Koraigad, in the rains

Summer 2016 was a dry, drought, depressing summer, with hassles for water.  (Oh! That was alliteration by the way.)  Maharashtra was pleading for rains, and the rains too were a late-comer.  Makes me realize that no matter how technologically advanced mankind grows, we still are hapless when it comes to natural disasters, or what you call acts of God; a reminder for humans to stay humble at all times and respect and preserve nature.

Well, finally when the rains came, joy knew no bounds, and what else would the residents of Mumbai and its suburbs and Maharashtra at large wait for.  There was greenery and waterfalls everywhere.  Not to miss out on experiencing the slow bloom of nature, we planned a trek.  Since we were not too much keen on undertaking some hardcore trek, we planned on one of the easy-to-climb forts of Maharashtra, that’s Koraigad or Korigad, situated at the outskirts of Lonavala.  I must tell you that we had visited Koraigad in winter some years back, but it was a completely different experience with the rains.  We had pouring rains, cloud, fog, waterfall all at the same time, which was a complete contrast to the winter platter.

Koraigad in the Summer

Koraigad in the rains

Since travel was just some 2 hours long and we were not worried about the sun, we decided to catch up enough sleep and not be an early riser that day, a mistake we realized later.  It was decided to meet at 7 am.  We had a vehicle arranged from Badlapur, and our saarthi Nilesh was a careful driver.  We got down at Badlapur station and after exchanging pleasantries, we eagerly hopped into a nearby tea shop for our morning brew, yummy I must say.  Having tea with drizzles and friends and lots of laughter is an experience in itself.  With our body warm from the tea, we started our trip via the old Mumbai Pune Highway, which was a picturesque ride in itself.  We stopped at Karjat for our breakfast and loo break.  Hungrily gulping the hot vada pavs and bhajis, we finished it with berry chocolates that a friend brought.

We reached Koraigad passing through the scenic Lonavala, Bushi Dam, Lion’s Point, et al.  Since our adrenaline was surging, we didn’t have any more eatery stopovers till we reached the fort.  I must tell you that there are two ways to get to the footsteps leading to the fort.  One starts opposite the Peth Shahapur village busstop, where there is provision to park your vehicles, if you are traveling by private transport, bus, or car.  Just a short mention, here that on our first visit, we had taken a Karjat train from Mumbai, alighting at Karjat and again taking a connecting train to Lonavala.  From there, we had hired a local transport to Peth Shahapur.

Parking space

The other trail starts at Bhairavnath temple which is an easier walk especially in the rain, though a long one, as you have to travel through the village.  But you will not regret the extra mile as each path has a beauty of its own.  The shorter path from the bus-stop was slippery and we hoped we had not taken that path.  So just a forewarning.

Trail to the steps

The trek was lovely as it was raining continuously and it was fun exchanging a word or two with other trekkers.   We walked through forest thickets, open land, and muddy path, all having an excitement of its own.  Once we reached the stone steps, altered and repaired now, the climb was easy and even more fun as we had water flowing through steps like a waterfall. 

The serpentine steps

Water flowing through the steps

A closer shot by the talented Amit

Pictures and oohs and aahs and monkeys followed.  Treks are one of the amazing ways of connecting with raw nature.  To me, it felt like a prayer and worship.  You go to the house of God per your religion and worship the Almighty, it’s different.  But, trek is like you are only praising the creator, thanking Him for this amazing creation.  What a lovely prayer where you just praise Him and not ask anything in return.

The steps are serpentine with curves, and with every curve you get a waterfall from the steps above.  It was not dangerous, yet it always helps to be cautious.  They have put barriers and railings for support in many places.  This trek is so easy and safe that you can even get children along.

You will find a medium size cave, the size of one room kitchen, which you can use for short rest; and during the rains there are vendors selling hot tea, snacks, and Maggi too.  During the non-rainy seasons, it’s a beautiful stopover as you have provision to sit there and enjoy the views around.  There are a couple more smaller caves on the way.

Cave on the way

Finally when we reached the Ganesh darwaja (entrance to the fort), the wind was chilling and we were ready for another round of tea.  There were a couple of villagers who were carrying hot tea in flasks along with eatables.  The fort was cleaner than expected, yet the travellers can do more justice by safeguarding nature and not littering plastic and most of all avoid liquor bottles.  The fort is in excellent condition with renovated steps and strong walls.  You will find the Koraidevi temple atop the fort.  The Koraidevi temple is even known to accommodate up to 25 people, making it ideal for night treks and camping.  There are two more temples on the fort and those too make for a comfortable stay.  To the northern side, alongside the Koraidevi temple, are two ponds.  The ponds supposedly contain drinkable water, so another plus point for camping as you can cook there.  You can enjoy a dip and quench your thirst.

The Ganesh Darwaja, Fort Entrance

Koraidevi Temple

The pond with the temple at the backdrop

There is a vast area to explore, around 2 kms.  To the southern end of the fort there are several cannons (Thop in Hindi), so we can get a feel of our history.  Do take time to touch and feel them as you are transferred to the times of Shivaji and wars, as your mind travels to history and historical people.

You can go to the edges of the fort wall and enjoy the view below.  You will see the much acclaimed Aamby Valley and its air strip.  There are two lakes that you can see in the distance.   As you can expect, the view is splendid as it is from any mountain or hill top.  One can walk along the walls of the fort and enjoy the beauty both within the fort and simultaneously enjoy the view below.   To the pond side, there are some steep climbs, which become easy if you have friends like mine.

We had explored the entire fort when we had been there in the winter.  But this time, during rains, low visibility and continuous downpour were a problem, and as I had mentioned earlier, we were not feeling too adventurous.  Too much clouds and fog were a hindrance to any view that you would hope to see.  So we stayed just about half an hour and indulged in some home brought munchies.

We started the descent, which was even more amazing than the ascent as we indulged in the waterfalls and clicked lot of pictures.  On our way back, we dropped in to see some houses at Aamby valley.  Wow! What beautiful bungalows.  We walked through Peth Shahapur village before reaching the parking lot.  A short distance from here you will find some houses where you have provision for changing clothes (they charged Rs. 20 per person) and food.  You have options of veg and nonveg thali and Chinese too.  This was not there during our winter trip, so I am not sure if it’s a seasonal stopover or they operate year round.

We encountered heavy traffic at Lonavala; hence, it is advisable not to visit this place in weekends.  Took us 4 hours just to cross Lonavala city, compared to the two hours it took to reach from Badlapur.  We were so tired that we were compelled to take a tea break before reaching Karjat.  From there, the traffic was sparse and we chit-chatted, played Antakshari, and dosed off too amidst all this.

It was pretty late due to all the traffic we had to encounter, but it was a day well spent with friends and nature.

Lessons learnt:

Admiring God’s creation is one of the purest form of worshipping.

It’s high time, we take steps to preserve nature and such historic monuments; else, future generations will have little to relive these times.

Friends are an unending source of energy and happiness.

Due to heavy rains and fog, we were unable to click any clear pictures.  Hence, the pics below, some are clicked by my friend Amit, while the others are from the internet to give you an idea of the beautiful, beautiful fort.  

Map of Koraigad fort

Koraigad, view from base.

A Trek to Lohagad

Trekking is a hobby that I recently started enjoying and exploring.  I was blessed to be introduced to a few friends who were regular trekkers and after watching their pictures, I was unknowingly getting pulled into this sport, so strong was the attraction and craving.

After Naneghat and Koraigad, I forcefully had to stop in order to enjoy one of the joys of womanhood of being a mother.  So after almost three years and much persuasion, my friends planned a trek to Lohagad.  As usual, there were lots of "Ï am coming, I am not coming" issues, but we were able to plan this event with nine of us.  Two of our friends had their own cars and they volunteered to be our drivers too.  So, our mode of transport was not an issue.

After a sleepless, excitement-filled night, we all left our homes by 5 am approximately, some earlier and some later, and reached Bhandup station by 6 a.m.  We were five boys and four girls in two cars and off we went to Lohagad.  The travel was so picturesque, it was raining now and then, waterfalls greeting us all the way.  The constant chatting of friends was adding to the excitement of the day.   Once we reached village Lohagad, we stopped at a small tapri to have chai.  It is such a refreshing experience to have piping hot tea with friends amidst such greenery, fog, and rain.  If anyone had any remnants of sleep or tiredness from the hour-long journey, the tea did its job to freshen us up.

Once we reached Lohagad, we stopped for a few clicks and had our breakfast of kande pohe, garam garam kandyachi bhajji, and tea again.  We dropped our bags in the car and armoured us with our windcheaters.  Those who were brave enough carried cameras too.

Lohagad is said to be an easy trek.  We reached the fort in less than half an hour.  Visibility was so low that we could not see few feet ahead of us.  There was a big pond of water and some enthusiastic crowd was having a good time diving and swimming in it, but the cold water prevented us from taking the plunge, and I had not taken a change of clothes, which was my foolishness.  After the preliminary inspection of the fort was over, some of us wanted to explore the entire fort.  I'd like to mention that till the fort, it is okay for people of all ages to visit, but the exploration of the scorpion tail and the rest of the fort needs some strength and courage.  Some of us did not have the courage to looking at the steep descent, but our brave friends encouraged us to shed our inhibitions and take the plunge.  They were telling "Darr ke aage jeet hai" every so often, so with lots of aahs, oohs, and screams we made our way to the ends of the fort. There was lot of cloud and we could barely see ahead.  It is a steep valley down and the wind was strong, but we were enthusiastic and determined.  There were lot of waterfalls and amazing was the sight to see inverted waterfalls.  Sorry, this term is derived by me, so I need to give its explanation too.  As I said there were lot of waterfalls, but the wind was so strong blowing from below that it was making the water to flow like an upward fountain.  Words are not doing justice to express that beautiful and amazing sight.

The ascent back to the fort was a bit easier than the descent.  Comparatively fewer people would make the choice of exploring the fort due to the clouds and the steep valley down.  The winds were strong enough to push us back, but we were lucky we chose to go on in spite of the obstacles.  I learned many valuable lessons there.  I was blessed to have friends who did not think twice before lending their hands to support us, especially me when I was too scared to put my next foot.

There were lot of monkeys and it was pleasing to watch the families of monkeys.  One was sweetly eating away the grass, another munching on some chips it had managed to snatch from a girl, and rest swinging from one tree to another.

We saw many strewn drinking bottles and chips packets and I want to request people to not do it.  These forts are of historical significance and an asset to our country.  Please take care of them and do your part to maintain its cleanliness.  It is our duty to protect our heritage.

There was one humble chaiwala serving hot tea to beat the cold rains, chilly winds, and exhaustion.  Since we had already had two teas before the trek and our spirits were keeping us warm, we deferred the tea, but blessed the tea vendor in our hearts and started to climb down the fort.  So after 3 hours, we were back to where we had started at the base of the fort.

We had a lunch of rice bhakari, aagri chicken, rice, lime-sprinkled kanda (onions), and zunka.  Then we made plans to visit the nearby Pawana Lake, another must see place and good for boating.  We wanted to return to Mumbai before sunset to avoid traffic, hence we did not wait long.  Another round of chatting and singing and after 2 hours were back in Mumbai.  After having our evening tea, we all said bye to each other and returned to our homes, with lot of joy in hearts.

One valuable lesson I learnt is:  Life is like a trek - scary, fun, enthusiastic, and full of obstacles - but when you are determined and go step by step, victory meets you at the end." 

I thank my friends for lending me those helping hands when I felt I could not go further than this.

A day amidst the constant rain, tricky descents and ascents, and playing with the winds and clouds.. wow..