Jul 27, 2006 05:16 PM
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Note
The entire altimeter, temperature and air pressure readings mentioned throughout the article were taken by Casio Protek Tough Solar Triple Sensor watch - PRG 50
Raajmaachi is located amidst the Western Ghats in the Lonavala Karjat belt. Raajmaachi is not a fort as many of you readers may have accepted. Raajmaachi is a village which serves as a base for 2 forts Manoranjan and Shreevardhan. Shreevardhan is the higher of two peaks and that’s what YHAI Goregaon unit decided to visit on 23rd July 2006. The plan was to reach Karjat station on Sat night (22/07/06) by the last train and start our trek early morning next day. We reached Karjat station (55 mts) at 1:45 am. We decided to spend the night at the ST stand waiting room. We settled in at all dry places available . It was 3:00 am by now and we decided to take a small nap till 5:30 and then proceed.
At 5:30 we decided to hire 2 auto rickshaws to Kondane village. Now for readers I would like to inform that the nearest base point to proceed towards Raajmaachi is Kondaane village and not Kondiwaade. ST buses leave you at Kondiwaadi village and you have to trek another 2kms till you reach Kondaane. We boarded the auto rickshaws or TumTum as they are locally known at 6:15 am . We reached Kondaane at 7:00 am. The dropping place was at the junction of Ulhas River which has a small temple and a hotel. Trekkers should hire TumTums at night from Karjat station and lodge at this small hotel at Kondaane .
We started trek from Kondaane (55mts) at 7:30 am. We picked up a local villager to guide us to the fort . Muddy paths, slippery inclines, flowing waters greeted us as we marched on enjoying fresh air, lush green fields. We reached Kondaane caves after 1hr of trek .The caves are encapsulated by magnamous waterfall . We left from Kondaane caves (175mts) at 8:30 am. We trekked with heavy legs and constant panting as most of the climb was vertical. We took deserving breaks after every 15mins. We could see the Manoranjan peak from 200mts . We reached Raajmaachi (590mts) at 11:30. A climb of 1/2 hour from there and we were at the base of the twin forts (610mts). The place has a beautiful temple and is covered by both peaks; Manoranjan to the left and the magnamous Shreevardhan to the right. We started the almost vertical climb till we reached the steps of Shreevardhan. From here the route is really tricky where at a point you have to literally walk on slippery ridges to reach the Fort gate (710mts). The fort has an excellent architecture. We made our way towards the peak..The track is very narrow and is visited by heavy winds, The winds can knock you down hence I request all trekkers to respect nature here and keep your weight towards the mountain side while walking and stopping if you feel its necessary. We reached the highest point (765mts) at 12:15. The air pressure dropped to 910 hpa with weather graph forecasting bad weather. With temperatures hitting 19 degrees and winds we were shivering. We had our lunch & then clicked group photos.
We started downhill at 1:00 am. It was very windy with the force pushing us back . With great efforts we reached the base . From the base we were at Raajmaachi in 1/2 hour. From here the descent is tough with loose soil and mossy stones. Every corner, stone & path has to be carefully examined with various foot positions and support to get down. I would recommend trekkers to drop their egos and climb down by using all four limbs in crawling or sitting positions if needed. Due to heavy rains many water sources sprung which made us seem to be on the wrong path. Some arrows by good trekkers relaxed us. The path was really painstaking and we were totally exhausted once we came down (5:30 pm). We all took a well deserved tea and at 6pm we headed towards Karjat station in the autos. Finally reached Karjat station and waited for the train at 7:30pm to take us home for some shower, food and sleep.
Key Notes
There are two ways to approach Raajmaachi village; one via Karjat & other via Lonavala. If you enjoy trekking and are willing to slog it out then only take the Karjat route for ascent and descent during monsoons, else you should use Karjat route for ascent and Lonavala for descent. Starting point for Karjat is Kondaane (55mts) while Lonavala is (682 mts). Raajmaachi village is at 570mts. Calculate what you miss.
Total cost
Karjat to Kondaane and back, 3 Tea breaks with Breakfast, Local Guide fees .
Total cost Rs 100 per head
Don’ts
Wear jeans ,Turkish socks or clothing which will sag and increase weight.
Wear shoes which have good grip and have cuts to expel water out. If comfortable good floaters are best
Avoid wearing shorts as you might get insect stings which cause sever itching
Don’t litter around even if its paper and biodegradable. It ruins our photos
Uproot plants for your home gardens, you may be contributing in extinction
Take support of shrubs while climbing up or down. The soil is loose and may endanger others with you
Liquor /drugs /smoke
Do's
Carry camera to photograph nature. Plants like Ranhalad (Curcuma aromatica), Karvand (Ziziphus rugosa) are flowering during monsoons. The forest harbors Karvi plant (Strobilanthes callosus) which flowers in 8 yrs and u could be lucky to capture it.
If you are an amateur geologist you could find nicely polished Agate’s.
Wind cheaters, Torch, First aid in form of antiseptics, painkillers, and anti histaminic as you may get exposed to insects. If planning to stay overnight carry mosquito repellent so that you are not exposed to Dengue or Malaria
Turmeric....Sprinkling some on the leeches make them leave you body.
Glucon D or similar for mineral / fluid restoration.
Packed lunch (Avoid oily or spicy), Carry apples or pear which are excellent refreshers
Give down coming people the preference
Enjoy nature, stop at waterfalls and enjoy the thrill of getting wet
