Photo of the Day - Gateway of India

Friday, January 23, 2015

Gateway of India

Hotel Taj, Old and New Building

Gateway of India along with Hotel Taj from the ferry in the waters

To read about Gateway of India.  

Elephanta Caves and Cannon HIll near Mumbai and Navi Mumbai

Monday, August 11, 2014

Michael and I were planning an outing since a long time, so that we could take some good snaps.  As it was summer time we didn't want to do a difficult trek so we settled for Elephanta Caves.

We decided to meet the next morning at 8:15 Am at Churchgate station, from there we were going to board a Taxi to The Gateway of India. We wanted to be in time to board the 9 AM ferry.

Now we had asked another friend Elroy to join us too. But sadly he couldn’t make it, so it was the two of us.

We met at Churchgate at 8:15 AM and decided to walk it out to Gateway of India.

As it was a Saturday morning, there was less traffic on the road plus it was not that hot so it was a pleasant walk to Gateway.

At 8:45 AM we were near Hotel Taj. The sky was clear and we managed to get beautiful photos of Hotel Taj and The Gateway of India.

I had read in the newspapers a couple of months ago that the Caves would be shut for maintenance purposes, but they never mentioned a date. I was hoping that it would be open.

We started asking around for the ferry to Elephanta, we managed to spot the one going to Alibag, again there was a huge crowd to board it.

Finally a man yelled in a distance, “Elephanta chi ferry aata sutnar ahe, lavkar ya” meaning the ferry to Elephanta will leave now, so if you want to board it, hurry.

We immediately rushed to the ferry, as we were right on time, no idea when the next ferry was. The ferry leaves from the front of the Gateway of India. As soon as we stepped on the ferry, it departed.  The caves are shut on Monday. The first ferry from Gateway of India to Elephanta is at 9 AM and the last ferry from Elephanta to Mumbai is at 5:30 PM

The ferry ticket cost us Rs.150, for a return trip. The ferry was packed with people, mostly locals and a few foreigners. The upper deck will cost you Rs.10 extra.  There is less shade on the upper deck, but if you want to get baked then that is the place to be.

Initially we crossed small ferry boats anchored in the waters, awaiting their turn to ferry people to either Alibag or Elephanta. Soon it was just water all around us.

To our left were some naval ships parked in a distance. I wanted to take snaps of it so rushed to the end of the ferry to which, one of the crew members advised me not to take photos of them. There is a board put up, advising you not the snap when on the ferry.

Looking as us clicking photos, a few of the people on board also started clicking photos with their camera phones. I told Michael, that we inspired the people on the ferry to take snaps.

In an hour time we were at Elephanta Jetty. From here it was a walk for around 25 minutes to reach the base of the Caves.

Elephanta Caves are also called Gharapuri Lenee, Lenee means Caves in Marathi language are located on Elephanta Island. There are two groups of caves here, the big ones as we enter are the Hindu Caves followed by the Buddhist Caves on the other side.

There is an entry fee to Elephanta Island, price being Rs.5 each. People come up with strange ways to earn a living. There is a mini train service here, which drops you to the base, but for a price. We decided to walk it out, hoping to we some good photos of the surroundings. 

It was fruitful to walk, we managed to snap, the waters, the hills and also the city of Mumbai to our right hand side and Navi Mumbai to the left.  Though there are skyscrapers on bought side, it was a bit difficult to tell what is what.  As the ferry left from Mumbai, we knew which way the city was.

We managed to get snaps of fishes in the waters and also crabs on the rocks, when we were clicking photos a family came there.  The guy introduced the crabs as kachua meaning tortoise to his family to which they readily agreed. “Tortoise, from which angle does the crab appear like a tortoise” top which we both burst out laughing.

There were shops all around selling, food articles, cold drinks and caps to beat the summer heat. We then reached the base of the caves, there are hotels here catering to the food needs of the tourists.  From here the climb begins uphill. There are neatly carved stairs which lead till the entrance of the caves.  The way up in nicely covered as there are shops on either side of the stairs, selling t-shirts and stones. None of them were of interest to us and so we headed to the top.

There are chair cars available for people who find it difficult to climb till the top. So the person has to sit on it and another two people will carry him till the top.

There are monkeys around too, I was telling Michael about an incident that happened when I went to Matheran, where I did an eye contact with the monkey and he refused to let me go. I dared Michael to do the same. To which he laughed and said “Are you mad.”

Finally we reached the entrance of the caves. Again there is a ticket to view them. Cost being Rs.10 for Indians and Rs.250 for Foreigners.  Wonder why such a big difference in price.

We took our tickets and headed off to see the first and the biggest cave in Elephanta. There are sculptors of Hindu Gods carved in it. Don’t ask me the names of the Gods, as I don’t know them myself.

Please refer to Wikipedia for history about these caves, there were huge pillars that were carved and holding the structure and the walls are carved with photos of Gods. As the caves are dark it is advisable to take a camera which is good in taking low light images to take photos. My digi camera didn’t have the feature but our smart phones did have it and so was put to use. Michael got amazing snaps with his phone, not me :(

One of the sculptures is that of the Trimurthi, now how I know this. Is the question in your mind? Simple it featured on our history books in my schooling days.

There are security guards placed all over the caves, so that people don’t get too close to the carvings. Also we are aware about a few ignorant people who love to write their names on the walls. So it’s best to have guards here to keep a watch on such people.

The sculptor in the caves was very similar to the ones I saw at Cave 16. At Ellora in Aurangabad.  The caves also feature two Shivling’s , The temples are carved in rock, one has lion like  structure outside it, guarding it and the other has huge sculptor of Gods guarding it.

In the initial days, when they were discovered these caves were not maintained and so certain sculptors have broken. But it is a good thing that ASI and UNESCO are working on maintaining what is left of them.

After checking out the caves here we then headed off to the other side to see the Buddhist Caves.  I have been to a couple of them all over Maharashtra.  The resemblance is the same.  They don’t have many carvings to display and size wise they are very small. 

Again they have a couple of pillars, this is something new I discovered, as I haven’t seen much pillar construction on Buddhist Caves.  Maybe the makers were influenced by the Hindu Cave makers. 

One of the security guys was driving the dogs and monkeys away, 

when I asked why, he informed me that the Director of ASI was going to pay a visit to these caves and they have been given strict instructions that animals are not to be seen. How can you drive an animal away when it has been there for most of its life?  Both Michael and I burst out laughing on seeing the demands of the Director of ASI.

In fact we saw a guard hurling a stone at a dog, now what if the dog turns around and catches the stone and throws it back at the security guard, I know that it is just a thought, but it will be a amazing comic sight to see, to which we both burst out laughing.

There are loo’s placed at the end of the Buddhist  Caves, though they are not in good shape, but at least you can pee there if not poop.

There is also a museum located at the ticket counter, but it was closed so we headed to see the Cannon on Cannon Hill.

After walking uphill for around 20 minutes we were finally at one of the cannons. The cannon is placed at such an angle, from where it  gets a commanding position of the land and the sea around. The cannon are not in use. But offers a wonderful of the hillside, sea and Mumbai and Navi Mumbai in a distance.

We then headed to the other identical cannon a few minutes away. Again it offers a good view of the surrounding.  After exploring both cannons we headed downhill for some lunch.

It was around 1 PM and people we climbing up in large nos. Wonder how many will reach the top with a lot of breaks. All the best to them.

We headed to Elephanta Port for lunch. Our lunch comprised of Aloo Sabzi and Chapati. The chapattis were hot and soft. Made to order. The vegetable was nicely prepared. Had a sumptuous meal here, feeling full.

We then walked our way to the ferry jetty to board a ferry to Gateway of India.

First time outing trip was Michael, great fun. What say Michael?

Alibag Watertrip (Kulaba Fort)

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Alibag is known for its beaches, but very few know that it is home to around six forts, most of them being sea forts.

So I sat down and designed an itinerary to visit Khanderi and Undheri Forts in Alibag. I had been here before, but the re-visit was for the benefit of Alhad Patil, who I had met via my blog. He had shown keen interest in visiting these forts. To our misfortune, we could not see these forts as the boat service had been booked for the entire day. So we decided to visit Kulaba Fort and Sagargad Fort instead.

Kulaba Fort

Kulaba Fort is a sea fort close to the town of Alibag. It is 3 km away from the shore and can be visited only when the tide is low, that too either on foot or on a horse cart. I had been here before around 6 years ago when I didn’t even know what blogs were. Sagargad, on the other hand, is a Hill Fort from where one can see all of Alibag. This was the first time I was visiting a hill fort in Alibag.

I had put up my plans on FB, hoping that some more people would join me on my water trips. Nine agreed to come, but only three actually made it. Hithakshi and Urvashi, who had accompanied me to Chinchoti Waterfalls, also joined me on this trip. 

Group Photo - Allhad, Urvashi, Hithakshi and Me, on the ferry to Mandwa Jetty

We met at 6.45 am at the Gateway of India. Alhad had arrived much earlier. He was very excited to visit these forts and was equipped with his camera. Alhad is a very good photographer. I had checked out some of his close shots and I was amazed at the quality of his work. 

There was a generation gap between us and Alhad, who we called Uncle. I wondering how we would get along as our mindsets would differ. 

We on the Boat to Kulaba Fort, with the Fort in the background

Hithakshi had a calf injury on her right leg, but she had made up her mind to visit this place. Her love for trekking caused her to ignore the pain from her injury.

Urvashi had joined us because she wanted an outing. But she was not dressed for the occasion at all. She carried a jhola on her shoulder and wore chappals. I wondered if she would be able to climb the hills at Sagargad Fort. 

Extension to Kulaba Fort

Nevertheless, we carried on with our plans and boarded the 7 am ferry to Alibag. We made it just in time. The ferry took off as soon as we stepped in.

 There are three ferry service providers whose services one can avail of to reach Alibag. These are Ajanta, Maldar and PNP. Ajanta is the cheapest whereas PNP, with its AC coaches, is the most expensive. We boarded the Ajanta ferry that departed from Gateway at 7 am. The cost of the ticket was Rs 75 each. The ferry was a double decker boat with seating arrangement on both levels. We rushed to the upper deck to get an open air view of the place around. 

Fortification

At around 8.45 am, we were in Alibag. We spent our time in the ferry clicking photos of ships, boats, trawlers. The lovely sunrise offered us amazing pictures. We asked the locals on board which fort we should go to first. We had no idea how much time Sagargad Fort would take.

We got mixed answers from the people around, so we decided to have breakfast at an eatery at Alibag first and then check the tides at Kulaba Fort which was at a distance of around 20 minutes on foot.

Two Men with Two Fishing Rods

On the way, we picked up some oranges and some Indian berries. (I am not sure if berries is the right word. They are called bor in Hindi.) Urvashi picked up a pair or fluorescent yellow chappals with blue straps at Rs 40 a pair. She immediately changed to her yellow chappals and headed off to see the fort.

 Around 10 am, we were at the beach. I noted that the locals had started a boat service to take visitors to the fort, irrespective of the tides. The cost of the ride is Rs 100 for a return journey, but if you have a big group you can bargain on the rates too.

The Bone

During my last trip here, I had walked through waist-deep water, that too during the low tide, to reach the fort. It had taken us around 1½ hours to reach the fort. The ferry service took us there in 20 minutes. Since we had planned to see two forts in a day, we had to save time. The boatman told us that he would return in an hour to receive us. We readily agreed.

 Without wasting any time, we got busy with our photo session on the fort. The water levels were going down in the meantime. The low tide was setting in. 

One More Group Photo

A visit to the fort calls for an entry fee of Rs 5. I misheard the ticket vendor and assumed that the fee was Rs 500. I was taken aback. When he corrected me, I heaved a sigh of relief. 

We got our tickets and walked away. Just a few steps away, there is a skeleton of a huge fish kept on display. No information is provided. 

Fort from the inside

On the fort, there are stone tablets recounting the history of the fort in English, Hindi and Marathi. There are many temples on the fort. There is a sweet water well too. I wondered how sweet the water might be. After all, we were surrounded by salty water.

 There are many bastions on this fort but only three are in good condition. There are two entrances to the fort, one via Alibag beach and the other via the sea.

Two Cannons

The entire fort can be viewed by walking over the walls of the fort. There are two cannons on wheels on the fort and many without wheels too. We tried to pick one up. They were really heavy. I could shake it in its position but could not move it.

The locals stay in the fort. The fort houses a shop that sells refreshments, for the benefit of those who forget to carry any. We had carried out quota of food and water, but we were so busy in exploring the fort that we forgot to eat and drink. Strange, but true.

Ruins on the Fort

There is a big temple on the fort, beautifully carved on the outside, with a small pond. The day being very sunny, some guys were enjoying a nice swim in it. After spending three hours to see the fort in its entirety, we decided to depart for Sagargad.

From Kulaba Fort, Sagargad can be seen on a hillock in a distance.

Temple

We called the boatman to come and pick us up. After making us wait for around 40 minutes, he arrived to take us back to Alibag city.

In order to board the ferry, we needed to walk through knee-deep water. I saw a guy roll up his pants but he didn’t seem to think too highly of his shoes because he didn’t take them off. How silly is that!

A Boat in the Sea

Finally after 20 minutes we were onshore again. Since Urvashi had worn chappals, she had sand all over her pants, and she immediately got to work, cleaning up her pants.

We decided to have lunch at one of the Pure Veg joints near the beach. Alhad and I feasted on the Punjabi thalis that we had ordered, Hithakshi ate some tomato uttappa and Urvashi had some Jain Vegetable biryani. 

Temple premises

After filling our tummies, we decided to go to Sagargad Fort. We hired a rickshaw at the Rickshaw stand near the ST bus depot. The rickshaw driver told us that it would take around 30 minutes to reach there and 3 hours to climb it. Since it was already 3 pm, it didn’t make sense to go ahead with our plan. But we didn’t want to return to Mumbai so early either.

We made enquiries about the last Alibag to Mumbai ferry. We didn’t want to miss it. Anyone who has been caught in a traffic jam while travelling by road will surely understand our anxiety in this regard.  

The Sun Effect

We then got our tickets via Ajanta ferry and decided to take the bus to Mandwa beach from Alibag City and spend some time on the beach there.

We had golas on the beach. Urvashi and Hithakshi had the lemon flavored ones, Alhad and I had the Kala Kutta (Cola) ones, which made our tongues red in color. This encouraged us to shoot pictures of ourselves. We looked like Draculas there. After enjoying our golas, we headed straight to the beach.

That's Me

On Mandwa beach, there are banana boat rides and other water activities, but the fee quoted was Rs 350 per head, non- negotiable. So instead of wasting our money on it we decided to do something new, something I had never done on any of my trips.

We wrote our names on the sand and stood next to it for photo sessions. After that we headed to the water to wet our feet a little bit, then went to the jetty to board the 5.15 pm ferry to Mumbai. 

Feet in the Sand

Onboard the ferry, we were met by seagulls. They flocked all over the place. Urvashi and Hithakshi started feeding them. After about 30 minutes, the seagulls stopped following us. Maybe they had had their full or maybe their territory ended there.

We then sat on the open air deck, enjoying the sunset and the rise of the yellow coloured full moon. It was the day of the eclipse, and the effects had started to show by the time we reached the Gateway of India.



Our names Engraved in the Sand



Another Group Photo




Sea Gulls

After alighting there, we headed off to the Mafco store near Gateway to celebrate our enjoyable trip by having a round of rose milkshake.

Eclipse

After that, we headed back home. We had all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, even though we had not been able to see Sagargad Fort. Anyway, there’s always another time.

I had clicked 350 photos and one video on this trip. Despite the age difference, we had all got along very well. We had fun and that is all that matters.

Other sea forts I have visited are Murud Janjira, Arnala Fort and Sindhudurg in Malvan. 

The Gateway of India in Mumbai

Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Gateway of India is located on the waterfront at Apollo Bunder in South Mumbai. It is surrounded by a lot of historic structures, including the spectacular Taj Mahal Hotel.

The Gateway was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Mumbai. It was opened to the public in December 1924.

The Gateway fo India

It was designed by the Scotsman George Wittet (1878-1926), who helped popularise the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture that combined Gothic-like flamboyance with Muslim-Indian architectural features. Built from yellow basalt and reinforced concrete, the structure stands 85 feet high.

From the Gateway, there are ferries plying to Elephanta Caves and Mandwa, the pit stop on the way to Alibag by sea.

The Gateway fo India

The Gateway is visited by people throughout the year by Indians and foreign nationals alike. You can also get a photo of yourself, with the Gateway of India in the background, clicked by a professional photographer for a price.

The Gateway of India is truly an imposing structure.

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Alibag water trip (Khanderi Fort and Undheri Fort included)

Monday, October 17, 2011

A visit to the forts at Alibag had been on my agenda for a long time. But somehow, something or the other kept coming in the way, and my visit to this sleepy beach town kept getting put off.

So then I finally sat down to do some research on the Internet and, armed with whatever information I could gather, made plans to go to Alibag. Nimish and Darshan, who had accompanied me on my visit to Lohagad Fort and Bhaje Caves earlier, and Niket and Piyush, both first-time trekkers, agreed to accompany me on my visit to these forts.

Boat to Undheri and Khanderi fort from Thal

We boarded the first ferry of the day, the 6.15 am ferry from The Gateway of India to Mandwa. These ferries ply at regular intervals during the day.

Alibag can be reached both by road and water. Travelling by sea is faster and cheaper. The price of a one-way ticket is Rs 65 (inclusive of the ferry service from Gateway to Mandwa and the bus service from Mandwa to Alibag). By road Alibag is 35 km away from Mumbai and with the rising price of fuel, it’s an expensive way to travel.

It took us around 1½ hrs to reach Mandwa jetty. From there we boarded a bus to Alibag. After around 30 minutes, we reached Alibag where we had a few refreshments. Our plan was to visit Khanderi and Undheri forts which are located in Thal, 7 km away from Alibag.



Khanderi Fort

Alibag is home to many beautiful beaches and forts; the town was developed by Kanhoji Angre, a Maratha warrior, in the 17th century.

We boarded a tum tum. The best part about the tum tum is that you need to pay Rs 10 per seat regardless of the distance. Readers, please do not go for a private tum tum because they are very expensive. When we approached a private tum tum, he quoted a fare of Rs 500. Instead of going for a private tum tum, it is better to share a tum tum. 

We decided to carry with us beer bottles from a local wine shop. Surely it would be a good idea to have chilled beer at one of the sea forts.  



Fortification of Khanderi Fort

We got in touch with a person named Ashwin who had made arrangements for a boat to take us around as Khanderi and Undheri are sea forts. Ashwin's contact details are easily available online on a few sites providing information on Alibag. Please make sure that you negotiate the rates well in advance with him because the rates rise as the day of the trek nears. We had negotiated for Rs 1100 to take us to Khanderi and Undheri Forts.

It is also advisable to go as a group to see these forts as the cost of the boat trip is more than Rs 1000 plus. The more is indeed the merrier in this case as you can divide the cost of the trip.  

Cannons on the fort

By the time we reached the boat, our beer bottles had grown warm. We should have known chilled beer wouldn’t stay chilled. But there was nothing to do but have warm beer.

We didn’t come across any hotels here. So do carry food and water. We carried ours.

We boarded the boat at Thal. This is a quiet fishing village with a very silent life.

Thal does not look like a fort today. Maybe at some point in the past it must have looked like one. The fishing village is based here and the fisherfolk lay out their fish to dry on the small walls of the fort. No boundaries can be located on this fort as it is inhabited by the local people. There is not much to see here.

Light House on the Fort

At Thal, we could see Undheri Fort and Khanderi Fort in the distance. So we set out to see these forts in the motor boat provided by Ashwin.

It took us around 30 minutes to reach Khanderi fort. On the way we passed Undheri Fort but we could not land there as there was no jetty on the fort. It was literally a sea view of a different kind for us. Undheri Fort is small as compared to Khanderi Fort. Though in ruins, the walls of the fort are in very good condition.

Khanderi Fort has a jetty where we landed. The walls of this fort have been defaced by the kind of losers who should be locked up and never allowed within 100 metres of any heritage site. Some people don’t have sense. They just know how to dirty nature around them.

Helipad on the fort

There are a lot of interesting things to see on this fort. For instance, there is a temple with a huge white heart shaped stone; this temple was built sometime in the 17th century. Till date prayers are offered at this temple. We saw a lamp burning inside its premises.

The best way to see the fort is by walking along the walls. There are two water tanks on this fort and a lighthouse. One of the water tanks is very close to the sea at a distance of hardly 20 feet, and yet it supplies fresh drinking water to the caretakers of the lighthouse. I pondered over how the water could be so sweet despite being surrounded by salt water.

The cannons on this fort had my attention. This was the first time in my trekking history that I had seen a complete cannon mounted on wheels.

Stone which makes a bell sound

What a sight it presented! Even though it was quite rusted, it still commanded awe. I shot a few pictures there.

We then decided to go see the lighthouse situated on the topmost part of the island.

Although this fort was built by Shivaji in the 17th century, the lighthouse was built by the British in 1852 after they conquered the fort. It was thrown open to the sea in 1853. I had a small chat with the caretaker of the lighthouse. His name was Nitin Pawar and he gave me a lot of valuable information.

Undheri Fort

The lighthouse, he said, stands 48 feet tall and provides signals to the distant ships in the sea. The entire mechanism of the lighthouse was imported from Germany. The old mechanism was later replaced by the modern mechanism around two years ago.

The lighthouse functions at a speed of 3 RPM (revolutions per minute) and the light is thrown all around at a radius of 40 km. If you are on a ship 40 km away, you will see the light blinking.

We began a slow tour of the lighthouse. The caretaker told us that if we were to walk down a little, we would find a huge stone with metallic properties. We decided to go and see this amazing stone.

Entrance to Undheri Fort

The caretaker also pointed out a small pad on one of the bastions of the fort. It was a landing point for helicopters, he said. The Navy, Army and Airforce personnel often paid them a visit and when they did, they parked their helicopters there.

We all took turns throwing small pebbles at the huge stone that the caretaker had told us about. It gave us a childish thrill to hear it ring out loud like a bell. What a great way to intimate the inmates of the fort about the approach of an enemy! Truly amazing.

After that, we decided to head back to Thal. This time we were able to see Undheri Fort a little closer.

Fortification of Undheri Fort

By the time we reached Thal, it was already 2.30 in the afternoon. We figured that it was better to head home. We boarded a ferry to Mumbai.

Khanderi and Undheri Fort in a distance from Thal



On the ferry Darshan, Nimish and Niket started feeding the seagulls that were following us. Believe me, these birds can do anything for food. After having their full, they stopped following us. I don’t know if that was because they had had their fill or if it was because they did not want to step into unknown territory.

Finally onshore at The Gateway of India, we clicked a few pictures and called it a day.

Other sea forts I have visited are Murud Janjira, Arnala Fort and Sindhudurg in Malvan.