Diveagar - How to go, places to visit, things to do

April 17, 2010: Divenagar, Divaghar, Divyaghar...well, these were the names that we used to identify the place, until a villager told us....its Diveagar (Dee-ve-ah-ghar).We have had enough of reunions in restaurants..etc.Now, it was time to reunite at an outdoor location.Although, we had been planning this for a quite long time, things just were'nt materializing. Our age old rule of "Last minute kulti Not Allowed" was'nt working ;) But, somehow this time everyone seemed to be serious.Mumbai is lucky to have a lot of beaches around - Kashid, Murud, Alibag, Daman, Kelve to name a few.However, we wanted to go to a relatively unknown beach. The internet was quite helpful here, a few searches - we found this place.Attributes such as serene, unknown, clear waters, white sand were all over the net. It was quite appealing and at the same time hard to believe.So we decided to check it out ourselves - Diveagar here we come.....

How to get there :  
By Public Transport: There are S.T. buses which ply from Mumbai to Diveagar. They leave from Mumbai Central Bus Station to Diveagar Bus Stand.Although, there are just two buses, it won't be difficult to assume, they would be crowded. There buses from Thane too. Checkout the MSRTC site for more details.The journey takes roughly 6-7 hrs.

By Personal Vehicle : Although, we had the bus option, we went by one of our friend's vehicle.We got in from Matunga around 9.30 a.m. and picked each of our friends along the way. One of us got just 1/2 hr to wake up, decide, pack and leave!!!Last of our friends got in from Panvel. We picked up a few vada pavs from the famous Shri Dutt snacks in Panvel. Well, you must have guessed it already, we were on our way via the Mumbai-Goa highway.Diveagar is a 200 kms drive.Its kinda drive thats not too far and not too close. The viallages that come along the way were Pen (69 kms), Wadhkal (71 kms), Nagothane (93 kms), Kolad (111 kms), Indapur (123 kms), Mangaon (132 kms) along the highway. It is in Mangaon, that you need to take a right towards Mhasala (159 kms).

             As you go through Mhasala, look out for sign boards that will guide you to Diveagar. Usually at important turns there are signboards put up to help you in your journey.The government is not that bad after all.. ;) Refer to the map attached.It was around 2-3 pm, we were still at Mhasala. One of the villagers advised us to have our lunch at Mhasala.The reason being most places would be closed for lunch by the time we would reach Diveagar. So, we stepped out at a local place to have lunch, thali was the preferred food snack.Other feasted themselves on some chicken.We started our journey post-lunch. The journey was scenic and somewhat a careful drive. It was through ghats with lots of blind turns. Infact, there were lots of places where there were signs to blow horns.It was scary at times, especially when there is a vehicle all of a sudden in the opposite direction.However, the guy at the back of the steering wheel was a good one.

Locals are helpful and sometimes funny too !!! :        
The villagers are usually helpful, but, sometimes interacting with them can be an altogether different experience. There is no frequent public transport in these parts. So, you can imagine, people would always like a free lift, if they can get one.At one particluar turn, we saw an old man.He had this long white beard.His face structure suggested he didnt have any teeth. We decided to ask him the way to Diveagar. His reaction was euphoric.There seemed to be sudden burst of energy on his face.He rushed towards our car. There were already five of us. Two seated ahead & three in the rear.So there was'nt any place anywhere.Still, he was trying to forcefully get into the rear from the left door. God knows, where he was intending to sit.!!!  The old man was calling out "ho ho Dighi Dighi". What's going on?? That's when one of us calmly told him, we needed the way to Diveagar and not Digha..suddenly he stopped, and guided us to the way to Diveagar.He had a dejected look on his face.Poor guy, he thought we were going to take him to Dighi. All this while our friend seated near the left door was scared to hell!!! ;p

Places to stay/eat : Soon, after the funny incident, we were back on our journey to Diveagar. It was'nt too far from the place. As you enter, the zilla or village of Diveghar greets you a warm welcome.No, they dont come and offer you garlands, but, there is large structure at the entrance, welcoming all. As you enter Diveagar, you need to pay a toll of around 30-40 Rs.As you proceed,you can see cottages, hotels along the way. Some of the bigger hotels like Exotica, Hotel Prathamesh, Bapat Khanawaal, Pinakin have even kept directions to their hotels.We opted for Exotica Beach Resort (9869068676), which has a partnership with MTDC. For Exotica, you need to go straight ahead along the road and then turn left. Watch out for signs. The reason for us opting for Exotica was purely for its proximity to the beach.Although there are direct routes to the beach from other hotels as well, this was the closest. The resort was spread across with really some nice cottages with check in check out at 1200 PM.With trees and flowers all around, the silence, chirping birds and to top it all the sound of the whispering waves, gave it the perfect ambiance. There is lot of parking space. A large area for sitting,relaxing. For recreation purposes, there are carrom boards and table tennis as well. The resort has its own pantry and offers good palate of veg. - non. veg food.There is a huge dining space attached to the office. We opted for a room with two extra beds. Well, they don't allow that, but, I guess it was a matter of just one person and they adjusted.It was an A/C room which cost us around Rs.3000  along with the extra beds.There is a problem of load shedding in these areas.They have generators for every room. although, you won't be able to use the A/C all night.That was fine with us.The rooms were neat, so was the bathroom. They provided us with neat towels,bedsheets,pillows, soaps and even a free complimentary fruit basket. Each room is also provided with a Television with all the regular channels.The room even had a small balcony, where you can sit down for a while and enjoy the nature.All in all, there is good value for money for these rooms.Alas, we reached at 4.00. Had it been earlier, we could have availed more. Lesson : Plan better & Always Leave Early!!!

Places to visit/ Things to do : 

The first glimpse: As soon as we took the room, we freshened up, took the camera, the bat the ball, water and we were off to the beach. All this while, we hadn't seen the beach yet. Although our resort was close to the beach, there is no way you can see the beach, because of a thick, dense of growth of trees near the beach.In fact the beach, in a way is protected from people's eyes with this dense forestation. This was going to be the first glimpse of the beach.All the stuff we had heard, read about the beach was going to be realized now.As we walked towards the beach, we could see people, kids, vendors through the narrow lane to the beach.And in minutes, we crossed the thick forestation and we got our first glimpse of the beach.S-p-e-c-t-a-c-u-l-a-r-!-!-!White sands, clear waters, lesser crowds and clean. This is how beaches are meant to be.You often seen in movies, photography magazines..the scenes here were pretty much the same. If you are a nature lover, this is one place you cannot miss.Hard to believe , but, its true.Such a nice beach and so close to Mumbai and not many know...Good for it.

Cricket, cricket, cricket : After a nice sighter, we got on with the game.As expected, everyone was out of form.We hardly were able to get a ball on the stumps.It was a more of a session of cricket photography, than actually. Guys wanting to get themselves photographed either bowling or batting.Until then we were pretty much well restrained the whole trip. Cricket brought the raw energy out..Abuses flew here and there. It was sledging of the worst kind.Bit of cheating, bit of masti and only photography. Some kids wanted to join us. We allowed them to play with us, some of us feasted on their bowling. Whats more, we even asked them to field on their own bowling. Well, some of us got back their form with kids bowling..!!! ;)

Royal Bath, the jog & the camel ride : It was a low tide at the time.Clothes out and off to the water!!!We had to walk a long way into the sea to get into the water.We walked until the water was till our thighs. None of us knew swimming, so we didn't go any further.The water was quite clean too. It was fun waiting for the waves to pick up slowly and hitting you with force.
After bathing there for some time, some of us went for light jog - me included. Wasn't sure if I would be able to make it after all the exertion of the day. But luckily the jog was a light one.However, our mission of the jog failed - No, there weren't any foreigners sunbathing on this beach ;(

         Now, it was time for some photography. After taking a few scenic sunset pictures, we were on our way back..until...one of us spotted a camel.God knows what got into us, camel ride was the top priority. The ride cost us 30 Rs. per ride per person. The camel sat down, and it was an easy climb. If you try something like this, hold on to the camel tightly, when he stands. It was fun, as the camel moved slowly.Wished he would have been quicker, then I realized this is no horse. If you fall from the camel, the damage is not going to be nice!!!!Watch out for the landing, it ain't gonna be smooth ;)

Dinner & games : After each one of us had a bath, we went to the dinning space to have our dinner.  They even deliver the food in your rooms.We felt, eating in our room would make the room dirty. The food did cost more than usual.However, that was fine.  Some opted for Mutton Biryani, while others chose a veg. cuisine.The food was sumptuous and descent enough.After the dinner, while some decided to rest straight away. Few of us had a night stroll on the beach followed by a few games of T.T. On our cards was also a little party which continued till 2.00 am. That's when we decided to hit the sack.

Return journey : Some of us woke up by 6.00, as watching the sunrise was on our mind. We thought, the white sand can be captured best when there are early rays. We went for a long walk taking pictures of the morning scenes. Yeah, the white sand did look whiter. In fact, our walk took us two hours to complete.We didn't realize, how time passed so quickly. As we returned, we had a nice breakfast of omelette and fresh fruit juice.  Later, we took our bath and packed our bags as it was time to leave. Yeah, our journey was cut short because some of us had some important meetings to make. A few pictures, the payment and we bid a farewell to Diveagar.The return journey was quite smooth.As we knew the route, we were able to return quicker. Overall, it was nice weekend getaway. Planned quick, executed quicker. The only regret being not able to eat at Bapat's Khawaal which is known to serve one of the best the elusive Maharashtrain Thali and not able to visit the Suvarna Ganesh temple, which a must see.There is always a next time. However, we witnessed one the best beaches close to Mumbai.  You got to see it to believe it!!! Hope you enjoy your trip to Diveagar. 

Shirdi - How to go, places to visit, things to do

Mar'20 2010: "Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end - Sai baba". It was our that time of the year, when we usually make our annual Shirdi trip.If you didn't know, Shirdi is famous for the shrine of Sai Baba.Couple of friends' cousins who were in city were keen to visit Shirdi, so were we.Hence, without too much of planning, we just decided to go.Shirdi was our next destination.


How to get there :

Personal Vehicle: Its around 300 kms route. You have to take the NH3 - i.e. the Mumbai Agra Highway.There are signs all along the way.You can either go straight to Nashik and then take the Manmad-Ahmednagar highway. The other route is On NH3 itself, there is sign from where you can take a right to Shirdi, however, beware. This route doesn't have good roads like the former one.

Public/Private Transport : Getting to Shirdi is probably one of the most easiest journeys you can make, especially if you are travelling by public transport.There are innumerable options available.Just walk into any tours and travels office, you are bound to find some good options for Shirdi.We booked our journey through redbus. The transport company was Neeta travels.Neeta provides regular bus services to Shirdi, we opted for a day travel instead of the usual night trip.It cost us Rs.400 per person. There were 5 of us.No bargains were entertained.We boarded a bus from Borivali West (near Gokul Hotel) at 5.45 am. The bus had pickups all over Mumbai.We initially moved along the western express highway and then turning over to the harbour side and central side.The last pickup being at Thane (Teen Hath Naka flyover - nr Neeta tours and travels office) at 7.30.It was a video coach bus, fully a/c, with comfortable recliner seats.However, this wasn't a new bus.Our seats were right ahead. Usually those are not the best seats.The curtains were not washed, and there was a distinct smell emanating in the bus.The smell was more evident near the seats ahead. [Always take seats in the middle or rear.] Those are some of the quirks of public transport. The bus has two halts during the journey, one at Neeta hotel and the other one just near shirdi, probably around 50 kms away.Hotel Neeta was good, spacious.Being a early morning journey, we took regular breakfast items like idli,uttappa etc.It  had nominal costs and tasted decent enough(less than Rs. 250 for a good breakfast for 5).The best thing about the hotel was the prompt service. I guess all Neeta buses have a halt there. We could recall that the last time we travelled by Neeta, we had stopped at the same hotel. I guess the hotel is owned by the bus service itself.

One of the reasons of opting for the day travel was getting to see the scenic views on our way to Shirdi.Sadly, that was not to be. Travelling in comfortable A/C buses, we made most of the luxuries - all of  us dozed off for major part of the journey. :) It was just 50 kms more to go, we took our second halt. Cannot recall the name of the hotel, we didn't have any food there.Most of the time we spent there was enhancing our photography talents clicking unique pics. The other important thing we did there was have nice, fresh sugarcane juice just outside the hotel.The sight of the juice vendor extracting every bit out of the sugarcane reminded me of someone....my boss. ;)

Places to stay : We reached Shirdi at 2.00 pm.As you enter Shirdi, the first thing you realize is, its not a rural village/town any more.The place keeps getting busy, more crowded, more hotels, restaurants, more options. And the same has been the feeling in every visit.Usually the bus stops next to some decent hotel.Same was the case.Shirdi has lot of options to stay.Hotels offering Rs. 50 per person just for 4 hrs to hotels offering rooms for full day as well.There is a limited period in which you get the 50 Rs-offer (i guess only till noon). Its primarily for night travellers who need to use the room to freshen up.We got our rooms at the "Hotel Sai Shiv Ram"(Ph.No: 09371915349). It has A/C- Non A/C Rooms.Located behind Hotel M.T.D.C. One of their agents whom we met, just as we got down from the bus, got us there.Yes, as soon as you get down from the bus, you get lot of agents offering you rooms,quicker darshan, nice deals on flowers, offerings etc..Tourism is the only business in this area.We got our rooms - a 3-bed Non-AC room costing just Rs. 600.We could stay there till 9.00 pm some of us were good at bargaining. :) All we had to do was freshen up and leave.So by 3.30 to 4.00, all of us took bath and left for the darshan.

What is there to see : If you wish to go to Shani Shingnapur, there are vehicles available which will take you there. And you can finish the entire trip in 4 hours.Most people do that, when they visit Shirdi.

As you enter :

Shirdi is famous for the shrine of Sai baba.It is maintained by the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust. If you have never been there,you may want to know how it is structured, where to start, etc. There is a main entrance near the temple road to the extreme end (Now, the mall end). which is the starting point. Now, this is the main entrance to the temple i.e. where the shrine of Saibaba exists. The "temple complex" has many other structures like - dwarkamai,other temples,counters etc. including the main temple aka Samadhi Mandir. This queue which you have joined would take you directly to the main temple and once you get out of it, i.e. after darshan, you can go to the other areas,as mentioned.You can  even go directly to these other temples,instead of going to the main temple, but through other entrances, but not through this main entrance.The main entrance will lead you directly to the main temple - samadhi mandir.In olden days, you needed to hand over mobiles, cameras at a counter just outside the main temple for a rupee or two. Now,that has changed, we were quick to find that at the main entrance itself. The security guard asked us not to carry any mobiles or cameras in the temple complex.Although the counter was not very far from the main entrance.It was just across the road. It was so hot, and we were bare feet too.So you can imagine how hot it felt.Anyway, they accepted our stuff for just 2 Rs. per bag. No need to worry here.Its maintained by the temple trust and its safe to keep your valuables there.Just don't loose the token.

Queues :
There was a huge queue here.Usually visiting the temple around 4 pm, you may face long queues. The last time we visited Shirdi, we had a night trip, which meant an early morning darshan.And at such times, the queues are usually on the shorter side.However, that was not the case this time.There were hordes of devotees waiting in the queues for darshan.Devotees of all races, castes, classes, professions joined the same queue for darshan.Some with huge garlands, some with small flowers, waiting with eager eyes to find a glimpse of the almighty.Chants of "Sai baba ki Jai" erupted regularly. In case of long waits due to the queues, there were counters for water, juices, food items along side the queue within the temple. In about a hour and half, we were in the the main temple known as "Samadhi Mandir".Here, the queue got split into two.Each one moving on either side of the lord's statue. We choose to move into the right. one As that would have meant getting to touch the feet (Paduka) by kneeling down.There are priests near Lord's samadhi (Final Resting place) to manage the queue and also to take our offerings for the Lord.They usually take some offerings and return the rest, as prasad.So within minutes, we reached the samadhi, finished our prayers and were out of the main temple. Yeah, thats how quickly the queue moves.

The temple complex : As you move out of the exit of main temple, you find youself in the temple complex.The temple complex has many temples of other deities too viz. Hanuman, Shiva, Shani Dev.The first thing you notice is the tree under which Sai baba used to sit - Gurustan.If you walk parallel along the main temple, there is a small window in the main temple, which offers you a direct view of the Lord's statue. One of us ended up with an extended session of praying.I won't go into too many details of the temple complex. But, just an overview. Apart from the different temples of Hanuman,  lingam, durga, there are prasad distribution centers.Udi (holy ash) distribution centers, Donation counters, museums, granthalaya (books-center), counters offering water, lassi, butter milk.After our darshan, we moved out of the temple-complex through exit 3. We had to visit Dwarkamai, which as on the right. Dwarkamai is a mosque where Sai baba used to stay. The queue for it was way too long. We skipped Dwarkamai this time. However, inside you would find some of the things Sai baba used in his daily life.We then proceeded towards buying some Shirdi laddoos. This is outside the temple-complex.When you get back to the main entrance road. Just keep walking toward the left. Its called "Prasadalay".We bought 10 packets of shirdi ladoos. Each costs Rs. 10 (4 pieces).Unfortunately we had to stand in a queue each time.Yeah, they give only one packet per person.But, it was a small queue so no worries.

Places to Eat : There are a lot places to eat. There are a lot of restaurants serving Gujrati,Punjabi, South Indian even Chinese food.In fact, I had asked one person, where I could find proper, authentic Maharashtrian  thali. I guess, with that, I might have touched some nerve of his.He erupted, "You would not find even one restaurant which serves Maharashtrian thali". Giving up hopes of finding the elusive cuisine, we stuck to the usual.We had a Punjabi thali, It tasted decent enough for a nominal cost(under 150 for two). As I ate my dinner, made me think for a while..so much has changed in Shirdi..So many shops, hotels,people, crowds, noise.There is even a mall now at Shirdi which has brands like "Tara Bhagatchand" in it. The mall is still not fully functional though.Then the angst of the poor shop owner over lack of traditional Maharashtrian Thali. With all this commercialization..I hope the sanctity of the place is not lost forever...Btw,. I was having my lunch, at dinner time :)

Return journey : By the time we finished our lunch (at dinner time;) It was 8.00 pm.We spent some more time buying lockets, Saibaba photos,etc..Remember, We still had to check out from the hotel.But before doing that, we were looking at options to return back.We walked our way to the S.T. Stand. which was away from the main temple road(Manmad/nagar road). There were S.T. buses at regular intervals to Mumbai. However, some of us wanted to go by A/C bus. There are no dearth of options from Shirdi.So we went back to the main temple road. There we found a bus service( I think Rajhans), which was leaving at 9.30 pm(Rs. 350/- per person). The agent told us, "If you can reach here by 9.30, the bus would wait".It was already 9.00 pm. So we rushed back to our room.And guess what, we were faced with a unique situation - lights out!!! One of the phases was down, and there were no lights. The hotel attendants provided us with a torch light.One of us held the torch - and for the rest..the search was on - did I keep my camera back, my mobile, that towel - was on everyone's mind.Luckily there wasn't much for this trip, so we packed our stuff in that torch light and checked out in a hurry. As we reached the place, the agent was missing!!! Frantic calls!!! The bus was no where in sight!!There was someone else, who said, the bus on the Nagar/Manmad road.We ran our way...as we reached the place..the bus had already left!! Few more calls..the agent had arranged for an auto. The chase began!!!In cities, the max number of passengers is usually 4.Here, there were 12!!We just stuffed ourselves in...Thoughts began.. were...Are we on the right trail? Would we get our bus?...A petrol pump in sight...And there it was...the bus was waiting for us. Rest of the journey was not so exciting - as usual we dozed off ;) But, it was an exciting end to our nice little trip to the land of Sai baba - Shirdi.

Lohagad Fort - How to go, places to visit, things to do

Feb' 27 2010: This time the excursion was with a group known as Breakfree journeys. It was a new group run by a young college bloke by the name, Rushikesh Kulkarni. Quite an enterprising bloke must say. (For more details on the group and its activities - click here) He had published the event on the 'Mumbai Hikers' blog. Mumbai hikers, obviously is the central blog portal where most of Mumbai trekking groups post their upcoming events.Quite a good initiative.It was calling for trekking enthusiasts to join them for a trek to Lohagad fort for a one-day event, with the return journey planned for the evening.Some of my friends had been to the Lohagad fort before. They had suggested it was an easy trek.'Easy' that's what attracted me to this trek.This was going to be my first "real" trek.And after a few calls with Rushikesh on Friday night confirmed my presence for the next day.Lohagad, here we come..!!! :)

The Journey : Pickups were planned at Kandivali, Dadar, Chembur,Kalamboli, Panvel.There started our journey.After picking up enthusiasts along the way, our numbers rose to 17 with a couple of office collegues joining in.All towards our destination - Lohagad.The way to Lohagad was to through a place Malawli - Base Village.

How to reach Lohagad : There are different ways by which one can reach Lohagad. As discussed earlier, you have to reach the base village called as "Malawli".
By Public Transport : If you are planning to travel by public transport, you need to catch a train to Pune.(from Mumbai).On the way, Malawli is the next station after Lonavala.Make sure the train you catch stops at Malawli.Once you get down at Malawli Station,walk towards the end of the station, i.e. towards the Pune side.Once you reach the end, turn right.And keep walking, till you come across a patch of land - we shall call it 'Junction'.That's because you would find  shops, hotels and some houses too.You would also find an open space - courtyard on the left side.Its used as a  parking space.This is the Bhaje gaon.
By Road : We came here by road - the route is even simpler take the Mumbai-Pune express highway, soon after passing through Lonavala, we started looking at signs for Malawli and also asking people at every turn, just to be sure.Soon, we made a turn to the right, i.e. after asking for directions to local people.We then crossed over the railway lines,near the Malawli station and reached the "Junction" - Bhaje gaon.

After parking our vehicle there,We had a nice sumptuous breakfast of Pohe served with freshly cut lemons to go along with it.Not more than 20 Rs.After a few group snaps, we were all set to start our trek.Some of us, me included, bought some water from the nearby shops. Make sure you buy water here, you will surely need them, as there are no other shops on the way to Lohagad.From the junction, you can see some stairs in the distant background,on the left hand side.Those are the stairs to the "Bhaje caves" - our next destination.

Bhaje Caves: They are 2nd century BC Buddhist caves.They are a set of 18 caves, cut straight out of rocks.Amazing bit of ancient architecture. The pictures and links would help you more.For more details click here 
Journey: The journey began with the climbing the steps to the caves. These are unique steps, each step being low in height, and high in terms on length and width.So actually, when you climbing them, its almost as if you and walking instead of really climbing.Still, after a few levels, it starts tiring you out.It took us not more than 20-30 minutes to reach the top.Again, that depends on how fit you are.On the way, we found a few local vendors selling chaas,cucumbers,lime juice.Once we reached the caves, we had to pay some entrance fees to It was Rs. 10 for an adult and Rs. 5 for a child.Finally, after some struggle, we reached the caves.

What is there to see : As soon as you enter the caves vicinity,you see a huge cave in the center.This is called as chaithya, This was used by the Buddhist monks for praying.It is a prayer hall.You can see pillars on the sides, all made of rock.The ceiling of this hall is made of wood.It appeared to be made out of wood,wonder how it lasted for over 2000 years.And then, at the distant end of the cave, you find an inverted cup shaped structure, almost like a bell.This is called the "stupa".It was said that, Buddha's relics were kept in the stupa.You can imagine Buddhist monks meditating near the stupa.Infact, we did try making some sounds in that temple, and it gave a mild echo to our sounds.As we came out of this huge-center cave,on the right hand side, there are broken steps leading to the other smaller caves.Its quite easy to climb.Within those little small caves, you would find small bed-like structures, all cut out rock.Must be the Buddhist monks retired to these smaller caves.After exploring little, we then returned down the broken steps, for first-timers like me, even that is challenging, however, there is always support.So, carefully, we got down from those caves.Unfortunately, the tight schedule wasn't allowing us to explore the "Bhaje caves" more. So, after a few pictures, we turned our heads to Lohagad.

Lohagad : Lohagad fort, one of prominent forts built by Shivaj Maharaj stands tall at 3,450 feet (1,052 m) near Lonavala.Known as the Iron fort (Loha=Iron). It is said to have been used by many dynasties that ruled the Marathi kingdom.There are many structures built on the fort by the people who ruled it which includes a water tank, temple etc. A favorite among the modern day marathas - the trekkers.The fort has always attracted hordes of tourists across Mumbai and Pune.Usually seen as a beginners trek.For more details on Lohagad click here.

Journey: Descent from Bhaje caves: The normal route would have meant getting down by the steps, which we had used earlier to climb. And then turning to the left and travel by the straight ascending road to Lohagad.But things were'nt as simple.As you head out of Bhaje caves, there is a small trail near the entrance.No, I am not talking about man-made steps but, its actually a narrow trail to the side of the hill.Suddenly there was a buzz of trying get down through this trail.After agreement from all, we decided to get down by the trail.I was hesitant, still agreed. This was not the usual way to Lohagad. Initial few strides were easy. Its actually quite helpful to be following someone, as your going on a path travelled.But, soon it became steeper.There are definitely some skills to be learnt for a trekker, especially while descending.Making use of every tree, branch, rope even the person ahead's bag :) Its all a matter of grip. Being in the best of sport shoes, I slipped a couple of times.That's when I learnt the feet need to placed sideways instead of placing them straight.Anything that gets you a good grip.Some of the experienced trekkers were making way for others to follow.Being a novice, I followed it well.Soon we were at the base of the hill.We just turned around and looked back at the Bhaje caves. It was an awesome feeling, looking back how far, how high we were and the manner in which we got down from the trail.

 Trek to Lohagad: The trail to Lohgad is quite an easy one.You just need to follow the straight road ahead.Its not a motor-able road by any means.It might have been motor-able many years back, but, not any more.The route goes spirally upwards.Almost like a zig zag.Some people were climbing up by the small ravines.I was'nt one among them.I travelled by the normal route.All this climbing was tiring me out.Little travel, little water breaks, little sitting breaks in shade was the order.As you climb up, you would find two peaks - the one straight ahead and the other to the right.The one straight ahead is Visapur fort and the one to the right is Lohagad.There are places during the ascent you may not be sure which side to turn.Take the right.There were two such occasions.Also, the local villagers would be very helpful. (if you find any).Usually local villagers travel up to sell water, lime juices etc.Make sure you take help from them.When we were almost there, we found a small juice-vendor to the right, with a nice tent put up, selling freshly made kokam juice.We took a break of 15-20 minutes. After quenching our thirsts, we were back on our way to Lohagad. It was half an hour of journey from here. The journey so far was a good one.It was not a trek which you need to take with any experienced trekker as such. Since, most of the route was a rather straight one, it was quite easy even for first timers like me. The tough part was the tiredness from all the travel., but regular breaks made it quite easy.And soon, after almost 2 hrs  we were at Lohgadwadi ,base village of our destination.You can reach here by a proper motor-able route as well., I guess from Malawli.There were a lot of people there.It was almost like a trek mela there.People turning up from everywhere.It was a festive atmosphere.Young, old, local,city folks - all kinds of people here.There were a lot of trekking groups like ours everywhere in shops, resting,climbing up.We took a shelter at a place called Sai hotel.Our organizer had given an order for our lunch, which we were going to have after visiting Lohagad fort.After leaving all our bags at the place, we were on our way to Lohagad fort.Wondering - again the climb? Yes, we were at the footsteps of the fort.We just needed to climb those.

What is there to see : As you climb up, you find the majestic Pawna lake behind i.e to the right, the village Lohagadwadi in the center and the Visapur fort to the left.The steps were quite high in terms of height.Making it even tougher to climb.But soon in 20 minutes or so, we were at the Ganesh Darwaja - the main entrance to the fort. Lohagad fort has 4 doors called "darwajas" - Ganesh Darwaja, Nayaran Darwaja, Hanuman Darwaja and Maha Darwaja.The Ganesh Darwaja seems to have either painted or built again.Having full of sharp structures protruding out,these are tall doors atleast 10 feet in height.Each darwaja comes up as you climb up the stairs introducing you to a new section of the fort.This section or open space gives a panaromic view.You can see there are small openings in the walls of the fort.You can imagine these openings to be used for cannons on other waring provinces  and Mughals.We found a small cannon or two, we even tried to lift, but it was way too heavy for any of us to lift.The final Maha Darwaja opens up to a vast open courtyard.Its more like a peak of the mountain rather than a fort.Its wide and huge and houses a temple, a few ponds, a dargah and the famous vinchukatta.Most of the time spent up was exploring the different parts, taking pictures.Here is picture showing the layout of the fort.

As we were exploring the fort, we came across quite a nice pond - called "16 koni talav" With shade on one side, all of got down near the pond, took off our shoes and just spent some time cooling off our feet in the pond.The water was quite clear, although there were some frogs and fishes in the talav. Its almost like a hidden spot.Its next to the famous "Vinchukata" - Scorpion’s Sting, a long and narrow fortified structure. This is a finger styled projection of fissure of Lava and the name scorpion’s sting due to its natural shape. The attractive beauty of the pinnacle of this hilly terrain is worth visiting.Since, many of us were hungry, we started our trip downwards. Only few proceeded to the "Vichukata", rest moves towards the base.

Where to eat : We had a nice meal of zunka bhakar at the "Hotel Sai".It cost us 35 Rs. per plate. Also, they added a nice chutney made of mirchi(Chillis).It is the most spiciest thing you can eat.It was just yummy!!!We started munching one zunka after the other.Some had rice plate which included rice, dal and few chapatis and bhajis.All that to gulp it down with a nice lemon juice.After having our fill, we started our journey back.The journey back was a quick one.We clocked a mere 40 minutes on the way down.i.e to Bhaje village.We were the first group to reach the base.Soon, group by group started arriving at the base.All of us had tea at the stall.And then we started our journey back to Mumbai with a small detour planned along the way - Pawna lake.

Pawna Lake: It is an artificial lake formed by the Pawna Dam built across the Pawna River nearby Lonavala. The lake attracts many tourists due to its imposing natural ambience and cool climate.Beautiful, serene, usually used by corporates for holding team building events.

Journey : As you reach the Pune-Mumbai highway,by road, coming from Lohagad, take a left at Lonavala.You need to cross over the train lines and go by the parallel road on the other side tback owards Pune.Make sure to ask local people the route, as you need to take a right.It takes around 30 minutes to reach Pawna lake from Lonawala.After a few turns we were again in the country side (Lonavala is almost a city nowadays).Soon we could see the lake in the distant background, but reaching there seemed like forever.We were getting down to lower plains and the roads were spirally taking us down.Although they are one-way roads, if any big vehicle say a truck or a big car came towards  you, it meant slowing down and going on the side to allow the oncoming vehicle to pass by.Slowly, steadily we manage to reach the lake.There was a big parking place nearby, that's where we parked our 18-seater.We could hear noise of the boats from there..

What is there to see: Pawna lake offers natural beauty. Not only is the water clear, the time being dusk, it offered a spectacular view of the evening sun.Its the kind of place, you would lie down and do nothing, just gaze at the beautiful spectacle.But there is more to Pawna lake.It has a restaurant which offers all kinds of food.Its quite normal to find corporates organizing their team building events at Pawna.Infact we saw a huge delegation of officials holding their annual day there.Now for the boating - It offers two boating facilities - the group boating costing 30 Rs per seat. It took 8 of us at one time.Usually the boat ride lasts for 5-10 minutes which includes a circle around the little island which is seen from shore.The other boat ride is one for the more adventurous -  a speed boat ride. Costing at Rs. 80 per seat - its a 2 seater ride. and the ride lasts for 3-4 unforgettable minutes.Well, I won't go into more details here, its there for you to experience it.Just hold on when the boat operator turns side ways..!!!!

Return :We spent over an hour at Pawna lake, before moving on for our return jorney.Someone had informed our organizer that you do not have to get to Lonavala to get on the highway. There was an alternative route to Mumbai.After asking a few locals we were soon on our way back to Mumbai on the expressway.Overall it was well organized trip by Breakfree journeys -  there was a bit of history, hard work, great food, some adventure, serene breath taking scenes, lots of pictures.Hope this blog helps you on your trip to Lohagad..!!