Rajgad trek

My friends and I had been planning for a trek since October, and couldn't wait till our exams were done. So,the dawn of 15th December brought the excitement that we longed for, since our previous semester started. Hence,my friends (in alphabetical order), Aakash, Abhishek, Aditya, Anupam ,and me, Nithin embarked on a trekking expedition to Rajgad.

You can board a Wajeghad or a Gunjawane bus from swargate, to get to the base of the fort. Both Gunjavne and Wajeghad are base villages. We were supposed to start from Swargate and catch a 10.45am bus to Gunjavane but, as it turns out, there was a Wajeghad bus at that time, and no Gunjavne bus. 

From Wajhegad, Gunjavne village was about 8km.We took the decision to board that bus and waited. 10.45 passed, 11 came, and 11.30 passed, but there was no sign of the bus.Finally the bus came at 11.50.We the boarded the bus and the ticket to wajhegadh was Rs 48/-. The bus was comfortable and empty for the majority of the journey, but got pretty crowded when it passed through the Nasrapur village.A passenger from the bus told us that the base of the fort would be nearer if we were to get down at a village called Sakhar and we did the same.We reached there at about 2pm.It was a 2 hour bus ride.Little further down, we sat down to eat in a hotel called Hotel Ekveera garden. They only served Misal and Poha. The Misal Pav was spicy and top notch! We had our lunch there and started for Gunjavne at 2.45 .We reached the trekking point at 3.45pm. We were climbing the fort from the chor Darwaza. There are other paths as well, like from Wajeghad, Pali and Bhutunde.
We reached the resting point of the fort within 2 hours, which was the Padmavati machi. The trek was moderately difficult, and we huffed and puffed to that point by 5.45 pm. The view was ecstatic! We were greeted by the Padmavati lake, which looked dark, coupled with the ripples from gentle breezes.
The accommodation was to be in the Padmavati Temple. We started to collect wood for a bonfire, and by 7 pm, went into the temple as it was getting very cold. There were many other groups residing in the temple as well. 
We were helped by a boy, who I presume is a caretaker of the temple , called Ram, for the stay and some tea. The night was fun, we played cards and listened to some music. The temperature was pretty cold, but inside temple, it was warm enough. Even during night time, there were many trekking groups who were entering the temple.

A word of advice- while you are sleeping, make sure that you close the temple door. The dogs frequently come inside and snuggle up with the people who are sleeping. That being said, you should also be able to open the door whenever some other group wants to sleep in the temple.
The water that is available there is good for cleaning yourself, but probably not good for drinking, because it was filled with Tadpoles.
The next day we got up, and started to climb up to the main summit of the fort through the Balekilla Darwaja, at 7.30am. The climb was a little steep, with some parts being almost vertical, but we reached the top, the Maha darwaja, before 8am. 

1.4km or 1400 meters above sea level...the view was pretty awesome.We could see many forts like Torna, Sinhagad, Raighad, and many other forts that I don't even know about. One can also see the path from Rajgad to Torna fort, which is about a 5 hours trek.
We started our descent to the padmavati temple and reached there within 15 minutes.
After having our breakfast, started our descent from the Pali darwaja, which leads to the Wajeghad village, at 9.45am. We could see lots of Monkeys running on the roof of the temple.There were stairs which mapped to about half the descent. Then we finally reached the base before 11am. The village was Pali Gaon, and we reached the bus stop which was a 30 minute walk from the base. We caught a Swargate bus at 11.45am and reached there at 2pm, at the cost of Rs 53/-.

Make sure that you are loaded with food suppies and some bedsheets, for none are available at the top or at any point during the trek.

In and out of the bus

I dont know how to start this post, I am actually not that great at wrting but being a part of this blog I have no choice but to write something and post it. I am writing somehting about my daily travel to my shitty college and the post is as follows...see i told you i am bad at writing you dont write 'as follows' and shit for a blog right....anyways its as follows...

I take a bus near my house and another near the COEP hostel and another near swargate and another near ok forget it and I believe in using public transport not because I dont have my own vehilce but out of my concern for the increasing pollution, and I am not being sarcastic. So why am I writng this post well the answer is written right at the beginning but on a serious note I actualy want to write something for the blog and hence this post.

Our very own PMPML BUS

It takes me more than an hour to reach my college on the way my eyes are either out of the window or on my cell phone(texting). There are many things that never change like the mad woman near the Shanivar Vada, she seems mad though I am not sure I might be the one, then the prostitutes standing at the brothel doors just ahead of the famous Dagdu Seth temple, the temple also doesnt change throughout the year except during the Ganeshotsav its suddenly a place everyone remembers and the bus route changes and i cant see the change. Bus is a pretty interesting place I am often accompanied by a labourer with the seductive smell of 'deshi daru' or by a fat lady or sometimes my brother who has started resembling Jimmy Hendrix and becomes the center of attention in the bus and I try to pretend this mad guy is not related to me. As the bus approaches swargate i find two shops with 'Deshi Darucha Dukan' written on the board and some daily wage labourers sleeeping with absolute calmness outside their doors. Sometimes it happens that a person gets caught without a ticket and shows temper on the ticket checker for not releasing him, its so funny to see a person hiding his mistake when everyone around him knows that he is the culprit. The habbit of texting that I have devloped for sometime now is compelling me to use some smileys but I will hold myself. Once a student got caught without a ticket and his excuse was 'leave me kaka i have exams' and the way he ran when the bus stopped was mind blowing the whole bus burst into laughter.

Now the B.R.T.S, well its the most amazingly misplanned and most beautifully misconstructed BRT though it has reduced time of travel it has narrowed down the road for other commutators(this might be my other reason for using the public transport) they have left no place for the people to cross the road. I everyday climb the wall like divider to cross the road, its not a problem for a 20 year old like me but the one with their back paining and knees aching its horrifying.

Last stop for me is Bharti Vidyapeeth whose red brick gate like the one during the era of Moughuls gives you a total misconception and I will not elaborate on the misconception. If I am lucky enough(which I am most of the days) I get a bus directly to my college and then I get down at the gate of my college whose name itself contains shit.

Now to end this painfull story with a happy note, I did not go to college today!!!

Mood Durga Pujo....

Pune as we know is a metropolitan. Therefore the population of Bengalis has significantly increased over the years .So Durga Puja is inevitable .Bengali associations organise Durga Puja in different parts of Pune. Durga Puja is one of most beautiful festivals I have ever seen.Being an atheist I only concentrate on the fun part of any festival not the "divine" part.Unlike any other festival Durga Puja offers  24 hours entertainment for five days.You can eat,drink,dance,watch girls(for men and vice versa).
The art which encapsulates the festival is truly admirable.When you go to the pandal and behold the beauty of the idol of "goddess" Durga you really start believing in her(I am sure of her absence though).
Now back to business, you get a lot to eat from Bengali mishti to rolls and kebabs and what not.Another
attraction are the girls. To finish it up I would say it's a fun festival and there's a lot to enjoy....I have given some address at the bottom...



Pujas in Pune:
1.Kali Bari Samiti, Kali Bari, Khadki,Near Khadki Station
2.Bangiya Sanskriti Samsad, Congress Bhavan ,Near Corporation
3.Bengalee Association, Modern College Ground
4.Punya Nagri Banga Samaj, Gagangiri Mangal Karyalay, Dhanowrie Road
5.Pune Camp Durga Puja Committee, Near Wanowrie Post Office
6.Pune Banga Sanmelani’s Purbo Poona Durgotsav, Hadapsar
7.NDA Sarbajanin Durga Puja, NDA Mandir
8.Banga Bharati, Pimpri,Near Tata Motors

 Dhaakis rolling with their Dhaaks

Sinhgad Fort Trek

Sinhgarh, or Sinhgad (Marathi: सिंहगड, The Lion's Fort), is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. It is situated on a hill rising 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. Previously called Kondana (Marathi: कोंढाणा), the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the battle of Sinhagad in 1670. It was also strategically located at the center of a string of other forts such asRajgad, Purandar and Torna.

Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains, its height above sea-level is 1350 metres. Given natural protection by its very steep slopes, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places; it has two gates – the Kalyan Darwaza in the south-east and the Pune Darwaza in the north-east.

The Sinhgad Trek is of medium difficulty but the rewards of the toil is really fulfilling! Its less difficult as compared to Torna Fort Trek .Monsoon season is the best time to go for this as during this time the view is amazing and the hill is laden with wild flowers , and the fatigue will be less too. It can be tiring if you are planning to go in summer.Unlike Torna Fort here you can get drinking water and eatables at the top also but its recommended that you take your own food with you as well as carry some energy drinks with you.

Route :

If you are going for the trek from pune then you can also visit some other places like khadakwasla dam , National Defence Academy campus, Donaje village  which lie on the way to fort .You can also go to Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje which is not on the way but is very near from the fort , and you can plan to go there if the time permits !!

How to get there ??

You can choose any mode of transport to reach to the base , but its highly recommended to go early in the morning otherwise if u start trekking after the 10am it will be difficult to trek because of sun and you will also miss other scenic places nearby the fort . So go early for the Trek around 6.30am   

Torna Fort Trek

Torna Fort or Prachandgad is a large fort located in Pune district (at 1405 meters above sea-level , the tallest in the districy) in the state of Maharashtra , India. It is historically significant because it is first fort captured by Shivaji in 1643 , forming the nucleus of Maratha Empire. The name derives from Prachanda (Marathi for huge or massive) and gad (Marathi for fort).Its about 40 km southwest of Pune in the Sahyadri Mountain Range.

The Torna Trek is of medium difficulty but the rewards of the toil is really fulfilling! The narrow tracks on the way upleads to a beautiful landscape. Sinhagad can be seen at distance. After monsoons which is the best season for the Torna trek the entire way would be laden with wild flowers. With a few small seasonal waterfalls on the way the trek is truly enchanting. There are two two rock patches on the way up, a little slippery, not bad during ascending, but the descend would really prove tough. Once you enter the fort its a fairy land altogether - misty bed of flowers which no manicured garden can match in beauty.

Route :

If you are going for the trek from pune then you can also visit some other places like khadakwasla dam , pashet dam ,National Defence Academy campus , Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje which lie on the way to torna fort 

Khadakwasla Dam is situated 20 km from the City of Pune , so while going to Torna Fort it lies in the mid way , so one can go to scenic places around the dam include Peacock Bay, Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje.

                         (Khadakwasla Dam)

To get to the Torna (Bini Darwaja ) , one has to first reach the base village called Velhe. From Swargate

bus station in Pune, take a state transport bus with route 'Swargate - Velhe - Ghisar'. This bus will drop you