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Kudpan-Bhimachi Kathi-Jagbudi Valley! Ghat Routes of a Bygone Era.

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Jai Sriram  Part 1: Trek route: Kudpan-Maharkhind-Vadgaon-Bhimachi Kathi base-Nigdya Ghat-Kudpan I always have had a fascination for Kudpan village as its geographical location is quite complex and the surroundings densely forested and beautiful. Kudpan is a quaint hamlet situated at an altitude of 3000 feet from msl about 20 kms south of Pratapgad fort as the crow flies. There is no direct approach road as yet to Kudpan from Pratapgad. Just before the base of Pratapgad one needs to take a left from the main highway at Wada Kumbhroshi village. A beautiful forested road takes one to Paar village and from here the road further reaches Kondoshi village. This is where the road ends at present. From here one has to undertake a 2 hour trek before reaching Kudpan or alternatively descend to Paathar khind and take a bus to Kudpan.  There is a regular ghat road from Poladpur in Konkan to Kudpan village on the top of the ghats. This is the main road which the Kudpan villagers use for contact wit
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Khute Daar ghat and Trigundhara ghat

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                                                                       Jai Shri Ram Trigundhara..T he trinity of the Western ghats, Strewn with boulders and steep hidden paths, Colours & forest aromas all around,  Dense green and the dark brown, The mountain tops beckon like a shining crown, This is where the three streams meet, And after an arduous climb a wary climber they greet.. Khute Daar and Trigundhara ghat are amongst the most challenging, steep and endurance testing ghat route treks in the Sahyadris. They are unique in their own way.  While Khute Daar is a 3300 feet sheer wall with relentless rock patches and hair raising traverses, Trigundhara is one of the deepest gorges in the Sahyadri's and descends steeply into the konkan plains with its sheer walls rising near 3600 feet from msl . They are the absolute epitome of ghat route treks unique in their own way and represent the diversity and utility of the ghat routes perfectly. These routes have been used since ancient
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Bherand Naal and Shevtya Ghat

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                                                                            Jai Shri Ram "As we started ascending Bherand Naal, the hostile terrain started having its effect on us. Our mind started playing games with us as the climb became steeper, the boulders bigger and the scorching heat of the western Sun beating down harder. Our throats were parched and the climb seemed never ending. The gorge tried to stop our ascent with its full might serving a concoction of challenges like thorny bushes, challenging boulder laden routes, a rock patch at the fag end, extreme ascent at an angle of 70%-75% with scree and loose soil and exit almost blocked" The above challenges are typical features of ascending a less frequented and difficult level gorge cum ghat route. The Bherand Naal ascent was proving to be much tougher than we had initially thought. During the times of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, this part of the Sahyadri's better known as Jawli was at the heart of the fight fo
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