Lovely roads towards Murbad
That was the place I wanted to reach, but the top you see is still the base..the fort is over that hill
A close-up shot
Never miss a click here
Close-up of the pinnacle
Lovely roads, beautiful climate...breath-taking scenery
Start of Malshej and the fog
Malshej at its best
HID doubles up as fog lamps ;)
Foggy Roads
The greenery and the bumpy roads I rode through
A bit of zoom-in. Looks like a toyland
Road from Junnar towards Ghatghar....
Manikdoh Dam
Up-close...really sad sight but...not much water
Eooow Roads to Ghatghar
Riding into Paradise
Royal Parking for my steed
The Villa where I stayed ;) House of the Dake Family
Vitthal (my guide) and me
The easier path
Thats Vithal
Could get a clear shot from here, up onwards it started getting foggy
Try to make out the path..can you? But this is what we had to walk through...only fear was slipping off
It was all a rocky climb...and yes very slippery
Yeah am really smiling
The slippery path we came through..Vithal slipped and fell here..luckily he recovered
Making my way up
This was an amazing sight...seemed like the stair led straight to heaven
Vithal posing on the stairs
He was very brave to get there...see the edge, it rolls down without any blockage
And this is what he went there for, this was a huuuuuge cave
The heaven (stairs) end and the hell starts (You have slots carved in the rocks..square ones for your feet and small round ones for your hand in which you cannot dig in more than 3 fingers)
Now I know how I look when am tensed...I was tensed and hell lot of it- but not scared, not even a bit. I had killed that fear of heights inside. I was stuck here for 15 mins..coz my feet couldnt reach the next slot..shoes were slipping every now and then..finally I removed my belt and threw up to Vithal and he pulled me up, thankfully the belt didnt break
And this is what that scary section looked like...its dead vertical and rains and moss make it worse to climb
Finally on top of Jivdhan
Thats one of the caves. See the white surface, its actually ash of the grains burnt by the British in 1818 and they're still there. The water doesnt dry up here, so the ash doesnt escape into the wind
Celebration pose after the climb.
Add a smile to it
The winds were at their turbulent best
Thats Vithal fighting against the wind (we were making our way towards Jivabai temple and the Khada Parshi)
A small door of the granary, but inside its as huge as a 5 star underground parking (I was shocked at its size)
It was PITCH dark here
Another entrance inside...its just carries on...from one chamber to the another
Didnt get the frame proper, coz I couldnt see anything...all on judgement (Well looks like Lord Ganesha's designer sketch)
There are chambers on every side...like a maze
Vithal at the door
The carves pillars inside..wish I could go back in history
The dome....such a rugged fort...still has a little room for art
The pillars again
Another shot of the outside...great place to stay overnight...its warm and absolutely bone dry inside...but only if you dont mind the company of bats.
Goddess Jivabai Statue...this was mutilated by the Mughals..see the destroyed face
Click went horribly wrong here...but just for the sake of it ;)
One of the water cisterns
That torch round my neck...it was a boon later
Another cistern...Vithal and I decided to take a dive..but we already were wet enough
Vithal at the Kalyan Darwaza (destroyed by the British)
Thats me trying to crawl out of the Kalyan Darwaza (blurred image- Vithal was too quick on the button)
The Darwaza from outside
A side view
The huge walls...just as impregnable as the fort itself
Vithal preparing for the descend...
There was a slippery vertical drop...see the edge of the path, you cannot walk down...you need to push your hands on one side and feet on the other to get down. I threw my shoes away and got down barefeet..they offered more grip than my shoes
Colour corrected this one...just for a clear shot. See that foggy region...there is where the descend starts, if you slip from there, you land here ;)
Stairs look comparatively very easy...and am sure it will be an easy descend in dry season...rains its totally different...see the moss around, standing straight up also needs support
And the streams make it even more slippery
At the end of the stairs
Another sequence of stairs...would have been a tedious task of making them in those days...amazing
Now its only narrow paths to make your way down
He slipped again here :( I asked him, if you fall from here where will you land up...he said KALYAN :P
The Naneghat side
Silence...................
Thats Mrs. Dake making dinner for us (Bhaakri, chatni with lotsa onions and chillies- dal and rice)
Vithal and me having dinner...after 7 kms of walking from the fort base till home in the dark.
Next morning...Mr. Dake who's a barber on his duty. The barter system still exists. His customers give him a portion of grains every year..no money but.
Thats Sushila (L)- Vithal's sis...and (R) the wife of Mr. Dake's brother
Small Lord Ganesha temple at Naneghat
This was where tax was collected from traders for using the Naneghat route. I paid mine too- put a 5 rupee coin inside :)
And this was the route....just imagine paying tax for using a route like this and after climbing nearly 2000 feet
The caves at Naneghat, where people have a camping party...unfortunately they were dirtying the place all over
The descend from here and a 6 kms walk would take you to Vaishakhare village
Have a look at the litter around
Weekend Party People
There was so much food around...this poor chap got none
Thats Ashok on the right...he was just too cute and innocent
Mr. and Mrs. Dake
Like Father Like Son...Vithal on his job
Thats the hill in the backyard...luckily the fog cleared..looks small doesnt it...looks are always deceptive
Village kids
Getting ready to leave
Ghatghar village
Morning shift
At this age, he still doesnt have any option...he's weak, but he works in the fields....and we thought our life was tough.
Leaving the village...well had to come back again, forgot my mobile :(
Lovely village roads
It was more lovely than it looks here
My weakness...clouds lazing over the hills
Wish the pool was a bit bigger....would have made a nice reflection of the hills
The birthplace of the Legend....Shivneri upclose
Shivneri zoomed out.
I remember this place...we were all over last time we rode to Shivneri :)
Drops from the sky changing the entire landscape
Just for a shot...
Shot of the river after getting down Ganeshkhind Ghat
Lovely scenery, cool breeze, hot wadas with chillies, gingered tea in the process, GNR playing in the ears...what do you want more for a breakfast?
Back at Malshej...water pouring down
Malshej all fog in rains
Water gushing down the valley
Useful isnt it? This foggy at 1 in the afternoon
Looked even more mightier than it looks here..
Looks like a milk stream
A close up of the floaters
Glimpses of the hills on the way back
Thats Nanecha Bot (I was up there in the morning)
My route....(well not my pic this one- copied from the net, just for reference)
