Shivneri Fort. My Mecca!

Namaskar again,

After visiting the splendid Malshej ghat (travelogue here; Malshej Ghat), the next stop was my Mecca, The Shivneri fort!
Shivneri fort was that place where the Great, Shivaji Maharaj was born. This place is a significant for a Maratha like me, who is an ardent devotee of Shivaji Maharaj. Afterall, he is the one who secured our future and liberated us from the foreign tyranny and occupation.

To reach Shivneri fort, one has to continue through Malshej ghats towards junnar and take a  right turn towards Lenyadri after the ghat ends. Once you take that right turn from main state highway, the road condition gets horrible. For our hired quails, it was a test of endurance. Enroute there is a small ghat. You'll rarely meet incoming vehicles on this section. Following the signboard you reach to the Shivneri fort base. From the base, it is a 15 mins climb through stairs.
Tucked to your left and right, there are hoardings which indicate significance of this fort. Clean surroundings and complete peace of mind, with only reverberations "Jai bhavani, Jai Shivaji", "Har Har Mahadev", "Jai Jai Jai Jai JaiBhavani, Jai Jai Jai Jai JaiShivaji" of coming from far away building.

The first stop is a small temple dedicated to goddess Sivai (or Shivai).
Jijabai, mother of shivaji had asked for Devi's blessing. Goddess Shivai blessed her with a son with a silver spoon in his mouth. In honour of goddess, Shivaji, was the name conferred upon the little lad who went on to become a Chattrapati later on.

After a not so strenuous 15 mins climb, you come across a two storied building. It is the place where Shivaji was born. Enroute, you come across a mosque, a relatively big one. To find such a Islamic structure in a place where a great Hindu king was born itself is a testimony of secularism which Shivaji inculcated in his fight for Swarajya (self rule).
Sadly, today, those who use his name for political purposes completely ignore the muslims that fought for Shivaji's swarajya. It is said that "Travel broadens the mind and is fatal for bigotry". I realized this to be true as I was amazed to see a mosque in Shivaji's fort and I dispelled the myth that Shivaji was anti-muslim.

Okay, so few pics of the standing "Icon of Shivaji's secularism", we headed to that place where my Icon was born. This is a two storyed building with a small rectangular pond right next to it. The ground floor with locked door houses the Baby-swing of Shivaji hanging in a dark room. A small window allows natural light to peep in. The baby-swing gives you the feel of 16th century. If you close your eyes after looking at the swing you realize that baby shivaji (baal shivaji) is just around, crying, yes, in that very swing.. that feeling sent shivers in me, as if I saw him..

On the first floor, there are rest rooms. There are 3 windows which are 5 foot high to provide a good view of the surroundings.
Nothing much remains on this fort as it was destroyed by british looters. But I could see the repair in full swing. Beautifying this place is indeed a good idea. One can peep below the mountain to find the sprawling and expanding Junnar city.
Enroute, you will find underground water wells, or tanks as I can sum up respective to their size.

With Shivaji in mind, we leave this place to Manchar where we have an overnight stay and next day visit to bhimashankar.

Pics from Shivneri fort;

Somewhere after the fort entrance.

Near fort entrance.
 

Administrative office

Once a mosque

Birthplace of Shivaji the great!

Baby-swing of Shivaji Maharaj.

The two storied structure from front.

 

 

Malshej Ghats! Mother Nature at her best!!

Link to Shivneri Fort.

Namaskar!

It was a hot summer and we were sweating hell. The rains arrived on time (2 days before infact!) and an itching for a plan had begun. The plan was finalized with my bachelor college group. Since we had 2 days in hand, the spots were finalized accordingly; Malshej Ghat, Shivneri fort and Bhimashankar.

I had been to Mahabaleshwar, panchgani, lonavala, kolhapur, kaas and other monsoon hotspots. But Malshej ghat was pending. Long due since we always had a hard time adjusting a bike.
After 3 weeks of rains, the scene was transformed to lush green. Mother nature was just opening up and was a right time to visit Malshej.
 

The date was finalized. 22n-23rd June.

The first section, i'll cover Malshej ghats.

We begun our journey at 8 am. A hour of travel on a newly made tar road, we took a brief stop for a Chai and Snack break at 9am. It was a half hour run ahead for malshej.
 

Meanwhile, we clicked some mouthwatering delicacies. Keep drooling on keyboard.

The Dahi Wadas! PS: Dahi is missing!

The Missal!

After having Dahi-wada and Missal in our tummy, we headed towards the splendid malshej ghats.

Just a few kms to go, we were stopped at a local check naka for scrutiny. So, if you are planning to carry booze, beware.. The authorities literally asked us to get down and scrutinized the whole vehicle for suspicious articles (read as alcohol). After the clean chit, we were let off.

The ghat begins with a series of small waterfalls. You can recognize the site as there will be vehicles parked roadside and people hanging around the waterfalls. As we have had enough of waterfalls (our college was at bhivpuri, and we used to go to bhivpuri waterfalls every monday!!), we were not amazed by the joyous faces of people. The next stop was the small shani temple. This is where your vehicle gets a nice shower as the water falls literally on the road.

Few pics from the journey.

The Awesome road!

Just before the ghat starts.

Overpowered by fog!

The ghat begins with a fog. Thankfully it was not raining. So we could enjoy the views outside.

Lord Hanuman temple

The Shani Dev.

This is the temple were water falls on the road drenching your whole vehicle. Yes, it comes with a force. So if you are attempting to take a ride through it on your bike, you are indeed stupid.

Some views.

The Ghat Roads!

No traffic!

The Famous tunnel!

Tunnel in a silhoutte!

 Once you cross this tunnel to the other side, there is a make shift point where the sahyadris opens up. On a clear day, you can see peaks of Matheran from a distance. Malshej has been a vantage point during the hay days of Maratha empire.

Fog me!

The point!

Amazing views of Sahyadri Valley!

With some individual photographs, we bid adeau this place.

Tips:

1) Dont ever think of boozing at Malshej. The authorities are damn strict these days.

2) Dont litter. Say no to plastics.

3) While on the point, look out for slippery rock faces.

4) Spare some time lonely and feel the nature.

After half hour of photography, we headed to our Mecca, Shivneri fort!
Contd.... Shivneri Fort. My Mecca

Ajinkyatara Fort.

After exploring sajjangad, i came back to Satara city where in the Ajinkyatara fort is located.

Ajinkyatara

Ajinkya-tara literally means "The Impregnable Star" and is one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of Satara. (Saat-tara)
This fort served as a watch tower for monitoring activities in south maharashtra.

Located in the heart of the city, it's a good respite from chaotic and idiotic two wheelers of the city.
Its 5 kms ride from city square.
We continue straight from Chaar bhinti's which leads to the base of Ajinkyatara fort. Vehicles reach at the base of this fort. The entrance is not as impressive as Sajjangad. The landmark of this fort is the big TV tower located bang on the fort.

There are some paintings and stone sculptures depecting gods and scenes from hindu epics.
Pics;

First view of Ajinkyatara fort.

The Maruti carved out on the wall.

Krishna and Radha.

Mammoth Darwaja of the fort.

Small temple at the beginning of the fort.

There is a big TV Tower, right in the middle of the fort. I feel it as RIDICULOUS.
Behind that TV tower, to the right is one small temple dedicated to Lord shiva.
As you walk in, a TV tower is always in the sight. This TV tower is located bang on the middle of fort. I felt it was ridiculous. Behind this tower, is a small shiva temple. The temple looks ancient. This temple was surrounded by marshy land so no pics from outside. But there's a lingam inside. The temple is overlooked by a bull which confronts you while entering the temple.

The Nandi aka Bull.

The Lingam inside

After brief prayer sessions, its time to return to the TV tower. To the left hand side, there is a Mangla devi temple.
On the way, you come across a deserted structure and another medieval temple which has fallen in ruins. It is still a active place of worship. And mind you, it has a Ladakhi flavour to it!!!

The deserted administrative office!

Follow the foot trail, you cross a thick jungle. Somewhere there i saw this hidden medieval jewel! From this foot trail, only its top was visible. I was just curious to know what it is and discovered that it is a temple!

The old temple in ruin.

Have a look at its walls! Its crumbling walls look lovely, isn't it!

Ruined walls.

As i said earlier, this temple is an active place of worship. And the proof it isthe lighten incense sticks.

The temple from inside

This is the Ladakhi surprise i was talking about!

Prayer flags Ladakhi style!

Some more flags!

Inside the forest are some mammoth banyan trees!

Mammoth banyan trees!

The jungle gives way to clear land. You can find this commanding view of South Maharashtra!
The vigil men would overlook for intrusion from here!
No wonder, they would also praise mother nature along with their job!

View from fort!

10 mins walk and you reach mangala devi temple.

Mangla devi temple

There is a board which says "Ajinkyatara" in marathi, which is written in devnagri font. (Zoom in the first pic of Ajinkyatara) But it is inverted! So i inverted it in a picture manager!

Board inverted

This is the end of the fort. You have to return back to the parking lot. Self start the bike and bid adeau this fort. The next obvious stop was the "Char bhinti" or the wall of policy.

The policy!

Finally! That FLAG FLIES HIGH, MAKES ME FEEL PROUD! :)

My love!

Thats all on this trip. As usual, i would like to give you few tips. It would help you plan accordingly.

Important tips;
1) Fort type: Hill fort
2) Trek rating: Very easy
3) Location: Vehicle can reach upto the base.
4) Best time: Any time of the year. Monsoon and winter most preferred
5) Distance: Sajjangad 12kms from Satara, Ajinkyatara located in city itself
6) Nearby excursions: Kaas plateau (Valley of flowers of Maharashtra), Thoseghar waterfall, Tapola, Wind mills, Kaas lake.
7) Time: 2hrs each fort
8) Local transport: Available are State buses and shared mahindra jeeps from satara bus depot.

Other tips;
1) Do not litter, keep satara clean
2) Do not drink and drive.
3) In rains, fort floor can get slippery. All the flooring is made out of chiseled stones. Sole with strong grips are advised.
4) Take back some authentic "Satari Kandi pedhe" a sweet item for which satara is famous for.
5) Take back the values of Ramdas swami, we'll need them in this superficially civilized world which is suffering every minute due to lack of spirituality.
6) Take back some wonderful photos! Leave only your foot prints behind and not plastics.

You live only once, so go out there and explore :)

Explore Konkan - The Konkan Coastal Route.

It's always fun when its Konkan. No matter how many times you visit, it has something new offer. I have covered whole konkan stretch abeit in stages.
Konkan offers wide range of travel themes. Sparkling clear beaches, Lofty sahyadri mountains, Lovely laid back hillstations, Sea side temples, Wild life, Birding are to name a few. Konkan is one of biological hotspots of the world! If offers plenty for a wicked traveler.

One such wicked plan is to explore Konkan via the Coastal highway. Although, biking/driving through the National Highway -17 is a experience in itself, the coastal highway offers a different insight altogether. As the name suggests, Coastal highway runs parallel to coast most of the times. If not coast, it runs through coastal towns. Sometimes you need to ferry your vehicles to avoid a long circular route. Overall, reaching goa through this route is a fun in itself. 

Although i have never done in on a bike, i have covered almost all places in different stages so i know much of it coz i was the one doing literature survey for most trips.

Here's a Car/Bike plan i chalked out which begins at Mumbai and ends at Goa.

1. Bhaucha Dhakka (Mumbai) to Rewas by boat (Only two wheelers allowed, no cars!) Rewas – Alibaug – Revdanda – Kashid – Murud Janjira.
Visit Kashid beach and Murud Janjira fort.

2. Murud – Rajpuri – Ferry to Dighi (Only two wheeler allowed, no cars here also!) – Diveagar – Shrivardhan – Harihareshwar – Bagamandla – Ferry to Bankot (Both two and four wheeler allowed) – Kelashi – Anjarla – Harnai.
Diveagar has a fantastic beach and suvarna ganapati temple. Shrivardhan also has a beach. Harihareshwar is a temple and a coastal town. Bankot has a fort. And Harnai is a lousy fish catching zone.




3. Harnai – Dapoli – Ladghar – Burondi – Kolthar – Dabhol – Ferry to Dhopave / Anjanvel (Both two and four wheeler allowed) – Guhagar – Velneshwar – Hedavi – Tavsal – Ferry to Jaigadh (Both four and two wheeler allowed) – Kharviwada – Ganapatipule
Visit Dapoli. Ganapatipule is another temple town and has a spectacular beach!

4. Ganapatipule – Ratnagiri – Bhatye Beach – Pavas – Bhandarwadi – Kalakawadi – Right at Ambelkarwadi/Mogare Junction – Bharadin – Nate – Ferry to Jaitapur – Amberli Bridge-Devgad – Dabhole – Kunkeshwar.
Ratnagiri is a pit stop, major town along the route. Devgad famous for its alphonso mangoes.

5. Kunkeshwar – Varachichawadi – Wayangani – Malvan – Tarkarli
Visit Kunkeshwar temple. Tarkarli is the zenith of spectacular beaches!

6. Tarkarli – Vengurla – Tirakol/Terekhol - Ferry to Keri (Two/Four wheeler allowed) - Arambol – Calangute/Baga(Goa)

The itinerary takes 3 days. I would suggest to spare a week and go for it, leisurely!
Not to mention, the people of Konkan. They are amongst the most friendliest you'll ever find in India. They truly are representatives of India that honors and welcomes its guest as "AthitiDevo Bhava".

Malvan Tarkarli - Amazing Konkan.

Day 1 Link here

The next day, as per the plan, was to explore Sindhudurg fort, Snorkel, visit tarkarli beach and take a boat ride to dolphin sightseeing and nivti bogwe beach.

We left at 8 am. The initial plan was to snorkel (300rs/person, 20mins). So we headed to a beach adjoining the malvan jetty where we would be picked up by boatman for snorkelling and visit to sindhudurg fort. But we changed our plans at the last moment.
We decided to visit sindhudurg fort first. We bargained and settled the to and fro price for 50rs/p.p.

I am a history buff, so it had to take a long time exploring the fort!
And i hope to take you to the same zeal through this write up.
It took 20 minutes to reach the fort from the beach.

Leaving behind the beautiful beach!

Perfect place to hang out!

The Malvan bunder.

Heading towards destination.

More closer!

Clear water. That's where you snorkel!

We alighted at the base of the fort. The first thing that came to mind was ofcourse, Shivaji Maharaj the great. The second was the depilating condition of the fort.

Now the history;
For Shivaji Maharaj, it was a high time to strengthen naval bases on the konkan coast to thwart off the growing English and Portuguese presence. He even roped in "Kanoji Angre", formerly renowned as the master pirate who harassed the English and Portuguese sailors by hijacking their ships. It was said that nobody knew the seas so well as kanoji did.

To the north, in Janjira, the siddhi stronghold, who were the allies of mughals had dominance over the seas. Shivaji maharaj tried to win it, but it remained un-conquered till 1947. Sambhaji, the son of shivaji, had almost won it but had to abandon the mission as Aurangazeb moved in his forces to attack Sambhaji so as to divert his attention from janjira.

Shivaji laid the founding stone of Sindhudurg fort and was under his supervision for 3 years, the stipulated period in which it was built. The massive walls still stand strong today. But a part of it is crumbling.
The task of building this mammoth fort was assigned to Hiroji Indalkar, the man who built the raigad fort. He employed Portoguese engineers and workers from goa and local malvani population. The fort has 42 bastions.

The fort houses the ONLY temple dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj, the "Shiv rajeshwar temple". And you might be amazed to know, this is the temple which houses the ONLY portrait of Shivaji, without a beard and mouthstache.
Priests inside temple provide more details about this temple. A replica of "Bhavani sword" is showcased. The sword of Shivaji bestowed upon by goddess Bhawani.
The length of this sword is staggering. The original sword is studded with jewel stones and as the replica is. The original sword is kept in british museum, London.

Shivaji Maharaj was an ardent devotee of "Bhavani mata" so there is a temple dedicated to goddess bhavani the fort.
Inside the fort, there is an underground tunnel to facilitate an emergency escape. It is 3 km long as the guide said and passes under water. The mystery behind this tunnel architecture is not well understood as the govt is busy in appeasing. The guide mentioned if the science behind the construction is exlpored, we might found something fascinating about the ancient science of our past.
After British took over, these secret passages fell into ruins and since then no effort has been made to explore it.

The fort is in ruins; right? So we explored why did it fell in ruins.
The first reason we found is, the fort itself is divided in three regions. One governed by ASI, other by grampanchayat and the third i forgot. This makes the renovation more difficult due to red tapism. Secondly, the entry is free. I was at the opinion to charge at least 20rs per person. This would provide some money for renovation/renovation.

Anyways, this disappointing was overpowered by the location of the fort. It is simply awesome. Let the pictures speak.

The front entrance.

The Hanuman Idol at the entrance.

The old dug out canoe on display just as you enter.

What a grace it would've been when its d-days!

The steps few meters from entrance lead to the top of the wall. The views from this place is superb!

Clear Green waters!

Malwan jetty as seen from fort.

Strong fort walls! And clear waters!!

Following the wall trail, you reach a small makeshift temple, which houses the hand print and footprint of shivaji maharaj. The foot print temple had water in it and was not visible. The hand print is built at a hieght so is clearly visible.

Shivaji's foot print in lime, preserved in this small enclave.

Hand impression of Shivaji Maharaj.

Walls and Coconuts!

Further ahead, there is a Shivarajeshwar temple built by his son, Rajaram.

After a brief dip into history, it was time to adore the natural beauty!

Fort Premises

The bhavani temple. I think this is renovated.

Bhavani Mata temple

Unlike the mughals, Shivaji or Sambhaji never destroyed any mosques. His fight was against those who ransacked people using "Allah's" name. There was a battalion of 700 pathan muslims in Shivaji's army. The reason why it needs to be mentioned is; this fort had a unique tradition where in ONLY a muslim family was allowed to beat the "Nagada" (or a call drum) for a mass gathering. It continued right uptil a few years when it was abandoned just after independence.

With Shivaji in mind, we left Sindhudurg fort. The next activity was snorkeling According to description, it didn't seem interesting. One would prefer Scuba-diving over it. The rates for snorkeling were 300rs and scuba-diving for 1000rs. So we thought of giving it a miss.

Few pics from beach adjoining Malvan jetty.

Good bye Sindhudurg

I got wheels!

Dead Jelly Fish

Clean beaches!

Malvan jetty!

We headed back to ST depot to catch a bus to Tarkarli. Tarkarli is 6kms from Malvan. As i mentioned, the bus was bang on time and within 20 mins we were at Tarkarli.
We got off at the karli backwater tour office. Belly was nearly empty, so we inquired about homestay food. Asked few people, one name popped up, "Mayekar's" homestay.

2 mins brisk walk and we were there. Had good food and as konkani's are known for their hospitality, we were served a "Modak", which is a sign of sweetness (Often a prasad of Lord ganesha). It was simply outta the world! The mayekars also stock up the authentic "Kokam juice" which is well known for its digestive and appetizing property. I took back 1L of kokam juice for 70rs.

With fully belly and after a brief lobbying by me, we finalized a boat for Karli backwaters. These included few "points" as they say. The operator gave a nice presentation on the spots included which made up the minds of those resisting.
The tour cost is 1800rs, we were 7 people. Maximum 8 people are allowed. The first 1200rs are payable at the counter and rest to the boatman after the trip is done.

The boat parking lot

Enjoying the ride!

Dug out canoe!

The first "point" was this luxury house boat. This is non-movable.

Moon Star boat

The second "point" is this ancient temple dedicated to lord shiva. It's unique bcoz it is sandwiched between the karli river and the beach on the otherside.

Ancient temple

Within 15 mins, we were at Devbag beach. Enroute is the famous "Tsunami point" named after a small patch of sand that rose above sea bed creating a beach.

Devbagh Beach

Next in line was "Crocodile face".

Crocodile face.

Then ofcourse, the highlight of this boat ride, Dolphin watching! We were deep in sea, no coast or island was visible. The boatman switched off the engine and asked us to observe keeping silence. We curious, looking for dolphins, 10 mins we stop and sat quietly.
Sadly, no dolphins were seen bcoz the sun was at its unforgiven since it was an afternoon. This reason explained by the boatman, seems justified as per the prior testimonials we listened or read. The best chance is early morning upto 8 am.

Devbag beach!

The 1200rs that you pay, show these so called "points", which was indeed disappointing. We wanted something exceptional. And the next leg of the journey was indeed proven that this place got potential! The real paisa wasool scene was coming up.

Proud boatman

As we travel 5 more kms keeping the shore parallel, the landscape began changing. Beaches were more brighter and more sandier. And every beach was virtually empty tempting us to stop but we cant as the boatman promised a more beautiful sight ahead.
We argued with him, he politely said, if you dont like the sight that's coming up next, i wont take the remaining 500rs!
That was enough to shut our mouths and the curiosity about this place grew up. The expectation was high and yes! it lived up to what was promised.

We noticed certain weird rock formations. We'd seen it in harihareshwar, but not this big! These are mammoth rocks, just seen before landing to nivati beach.

And then, the show stopper! Nivati-bogwe beach!! And my god, What a spot it is!!!

The beach is not visible as it is hidden behind these mammoth rocks. And when you land on it, Gosh! Wow is the word! We were literally speechless for a minute gazing this beauty! I would like to keep it as a secret to myself ! :p

First view of Nivati beach

The dried leaf!

Our boat being parked at Nivati beach

Stream joining the sea!

Quick photographs! The camera popped out later as we were memorizing this beauty!


Clean sand and the mammoth rocks!

Me posing @ sunset behind the rocks.

Half hour of gaze, we return back with memories of the most surprising spot of this trip.

Sea-gulls

Within half hour, we reached the devbagh beach. The sun was about to set. And it did in style!

Sunset at Devgag beach

Hide n Seek!

After sunset we stoppe at the "tsunami point" which i mentioned earlier.
Watersport is the activity here. Kiran was desperate for speed scooter ride. It was a Yamaha Waverunner. Cost rs 300 per ride. As i had experienced it in goa, i skipped it. Then myself and kiran went for kayaking. 100rs per kayak, 2 people, 20 mins.

Speed scooter!

Me on Yamaha Wave-runner

Kayaking

The darkness then took over and we reached the govt office at 7pm. A brief evening snack on the roadside stall, the bus arrived and we reached malvan at 8pm. We crashed in bed after malvani dinner and i was sure that i'm gonna travel back to nivati in my dreams!

The next morning was breezy, We had no time to visit Tarkarli beach yesterday so we headed to tarkarli again in the same ST bus. Reached the beach and had some tasty "Pohe".

Konkani Poha is must eat!

The "real" tarkarli beach is littered as tourists have flared up. It was a big dissapointment for us. But then we saw a mob of people enjoying on our right at a distance. It was the "Mtdc" beach. It was relatively clean.
Meanwhile it was hard navigating the streams as they were on their way to join the sea. So we had to travel round back via road.

Clear waters of Tarkarli beach!

My Shadow

Clean beach Tarkarli.

The backwater leading to Tarkarli beach.

Halfhour timepass on beach, it was time to bid adeau. We had reserved return tickets for the speedster janshatabdi express. We had already exaggerated the taste of hotel pushpa to amit, so he was adamant on having lunch at pushpa. With a full belly, we hopped in an auto-rickshaw to kudal station. The train arrived bang on time and reached again bang on time!


Before ending, few tips;

1) DO NOT LITTER.
2) Don't carry plastic bags. The govt has issued paper bags to the localites. Do follow the suite.
3) We missed, but check out the "great fish" catch at Malvan jetty early morning at 7 am.
4) Booking are not really required unless during peak season (diwali, new year).
5) Buy yourself authentic "Kokam juice". I would suggest to buy from homestays.
6) Chances of dolphin sightings are more at early morning.
7) Do not drink and drive.

8) Tarkarli/Malvan is not a party town. Pile up your stock of booze before 9PM.
9) People are very friendly (more than you'll find elsewhere in India!).

Finally, my dogma of life;YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE, SO GO OUT AND EXPLORE!