GO-Alibaag

This year, continuing my travel month after month to the places like Pattaya, Bangkok, Goa, Panchgani, San Juan Island, Seattle, Mount Rainier. This time, wheels turned towards Alibaag to welcome the monsoon. The journey wouldn't have been complete without Meenal, Piyush and Monika. All the trees and hills welcomed us with fresh green smiles. 

We started our journey late Saturday afternoon and enjoyed the hide-n-seek between clouds and sun on the way. It was late evening when we were at Kihim beach, and could pay a visit to moon-light floating on the sea-waves. This view did not last for long as clouds came back again to let moon take a set-back and it started pouring; A cup of ginger tea with Indian snacks in the drizzl, what else one can ask for! Our next destination was "Hotel Ravikiran" near Alibaag (selected after visiting a couple of hotels around), where we just crashed with a plan to get up early morning 4:00 AM and head towards Kanakeshwar Temple  :P  Apparently, this didn't materialize (as expected) 

Map to nearby place of Alibaag

Alibaag or Alibaug (Alibagh), the headquarter of the Raigad district is a coastal town in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. It's best known as 'mini Goa' for its historic marine forts, fine beaches and clean water. Located 35 km south of Mumbai, Alibaag is a popular weekend getaway for the citizens of Pune, Mumbai and nearby places. It is approx 140 km from Pune and we traversed the route via Pune-Mumbai expressway - Khopoli - Pen - Alibaag. 

Alibaag Beach: This beach has an energetic vibe. It attracts the tourists for its historic Kolaba Fort. A beautiful sunrise and sunset can be enjoyed here. We enjoyed a small trip on horse-cart in the morning. 

Kanakeshwar temple: It is situated on a hill near Mapgaon village, about 12 km away from Alibaag and falls on the way to Mandawa. It takes 700 steps to be climbed to reach the top. We couldn't visit this holy place due to lack of time. In the hopes of visiting it sometime later, we moved ahead. 

Varsoli Beach: This is relatively less visited but cleaner, beach with sparkling white sand. We stop-by this place for sometime and enjoyed mango, coconut and casuarina trees. We had Puri-Bhaaji as our morning breakfast. 

Rameshwar Temple, Chaul: While going to Birla Temple, we couldn't stop us by visiting this temple. This temple is old, but still attracts all the tourists for its vibrant colors and old heritage. Chaul is a historic town situated about 15 km away from Alibaag. It is famous for its Portuguese ruins, an old church, a synagogue, Buddhist caves, the Hamam Khana and this temple.  

Birla Temple or Vikram Vinayak Temple, Salav: Just after Revdanda, it started raining heavily, and we stopped our car on the river-bridge to enjoy the dark sheds of clouds over our heads. I don't have words to describe the view when the rains were fast approaching us from the west, it was incredible and for a moment felt like as if I was watching Discovery Channel. We could not stop on the bridge for too long as it was quite dangerous. Just a 2 km drive and we were at beautiful Birla Temple. The white idols of Ganesh, Shiva-Parvati, Radha-Krishna, Ram-Darbar and Goddess Durga were so lively that one can feel their presence in the serene environment. We could have the images only in our memories. Alas! Photography is not allowed at this place. The temple is still under construction. 

Kashid Beach: Quite a crowded place, where one can enjoy horse ride, camel ride and other rides at this beach. Meenal and Monika enjoyed the camel ride at the Kashid sea-shore. We enjoyed and relaxed at this place for sometime. Enjoy my last trip to Kashid and Murud Janjira fort. 

Murud-Janjira: Janjira is the legendary fort situated not very far from Alibaag. Due to high tides and heavy rains, we didn't opt for the Janjira fort visit. Near the Murud beach, we had our late lunch followed by tea and sweet-corn. The view covering the Murud beach with running horse-cart and the Kasa fort in the sea is eye catching.

Alibaag Fort - Kolaba (or Kulaba) fort (Not to be confused with Colaba in Mumbai): It is situated in the sea at a distance of approx 1 km from the Alibag shores. With low tides, one can easily walk to the fort in waist-deep water. However, during the high-tides, boats, horse-carriage needs to be used. We opted for horse-carriage and paid 100 INR per person. Below snap gives more info about the fort. 

Imp Note: Try to visit it during 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. or very early in the morning, when water is quiet and don't have high tides. 

It's possible to enjoy Alibaug in a day. However, if you can, the place demands 2-3 days visit. One can take walk along the sealine beaches, relax and unwind. Best time to visit Alibaag is from November to February. Monsoon season adds to the beauty, but calls for precautions at the same time. 

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Mahaganapati Ashtavinayak Temple - Ranjangaon

After Alibaag our monsoon express visited the nearby places of Shirur located between Pune and Ahmednagar. It was a day long drive with occasional monsoon drizzles. Four of us started the journey on two bikes, Tarachand & Komal on one and Meenal & myself on the other. We traversed through the below route:

View Mahaganapati Temple in a larger map

Pune - Lonikand - Koregaon Bhima - "Sanaswadi" - Shikrapur - "Ranjangaon" - Shirur - "Ramling" Old Shirur - Annapur - Takli Haji - "Nighoj Potholes" - Malthan - Chincholi Morachi - Ganegaon - Shikrapur - Pune

Shri Bhairavnath Temple, Sanaswadi

This was our unplanned stoppage, but the temple is on the roadside and quite colorful to attract the people passing-by. The temple is located between Koregaon Bhima and Shikrapur on the way to Shirur. Shri Bhairavnath is village deity. This village celebrate annual village fair in the name said deity on 2nd day of Chaitra Krishna Pakshya. All villagers celebrate the said fate with enthusiasm. On the first day of fair there are bullock cart races and on the second day, wrestling competitions are arranged. 

Within the same premises, we have Jogeshwari Prasanna and Shani Dev temples. Unlike other states, females are prohibited to go to Shani Dev temple in Maharashtra. We got the "Jalebi" as the prasad to visit this place. We wish, we could get this even more! You can visit this place while going to Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur or Aurangabad from Pune. 

Ranjangaon Mahaganpati Devasthan:

Ranjangaon village is located about 50 km from Pune on the way to Shirdi, enroute to Aurangabad. While going from Pune - Nagar highway, the route is Pune - Koregaon Bhima - then via Shikrapur Rajangaon is 21 km before Shirur. 

Ranjangaon Mahaganpati is one among the Ashtavinayak shrines of Maharashtra, celebrating eight instances of legends related to Ganesha. Outside the temple, there is small market, offering prasad, garlands, coconuts and other holy offerings for Mahaganpati. This cute idol of Lord Ganesh is also named as 'Mahotkat'; portrayed on a lotus, flanked by his consorts Riddhi and Siddhi. 

The temple is quite crowded on weekends and holy festivals, and you may have to wait for more than 30 mins for paying a visit. One also has an option of fast darshan by paying INR 50; however, the local villagers are previleged for having a direct entry to the main temple. There are a few colorful paintings on the walls depicting stories of Indian Gods & Goddesses.

Just near the parking lot, there are two decorated idols of elephants adding beauty to this holy place. While we were busy admiring these beautiful creations touching their neck bells and capturing photos, we noticed a giraffe peeping from behind. In anxiety, we headed to explore more, and found sculptures of rhino, zebra, lion, tiger in the garden. Best was the tiger whose eyes were quite frightening. This park serves not only as a picnic spot to the localities (you can easily spot people relishing home made snacks), but also a place for relaxation for workers (catching an afternoon nap in the calm & serene environment). 

Further more a huge entrance is under construction, which will make the place, easy to be identified for the tourists. Photography and videography inside the temple is not allowed. Ganesha Chaturti is celebrated in great splendor and thousands of devotees come over to pay their regards. We had our breakfast in the temple restaurant, wheeled ahead in search of "natural potholes near Takli Haji".

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Bhaja Caves and Falls - Lonavala, Pune

Pune Monsoon of 2012, has really been keeping us on wheels. After Alibaag, and Shirur, it was time for a trek to Bhaja caves, Lohagad fort and Lonavala; which was again an adhoc plan. This time Phani, Tara, Anmol, Anuradha, Komal, Meenal and the energetic kids Divit and Chetan were in our gang. If you are coming by road from Pune, you have to follow below route:

Pune - NH4 - Khamshet - Malavli (Just before Lonavala) - Bhaje village

If you are coming by road from Mumbai, you have to follow below route:

Mumbai - Navi Mumbai - Follow Pune Mumbai expressway - Khandala - Lonavala - Malavli

Train transport is cheaper either coming from Pune or Mumbai. Pune to Lonavala local train time table can be checked here. Lonavala to Pune local train time table can be checked here. 

Bhaja Caves Map

After four wheeler trip to Alibaug, 2 wheeler ride to Shirur, we preferred multi-wheeler train for this trip. :P We kick-started our trip with the early morning 6:30 am local, which took us to Malavli. To our luck, it started raining heavily! Tempted for hot tea and snacks, we took shelter in a small tapri outside the Malavali Railway Station. This is where we gathered some info on further route and relevant expenses. Our next vehicle was a 3 wheeler, which took us to Bhaje village, at the rate of INR 50 per auto. Unlike us, some of the groups had opted for a walk (2.5 km - 30 mins walk). 

Once you are here at the Bhaje Village, you feel like being at the entrance of heaven. The scenic beauty of place will leave you speechless for a few moments during monsoon. Shades of green, with white patches of clouds, topped with beauty of multiple waterfalls is really a treat for ones eyes. We had the chance to click some quick snaps at this place and climbing up and down the hill. What else do you wait for! Our lenses were all set to capture glimpse of this place. Further, you can see the stairs leading to Bhaja Caves. If you keep following the straight path (rather than going upstairs) you will reach Lohagad and Visapur forts. The inscritions and cave temple is declared as a protected monument, and listed in the archaeological survey of India. These caves will remind you of Karla and Bedsa Caves in Lonavala, if you've been there, and the smaller version of famous Ajanta and Ellora caves.

Bhaja Caves Timings and Fees:

9:30 am to 5:30 pm;  

Indian: 5 INR; Foreign Nationals: 100 INR

Bhaja caves consists of 22 rock-cut excavations and situated on a hilltop of Bhaja village, Maval Taluka in Pune district near Malavli. The excavations here consist of chaityagrahas, viharas and podhis. These are one of the important Buddhist centres of Hinayana faith in Maharashtra. The chaityagraha is a large hall having a stupa and 27 pillars in tow. The entrance of the hall is completely open and one can notice some interesting carvings inside the caves. 

We took some more group snaps at the smaller caves, besides the main hall. One irregular excavation is identified as a cemetery, which has fourteen rock-cut stupas, five inside and nine outside. If you keep going till the last cave, you will find yourelf near the Bhaja falls. Not to mention, it is possible only during monsoons! Some people also bathe and enjoy in this waterfall, but one should be very cautious, as some of the rocks become very much slippery. This water flow falls into a small pool at the roadside.  

Lush green meadows, mountains covered with clouds, sun playing hide n seek, cool breeze and serene climate, makes this place worth multiple visits during monsoons. There are two Maratha forts, Lohagad (Iron) fort and Visapur fort nearby hills. After enjoying quite a while at this historic place we continued our trek to Lohagad Fort. 

Visit the famous Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra. 

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A raining day trek to Lohagad Fort

After trek to Bhaja caves, we continued to trek to Lohagad - The Iron Fort. One can reach the foothill of the fort by walk approx 3 hours from Bhaje village to Lohagadwadi village. If you are coming by road from Pune, you have to follow below route:

Pune - NH4 - Khamshet - Lonavala - Lohagadwadi village

If you are travelling by road from Mumbai, you have to follow below route:

Mumbai - Navi Mumbai - Follow Pune Mumbai expressway - Khandala - Lonavala - Lohagadwadi village

Lohagad Fort Map

Train transport is cheaper either coming from Pune or Mumbai. Pune to Lonavala local train time table can be checked here. Lonavala to Pune local train time table can be checked here. If you are not interested in trek, you can take the cab 50 INR per person from Lonavala and reach the base village of Lohagad Fort. In that case you just have to climb approximately 500 steps. 

Though the trek from Bhaje village to Visapur and Lohagad fort is famous among tourists and trekkers prefer monsoon season for reaching the heights. We found many groups trekking on the same route. Being Saturday, it was fully crowded. The same trek can be enjoyed in summers during early morning. Prefer to cover the fort first (5-7 am so that you can adore the sunrise at the fort top.), then trek to Bhaja caves (7-9:30 am), so that you will get this historical caves gate open as per timings. 

The fort has been declared as a protected moument by the government of India. It is built on the same plateau as Visapur fort and is a part of the Lohagad-Visapur fortification. It is situated on a side range of the Sahyadris, and most of Lohagad fort is still intact. It has four large gates in good condition, and other structures as big tank and a step-well. It also has famous Scorpian tail shaped long and narrow wall-like fortified spur which is visible during a clean day. 

One can enjoy the picturesque hills, lush green fields, tranquil and serene climate. On the trek route, you can get water, nimbu paani, soft-drinks, poha, maggi and some other snacks during peak monsoon season. Don't expect much! We had the maggi break at one place. We enjoyed the trek with all our gang and stopped at a greener place for some Facebook profile pictures. Just near the foothills of the Lohagadwadi village, it started raining heavily, and we had some snacks with tea-coffee.

By the time we reached the top of the fort, it was fully covered with mist and clouds started pouring. At the apex point, there is a small tea stall which is being seen majorly in monsoon season. We just said "We conquered the fort". We all got drenched and enjoyed the moments there. During this trek my camera screen got wet, and then no further clicks from my cam. Luckily I had Tara and Phani's cam to have some random clicks. 

While returning back, just near the Lohagadwadi, we had some quick snaps of "Nine Planets" place. At the dawn time, we moved back to Lonavala railway station to catchup our train to Pune. We enjoyed the full day and played UNO playing cards game in the train. I will rate this fort higher as compare to other forts in Maharashtra, I have visited so far. 

So, Pack-up your shoes to start with Pune monsoon express.

Other Forts nearby Pune-Mumbai:

Kashid and Murud Janjira Fort

Sinhgad - The lion Fort

Purandar Fort in Western ghats near Pune

Kolaba Fort - Alibaag, A sea fort in Konkan region at Raigad

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Shivneri Fort - The BirthPlace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

This is a must visit fort in Junnar Maharashtra and famous for its architectural style which is popularly known as the "BirthPlace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj". Shivneri is a highly defensible location, with steep rocks on four sides and a strongly built citadel. The government is also putting the efforts to make this place better, and it comes under the archaeological survey of India.

It is approx 100 km to the north of Pune. From Junnar it is 2 km by road. We followed below:
Pune - Rajgurunagar - Peth - Manchar - Narayangaon - Pimpalgaon Tarfa - Junnar - Shivneri Fort Parking
Below map will help you, If you are coming from any of the sides.

Shivneri Fort Map near Junnar

Shivneri fort is popular trekking spot too. Either you can start from main entrance of the fort or from the parking area near stairs route. We stopped our car near the foothills of the fort to mark out the Shivneri caves.

Rajmarg: To enter the main fort, you have to cross tourist friendly seven gates and approx 400 steps, that is a small trek in itself. In total there are 9 Gates. Each gate is intricately carved and adds more value to this historic edifice.

Gate1 - Mahadarwarja - Main Gate
Gate2 - Ganesh Darwaja
Gate3 - Pir Darwaja: I observed face shaped rocks just near this gate.
Gate4 - Hathi Darwaja
Gate5 - Mena Darwaja
Gate6 - Gulup Gate
Gate7 - Phatak Darwaja
Amberkhana: Ambarkhana was the huge grain storage space.
Gate8 - Shivani Devi Gate: As you enter the gate, you will find "Temple of Shivai Devi" on one of the cliffs of the fort. This small temple is dedicated to the goddess Shivai Devi, after whom Shivaji was named.

Idagah
Ganga-Jamuna Taki: In the fort there are two water springs, called Ganges and Yamuna, which have water throughout the year, though quite dirty.
Kamani Masjid: We had some Rihana song snaps "Under my umbrella".

Hamamkhana

BirthPlace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: This 2-storey structure is the main attraction of the place where we reached after 1 hour. The place is locked but having Shivaji's idol and a small swinging bed. A very well preserved staircase leads to the top of this marvellous 2-storey structure. The window on top is a good place for taking a pause and enjoy the splendid view of the valley in cool breeze. Shahaji, Chatrapati Shivaji's father, was concerned for the safety of his wife Jijabai during her pregnancy as there was constant war going on. He therefore moved his family to Shivneri fort.

Badami Talav: At the centre of the fort is a water pond which is called 'Badami Talav'. We see some of the frogs were jumping in this partially filled pond. The idol of Shivaji’s mother, Jijabai and Shivaji can be observed here.
Gate9 - Kadelot Tok: You can see Junnar city view from here.

There are around 10 tanks on the Shivneri Fort and multiple well-maintained gardens. Tea, Coffee and liquid stuff were available on the fort, but not the snacks. We couldn't find a washroom in working condition. The fort can be visited in 3-4 hours all around. Throughout the trek, it offers magnificent views of the surrounding landscape and is a great place to relax and gaze at the green valley after the tiring climb.
Shivneri fort sits in the midst of several forts. To its north stand the forts of Narayangad and Harishchandragad. Jeevdhan, Chavand (Prashannagarh), Hadsar (Parvatgarh), and Bhairavgad are also close by. Five dams – Vadaj, Yedgaon, Pimpalgaon, Manikdoh and Dimbhe situated around Shivneri are also popular picnic spots.

The best time to visit Shivneri Fort is during Monsoon and we also started this year's Monsoon express visiting this place. During this time blooming and colorful flowers make the place like a rainbow. I also got the chance to have some flower proposal snaps with Meenal. The company of Hemali, Ishu, Tanuj, and Meenal made my day, and whispering wind & drizzling rain time to time took away some credit for the wonderful trip. We return back to Pune and had dinner at Amanora.

Places to visit near Shivneri Fort, Junnar:
Two kilometers away from this fort there are the Lenyadri caves which is one of Ashtavinayak temple in Maharastra.
The other one is Shree Vighanahar Ganpati Temple at Ozar.
The Shivneri group of caves is the closest to Bhimashankar with over 50 caves.

Some others forts visited in MH: Kanakdurg Fort - Harnai, Lohagad Fort, Sinhgarh Fort, Purandar Fort, Murud Janjira Fort, Alibaag Fort - Kolaba (or Kulaba) fort.

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Kashid and Murud Janjira Fort

After a long time, Our team finalized to enjoy a weekend. (Some couldn't come at the eleventh hour due to their personal reasons), but we managed to execute our plan successfully. Thanks to Shaju and all enthusiastic people for travel like me.

We decided to go to Kashid Beach and Murud Janjira Fort and prepare the plan one day back. We started early in the morning approx 6 a.m. Murud Janjira is approx 200 KM away from Pune. We followed via Mumbai Pune Expressway - Khopoli - Pen - Alibaug - Kashid - Murud. Our first stop was the breakfast point at Mumbai Pune expressway, where we have a little breakfast, which two of us (including me) puked out near Alibaug. After that, we reached Kashid beach as per our execution plan.

Kashid is a small place but attracts the people residing in Mumbai, Pune and nearby regions for weekend vacations. Kashid is famous for its white sand, blue seas, green mountains (greener during monsoon), rivulets (small river) and paddy fields. We enjoyed some time under the sun, have the horse-cart ride near the sea. Having one friend (Zabi) knowing Marathi was beneficial throughout our tour.

Some of us scrabble their names in the sand with effects :) After that we move forward to Murud area, that is approx 20 KM away, which have good hotels and has many good places for sea food lovers in this region. We have our lunch there, that was satisfying. In the way, We viewd (Kasa Fort and Murud Janjira Fort). The view covering the beach and the fort in the sea is eye catching. Janjira fort was our next spot.

Murud Janjira Fort: It is beautifully constructed in the sea (not beautiful now as most of the area is converted to ruins), but still it is worth to watch. The name may have derived from the Arabic word Jazeera (meaning 'an island'). Some people also named it as "JAL JEERA" (Fort in the water). You have to go through sail-boats to reach this fort. I wouldn't be inking more about the history of this fort.

We reached here when the sun was just above our head. This was the most hilarious part of the day, when we were boating towards the fort from the beach, as the high tides bring water three times inside the boat. You can see the thrill behind the specs of Shaju, Anjali and Shweta holding their nerve and the tightly hands being almost at the end of the boat.

The entrace is not visible till the time you reach in front of the entry stairs of this fort. While being on the boat, it reminds the song "Ye Jo Desh Hai Mera" from SRK acted "Swadesh". I captured some video with this song in its background. The sailer sails the boat technically using the wind direction and boat-curtain applying boat balance at the same time.

The entrance fee is 20 INR (Including to and fro ferry ride). The guide fee is 30 INR (per person.. also depends on, How many people are in your group to get the discount) Though they wouldn't narrate much, but the benefit you will get with them is to cover most of the part within that time span. They also said, If you are not in the same returning boat (or missed that), you have to give them 800 INR to get on the other boat.

Other than that, the fort has 4 mosques and 1 temple in it. At the middle of the fort, there is sweet water (I would say soft water) that is strange in itself as the fort is build in the sea area [No need to mention sea water being salty]. The guide told us that there is an underground natural spring (Water fountain) below the sea level.

From the top of the fort, You can see every part of the fort. At this point, wind keep on chatting with you, but you will like it even being it hot. From this fort, you can watch another fort (Padamdurg Fort, now known as Kasa Fort), that is not accessible to general public and requires special permission from the Navy.

In the rainy season, The fort remains close (mainly June-Sep mid), as the sea level increases, and there are much higher tides. Again we returned to the Kashid beach to have some sea-sports and enjoyed till the sunset. For the time being we have a cup of tea and relaxed here.

During our return, We play Antaksari (All language songs singing) throughout. Thanks to all - Zabi, Shaju, Anjali and Shweta who made this weekend trip more enjoyable. [Missing other team-mates who couldn't manage to make this somehow]

Wanna to have a look to another Fort nearby Pune-Mumbai "The Lion Fort"
Enjoy the nearby places and beaches at Alibaag.

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