Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Udgir Fort is located in Udgir city, in Latur district in Maharashtra.

After visiting Kharosa Caves we traveled after taking directions from Google maps to reach, Udgir city. It took us around 75 KM i.e around 2 hours to reach Udgir city. The time was now 8 PM on my watch. Now we had two things on our agenda. Place to sleep and eat for the night.

Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Udgir city was like a oasis for our trip. it was self contained, there were banks, shops selling articles, eateries, hotels, railway station and ST bus stand here.

This structure is located near the entrance to Udgir fort

Sadly it was a night before Holi (Indian festival of colors),  due to the Govt. Guest being full, we couldn't get a place to stay there and hence we had stayed at Sai Residency. We paid Rs.800 for non AC rooms.

Chinese cusine at Hotel Famous in Latur

We then had dinner (Chinese Cusine) New Famous Hotel. The food was just perfect for us. After the Wai roadtrip, this is the second time we have had fantastic Chinese food on roadtrip.

Like Paranda fort, Ausa fort, Kandhar Fort, Udgir fort too has a moat around it. 

Fortification of Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Fortification of Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

The next morning, we left for Udgir Fort. We reached the fort premises around 8 AM. As it was Holi (Indian festival of colors) the fort was closed. We were not aware of it. Once you enter Fort Maha Darwaza, there are two ways there, one leads to the fort (has metal Darwaza but under lock and key), the other leads to the Samadhi of Udgir Maharaj. The Samadhi is around 60 feet below sea level. There is a series of steps that lead to it. There is a small cave here and a huge well next to it. We were accompanied by a bunch of Police Inspectors and they advised us not to photograph the place.

Darwaza at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

As there is a temple in the fort premises, entry to the temple is only allowed. We did check with a florist, he said to wait till 9 AM and check if the fort caretaker comes around. We might get lucky.

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

The fort is open from 9 AM to 5PM all days. There is no entry fee. If it is a festival then need to check if the fort would be open.

Luck was by our side, the caretaker did come, we checked with him, he informed us that the fort would be closed as it was Holi. Bad news again. We did ask him, if we could make a exception for us as we had come from Mumbai to see this fort. To which he said that he needs to check with his Supervisor. We understood that we would have to bribe our way in the fort premises.

Cannon at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Cannon at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Luck was by our side again. We paid him Rs.100 to see the fort. We had the entire fort to ourselves.

Fortification and structures within Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Like Paranda and Ausa fort, this is a land fort  with a moat around it for defense purposes. The fort has got two levels of fortification.

History states that this fort was built in the12th century by the Bahamani rulers. It has changed hands a couple of times after a series of battles.

Cannon at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

We like always climbed up the walls to see the fort in entirety. The fort is in very good condition. Not sure if maintenance work has been carried out or not. There are a couple of structures within the fort premises also. They are not named nor the caretaker aware of their historical significance. The structures within the fort have grafitti all over them. Why do people love to spoil history, is something which I am not to get an answer to?

Bastion at Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

The bastions of the fort, had cannons with great artwork.

We also saw this structure which was painted white in color. It had Mughal styled architecture within it.. Sadly the white was covered with graffiti.

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

The fort has got wells within it. Water from the same is not portable. We were also able to locate this miniature version step well. I have seen a similar step well at Badlapur too.

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Pigeon House at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra
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Another interesting find was this structure painted in white, when we went inside, we understood that it was a Pigeon House. Meaning, pigeons from the areas around were kept here. When some news needed to be sent to the neighbouring areas, a pigeon which belonged to that area, was sent with the message tied to its leg. This is faster than POST too. This makes me think, how fast our ancestors were, we are smart today only due  to technology.

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Me, The caretaker, Manohar and a security guard at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

After paying the bribe and taking a few group photos we then departed to see the next fort, Kandhar Fort. Udgir fort took us around 45 minutes to explore.

Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

Stepwell at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

There is no provision for food and water on the fort premises, but it is available in plenty in Udgir city, a couple of minutes away from the fort. 

After exploring the fort we departed to Kandhar Fort.

That's Me at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra

NOTE: Please click on the words in large font in the blog to read about them. 

Malsej Ghat in Pune in Maharashtra

Monday, July 13, 2015

Malsej Ghat is situated in Pune District in Maharashtra.. It is located around 125 KM away from Mumbai (Ghatkopar Railway Station in the West) to be more precise. It can be reached by road. It lies on National Highway 222. 

Map

Malsej Ghat was on my to do list for quite sometime now. I wanted to explore it in the monsoons as the weather would be nice, plus there would be plenty of waterfalls on the way. 

NH222 to Malsej Ghat

I let Manohar and Dominic know about my plans. Don't you remember them, we had done Panchgani and Wai together. Oops I forgot to mention Kohoj. As decided we met at Ghatkopar Railway Station in the west. This is our common meetup point when on treks. We met at 8 AM. Wasting no time we set out to explore Malsej Ghat in Manohar's car. 

Hill Range covered with different shades of green

Map to Maslej Ghat from Ghatkopar Railway station is attached, so that you too can follow the same, if  you have Malsej Ghat on yout to do list.

It was hot and sunny when we headed out of Mumbai city limits, soon we crossed Kalyan and the weather  started changing. My eyes could see the different shades of green enroute to Malsej Ghat on National Highway NH 222. The color green has always been soothing to the eyes, it makes the eyes relax. 

The hill caps covered in clouds

We then braked for breakfast at Murbad. There are a couple of small shops outside the Murbad ST bus stand, who sell tea, vada pav, samosa, break cutlet, tea and fruits. We had some mouth watering vada pav, samosa and bread cutlet here. Manohar, do you want to talk about the samosa. 

We then headed off to Malsej Ghat, there are a couple of small villages on the way which also serve snacks and food apart from the the Dhaba's on NH222. 

Hill ranges

NH222, was now growing thinner and thinner, the road turned at every nook and corner, but it offered a beautiful view of Naneghat and the hill ranges next to it on one side and the villages in a distance on the other.  NH222 circles the Naneghat hillrange. The top of the hill range was in the clouds, though it was not raining, the weather was amazing. Cool winds blowing was making us feel good, had it rained it would have been much better.  As the weather was dull, I had to switch my phone camera on HDR mode to get some good photos of the hill range. This is also the first time I tried to take some panaromic photos of the hill ranges. 

NH222 has got good roads, but there are plenty of speed breakers which will stop you from speeding up the hills. 

View of Malsej Ghat

As NH222 passes through the  jungle, there was thick forestation around us. As it was the forest area we decided to drive without any pit stops, we meet villagers on either side of the road, who were selling Jambool (Syzygium cumini), and other fruits grown on the trees in the forest, we didn't stop for fruits.

After 2 1/2 hours we finally see the first waterfall, though it was small in size, it gathered a huge crowd to it. We didn't want to be part of the crowd and hence decided to drive up the narrow and curvy ghats to reach Malsej Ghat, we were sure to find many more waterfalls on the way.

View of the hills from Malsej Ghat tourist point

Through the way, there were bikers on Royal Enfield's that raced in the opposite directions, maybe they too had come to see Malsej Ghat. Reminded me of my bike trip with Massey to Indurigad and Sangramgad.

The journey to Malsej Ghat offers a wonderful view of the hill ranges covered in diferent shades of green, the villages and the waterfalls in a distance, which seemed to be inaccessible from here. 

Manohar, Dom and Me at Malsej Ghat

Note that there are many people who come to visit Malsej Ghat, so be prepared to be greeted by the mob; families and guy groups with drinks hang around here, to bathe in the waterfall. So the crowd is mixed bunch. There are policemen posted at all the major points on the way, so that there situation is under control. Though drinking is  not allowed here, but people still get away with it. Food is not available here. The only snack is corn smoked on charcoal fire garnished with lemon and chilly powder,  as our stomach's were full we didn't patronise the corn stalls. Hot corn on a rainy day is a lethal combo. 

View of the hill range

NH 222 is narrow and winding, ghat section, the cliff on one side and the valley on the other. So drive safely here, plus be careful, as there are landslides that happen in this part of the region, apart from the waterfalls that happen on the road. 

Finally we were at the entrance of Malsej Ghat tourist spot, MTDC has a few row houses. The Flamingo Restaurant, caters to the food needs of the tourists, but it is packed. the row houses offer a wonderful view of the Malsej Ghat, the tall hill ranges covered in green and the deep valley's below. Again the area around the MTDC hotel is a tourist attraction and gathers a huge crowd. 

Malsej Ghat

MTDC resorts offer the best view in Maharastra at the cheapest cost, so if you want to stay at MTDC you need to book month's in advance. 

The weather was dull and cloudy, not sure when it would rain, with no trees for shade we still decided to take our changes and walk  along the railing which offered  jaw dropping view of the valley below, the NH222 which cuts through the hill range. 

All off a sudden the sun sneaked out from the clouds, making us sweat, but that was not acceptable by the rain clouds, which soon hid it behind them, the weather was nice and cool, no sweat at all. The smell of the mud, I so love it. 

Another view of Malsej Ghat

Private vehicles and ST buses plying to Nagar i.e Ahmednagar halt at Malsej Ghat,  they depart either from Kalyan or Murbad. So  if you like to travel by public mode of transport, now you know what to do. 

We then headed off via the NH222 to Mumbai, as it was around 2 PM on my watch we had to brake for lunch, again we had mouth watering Chinese Food at one of the roadside dhaba on the way to Murbad, After our Wai roadtrip, chinese food is a must eat on our travel itinerary. 

That's Me

Finally after having our stomach full we headed off to Mumbai via the same way we came here. Usually we use car as the mode of transport to visit a hill fort or a hill station, but this is the first time we just drove all the way to Malsej Ghat in the car. I am loving it, hope to  have many more car rides in the furture. 

All this cost us just Rs.330 each. (Ghatkopar to Ghatkopar inclusive of food and travel) Budgeted ride.

Karla Caves in Karli near Lonavala in Maharashtra

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Karla Caves or Karle Caves are located in Karli near Lonavala, in Maharashtra. Ekvira Devi Temple is located in the cave premises. The caves can be accessed by road both from Mumbai and Pune (cities in Maharashtra). Closest rail station being Lonavala Railway station.

Dominic, Manohar and Me in one of the viharas or dwelling place

Our original plan was to do a overnight trek to Karla Caves, Bedse Caves, Tikona Fort, Tung Fort and finally camp for the night near Pawna Lake. Our backup plan was to visit Rajmachi Fort in Lonavala. But till the last 10 hours we were unsure as to where we were headed.

View of Karli Village from the Karla Caves premises

Finally Dominic who had  accompanied Manohar and Me on our trip to Wai, gave the final nod and the very next morning we planned to visit Karla Caves, Bedse Caves, Tikona Fort and Tung Fort. 

We planned to go by car as ST buses and public transport is not very good around Lonavala, also the places we will be going are distant from each other. So a car tripping will help save on time.

Another view of Karli Village

As decided we met at Ghatkopar Railway station at 6 AM. We were greeted by rain showers. Rain in the month of March is very unusual. I guess this is the sign of global warming.

Other caves in its premises

Mumbai - Panvel - Mumbai Pune Expressway - Lonavala - Old Mumbai Pune Highway -  Ekvira Devi Road. This is the route we took. Google Maps are available for the same.

We had breakfast in the form of vada pav at the food court on the Mumbai Pune Expressway at 9 AM. 

Sculpture in one of the caves

There is an entry fee of Rs.30 to visit the village. From the village starts the round and winding road uphill to the base of the caves. The roads here are very narrow and steep so see to it that you drive in gear one and don't race uphill.

The big pillar with the four lions of Ashoka outside the main cave

The roads offer a beautiful view of the villages below, the mountain ranges in a distance and fields around. Sadly we couldn't stop on the way else we would have gone down the hill.

Carvings on Karla Caves

After paying parking fee of Rs.10 we set out to visit the caves. A series of steep steps, leads to the top of the caves. These steps did test our calves and knees. So take sufficient breaks while you climbing up. There are souvenir shops on either side of the road, selling articles of worship, restaurants, toys and local sweets. 

Beautifully carved entrance to the Karla Caves

Finally we reached the caves. Entry fee for the caves is Rs.5 for Indians for Rs.100 for foreigners. To his Manohar commented, "And we talk of racism." LOL.

Carvings on Karla Caves

There are around seven caves in its premises. Nothing much to see in the initial ones. Certain caves are located on the first level and second level also. But entry to these is not possible  as it is either locked or weeds placed on the stairs making it difficult to move up.

Surely something might have happened in the past due to which this restriction is imposed.

The vihara's or the dwelling place of the monks, were rooms built by the monks to mediate. The floor of the rooms was uneven, They had to sit on them for hours to mediate. I tried sitting on it and my bum started paining in 5 minutes, wondering how they would have sat for hours at a stretch. The room will also consist of a rock cut elevated bed. Meant for sleeping. 

Dominic, Manohar and Me

The place where the Karla Caves are carved is not the highest point on the hill. There is a small tiny road going uphill which takes one to the top. But entry here is restricted and there is a guard manning it. But this place offers a beautiful view of Karli Village and the surrounding hills. 

The Ekvira Devi Temple is located outside the main and the most beautifully crafted cave among st them all. 

The stupa in the centre with the wooden umbrella atop it, parallel pillars with carvings atop it and the wooden arches on the ceiling

There are lots of devotees at Ekvira Devi Temple. So there is crowd around the main cave. The Ekvira Devi Temple is old but not as old as the Main Cave.

Outside the Main Cave (Chaitya or prayer hall) is a huge pillar with the four lions of Ashoka on it. Though I have been to many Buddhist Caves in the past, this is a rare sighting.

Carvings atop the pillars with inscription on them

The Cave is huge both in length and breadth. They have put net on most parts of the caves so that it obstructs bats and birds from entering its premises, who dirty the place with their droppings. Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, they too have nets all over the place.

The elephants, whose tusks have fallen, the carvings of the couple, Buddha mediating and carvings in the shape of a arc are beautiful. There are horse shoe shaped arch carved on the walls of the Chaitya. Similar to the Chaitya at Bedse Caves.

Inscription on the pillars

Inside the premises is a huge stupa with a wooden umbrella atop it. I haven't seen this in any of the other caves I have visited so far.

The parallel pillars leading to the stupa are beautifully carved at the top. A design which is uniform on all the pillars. We also located certain symbols on the pillars. There are writings both in Pali and Sanskrit on the pillars, as confirmed by Manohar.

Stupa with a wooden umbrella atop it

The top of the caves is made of wooden arches. It is surprising that it has survived all these years. 

It really feels nice in these caves. It took us back in time and we started discussing history. I loved history in my schooling days. But what is worth knowing is the handwork that has gone in designing these caves over the years. The Buddhist monks had to cut out huge portions of the rock so that the place could be built. For example to make the Elephants trunk, they have to remove the rock around it. As confirmed by Manohar.

The Karla Caves are maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) These caves were built between 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD

Though the Buddhist built these caves to mediate there is a huge crowd at this cave, mainly the devotees at Ekvira Devi Temple. So it is difficult to be at peace in this cave.

We the headed off to see Bedse Caves the second on out itinerary. 

Dhom Dam in Dhom village near Wai

Monday, March 23, 2015

Dhom Dam is built on the River Krishna.  it is located in Dhom village,  which is around 10 KM from Wai.  Dhom village is located in Wai taluka in Satara district,  Maharashtra state. 

Dhom Dam

After visiting Goshala we decided to visit Dhom Dam. Again don't rely on GPS and Google Maps for directions.  We asked a couple of locals and they guided us to take the correct road to Dhom Dam. 

The road to Dhom Dam is deserted,  there are no signboards on the road,  so you have to ask the locals if you are on the right road. Finally we reached the entrance of Dhom Dam. 

Banks of Krishna River

Entry is not allowed in the Dhom Dam premises.  Not that today is a off day.  But locals and tourists are not allowed here.  As it is a Govt. of Maharashtra undertaking.  So you can't get a very close look of it. 

The guard at the entrance instructed to drive a little bit further to get a better view of the Dam,  we took his advise seriously and drove along.  In a matter of minutes we were able to see Dhom Dam in a distance and the River Krishna flowing. 

Krishna River

Manohar stopped the car,  all of us hoped out of the car to get a better view of the Dam.  We took our selfie stick along to take some great selfies too. 

The skies were gloomy so we were sure that it would rain,  not sure when. 

The dam and its surroundings are indeed beautiful.  The hills in a distance was wonderful to see.  Not a soul of the banks of the river.  Though in a distance we saw a couple of women filling water.  Maybe water is a issue in these villages.  I felt sorry for them,  as they have to travel wrong distances to fetch water. 

Road to Dhom Dam

Seeing us a couple of men too walked to the banks of the river.  

This place is great for camping purposes.  Maybe we should comeback to camp here in the furture. 

Now it had started drizzling,  the drizzle turned to heavy rains.  we were all soaked up,  but that didn't dampen our spirits we enjoyed the rains in the Winters.  In a matter of minutes,  it grew cold.  

The time was already 1:30 PM on my watch,  we decided to headover to Wai to have our lunch and thereafter depart to Mumbai. 

Rainy Day

We had lunch at Bandhu Gore,  a family serving home cooked lunch at a cost of Rs. 120 per meal. This eating place is located very close to Dholya Ganpati Mandir and to Hotel Ganesha,  where we stayed for the night.  Unlimited servings,  the cost of the sweet dish is extra.   

Lunch at Bandhu Gore

We then headed off to the Mapro farm to buy squashes and chocolates and then to Mumbai. 

Overall this journey was fun,  had the rains not played up, we would have extended our stay by a day and would have been able to see more places around.  But we will be back to cover all that we couldn't in this trip.  So stay glued to more on Wai on my blog.