Lingya Ghat-Kurdugad-Nisnichi Vaat..Trek in the Tamhini region.

           Jai Shriram

 

Cold monsoon winds were blowing through the ghats,the hills were surrounded by thick mist, dark clouds and rain........

The entire setting looked ominous..all was quiet and nervy as the car approached Dhamanohol..

The prospect of trekking through the unknown and that too covering two ghat routes and a fort in this weather seemed a daunting task..

But then i thought to myself that why am i getting perturbed? Is this not what i am in search off..the search for the unknown, to challenge my fears, to stretch and find out the limits of my potential !!

As often happens in life, the dark clouds and rain soon gave way to fantastic scenes that only the Sahyadris can bless you with..Soon we started acclimatizing ourselves to the chill and the rains... As we crossed Varasgaon Dam and entered Dhamanohol village..we were ready to take on the challenge!

Shankar Dada, our guide was promptly waiting for us at Dhamanohol and this instantly comforted us.

It was 7.30 am and after a light break fast we started for the first leg of our trek " Lingya Ghat". 

A brisk walk of 25 minutes through thick forest led us to the entrance of the ghat route.

We could see the lingi( Shiv ling like structure from which the ghat gets its name).We were standing on the cusp of the Sahyadri's..on the dividing line between the Konkan Plains and the Deccan Plateau..clouds were traveling up the ghats..and the atmosphere was surreal already..

The Lingi or pinnacle stands tall at an height about 40 feet.... like a sentinel of time..guarding the ghats..!!

The Ghat route is well built and descends steadily into the lower plateau.

 

 After about 10 minutes of descent one reaches to the base of a water fall. The water fall masks a large cave..this cave can easily accommodate 20 to 30 people during the dry season..

As the route is not much in use, the forest is ever green, virgin and untouched.We could sight several variety of flora including the Costus speciosus..Kosht, Curcuma or Raan Halad(Turmeric) flower on our way.

Shankar Dada our guide had also got his 3 dogs along as security and escorts for us through the forest, the man seemed like a reborn long lost Maratha Warrior..tough and ascetic like.

He soon led us onto the lower plateau..or the "Padar" as it is called in Marathi..

The entire lower plateau had thick jungle and we could see a team of Langurs creating quite a ruckus up in the mountains as they played gleefully on the mountain cliffs.

Enroute we met a villager with a cute little 3 year old girl...the sight of this small girl walking up the ghats made me realize the tough life the village kids lead right from their child hood..otherwise we in the cities over protect our kids and unwittingly end up trapping them in their comfort zone!

Once you reach the lower plateau, after about 30 minutes, the path leads you to a crossing, here you need to go straight. The forest path to the right descends down to Umbardi  village in Konkan and the route to the left takes you back up the ghat via Nisnichi Vaat..

After walking for about an hour we came out of the forest and got our first glimpse of Kurdugad aka Vishramgad. The fort was under the control of the Great Maratha Sardar Baji Pasalkar. 

The Kurdugad fort is situated deep in the heart of Sahyadris in Mangaon Taluka on the edge of Pune and Raigad districts at a height of 700 meters above mean sea level.

    We took a right at the end of the lower plateau and soon reached the Temple of Kurdai Devi. The temple lies just outside the small hamlet of Kurdupeth and also houses a small school. We waited inside the temple for 10 minutes as there was a passing shower of heavy rain and soon started our ascent of Kurdugad.

The route to the fort starts from right in front of the temple.The fort is an easy 15/20 minutes climb from the temple.As you ascent you come across water cistern. This is the main source of water for the Kurdupeth village.The entrance to the fort is now dilapidated, but still reminds us of its past glory..

As we ascended the fort the weather started to clear. We were treated to some mesmerizing views of the Western Ghats..The clouds, rain, sunlight, blue skies..it all came together like a perfect concoction.

The hills were covered with differing shades of green

 We also got views of the elusive Dev Ghat, thickly forested and lost in the annal's of time!

As we traversed keeping Kurdugad on the right, we could see the entire lower plateau which we had crossed to reach the fort.

We soon reached the ramparts of the fort. We could see an idol of Lord Hanuman lying in the open.This the Hanuman bastion.

   All along we were treated to a feast of beautiful flora..Sonki, Terda, Curcuma or Raan Halad..the colours of the Sahyadris were now displayed in full glory..

 Just ahead of the Hanuman idol we came across a huge cave. This cavern is right below the main pinnacle of the fort and the fact that the pinnacle rests on top of this cavern is simply amazing.The cave can easily accomodate 200 people, but the floor is full of rocks and is thus not suitable for over night stay.

 Ahead of the cave, you approach the eastern bastion of the Fort. This is the only proper fortification on the fort. The fort is however vulnerable on this flank as it is quite close to the sahyadri main range.

Baji Pasalkar , one of the most venerated Sardars in Shivaji Maharaj's court was controlling close to 84 villages from this fort and this was a strong citadel which enabled him to govern the surroundings. The fort was built around 1640-1642. Baji defeated Koli Raja(King in Konkan region) and then fortified the pinnacle of Kurudgad and named it Vishramgad.                                 ( Reference:  Avahan by Guruvarya Anand Palande Sir).

The fort has been built by Shivaji Maharaj and Baji Pasalkar, Yesaji Kank,Bajirao 1, Siddhi of Janjira, Nana Phadnis, Amrut Pasalkar are some of the brave men who were associated with the history of this fort.Ref Saad Sahyadrichi by Dr. P.K. Ghanekar.

The remains of the palace and settlements of Ghadhsa Koli  or Koli Raja can still be found at the base of Dev Ghat near Umbardi village. However one needs to search for it as it is covered by forest.


From this eastern fortfication one can climb up to a naturally formed Window or "Khidki"..This rock cut window of Kurdugad offers beautiful views of the sahyadri main range and konkan below.

Sitting in the window we could see Thip Thipya Ghat, Telyachi Naal and the village of kumbal Machi on the lower plateau..

After admiring the surroundings, clicking lots of snaps and experiencing moments of absolute bliss, we descended back to Kurdu peth. It was 1 pm and we had to climb up the Nisnichi Vaat Ghat route and reach Dhamanohol before it became dark..

We reached the base of Nisnichi Vaat in about an hour. The ghat route is the shortest possible route connecting the villages of Umbardi and Jite in Konkan to Dhamanohol on top of the Deccan plateau and is thus regularly frequented by villagers.

The route is well built with rock steps in some places.After some dense forest at the beginning, the route comes out in the open on the face of the cliffs.The final ascent is steep and after a steady climb of 45 minutes we reached the top of the ghat. We were greeted at the top by a temple of Goddess Waghjai.

We could once again see Kurdugad and it seemed quite smaller in height from our higher vantage point now:-)

We rested for a while at the watch tower erected by the Lavasa corporation. We reached Dhamanohol at 3.00 pm. It had taken us a little above 2 hours to cover the distance from Kurdugad to Dhamanohol. We had been quite brisk and the pleasant monsoon weather had off course aided us.

We had lunch at Kale Mama's house and also had a refreshing dip in the river near Dhamanohol.

We had trekked for about 15 kms and it was one of the most picturesque hikes i have done. We had covered 2 ghat routes, traversed through the most eco sensitive and ever green part of the of the Western ghats.The smells and sounds of the forest , the colours of the flora around Kurdugad still resonates in my mind and heart ....

Hope all of you enjoyed reading the blog and it encourages you to step out into the ghats!

Trek participants: Shalabh, Vijay, Lay, Vidhi , and Amit.

Some important points to be noted:

1). Please ensure that you exercise regularly before you take up this or any other arduous trek.
2). Please do not litter and and carry all your waste back with you after the trek.
3). Stay close with the group and do not wander alone in the forest.
4). At all times carry at least 3 litres of water per day. Very important to stay hydrated.
5). Respect the guides you hire and make them a part of your trekking team, share your food with them and do not give your sacks to them to carry.
6). Try and gather information about the geography and historical importance of the places you visit.
7). Please respect the time given to your fellow trek mates and be on time always.

MAP