Kugaav fort aka Inamdaarcha Wada at Kalasi Village near the Pune Solapur Highway

Thursday, November 10, 2016

I came to know about existence of the Kugaav fort, after reading Aashish's blog. As it was on the way, we planned to pay it a visit too.

Kugaav fort aka Kalasi Village or Inamdaarcha Wada in the water

After visiting the Palasdeo temple we headed back to  the Solapur-Pune Highway. Drove till we reached the Varkute Phata. It took us around 15 to 20 minutes to reach Varkute Phata. A couple of people were gathered there. Not sure why, maybe they were waiting for a ST bus or a Jeep to take them to their destination.

We asked them about the whereabouts of Kugaav Fort. Not a soul was able to provide us with directions. Aink. That is strange. We then asked for Kalasi Village or Inamdaarcha Wada. Then the helped us with directions. A small tiny road from Varkute Phata leads to Kalasi Village. Please note  that there are no signboards here, your GPS might not work. So keep asking the locals for directions as and when you find them. Like  we did.

I don't know, the history of this fort, but, if you are aware then please let me know.

Finally after driving over the bumpy roads and spending nearly an hour we reached Kalasi Village. Asked a couple of boys, about the whereabouts of the fort. As per the boys a portion of the movie 'Sairat' was shot here. They were surprised, when they heard that we had come all the way from Mumbai to see this fort. They gave us directions to reach the banks. The tar roads were now replaces by muddy and bumpy roads.

The sun was right over our heads. I could see the fortification in the middle of the river. It was too far to swim, so had to board a boat to take us to the fort. 'Where is the  jetty' no sign of it. Finally a local came along on a bike. I asked him, he said that we need to walk down to the banks of the river, he pointed out in a distance and said that the boats leave from there.

pomegranate plantation

'Now that we found the so called Jetty, Where is the boat' I said to myself. The local also wanted to board the boat to cross over to the other side. He make a couple of calls to find out about the whereabouts of the boat. He told me that the Tehsildar is come to survey the village and hence he has taken the boat along. They should be back here in the next 2 to 3 hours.

'2 to 3 hours?' that is a long wait time to see a fort. We didn't want to waste time as we had loads of historical places on our agenda. I discussed with Manohar and we decided to leave for Akluj fort. I was sad as we had come a long way, but could not explore the fort.

Again we had to drive slowly as the roads are not in good condition. On the way back we stopped to see the pomegranate and maize plantations. Both sides of roads were filled with pomegranate and maize plantations. I was not aware that it is a flower which then gets converted into a fruit. I don't like pomegranate much, but it is still good to know information :)

pomegranate plantation

Finally we reached Vakrute Phata. Not sure if there are rickshaw or jeep or ST buses which ply to the village. Back on the Solapur-Pune Highway again. Our next pit stop was the Akluj fort. 

Gandharpale Buddhist Caves on NH66 aka NH17 near Mahad in Maharashtra (India)

Friday, May 27, 2016

After visting the Sav Hot Water Springs we headed over the NH17 to reach the Gandharpale Caves just before Mahad. Again they are located in the Mahad Taluka of the Raigad district of Maharashtra. The caves are located on the left hand side and can be easily seen from a distance while travelling on NH17 aka NH66. The caves are around 5 KM away from Hotel Neelkamal (Jetty for Sav Hot Water Springs).

Gandharpale Buddhist Caves high up on the hills

A series of steps leads to the caves. There is a tiny hut near the start of the steps, that serves cold drinks and packed snacks. These steps are newly built. But not that new either. I recollect, 2 decades ago, when I was schooling,  I used to travel to Goa by bus for summer vacation, I used to see these caves then, but was not sure as to what their names were.

Gandharpale Buddhist Caves

The caves structure are similar in nature to the ones I have seen at Kanheri Caves. A narrow stone staircase similar to the one at Bedse Caves leads to the caves at large. There should be around 24 caves here.

Stairs leading to Gandharpale Buddhist Caves and NH17

The cave premises are neat and tidy, I am sure they are looked after. The caves are not in very good condition though and they have graffiti on some of the cave walls. A stupa and certain carvings are still visible on certain caves. All the caves are carved on a single hill, similar to Ajanta and Aurangabad Caves near Aurangabad.

Gandharpale Buddhist Caves

We visited all the caves and then rested in one of them. The caves offer a wonderful view of the the NH17 and the tiny villages, farms and hills in a distance.

Stu[pa and Carvings at Gandharpale Buddhist Caves

We then headed to Khed Caves near the Khed ST Bus Stand. 

Suvarnadurg near Harnai Beach in Ratnagiri district inMaharashtra

Friday, October 9, 2015

After exploring Goa Fort near the Harnai Beach and Fattegad, we headed over to the jetty at the base of the Light House at Kanak Durga, to board a ferry to Suvarnadurg Fort. 

Manohar, Neha and Me with Suvarnadurg in the background

We were at the jetty at 3:15 PM. Not a soul was there apart from some crows, who gave us company. 

We saw a couple of fishing boats in the waters. They had a tri color hoisted atop it, but it was not the flag of India.  It didn't have the Ashoka Chakra in it. 

The time was now 3:30 PM on my watch and it was just us there. How come no one has come to see the fort, is the question we all had in our minds.

I walked up to a local who was sitting by the road and cleaning his fishing net. I asked him if the ferry departs from there. To which he replied that it does depart from there, but currently due to the rains the service is closed. But there are no rains at all, it was a hot sunny day. He told me that the services will resume post Dusshera. i.e around Nov 1. He informed me that the services shut down again in the last week of May due to the rains.

Wrong timing I guess. So close but so far. I asked if he would take us along if we pay him a premium, to which he declined. I inquired if we could walk it out to the beach as it was low tide. He declined as certain portions  of the waters are deep. Unlike Kulaba Fort in Alibag which can be done by walking in low tide.

Kulaba, Undheri and Khanderi in Alibag, Murud Janjira at Rajapuri, Sindhudurg in Malvan and Arnala Fort in Virar, are some of the forts which require a ferry to visit them. 

Looks like we will have to club it with other beaches in Malvan post November. 

View of Suvarnadurg from Goa fort

We then headed off to Mumbai. Now it was around 243 KM away. We filled up petrol in our car had some refreshments and headed off. Driving on the narrow roads in the dark requires a lot of experience. A big Thanks to Manohar who drove us safely back to Mumbai. We reached our start point at 10:30 PM. 

This trip was fun and budgeted too. Total damages inclusive of all was just Rs.1800. Aha

Light House at Kanak Durga at Harnai Beach in Ratnagiri district inMaharashtra

Monday, October 5, 2015

After completing Harihareshwar Beach in Raigad district, we boarded the ferry to cross over to Ratnagiri district, as Harnai (beach and forts ) are located there. 

On the way to Harnai, not sure of the name of the place, tall grass growing on either side of the road

 It took us around 20 minutes to cross, via the ferry. Had we traveled by road it would have taken around 1 1/2 to 2 hours of our time. 

The time was now around 10 AM on my watch, and we didn't want to waste any time, so we decided to ask the locals for directions to visit Harnai Beach.

The road near the sea, from where I got a good view of the sea

We did get lost on the way, even though we didn't have the GPS ON, as there were no humans around to ask for directions when the road split into two nor were there any sighboards. 

We took the Kelshi - Aade route to reach Harnai Beach.  A certain part of the thin narrow road had grass as tall as a 6" growing on either side of the road. It was soon replaced by the sea. This is the first time that we have traveled by road so close to the sea. We stopped by for some photo shoots. I don't mind putting up a hammock here between these two trees and sipping on some ice cold beer. 

Panoramic View of the Sea on the way to Harnai

We kept asking locals for directions and finally in a little more than two hours time we were at Harnai. The time was around 12:10 PM on my watch. 

I didn't want to waste any time, as we had to visit the Light House at Kanak Durga, Fattegad, Goa Fort and finally Suvarnadurg in the middle of the water. We headed straight to the jetty to inquire about the ferry to take us to Survanadurg fort. We were informed that it is high tide and so the ferry service would resume at 4:00 PM. We decided to visit the Light House at Kanak Durga Fort aka Kanak durga Fort. 

View of the creek and sea atop a long bridge on the way to Harnai Beach

The jetty is located at the base of the Light House at Kanak Durga. Though the stairs leading to the top are from the other side, which can be seen while travelling to the jetty. 

View of the creek with fishing boats from atop a long bridge on the way to Harnai Beach

We climbed up the stairs to reach the lighthouse. The light house is short in height and not in use now. It is closed to the public. The tallest light house I have been in is the one near Fort Aguada in Goa, apart from the ones in Khanderi Fort and Korlai Fort. Not to forget the old and new light houses at Daman. 

Light House at Kanak Durga Fort, with the jetty on the left

The light house is located atop the hill and offers a wonderful view of the Harnai beach, the houses located along the coast, the fishing boats, Fattegad Fort covered with houses all over, Fortification of Goa Fort and Suvarnadurg Fort and off course the sea. 

Panoramic view of Suvarnadurg, Fattegad, Goa Fort and Harnai Beach from Kanak Durga Light House

Apart from the light house, I couldn't spot any fortifcation around it. Origin's of this fort are unknown but it was built to keep a tab on Suvarnadurg Fort.

Light House at Kanak Durga

It was hot, but we were not feeling the heat as strong winds were blowing. But we did get tan. It took us around 30 minutes to explore the Light House, we then decided to have some lunch as the time was around 1:30 PM on my watch. Later to explore Fattegad, Goa Fort and Suvarnadurg.  

Manohar, Neha and Me with Suvarnadurg in the backdrop

Harihareshwar Beach near Shrivardhan Beach in Raigad district in Maharashtra

Friday, October 2, 2015

After have a good time on the shores of Shrivardhan, we decided to explore Harihareshwar beach the next morning.

Waves lashing on the rocks at Harihareshwar

The next morning we woke up as decided as we have to exit at 7:30 AM. We left no time, again traveled by the narrow and curvy roads to reach the Harihareshwar Beach.

Note, from the ST bus stand from Shrivardhan there are Hirkani Buses plying to Mumbai (Not sure where in Mumbai) and Borivali in Mumbai. Not sure about the timings of the buses. From the Shrivardhan market there are Tum Tum plying to Harihareshwar temple at a price of Rs.28 per seat. 

Panoramic view of Harihareshwar

It took us around 30 minutes to reach Harihareshwar Beach. Paid and parked the car outside the temple premises and headed straight to the beach. 

Harihareshwar Beach

The time was now 8 AM on my watch and the rays of the sun, had begun to hit us hard. But that didn't dampen our spirits on visiting the shore. Instead of walking on the black sand beach, we decided to walk from near the temple premises so that we could get a good view of the sea. Took some wonderful photos here. 

Diya Stand at Harihareshwar Beach

The two temples at Harihareshwar are a pilgrimage sites and visited by devotees throughout the year. There are many stalls located outside the temple premises selling articles of worship. The temples and the diya stands near the temple are very old. The diya stands are cylindrical and tall but not as tall like to one I saw in Vasai. Not sure as to when they were built. We didn't enter the temples but headed straight to the extreme end of the temples to get a good view of the sea.  

Temple at Harihareshwar Beach

The tide was high and the waves were lashing against the rocks near us. Neha told us that we could walk all around the hilllock and we decided to do just the same. As we started walking on the ankle length water, the waves lashed onto us and wet us in the process. We then decided to retreat. 

View from the barge across River Savitri

We then braked for breakfast in the form of a hot cup of tea and Vada's. Have to admit the vada looked like a regular looking vada but the taste was amazing. 

Fare Chart and Barge timings

We then headed off to see Harnai Beach and forts surrounding it. Now we had to cross the River Savitri to go to  the other side. 

Luckily we were at the Ferry at 9:15 AM to board the 9:30 Am ferry. I didn't discuss the ticketing cost. Vehicle cost is Rs.120 with driver free. Passengers will cost Rs.10 each. 

Direction from Shrivardhan to Harihareshwar

Ferryride to Madh Island with Mike

Friday, March 6, 2015

Madh Fort which is currently under the control of Air Force was built on Madh Island. Madh Island is made up of several fishing villages. It can be accessed from Malad (W) and from Versova Jetty in Andheri (W)

I had been to Madh Fort earlier,  but then had visited it via BEST bus no.  271 from Malad Station (W). It took us more than an hour to visit Madh Fort then. 

Mike and Me

 I was informed by Mumbai Hiker about the ferry that departs from Versova Jetty to land at Madh Jetty.  

Ferry Ticket

I asked Mike if he wanted to join me in exploring Madh Fort the ferry way,  to which he readily agreed on a short notice and hence in the afternoon we set off to visit the fort. I had visited Elephanta Caves with him

We metup at Andheri Railway station (W), from here one can board the BEST bus nos.  249 and 251 to reach Vesave village, from where one needs to walk to the Jetty or board a rickshaw which drops you just outside the Ferry Jetty. 

Church of Our Lady of the Sea

It was around 10 minutes now we were waiting for the bus outside Mc.Donalds near Andheri Railway Station.  No sign of the bus so we decided to board a rickshaw to Vesave Village. 

It took us 20 minutes to reach at a cost of approx Rs.60. Thanks to the traffic.

Drying Bombay Bucks (Bombil)

We then boarded the Ferry to cross over to the other side,  the cost being Rs. 3 per person,  plus Rs.10 for two wheeler's. No four wheeler's are allowed. In a matter of 6 minutes we were on Madh jetty. The ferry operates at night too.  

Madh Fort from Killeshwar Temple

Now from here one can board two BEST buses,  nos are 269 and 271 to reach Madh Temple.  The cost of the tickets being Rs. 7 each. The rickshaws do not run as per the meter. Not sure if share a rickshaw option is available. As it was Holi,  the bus conductor advised us to close the windows,  else be drenched in water, from the water balloons. 

Madh Fort

In a matter of 10 minutes we were at Madh Church,  took some pics of Madh Church (Church of Our Lady of the Sea) and then headed back to Madh Temple.  As it was afternoon the church was closed at that point of time.  

We then returned back to Madh Temple,  from there followed the instructions provided by the locals to visit Killeshwar Temple,  from where we could sea the Madh Fort from the sea side. 

Drying Bombay Ducks

There are no food outlets near the Killeshwar Temple nor near the Madh Fort. So do carry food and water.  

The Madh Fort is under the control of the Air Force and hence under lock and key. It is open only when film shootings,  are held here.  A local confirmed that it been a long time,  the fort has been open to people. But if I wanted to get a glimpse of the fort from the inside then I should see the CID series that features on Sony TV,  as they keep coming here for shooting purposes. 

Fishing Boats in the sea

The fortification of the fort is intact.  Got some great pics here. The sky blue in color, with not a single cloud in it and sun shone on the waters. Fishing boats parked in the sea,  was a amazing sight to see.

Fishing Boats near the creek

There are locals staying outside the fort premises, outside their tiny shanties are cemented grounds which are used to dry fish. Bombay Ducks and Prawns are dried here in large nos. The air smelled of dry fish.  Have you had dry fish?  I have had and it is just amazing. 

Ferry

From Madh Fort,  the coastal line which stretches from Versova to Khar is very clearly visible in a distance. So close but so far. 

Mumbai coastline from Madh Fort

Irrespective of getting baked in the sun, we got some wonderful pics. We decided to head back to Andheri,  we reached the main road and boarded the 271 bus to Madh Jetty and from there a rickshaw back to Andheri.