Ropeway trip to Raigad Fort

"This king of forts is a precious gift to Maharashtra and a must-visit place - full of natural, majestic and historic heritage." - Quote about Raigad Fort (Raigarh Fort) in Maharashtra by Sachin Kumar Gupta

Fort Raigad is much more than a mere tourist spot, it is a sacred pilgrimage. This is the fort where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was crowned and he took his last breath. Raigad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India.  Raigarh is approx 200KM from Mumbai and 150KM from Pune and approx 140KM from Satara. From Pune, one can reach here via drive through Mulshi Dam and beautiful curves of Tamhini Ghat.
From Pune - Chandani Chowk - Mulshi - Tamhini - Nizampur – Pachad Road – Raigad
From Mumbai - Navi Mumbai - Pali - Kolad - Mumbai Goa Road - Dhalghar Naka - Pachad Road – Raigad
From Satara - Mahabaleshwar - Poladpur - Mahad – Raigad Road - Pachad – Raigad

We planned our much awaited team event this monsoon. All the friends were quite excited about the trip. A motor-able road leads to Chit Darwaja, about 2kms from Pachad, the village at the base, where lies the Samadhi of Jijabai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s mother. A long climb from Pachad takes one to the Mahadarwaza, flanked by two massive bastions and a high curtain wall. One has to climb approximately 2-3 hours with 1400-1500 steps in order to reach the top of the fort. But we opted for ropeway as planned. 

"Raigad Fort Rope-way"
Raigad Ropeway has opened a new dimension of sightseeing at the Fort Raigad in Maharashtra. There are cable cars/rope-way which take the visitors from base of the hill to the top of the fort and back. It's definitely a clever option to opt for, if you don't want to climb the full trek or don't have enough time. With this you can spend more time on the fort itself. Just near the ropeway starting point, we have small Museum  displaying artifacts which have information about Shivaji Maharaj, forts in Maharashtra and other details. Take a note that you have to wait for about '30 minutes to 1 hour' for ropeway trip in normal days, and upto 2-3 hours during peak season days. Two ways ticket for adults was 200 INR per adult and flight time is approx 4-5 minutes. 

Ropeway in itself could be thrilling experience for few and heaven for others, specially during monsoon. Raigad fort in rainy season is awesome to visit and experience of Ropeway acts like a cherry on cake. A flight through the clouds, whistling winds, full of rains, and cool foggy trip! The sun was playing hide and seek. Many waterfalls and amazing greenland views can be seen while being at ropeway. The Ropeway drops you near Mena Darwaja. The fort’s 5.12 sq. kms hill-top plateau, has three main points Hirkani in the west, Takamak in the north and Bhavani in the east. 

There are many attractions around Raigad Fort with magnificient views. Per our experience, this place can be explored in below order, in order to enjoy it the best (if you are coming by ropeway)
    Ropeway
    Meena Darwaja: a special entrance for the royal ladies and the queens.
    Hirkani Buruj: Just on the top, there is MTDC resort nearby.
    Queens Palace: Its ruins today consist of the queen's quarters: six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. Each one is bigger than 2 BHK flats.
    Rajyasabha Graha
    Nagarkhana Darwaja
    Palkhi Darwaja: The convoy of the king and the king himself used this gate.
    The 12-sided two-storey towers just look awesome during monsoon, this place is must seen place of the fort.
    Ganga Sagar Lake: The picturesque place contains main water reservoir for the fort.
    Holicha Mal: It is a wide-open ground, used for annual Holi festival. There is a temple of Shirkai Bhavani, a presiding deity of the fort.
    Market place (Bazaar Peth): There are few small shops selling few snacks and drink at many places.
    Takmak Tok: a cliff point from where the sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This is a must visit point, but the area is now fenced off, so please be aware of while walking.
    Jagdishwar Temple: The floor of temple is super cool in monsoon, as we were bare feet.
    Shree Samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj
    Throne of Shivaji Maharaj

We also had chance to meet Marathi delicacies at one of the villager's home. It was economic and an experience in itself. Raigad Fort is worth visiting over the weekend with your family, kids (If taking rope-way) or even as part of project groups. Everyone - Gaurav, Gyanu, Paresh, Sarika, Vaibhav, Vijay had lots of fun throughout the trip. 

Raigad fort is ideal for camping. If you are planning to trek in the night, ensure that you are trekking with experienced trekkers and have good flashlights with you. One can stay overnight, at the top of the fort. We would love to go this place again, and will definitely plan for an overnight stay.

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Fort Pratapgad near Mahabaleshwar

Fort Pratapgad (Pratapgarh Killa)

If you are visiting Mahabaleshwar, and have 3-4 hrs to spare, Fort Pratapgad is worth visiting, which is approx 25 KM away from Mahabaleshwar. If you are in Mahabaleshwar for 2 or 3 days stay, count this fort in your travel list. From Pune it is 150 KM, from Mumbai it is 200, and from Satara it is approx 70 KM.

Pune - Panchgani - Mahabaleshwar - Pratapgad Road - Pratapgad Fort
Mumbai - Khopoli - Pali - Kolad - Mahad - Poladpur - Pratapgad Rd, Rajpuri - Fort

We saw many waterfalls during the ghat area on the way to Pratapgarh on the road side, which would bloom during peak monsoon season. During monsoons, visibility is quite low, due to dense fog, so drive carefully specially on turns and hairpin bends. You can reach out to parking place by vehicle, and then by walk and by climbing the stairs to reach the top. There are step numbers also marked at many places. There would be approx 400 stairs to climb but its not really tiring, when you reach on the top and see the views, these are really worth. During the stair route, there are many shops who sell souvneirs and snacks. Quite a variety of Maharashtrian food options are available at reasonable price. As Tanuj was quite inquisitive about Maharashtrian Delicacies, we tried all varieties.

This fort has a great historical significance...Afzalkhan, enemy of maratha empire came to this fort with the plan to kill Chhatrapati Shivaji, but Chhatrapati Shivaji defeated him even though he was much younger than Afzalkhan and later Chhatrapati Shivaji built a huge Maratha Empire. Thats a short history of this fort.

There is a small garden on top with a big statue of Chhatrapati situated is in the center. We bow our head in respect to the Maratha warrior king. The place was covered with fog blanket during most of the times, which makes this place more beautiful. The sun was playing hide and seek, whereas side mountains were covered with dense fog, sometimes sunlight and shadows. It feels fresh and lively, once you reach the top and with rains, it was even more beautiful. 

Fort is divided into several parts. From the fort, you can watch out below points within and breathtaking views outside the fort:

Afzalkhan Tomb
Ancient Cave (Shivkaleen Guha)
Ancient Lake (Shivkaleen Taalab)
Bale Killa
Cannon Attack Points
Chhtrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj Statue
Jawali Valley (Jawali Khore)
Kokan Darshan
Mahabaleshwar View
Main Gate
Makarand Fort (Makarand Garh)
Pratap Garden (Pratap Garden)
Punishment Point
Royal Court (Rajdarbaar Sadar)
Royal Path
Shri Bhawani Mata Temple
Shri Hanuman Temple
Shri Kedareshwar Temple
Under Ground Tunnel (Chorwaat)
Watch Tower

Best way to cover the fort, is to stroll around the fort wall fencing which has stairs and flat areas to walk. It took us 3 hours to be back to parking place. I am not sure if Maharashtra can learn from Rajasthan on how to maintain forts and monuments; but by government, local people, and tourists collaboration and efforts, we can maintain these places. As of now, this place really requires maintenance, the bathrooms are very bad, try to avoid them. Just be careful of the monkeys here. :) I just loved this place and being with Meenal and Tanuj, it added on to the fun.

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Lingmala Waterfall near Mahabaleshwar

Quote of the Post: "At Lingmala waterfall, you will love to get lost in the sound of waterfall and clouds chasing you, time to time." - Quote about Lingmala Waterfall near Mahabaleshwar by Sachin Kumar Gupta

Nature, Water, Lakes, Waterfalls! This trip was the dip to the places like Thoseghar Waterfall, Kaas Plateau, Tapola 'The Mini Kashmir', cloudy Mahabaleshwar, and Lingmala Waterfall during the monsoon weekend. We reached this place at the evening. I love the unique sounds and the power of flowing water, whether it is the sea-waves or a waterfall. If you are searching for Lingmala waterfall, you are at the right place.

Dudhsagar waterfall, Lingmala waterfall, Thoseghar waterfall, Dhobi waterfall, and Chinaman's waterfall are the famous waterfalls in Maharashtra. This place has advantage of being near to famous hill stations like Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra. It is easy to access from both Panchgani and Mahableshwar. Below map will help you to reach Lingmala waterfall (D) from nearby places - Mumbai (A), Pune (B), Panchgani (C), Mahabaleshwar (E), Tapola (F), or Satara (G).

Lingmala Waterfall Road Map

Entry Fee: INR 10 person and INR 10 additional for the camera. [as of Sep'13]

This place is full of natural beauty and has a pleasant climate. To experience this you need to visit Lingmala Waterfall in the rainy season. The best time to visit Lingmala waterfall is July to October (or November) during monsoon season. During the entire rainy season it has a great flow of water. You may experience heavy rainfall and lovely clouds following you during evening. The area is quite serene and tranquil, with clouds and dark woods in a hilly area. After entrance, there is a set of stairs, leading to the main point. Proper directions are given that lead to Chota Dhabdhaba (small waterfall) to the left (100 meters), and Bada Dhabdhaba (big waterfall) to the right (1200 meters).

We took the right turn first, and followed the stairs-route. These are properly maintained and promoted and also there are sensible gaps so that water doesn't fill in the walking treks. This trek reaches at an exit point, from where everyone just enjoy the picturesque vistas of Bada Dhabdhaba (big waterfall) that descends from the cliff and eye-soothing green valley alongwith a series of waterfalls. There were some monkeys roaming on the way, some of the them jumping from one tree to another. Please be on alert, if you have some food with you. We did some trick photography with snaps of waterfall flowing from the water bottle.

At Chota Dhabdhaba you can see waterfall originating point, and many people enjoy bathing and having a break here, We stayed some more time here and enjoyed along-with some nice photographs. This place is a clean pond, where many small waterfalls meet. This place is full of visitors that just adore the views of the waterfall. Don't miss the opportunity to get wet and drench in the waterfall. If you are planning to take shower and enjoy the water-flow  visit this point first and bring your towel and changing clothes with you.

No matter how much pressure you feel at work, you will be relaxed here and forget all your woes. There are some hotel and restaurants nearby where it is possible to eat vegetarian and non-vegetarian food after visiting the area. After coming out of the campus, we had tea and snacks at Mapro Garden and take home some juice and other stuff back to Pune.

Other nearby places to visit: One can easily combine visiting Venna Lake during one day or two days trip to Panchgani or Mahabaleshwar.

Boating at Tapola - 'The Mini Kashmir' of Maharashtra.

Kaas valley of flowers near Satara

A day at 'Grand Canyon of India - Mahabaleshwar'

A day trip to Panchgani - 'Five hills of Sahyadri'

Thoseghar waterfall near Satara during monsoon.

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Thoseghar waterfall near Satara

Quote of the Post: "After watching Thoseghar waterfall, you are tuned to attract towards it." - Quote about Thoseghar Waterfall near Satara by Sachin Kumar Gupta

You say the word 'waterfall' and the image of huge water body dropping from a high cliff in midst of a green valley, comes to the mind. If you are searching for Thoseghar waterfall, you are at the right place. You definitely should visit Thoseghar to admire the masterpiece created by God with various shades of white, green and golden color. A few other famous waterfalls in Maharashtra, in addition to Thoseghar are Dudhsagar, Lingmala, Dhobi and Chinaman's waterfall. 

We saw many windmills on our way while coming from Pune. If you have some time, Take a side trip to the nearby windmills farm at Chalkewadi. The scenic Thoseghar waterfall is one of Maharashtra's tallest waterfall. Its height is around 500 meters; which makes Thoseghar even special. Thousands of waterfall lovers come from all over Maharashtra to visit this place, especially during the rainy season. The best time to visit Thoseghar waterfall is July to October (or November) depends on rainfall.

You can experience nice views of waterfall flowing from the cliff during the entire rainy season. There are a series of waterfalls, some of them ranging 15 to 50 meters and tallest one of 500 meters in height, in the valley. This place is full of natural beauty and has a pleasant climate. To experience this you need to visit Thoseghar Waterfall in the rainy season. Thoseghar Waterfall is just 25 km from the city of Satara, Maharashtra. It is situated near the Sahyadri hill, at the edge of the Konkan region and 40 km away from famous Kaas plateau (Kaas flower valley). Below map will help you to reach Thoseghar waterfall (E) from Satara (F), and nearby places - Mumbai (A), Pune (B), Panchgani (C), Mahabaleshwar (D) or Solapur (G).

Thoseghar Waterfall from nearby Places

Entry Fee: INR 10 person and INR 10 additional for the camera. 

There are 2 major points marked as Chota Dhabdhaba (small waterfall), and Bada Dhabdhaba (big waterfall). To reach all these place, proper directions with good stairs and instructions are given. The area is quite serene and tranquil, with a clean lake located between the dark woods. One can pay visit to the vistas of Bada Dhabdhaba (big waterfall) and eye-soothing green valley. There is a picnic area and a newly constructed platform which gives a good view of the waterfall. This place was full of visitors busy adoring the view of the waterfall.

At Chota Dhabdhaba you can see waterfall originating point, which is an easily accessible water stream and it's quite safe to get into it. We stayed here for 30-40 mins only, because of time constraint, else we wouldn't have moved from here for at least a couple of hours. We had to head for our next destination - the Kaas Flower Valley.

After coming out of the premises, we had tea and some snacks just near the parking area. There are a few restaurants nearby where you can find vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. This is a popular picnic spot located in the Satara District. There are many attractions like boating at Tapola and Kaas Plateau which attract many tourists not only from India but from around world.

Other nearby places to visit:

Boating at Tapola - 'The Mini Kashmir' of Maharashtra.

Kaas valley of flowers near Satara

A day at 'Grand Canyon of India - Mahabaleshwar'

A day trip to Panchgani - 'Five hills of Sahyadri'

Lingmala waterfall near Mahabaleshwar during monsoon.

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A Boat Trip at Mini Kashmir - Tapola

Quote of the Post: "Tapola truely deserves the appreciation and definitely lives upto the tag of 'Mini Kashmir'. If you haven't visited Tapola, you haven't visited Maharashtra." - Quote about Tapola near Mahabaleshwar by Sachin Kumar Gupta

After visiting Thoseghar waterfall and Kaas Plateau of seasonal flowers near Satara, we stayed at Hotel Shivneri near Shiv-Sagar Boat club. If you want to feel the calmness and beauty of Tapola, just stay here for two days, and you'll wish to be here forever. We headed to Shiv-Sagar Boat Club post our breakfast. Our hotel was just near to Shiv Sagar Boat Club, so we reached there in no time.

Tapola can be visited throughout the year, however the best time to visit is from September to February, when you can enjoy clean and clear water. The place attracts heavy rains during monsoon. Tapola is a perfect holiday destination, only 25 km away from Mahabaleshwar, but it never got the fame as it should. The journey of 1- 1/12 hr from Satara or Mahabaleshwar, is a destination in itself. You can enjoy the route between the high Sahyadri hill ranges and the dark woods. Below is the map to Tapola (D):

Tapola - Mini Kashmir Map

Tapola sits at the convergence of the Koyana and Solshi rivers, and is a complete blend of natural beauty, seasonal waterfalls, mountains, tranquility, greenery, invigorating air and pristine ambience. The view of Koyana river on one side and Solshi river on the other, is really beautiful. 6 hours driving distance from Mumbai (290 km) or 5 hours from Kolhapur (200 km) or 4 hours from Pune (150 km) make it ideal for longer stay.

The dam is the biggest in Maharashtra - known as 'Shivsagar' which stretches 90 km long and serves as a water reservoir to the Koyana Dam. Shivsagar Lake and river camps are major tourist attractions here. Shivsagar dam is very popular for motor boats, which are available with nominal charges. Motorboats, Speed boats and scooter rides are the popular boating means; others enjoy kayaking and swimming. There are many unknown forts in deep forests around the lake.

Tapola Sightseeing: Tapola is full of attractions – From Shivsagar Boat club, you can see and reach differnt points, including a few islands and return to boat in following order and timings:

- Shivsagar Darshan (45 mins - 6 km)

- Triveni Sangam (1 hr 30 mins - 12 km)

- Datta Mandir (2 hrs - 20 km)

- Vasota Fort (3 hrs 30 mins - 30 km)

- Koyana Abhayaranya (4 hrs - 40 km)

Tapola is the base camp for one of the most exhilarating treks that one can go for in Maharashtra. Places mentioned above are completely cut off from civilization and can be reached only by a boat. The weather is exhilarating even in the peak of summer. So, if you are up for a challenge, take the forest authority permission in advance and be early in the morning to go to conquer Vasota Fort or Koyana Abhayaranya. One can find various animals in the dark forests such as tigers, bears and wild fox. The starting point of all these points is Shivsagar Boat club. We opted till Datta Mandir as that day, authorities didn't allow the trip till last point. After booking we got our turn soon, and ride in the boat with Meenal, Anmol, Priyanshu, Piyush and Monika.

While to the Shivsagar Darshan by boat journey, The surrounding views of the river were breathtaking and pleasant. Triveni Sangam is small island at the junction of three rivers. Our first stoppage was famous Datta Mandir, where we stepped out and roamed around for about an hour. The famous Shiv Temple, located below the lake level on this island, is the major attraction. We just wanted to be here as long as we could stay. 

We also enjoyed the vistas of a small beautiful village Bamnoli, located on the shores of Shivsagar lake. It was surprising and certainly unbelievable for us, to see the villagers carrying their home-luggage and other daily necessities by boats, loaded with more than 20 people at once. At one hand we could never imagine leading such a difficult life, on the other we see these people leading their lives happily.

Tapola is popular with nature and adventure lovers and photographers for trek and relish the scenic beauty. If you are a water sports enthusiast, Tapola is the best place to head to. It pleases mind by its nature and makes you forget all your urban woes. It was a action packed and rejuvenating weekend for us, after that we approached towards Mahabaleshwar following Lingmala waterfall during evening on our way back to Pune.

Next time I am planning to pay a visit, for a 'River Camp at Tapola'. Other nearby places to visit:

Kaas valley of flowers near Satara.
Thoseghar waterfall near Satara during monsoon.
A day at 'Grand Canyon of India - Mahabaleshwar'
A day trip to Panchgani - 'Five hills of Sahyadri'
Visit to Lingmala waterfall near Mahabaleshwar during monsoon

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Kaas Plateau of Flowers near Satara

Quote of the post: "A photographer's heaven and a botanical garden with a colourful carpet of millions of tiny wild flowers spread across." - Quote about Kaas Plateau near Satara by Sachin Kumar Gupta

  

We were planning to visit Kaas Plateau since long. We visited this place after Thoseghar waterfalls in Satara. The place is also known as 'Kaas Pathar' which is situated in western ghats. Kaas plateau of flowers, a few kilometers ahead of Satara in Maharashtra, is a magical piece of land and is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. 

The place displays one of the most spectacular natural events of wild Maharashtra during the latter half of the year. Depending on the monsoon and other weather factors, these flowers bloom on their own and stay for about 3–4 weeks. So the best time to visit the place is in Aug - Sep - Oct when rain is at its end leaps. It is not only a botanical garden, but also a photographer's heaven. Recently it has been declared as Biodiversity World heritage site by UNESCO.

Kaas Plateau Fees: There is INR 10 entry fee per person for visiting the place. There is also an online site 'kas.ind.in' where you can book in advance alongwith your vehicle details. We took the entry tickets online in advance, and showed mobile confirmation while visiting. You can reach this place from Satara. Below is the route map to Kaas Valley (D) from Pune (B), Mumbai (A), Mahabaleshwar (F), Panchgani (G), Tapola (E) or Satara (C).

Kaas Plateau of Flowers (D) Maharashtra Map

It was mesmerizing to view different colors and shades of millions of tiny wild flowers spread across Kaas Plateau at the dusk. Sun was bidding adieu and trickled it's rays creating a magical effect across. As per the info available there, valley has more than 850 different species of flowers and other plants including Orchids, Karvy and carnivorous plants such as Drosera Indica. 

Now Satara forest division and its organizers have placed fencing across both sides to preserve it. However, they do allow people to enter the fence on foot; no vehicles allowed inside. The walking pathway is clearly marked so that people don't walk over the flowers and there are a few caretakers to prevent it. We took many photographs from inside and outside the fencing. It was sunset time when yellow and red sun-rays make the valley more beautiful. The earthen smell of the soil along with the dramatic play of clouds and lights amidst the blue vast sky make the place a truly breathtaking spectacular, for human eye.

There are a few instructions which visitors are expected to follow - 'to do' , and 'not to do' (by Satara Forest Division):

Dont's:

*Pets are not allowed.

*Smoking is strictly prohibited.

*Don't litter or throw garbage.

*Don't pluck the flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves etc, for any purpose.

*Don't use this place for eating.

*Don't damage the flowers, plants, wild life etc, while taking photographs.

*Don't try to cross the barricade/fence. 

*Don't park your vehicles on road/plateau.

Do's:

*Please keep Kaas Plateau clean.

*Drop the litter in garbage box only.

*Park your vehicles only at the designated places only.

*Co-operate with the Kaas staff, volunteers, police working here.

*Please record your valuable suggestions in the register kept with forest staff.

Please note if you have expectation of watching large flowers, you are at the wrong place. Now a days this and its nearby places are one of the most famous picnic spot for locals. The place is increasing its popularity by leaps and bounds with the support of Satata tourism and localities. It has an small lake named 'Kaas Talav'. We drove down the curves from Kaas Plateau and passed by Kaas Talav and headed towards 'Tapola - Mini Kashmir' for night stay. Trip with Meenal, Anmol, Priyanshu, Piyush and Monika made this even more special. More during my next visit to Kaas.

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