toll naka which charged us around 30 rs. the journey once we started inside the toll was such an experience that could not be expressed in words . i have till date never in my life came across such close to nature and the there was such a peace, quite that once would feel what life one is having in mumbai. there were hardly any tourist vehicle and we were infact the only ones travelling. we stopped at few locations and shooted videos of this amazing views. while travelling we actually came across lakes, ponds and infact there was one water ponds, where there was a special kind of mangroves which was like a tree surround by water, that was the most unimganiable thing i could have ever come across. finally we reached the pandu temple which has a shivling under the water.the temple is stunning and looks like it should be quite old . the temple is surrounded by mountains and we could hardly see any visitor. we had few bhajis, tea at one of the shanties selling and was quite tasteful. we started our journey back and it was already 6.45 p.m., and was quite cold and we had to close our windows. the most thrilling experience was that the road was almost deserted and it was we who were only travelling. on the way we came across the sunset point , which was truely great and looked great. we reached our place at around 9.00 p.m. after taking our dinner which was arranged by mahesh ( around 50.00 rs / plate).he arranged for a bonfire at night and charged us around 100.00 rs. that was amazing since we were enjoying the warmth sitting on the chair in front of the lake. this sort of arrangement cannot be even provided by MTDC. we decided to visist the market, however everything was closed , noteven tea stalls were opened.
next day morning we went for boating in the lake and for an hour the price was around INR 300.00. i was boating the boat with my own hands , since it was a non pedal one. this was regretted by me later since there was a pain in my hands for almost 20 days.
we trekked on a small mountain nearby and by 3.00 p.m. we started back for mumbai with the amazing experiences in our mind. the journey while coming was full of experiences and on the way we stopped at mount kalsubai, which stood as a hughe structure. we reached igatpuri station and caught the geetanjali express and by 10.00 pm we were at home.
key take-aways: book MTDC before going, carry medicines if kids are along,ask for the mountain journey, dam and the garden can be visited on your own.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
KOHOJ FORT-Manor ( 1950 feet)
Coming weekend , nothing as such was decided by me. I was sure that this saturday ( 27th Dec' 08) was going to be the same boring weekend, with a nearby visit to Oberoi Mall or maximum to Aarey colony with Arunabha. However on tuesday 23rd Dec, i simply asked Denzil of his plans for the weekend and he told he was attending a wedding of his cousin. I just threw him the idea of a short trek to a place close to Mumbai ( 1 day trek). He agreed and we decided to visit KOHOJ FORT at Manor. I searched google about this place and found it out to be interesting. We decided to catch a train to Virar and then a shuttle to Palghar and then a bus ride to this place. Everything was planned and we had almost finalised the paln of meeting at Goregaon station at 5.15 a.m.. However on Friday i threw the idea of going on a bike to this place , to which Denzil agreed , since he likes riding a bike and that too on a route outside Mumbai.
We decided to meet at 5.30 a.m. and i asked Denzil to pick me up from Gokuldham gate . This trek however was going to be different , since for the first time in my life , i decided to go well planned , based on the earlier failed trip to Chanderi. We both decided to carry 3 litres of water each, a lighter, an energy drink i.e., Glucon D, a small knife , etc. As usual we decided to call eachother whoever woke up early. On Saturday , I had put the alarm at 4.30 a.m., however Denzil called me at 4.17 a.m., i woke up immediately and after finishing YOGA, started packing my bag and carried the following stuff: 1 packet of biscuit, 1.5 litres of water, apples and dry-fruits. After finishing my tea--- as usual which was prepared by Parul ( wife) , i left home at 5.28 a.m. Denzil was already waiting for me at the gate and we started the journey sharp at 5.35 a.m. I carried the bag of Denzil which was quite heavy and my bag , was on the petrol tank so that we both were comfortable. We took the Western Express Highway and since it was early morning, the roads were not so crowded. However being the highway, there were lot of private cars, who were zipping fast since that was the route to Ahmedabad.After crossing Dahisar check-naka it was quite chilling , however we both were enjoying the morning ride. Once we approached the Mumbra bypass, we took left towards the Ahmedabad route, and we were finding lot of private cars and trucks. and the cold was becoming quite severe. Denzil was not wearing his gloves and hence started feeling the numbness in his fingers , which was felt the same by me. It still seemed to be night, although it was almost 6.30-6.45 a.m., maybe due to winter season. We felt like stopping at one of the dhabas on the way to refresh our selves with tea. However , the stretch was such that there was no stall or something selling tea. However it was not exactly the case, since there were few dhabas which came in the start and we thought we would stop at the next dhaba. Denzil kept on riding and it was really an amazing morning experience, and the freshnees could be felt by both of us, a thing missing in Mumbai. We came across a toll, on the way, where we saw some -people who had put a small fire to keep themselves warm, so denzil parked his bike , and we stood there for 10-15 mns to feel the warmth. Denzil too must have been tired , since he was driving all the way. Again we started the journey, which was full of chilling air, great views of the mountains on the either side of the highway, however its was distinct on our right side. We would be covered almost 75-80 k.m., and i was worried since , we actually didnt knew the route and as per my knowledge , we should have reached manor by this time. While riding we came across a small tea stall on the other side of the highway ( travelled 70 k.m.). denzil parked his bike, and we crossed accross the road and after drinking 2 cups of tea, we asked the lady how far this palce was and she told us that it was quite far from this place and would take atleast 1 hour more. This frightened us since we were running on 10 litres on petrol and we were not carrying ample cash. However while chatting ,1 truck driver also came over there for tea, and we enquired about this palce --Vaghote . he told us that it was just 15 mns from there and around roughly 10 kms. we felt relieved and again started the journey. after almost 20 mns from the tea stall we were approaching a small habitat kind of a place, on the right side was a big hotel called ''VEGAS''. just 5-10 mns from this hotel which is on the right side while driving on the mumba-ahmedabad highway, we approached a place ,where there was another road which was on the right side and a police station was just on the intersection of this road. we asked one shopekeeper , who told us to take the right which was on the right side and that would take us to KOHOJ FORT. we were also informed of having the breakfast over there, since there was no hotel on the way. so we left the highway and took the route on the right . this place where we took right was called MASTAN NAKA. It was 8.10 a.m. and there were few small shanties selling tea, vada-pav . i took tea, and denzil had 2 vada-pav costing us around INR 14.00. i took a dozen banana for our trip costing INR 15.00.after being refreshed we started the ride , the road was ok and infact used by trucks. after travelling for 10 mns we passed across a stream and the ride was great, full of breeze, great views on both the sides. I took the bike from denzil and started riding and we were touching 80 k.m./hr speed, and after 15- mns or we found a small lane on the right side, and we enquired a small shop which was there, who told us that it would lead to NENE-- from where one can start the terk. We however stick to our plan of trekking fron VAGHOTE. he informed us to drive straight, and after travelling for next 10 mns, we were able to see this tall mountain on the right side of the road with an amazing a man shaped rock on the top. we were actually not sure, whether it was the same . after driving straight, now were getting confused as to from where should one start, since we had left the mountain behind. we came across certain villagers who were walking and they asked us to go back and to park the vehicle at one of the local and to take one of the villagers for the trek. From OM SAI ENGINEERING WORKS , which was on the right side of the road , we rode back and would have travlled hardly 800.00 meters, when we saw few houses on the right and left side on the road. i got down from the bike and asked one of the villagers for KOHOJ fort, and he asked to start from that place itself , and he would assist us in reaching over there. This place where we stopped for our trek was roughly aroung 27 kms from MASTAN NAKA. Denzil parked his bike at his house and we decided to take him with us for the trek . we did not dicuss of the money he would take. it was 9.05 a.m. when we started the trek from the villagers house. the villager accompnaying us was a tall , black , wearing a flotus kind of slipper and in a lungi and shirt, and would have been around 40-42 years of age.
we started the trek and after passing through the farms, came across a big lake with clear water, which is used by the villagers for drinking, clothing, and other household purposes. the lake was build by nagar-nigam and was roughly built i n 1970's as told by RAGHUNATH HARI KAMBLE ( the villager taking us to the mountain top). the morning climate was amazing and it was a pleasant atmosphere with very less sunshine. after we would have walked for almost 30-35 mns, we started entering the dense forest ie., basically the base of the mountain and we kept on following raghunath. the climb initially seemed to be of moderate , however became difficult as we were climbing . denzil was feeling the difficulty in climbing and was taking the toll on him. we started stoppoing inbetweens and used to get energy by consuming water, dry-fruits. the forest was not so thickly dense, however was reasonbly ok. inbetween there were patches which was full of rocks and was making the climb a bit challenging and painful. we came across a small water-stream and decided to take rest and washed or face with the water. after halting for 10 mns we again started the trek, and we kept on climbing with intermittent halts and taking energy in the form of water and dry-fruits. at around 10.30 a.m. we had reached a top as imagined by us , however it turned out to be one part of the mountain and the top was quite far ahead. by this time Denzil was completely exhausted and asked me to call off , since he couldn't afford to go further. i asked him to take rest for 10-15 mns and once he was ok we would proceed. after 15 mns he was ready and we again started. the climb was difficult since there were lot ofr small rocks and which were making the climb a difficult task. however we relentessly kept on climbing with our intermittent dose of energy---dry fruits. the forest was quite and we could hear the chearping of the birds. it was an amazing feeling which i cannot express in words-- probably a nature lover will understand my feelings.
At 12.07 a.m., we were on the top of the mountain , from where the view was amazing, we could see montain ranges on all the sides, small huts, fields etc. the fort wall in dilipated situation and there was a temple on the top. the montain top on which we were standing was flat and there was a small man like structed rock on the left side. there was a water storage at the base of the fort which was basically build by earlier rulers to store water. after having our luch and rest, we started our journey down at 1.22 p.m. We had tought that the journey down would be easy, however not so was the case as we were quite tired and climbinmg down too was a challenge. the sun's heat too was draining energy and we were taking intermittent halts in between. while climbing down we cam e across a group of 3 trekkers who had come from LATUR. by 3.01 p.m. we had reached the base and thus caming the journey to an end. we took rest at raghunaths house and asked him how much should we pay. he told us that whatver we pay he would take, but the kind of effort he had put we didnt wanted to underpay him. after pushing he told us that other trekkers pay him INR 100.00, so we gave him INR 150.00. we started our ride back at around 3.28 p.m. and by 5.21 p.m., we were at Gokuldham.
the total journey was around 92.00 k.m. from Andheri east to Vaghote and 104.00 k.m. while back ( on account of traffic near the dahisar check-naka)
Key Take aways:
Wear Gloves if on bike, carry a cap, take dry-fruits on trekking--great source of energy, avoid vada-pav, carry fruits.
We decided to meet at 5.30 a.m. and i asked Denzil to pick me up from Gokuldham gate . This trek however was going to be different , since for the first time in my life , i decided to go well planned , based on the earlier failed trip to Chanderi. We both decided to carry 3 litres of water each, a lighter, an energy drink i.e., Glucon D, a small knife , etc. As usual we decided to call eachother whoever woke up early. On Saturday , I had put the alarm at 4.30 a.m., however Denzil called me at 4.17 a.m., i woke up immediately and after finishing YOGA, started packing my bag and carried the following stuff: 1 packet of biscuit, 1.5 litres of water, apples and dry-fruits. After finishing my tea--- as usual which was prepared by Parul ( wife) , i left home at 5.28 a.m. Denzil was already waiting for me at the gate and we started the journey sharp at 5.35 a.m. I carried the bag of Denzil which was quite heavy and my bag , was on the petrol tank so that we both were comfortable. We took the Western Express Highway and since it was early morning, the roads were not so crowded. However being the highway, there were lot of private cars, who were zipping fast since that was the route to Ahmedabad.After crossing Dahisar check-naka it was quite chilling , however we both were enjoying the morning ride. Once we approached the Mumbra bypass, we took left towards the Ahmedabad route, and we were finding lot of private cars and trucks. and the cold was becoming quite severe. Denzil was not wearing his gloves and hence started feeling the numbness in his fingers , which was felt the same by me. It still seemed to be night, although it was almost 6.30-6.45 a.m., maybe due to winter season. We felt like stopping at one of the dhabas on the way to refresh our selves with tea. However , the stretch was such that there was no stall or something selling tea. However it was not exactly the case, since there were few dhabas which came in the start and we thought we would stop at the next dhaba. Denzil kept on riding and it was really an amazing morning experience, and the freshnees could be felt by both of us, a thing missing in Mumbai. We came across a toll, on the way, where we saw some -people who had put a small fire to keep themselves warm, so denzil parked his bike , and we stood there for 10-15 mns to feel the warmth. Denzil too must have been tired , since he was driving all the way. Again we started the journey, which was full of chilling air, great views of the mountains on the either side of the highway, however its was distinct on our right side. We would be covered almost 75-80 k.m., and i was worried since , we actually didnt knew the route and as per my knowledge , we should have reached manor by this time. While riding we came across a small tea stall on the other side of the highway ( travelled 70 k.m.). denzil parked his bike, and we crossed accross the road and after drinking 2 cups of tea, we asked the lady how far this palce was and she told us that it was quite far from this place and would take atleast 1 hour more. This frightened us since we were running on 10 litres on petrol and we were not carrying ample cash. However while chatting ,1 truck driver also came over there for tea, and we enquired about this palce --Vaghote . he told us that it was just 15 mns from there and around roughly 10 kms. we felt relieved and again started the journey. after almost 20 mns from the tea stall we were approaching a small habitat kind of a place, on the right side was a big hotel called ''VEGAS''. just 5-10 mns from this hotel which is on the right side while driving on the mumba-ahmedabad highway, we approached a place ,where there was another road which was on the right side and a police station was just on the intersection of this road. we asked one shopekeeper , who told us to take the right which was on the right side and that would take us to KOHOJ FORT. we were also informed of having the breakfast over there, since there was no hotel on the way. so we left the highway and took the route on the right . this place where we took right was called MASTAN NAKA. It was 8.10 a.m. and there were few small shanties selling tea, vada-pav . i took tea, and denzil had 2 vada-pav costing us around INR 14.00. i took a dozen banana for our trip costing INR 15.00.after being refreshed we started the ride , the road was ok and infact used by trucks. after travelling for 10 mns we passed across a stream and the ride was great, full of breeze, great views on both the sides. I took the bike from denzil and started riding and we were touching 80 k.m./hr speed, and after 15- mns or we found a small lane on the right side, and we enquired a small shop which was there, who told us that it would lead to NENE-- from where one can start the terk. We however stick to our plan of trekking fron VAGHOTE. he informed us to drive straight, and after travelling for next 10 mns, we were able to see this tall mountain on the right side of the road with an amazing a man shaped rock on the top. we were actually not sure, whether it was the same . after driving straight, now were getting confused as to from where should one start, since we had left the mountain behind. we came across certain villagers who were walking and they asked us to go back and to park the vehicle at one of the local and to take one of the villagers for the trek. From OM SAI ENGINEERING WORKS , which was on the right side of the road , we rode back and would have travlled hardly 800.00 meters, when we saw few houses on the right and left side on the road. i got down from the bike and asked one of the villagers for KOHOJ fort, and he asked to start from that place itself , and he would assist us in reaching over there. This place where we stopped for our trek was roughly aroung 27 kms from MASTAN NAKA. Denzil parked his bike at his house and we decided to take him with us for the trek . we did not dicuss of the money he would take. it was 9.05 a.m. when we started the trek from the villagers house. the villager accompnaying us was a tall , black , wearing a flotus kind of slipper and in a lungi and shirt, and would have been around 40-42 years of age.
we started the trek and after passing through the farms, came across a big lake with clear water, which is used by the villagers for drinking, clothing, and other household purposes. the lake was build by nagar-nigam and was roughly built i n 1970's as told by RAGHUNATH HARI KAMBLE ( the villager taking us to the mountain top). the morning climate was amazing and it was a pleasant atmosphere with very less sunshine. after we would have walked for almost 30-35 mns, we started entering the dense forest ie., basically the base of the mountain and we kept on following raghunath. the climb initially seemed to be of moderate , however became difficult as we were climbing . denzil was feeling the difficulty in climbing and was taking the toll on him. we started stoppoing inbetweens and used to get energy by consuming water, dry-fruits. the forest was not so thickly dense, however was reasonbly ok. inbetween there were patches which was full of rocks and was making the climb a bit challenging and painful. we came across a small water-stream and decided to take rest and washed or face with the water. after halting for 10 mns we again started the trek, and we kept on climbing with intermittent halts and taking energy in the form of water and dry-fruits. at around 10.30 a.m. we had reached a top as imagined by us , however it turned out to be one part of the mountain and the top was quite far ahead. by this time Denzil was completely exhausted and asked me to call off , since he couldn't afford to go further. i asked him to take rest for 10-15 mns and once he was ok we would proceed. after 15 mns he was ready and we again started. the climb was difficult since there were lot ofr small rocks and which were making the climb a difficult task. however we relentessly kept on climbing with our intermittent dose of energy---dry fruits. the forest was quite and we could hear the chearping of the birds. it was an amazing feeling which i cannot express in words-- probably a nature lover will understand my feelings.
At 12.07 a.m., we were on the top of the mountain , from where the view was amazing, we could see montain ranges on all the sides, small huts, fields etc. the fort wall in dilipated situation and there was a temple on the top. the montain top on which we were standing was flat and there was a small man like structed rock on the left side. there was a water storage at the base of the fort which was basically build by earlier rulers to store water. after having our luch and rest, we started our journey down at 1.22 p.m. We had tought that the journey down would be easy, however not so was the case as we were quite tired and climbinmg down too was a challenge. the sun's heat too was draining energy and we were taking intermittent halts in between. while climbing down we cam e across a group of 3 trekkers who had come from LATUR. by 3.01 p.m. we had reached the base and thus caming the journey to an end. we took rest at raghunaths house and asked him how much should we pay. he told us that whatver we pay he would take, but the kind of effort he had put we didnt wanted to underpay him. after pushing he told us that other trekkers pay him INR 100.00, so we gave him INR 150.00. we started our ride back at around 3.28 p.m. and by 5.21 p.m., we were at Gokuldham.
the total journey was around 92.00 k.m. from Andheri east to Vaghote and 104.00 k.m. while back ( on account of traffic near the dahisar check-naka)
Key Take aways:
Wear Gloves if on bike, carry a cap, take dry-fruits on trekking--great source of energy, avoid vada-pav, carry fruits.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Jivdani Temple- Virar
This week probably on Wednesday 17th Dec 08 , i was at VN Road to attend the felicitation meet of Mehul Thanki which was at M.G.Road ,Fort office. Afte attending the meet , i came back to VN and met Trideep Moulik an office colleague. while discussing about normal office news, he touched up my trekking news and was curious to know something of that. I told him my previous experiences , and was able to see the interest shown by Trideep. I invited him to our next expedition to Bheemashankar , which trideep accepted. However the coming Saturday was something which i had not planned . trideep threw the idea of going to Jivdani Temple --at Virar, Mumbai. This place being close to Mumbai could be visited in a single days , infact not even the entire day. Since the temple was on a hill , the idea excited me and i was ready . we decided to meet on Saturday 20th Dec 08 at 6.15 a.m. at Kandivli station.
On Saturday, i got up at 5.00 a.m. , infact was waken up by parul ( wife) . after going through morning chores , i left the home at 6.00 a.m and by 6.12 a.m. was at Goregaon station. Caught the borivali train at 6.30 and arounf 6.37 was at Kandivali. i got down at the station and called dada ( Trideep) on his cell, as planned , he was standing below the indicator on platform no.1. we caught the next borivali train and after reaching the station , dashed to platform no. 5.( not sure) and could find a place in virar train. the train was not so crowded , however at miraroad, there was sizeable crowd. we reached Virar stn. by 7.30 a.m., and proceeded to virar east side. There is an autorickshaw lane near the station and they charge 5 Rs per person and take 4 passenger instead of normal 3 as in Mumbai. we caught the rickshaw and asked him to take us without other passengers for Rs 20. the auto went through the small lanes which is of residential area. We reached the base of the mountain on which the temple was situated. the place where the auto leaves you, we walked for hardly 2 mns and the entrance sort of started. the lanes leading to the start gate is full of shops selling flowers, prasad to offered to Goddess Jivdani, pictues,cd etc. on the left side one can find the toilet both for his and hers. We started the climbing on the stairs , which is divided into 2 lanes , for the devotes to climb and for getting down. there were lot of devotees who were climbing along with us. they ranged from womans, young,old mens and childerns. the steps of the temple was smaller ,and we continued our climb. I was climbing faster than dada, who was slower , however was continous. the steps are covered on the top by talpatri , and one would not feel the heat. the devotees climbing the steps were talking rests in the interim to regain some strength. since i was climbing faster than dada, i used to wait for dada to catch up. this was helping me in regaining some stength in the interim. the steps to the godess is surrounded by small shops on both the sides selling prasads, flowers to be offered to godess and pictures. these shopkeepers were actually stopping and asking for keeping our shoes/chappals into their shops along with buying pooja thalis to be offered. you may stop at one of the shops and do so , however you would have to remember the shops name, since all of them were looking identicle. we kept on climbing the steps, which was not in a straight up fashion. it was infact a kind of zig zag , with turns. in between we stopped at few places to take the photo of the entire Virar which was visible. By 8.10 a.m we reached the top of the mountain and after keeping our shoes and taking the thali , we proceeded inside where we were stopped at one place for security checking. the checking was merely a mocary of the word, since he note even used the machine and we eaisly entered the temple. once entering the temple, there are certain more steps to be covered and we moved in a lane and finally arrived at the main temple. it was a huge place with devotees sitting in front of MATA and we went inside to offered the prasad. it took us just 5-10 ,ms to offer and move out . however i can imagine that during peak times it would easily take aroung 30-40 mns to clear that. after offering prasad, we moved up through further steps and reached one more pint , where there was a small teample of Lord Ganesha . the view from this place was quite good and we were able to see the places on the other side of the mountain. the things visible was a professioanl cricket pitch , a small river, train tracks, another adjoining mountain. moving to the right side was a small temple and here there were few monkeys who were trying to snatch food items from the devotees. there is a big OM written on the front side of the jivdani mountain and which is clearly visible even from Virar stn. after resting for about 20-25 mns, we started our journey down. by the time we were climbing down ,we could see the number of devotees increasing. climing down was much easier and without much pain. infact when we were just reaching the base, we saw one family in which one of the man was climbing the steps on his knees and his wife was putting a swastik mark on each steps, and one more person was putting small candle on each step and the other lady was lighting the candle. we could just not imagine the effort and the dedication people have i India. infact dada tried few steps on his knees and told that it was reslly very difficult and required more effort. after reaching the base, we visited one more temple on the way. we decided to eat somthing since feeling hungry. there are no great hotels to eat, however one can find 2 decent refreshment centres. we decided to try Shree Jivdani prasadlay , which was a udipi sort of hotel and was damn cheap. we ordered 2 sada dosas, 1 full tea and i had 2 butter-milk. the total bill was Rs 32.00. the butter milk was really good quality and the white chutney with the dosa was really appreceable. after finishing of the breakfast we caught the auto and finally reached Virar stn.
thus our journey to Jivdani came to an end on an happy note. in the interi one of the shop-keepers told us that the total steps were around 1460.
Key Take-Aways: Start early morning, do visit certain caves which we couldnt since was closed due to some repair work. for those who could not climb, we saw a ropeway trolley which is used for ferrying.
On Saturday, i got up at 5.00 a.m. , infact was waken up by parul ( wife) . after going through morning chores , i left the home at 6.00 a.m and by 6.12 a.m. was at Goregaon station. Caught the borivali train at 6.30 and arounf 6.37 was at Kandivali. i got down at the station and called dada ( Trideep) on his cell, as planned , he was standing below the indicator on platform no.1. we caught the next borivali train and after reaching the station , dashed to platform no. 5.( not sure) and could find a place in virar train. the train was not so crowded , however at miraroad, there was sizeable crowd. we reached Virar stn. by 7.30 a.m., and proceeded to virar east side. There is an autorickshaw lane near the station and they charge 5 Rs per person and take 4 passenger instead of normal 3 as in Mumbai. we caught the rickshaw and asked him to take us without other passengers for Rs 20. the auto went through the small lanes which is of residential area. We reached the base of the mountain on which the temple was situated. the place where the auto leaves you, we walked for hardly 2 mns and the entrance sort of started. the lanes leading to the start gate is full of shops selling flowers, prasad to offered to Goddess Jivdani, pictues,cd etc. on the left side one can find the toilet both for his and hers. We started the climbing on the stairs , which is divided into 2 lanes , for the devotes to climb and for getting down. there were lot of devotees who were climbing along with us. they ranged from womans, young,old mens and childerns. the steps of the temple was smaller ,and we continued our climb. I was climbing faster than dada, who was slower , however was continous. the steps are covered on the top by talpatri , and one would not feel the heat. the devotees climbing the steps were talking rests in the interim to regain some strength. since i was climbing faster than dada, i used to wait for dada to catch up. this was helping me in regaining some stength in the interim. the steps to the godess is surrounded by small shops on both the sides selling prasads, flowers to be offered to godess and pictures. these shopkeepers were actually stopping and asking for keeping our shoes/chappals into their shops along with buying pooja thalis to be offered. you may stop at one of the shops and do so , however you would have to remember the shops name, since all of them were looking identicle. we kept on climbing the steps, which was not in a straight up fashion. it was infact a kind of zig zag , with turns. in between we stopped at few places to take the photo of the entire Virar which was visible. By 8.10 a.m we reached the top of the mountain and after keeping our shoes and taking the thali , we proceeded inside where we were stopped at one place for security checking. the checking was merely a mocary of the word, since he note even used the machine and we eaisly entered the temple. once entering the temple, there are certain more steps to be covered and we moved in a lane and finally arrived at the main temple. it was a huge place with devotees sitting in front of MATA and we went inside to offered the prasad. it took us just 5-10 ,ms to offer and move out . however i can imagine that during peak times it would easily take aroung 30-40 mns to clear that. after offering prasad, we moved up through further steps and reached one more pint , where there was a small teample of Lord Ganesha . the view from this place was quite good and we were able to see the places on the other side of the mountain. the things visible was a professioanl cricket pitch , a small river, train tracks, another adjoining mountain. moving to the right side was a small temple and here there were few monkeys who were trying to snatch food items from the devotees. there is a big OM written on the front side of the jivdani mountain and which is clearly visible even from Virar stn. after resting for about 20-25 mns, we started our journey down. by the time we were climbing down ,we could see the number of devotees increasing. climing down was much easier and without much pain. infact when we were just reaching the base, we saw one family in which one of the man was climbing the steps on his knees and his wife was putting a swastik mark on each steps, and one more person was putting small candle on each step and the other lady was lighting the candle. we could just not imagine the effort and the dedication people have i India. infact dada tried few steps on his knees and told that it was reslly very difficult and required more effort. after reaching the base, we visited one more temple on the way. we decided to eat somthing since feeling hungry. there are no great hotels to eat, however one can find 2 decent refreshment centres. we decided to try Shree Jivdani prasadlay , which was a udipi sort of hotel and was damn cheap. we ordered 2 sada dosas, 1 full tea and i had 2 butter-milk. the total bill was Rs 32.00. the butter milk was really good quality and the white chutney with the dosa was really appreceable. after finishing of the breakfast we caught the auto and finally reached Virar stn.
thus our journey to Jivdani came to an end on an happy note. in the interi one of the shop-keepers told us that the total steps were around 1460.
Key Take-Aways: Start early morning, do visit certain caves which we couldnt since was closed due to some repair work. for those who could not climb, we saw a ropeway trolley which is used for ferrying.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Chanderi- Vangini
i had visited oberoi mall at gokuldham goregaon on 30th nov 2008 along with arunabha dey ( school friend). after strolling for sometime in the mall and not understanding what to do we reached the third and the last floor of the mall. Cross words a new book store had opened up. we decided to visit it and started pondering over the books stacked over there. among the travel section i happened to come across a book titled '' off-beat tracks in maharashtra''. decided to buy the book after final confirmation being given by Aru. it was a nice book totalling 256 pages written by milin gunaji- a hard core treckker. i reached home and started reading through the book and came across the place CHANDERI. being close to mumbai excited me and i decided toi visit the place. now i decided to search for my colleagues who can come with me. the obvious choice narrowed down to DENZIL -office colleague and a friend and a person who loves nature, mountains and a tuning, level which matches mine. i asked him the very next day on monday and to ASHISH NEGI-- a office collegaue and a person who had shown interest in trekking and nature . i was sure of connecting well with ASHISH. denzil could not come as he had to attend certain ceremony. ashish was ready. we decided to move on saturday 6th dec 08 at 5.00 am. to andheri station.
on 6th i got up at 4.00 tried calling ashish , however there was no response. tried for next half an hour till 4.30 a.m.. since he didnt picked up the phone, i thought lets close this and also went to sleep. by 6.45 a.m., ashish was calling me and i picked up the phone and ashish told he was sleeping and forgot to pickup the phone. looking at his enthu and of the dedication as of mine , i decided to leave for chanderi. we decided to meet at andheri station. my wife prepared thepla and i started from gokuldham by auto and reached goregaon stn for 22 rs. at the ticket counter purchased ticket to vangini return costing inr 38.00 . boarded the local and reached andheri and got down at andheri and waited for ashish at andheri 5th platform. he arrived 10-15 after and we caught 8.17 fast local and reached dadar and took the karjat local from the 6th platform. on the dadar stn we got biscuit and veg burger. we were lucky to find seat in the train and the crowd in the train was ok. the train left by 8.55 a.m. and by 10.05 a.m. we reached vangini stn. had a tea on the station and took 1 litre water bottle. the canteen person asked us to walk towards badlapur on the tracks and travelling for just 1.00 mns , we took left and reached the market place of vangini -east. the main market of vangini is on the west. being hungry we started searching for a hotel to eat something. it was a small place with smal shabby hotels--not in real term. ashish saw this place named rajasthani hotel.. we stepped in a had wada -pav. i had 2 vadapav with usal wheras ashish took 2 with usal. we then had tea. after feeling relieved , we started for chandheri. we took an auto from the stand which was nearby. there is a per seat charge of inr 8.00, and the auto moves after taking 5 person. so we decided to book the entire and tolk to pay him inr 40.00. after going through the habitat, the auto reached the main road, and took the route towards badlapur. we started enjoying the breeze and the majestic montain range clearly visible on our left side. i started capturing the glimpses through my mobile. on the way comes a small place called goregaon and finally after 15 mns the auto stopped and we got down on the same road. at this juncture there is a motel named chanderi on the right side and on the left is the track to chanderi. ashish took his camera which was a sort of professional camera and started shooting the scenes. we started walking towards left and it was amazing as the road was lonely and the scenes were amazing. we kept on walking and after walking for almost 20-25 mns , we met a villager who asked to take a left from the main road..was a sort of kachha rasta and to reach a village called WADI. we took the route and was amazingly quiet , breeze , greenery. it goes through someones private farmhouse. however there is no-one to stop and the same path is used by villagers. after walking straight for 15-20 mns. we took left and then straight and again left and went straight. its better to ask villagers to how to reach wadi. after 15-20 mns we reached wadi a small adivashi village where there is small school. from here we went towards the stream which was without water and started moving towards chanderi mountain. villagers were talking bath, washing clothes, filling up driniking water ...whathever water was left. we asked the villagers and they asked us to walk straight along the stream. while walking 2 village boys ageing 12-14 met us and told us to show the path and take us to the montain top for inr 100.0. we were in 2 minds , whether to trek alone or to take the help. finally ashish and myself decided to convince for inr 50.00 . the boys agreed and we started following them. he took a differnt route away from the stream . after walking for only 10-15 mns i was feeling very uneasy. for the first time in my life this was happening as i considered myself to be very strong, balanced and had trekked earlier also to bheemashankar. ashish was quite strong and was proceeding swiftly. then we would have walked for 20 mns when the boys told they have to get back since they were feeling hungry. after fruitless persuasion we gave up and started to proceed on our own. we kept on walking and after 15 mns, i started feeling exhausted and lied down. i was feeling terribly tired and thirsty. we had just 1.5 litres of water among both os us. i was feeling breathlessness. took some rest and again started walking , since it was almost 12-12.30 a.m. the sun was above our head , and we were feeling very hot and tired. we kept on walking with intermitent stops. the chanderi mountain was easily visible to us and was surrounded by huge moutain range. we could see from our naked eyes that the last part of the mountain peak was a straigth solid rock which was impossible for us to climb. while walking myself and ashish decided to reach atleast the base of the mountian. since we had to return on the same day , we could afford only to reach the base. after walking for almost 1 and half hour, it seemed that we would not be even be in a position to rech the base. we were completely lost in the mountain . except for ashish and myself , there was no-one. the path was of small mountains on which we were walking , and not of thich vegetation and hence the walk was ok. the issue however was of sun rays directly falling on our heads. the water quota was also getting over and we were now left with only 500 ml of water. the heat was draining us out and it was getting difficult for me to even walk for 10 mns. at a point we reached a stage where we had no path to proceed further and were surrounded by shrubs -- which started giving us irritation. it became so much that i pulled my t-shirt off my body and didnt knew what to do. ashish was having the same problem and advised to use our own saliva . we decided to call the day and to head back. initally i was not ready, however realised that it was good decision since out of water and between such shrubs. we started back and were forgetting our paths in between. i thought will i be able to reach home. we kept on walking with intermittent stops to regain energy. finally at 2.00 we reached a spot where there were trees and thick vegetation and lied down for 15 mns. then we started again and reched the village WADI . by this time i was completely exhausted and asked one of the villager for water. he took me to his house and offered me water. i had one full glass of water. ashsih was quite strong and resilient and didnt had water. we waited to 15 mns near the school and agai n started the journey back to the place whether the auto had left. the walk was of almost 5-7 k.m. there is no auto, we kept on walking and finally reached the spot and took a tea at chanderi motel and rested for 10 mns. we got the auto and reached vangini station . on the stn we had thepla and tea. local came and after 2 stns we manged to find a seat. both were tired and exhausted. ashish slept wheraeas i was thinking of the amaging journey we had and the mistakes we had done by not preparing well. by 6.15 was at home. took bath and ate something . the irritation was still there.
this is how our amazing journey came to end and we were uncessful in reaching chanderi.
please use the help of the local while going to chanderi and start the journey early unlike us and take ample water. this place is now very rarely visited since its far off from the main road and of the shrubs which causes irritation to the entire body.
on 6th i got up at 4.00 tried calling ashish , however there was no response. tried for next half an hour till 4.30 a.m.. since he didnt picked up the phone, i thought lets close this and also went to sleep. by 6.45 a.m., ashish was calling me and i picked up the phone and ashish told he was sleeping and forgot to pickup the phone. looking at his enthu and of the dedication as of mine , i decided to leave for chanderi. we decided to meet at andheri station. my wife prepared thepla and i started from gokuldham by auto and reached goregaon stn for 22 rs. at the ticket counter purchased ticket to vangini return costing inr 38.00 . boarded the local and reached andheri and got down at andheri and waited for ashish at andheri 5th platform. he arrived 10-15 after and we caught 8.17 fast local and reached dadar and took the karjat local from the 6th platform. on the dadar stn we got biscuit and veg burger. we were lucky to find seat in the train and the crowd in the train was ok. the train left by 8.55 a.m. and by 10.05 a.m. we reached vangini stn. had a tea on the station and took 1 litre water bottle. the canteen person asked us to walk towards badlapur on the tracks and travelling for just 1.00 mns , we took left and reached the market place of vangini -east. the main market of vangini is on the west. being hungry we started searching for a hotel to eat something. it was a small place with smal shabby hotels--not in real term. ashish saw this place named rajasthani hotel.. we stepped in a had wada -pav. i had 2 vadapav with usal wheras ashish took 2 with usal. we then had tea. after feeling relieved , we started for chandheri. we took an auto from the stand which was nearby. there is a per seat charge of inr 8.00, and the auto moves after taking 5 person. so we decided to book the entire and tolk to pay him inr 40.00. after going through the habitat, the auto reached the main road, and took the route towards badlapur. we started enjoying the breeze and the majestic montain range clearly visible on our left side. i started capturing the glimpses through my mobile. on the way comes a small place called goregaon and finally after 15 mns the auto stopped and we got down on the same road. at this juncture there is a motel named chanderi on the right side and on the left is the track to chanderi. ashish took his camera which was a sort of professional camera and started shooting the scenes. we started walking towards left and it was amazing as the road was lonely and the scenes were amazing. we kept on walking and after walking for almost 20-25 mns , we met a villager who asked to take a left from the main road..was a sort of kachha rasta and to reach a village called WADI. we took the route and was amazingly quiet , breeze , greenery. it goes through someones private farmhouse. however there is no-one to stop and the same path is used by villagers. after walking straight for 15-20 mns. we took left and then straight and again left and went straight. its better to ask villagers to how to reach wadi. after 15-20 mns we reached wadi a small adivashi village where there is small school. from here we went towards the stream which was without water and started moving towards chanderi mountain. villagers were talking bath, washing clothes, filling up driniking water ...whathever water was left. we asked the villagers and they asked us to walk straight along the stream. while walking 2 village boys ageing 12-14 met us and told us to show the path and take us to the montain top for inr 100.0. we were in 2 minds , whether to trek alone or to take the help. finally ashish and myself decided to convince for inr 50.00 . the boys agreed and we started following them. he took a differnt route away from the stream . after walking for only 10-15 mns i was feeling very uneasy. for the first time in my life this was happening as i considered myself to be very strong, balanced and had trekked earlier also to bheemashankar. ashish was quite strong and was proceeding swiftly. then we would have walked for 20 mns when the boys told they have to get back since they were feeling hungry. after fruitless persuasion we gave up and started to proceed on our own. we kept on walking and after 15 mns, i started feeling exhausted and lied down. i was feeling terribly tired and thirsty. we had just 1.5 litres of water among both os us. i was feeling breathlessness. took some rest and again started walking , since it was almost 12-12.30 a.m. the sun was above our head , and we were feeling very hot and tired. we kept on walking with intermitent stops. the chanderi mountain was easily visible to us and was surrounded by huge moutain range. we could see from our naked eyes that the last part of the mountain peak was a straigth solid rock which was impossible for us to climb. while walking myself and ashish decided to reach atleast the base of the mountian. since we had to return on the same day , we could afford only to reach the base. after walking for almost 1 and half hour, it seemed that we would not be even be in a position to rech the base. we were completely lost in the mountain . except for ashish and myself , there was no-one. the path was of small mountains on which we were walking , and not of thich vegetation and hence the walk was ok. the issue however was of sun rays directly falling on our heads. the water quota was also getting over and we were now left with only 500 ml of water. the heat was draining us out and it was getting difficult for me to even walk for 10 mns. at a point we reached a stage where we had no path to proceed further and were surrounded by shrubs -- which started giving us irritation. it became so much that i pulled my t-shirt off my body and didnt knew what to do. ashish was having the same problem and advised to use our own saliva . we decided to call the day and to head back. initally i was not ready, however realised that it was good decision since out of water and between such shrubs. we started back and were forgetting our paths in between. i thought will i be able to reach home. we kept on walking with intermittent stops to regain energy. finally at 2.00 we reached a spot where there were trees and thick vegetation and lied down for 15 mns. then we started again and reched the village WADI . by this time i was completely exhausted and asked one of the villager for water. he took me to his house and offered me water. i had one full glass of water. ashsih was quite strong and resilient and didnt had water. we waited to 15 mns near the school and agai n started the journey back to the place whether the auto had left. the walk was of almost 5-7 k.m. there is no auto, we kept on walking and finally reached the spot and took a tea at chanderi motel and rested for 10 mns. we got the auto and reached vangini station . on the stn we had thepla and tea. local came and after 2 stns we manged to find a seat. both were tired and exhausted. ashish slept wheraeas i was thinking of the amaging journey we had and the mistakes we had done by not preparing well. by 6.15 was at home. took bath and ate something . the irritation was still there.
this is how our amazing journey came to end and we were uncessful in reaching chanderi.
please use the help of the local while going to chanderi and start the journey early unlike us and take ample water. this place is now very rarely visited since its far off from the main road and of the shrubs which causes irritation to the entire body.
Monday, December 8, 2008
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