I have a photo of myself on Harischandragad, sitting near Konkan Kada among flowers. Its an old photo from one of my earliest hikes and that particular hike was a benchmark for all other hikes in terms of personal enjoyment and satisfaction. Since it had been more than ten years since I last visited Harischandragad I had been planning to go back for quite some time. So when the opportunity came I jumped along to go with a trekking group in order to tackle the difficult ‘Nalichi vaat’ route.
It was the first time that I was going with a trekking group; my uncle Anu mama and cousin Ameya joined me and we met the group Trekmates at Kalyan station late on Friday night. We made our way by bus to Tokavde and from there to Belpada (now Walivare) village which is at the base of the fort from the Konkan side. We were a group of about thirty and we camped for the night in the village. Next morning after a cup of tea and a round of introductions we started off.
We started towards Konkan Kada at around eight o’clock. Needless to say, the views were fantastic. The walk quickly became a climb and soon we were in the ‘nali’ or the waterfall which was completely dry by this time of the year. The climb became steep but the group was full of able-bodied trekkers and we had climbed a fair amount by eleven in the morning. It was time to eat, drink and recharge.
After we started to climb the incline became steep. Generally the route takes around eight hours to climb and soon we knew why! (Everybody was feeling good about our initial speed!) As one climbs higher, huge rock walls appear and the ascent gets steeper. Luckily we reached this stage at the right time and we were spared from direct sunlight as the tree cover was zero. As one climbs higher rock patches need to be negotiated and the rock here is very unstable and loose. The good guys at Trekmates were prepared and helped everyone patiently.
Mama, after a serious cramp scare, was back in action. Ameya, as usual expertly climbed up the rock patches. Myself, I needed to use the rope at a couple of patches. We were all a bit discomforted by our bulky bags but managed to climb without any difficulty. However the group’s speed gets slowed down by rock climbing. About ten or so of us however moved ahead and finished the nali part only to find some more climbing was to be done, some of it on loose soil with some rock patches (easier ones) again thrown in for good measure.
Once on top of Harischandragad, the advance party rested, gorging on snacks (Chivda! Bakerwadi! Biscuits!) The views were fantastic but clarity was not good due to wintry haze. We rested for a while but getting restless after some time we decided to move on. There was one more climb after which we got on the top near Konkan Kada. The kada, of course is the highlight of the fort and needs to be experienced from the edge - words can’t do enough justice!
The remaining group took quite some time to reach us and we had ample time to take photos and enjoy the sunset. The weather was great all the time and this year’s late monsoon ensured that there was enough greenery around. Overall the trek was tiring; the climb is steep and long, especially with heavy bags. It was past sunset when the whole group arrived and the leaders decided to gather some wood for a campfire. From Konkan kada, Harischandreshwar temple and the caves are about half-an-hour away and we trudged exhausted in the dark, our hands full with branches and twigs. Finally we reached near the temple and caves and sat down to make a campfire. Then on songs were sung till dinner arrived.
When I visited the fort about ten years ago, it was less crowded with visitors; since then I had heard stories of littering and noise. Though it was not as bad as I had reckoned, there were enough trekkers around (a few of them behaving as if they missed a disco) and villagers had geared up to serve them (our dinner came from one enterprising villager up on the fort). The caves we stayed in were also fairly clean and rodent-free which might have do something with the villagers again…..
The whole day had been tiring and the earlier plan of getting up early for sightseeing never did materialize. We slept at eleven and got up at seven, fairly refreshed. Seeing that our group had fairly missed few of their deadlines, our trio decided to leave immediately and we were joined by three others on our way down. Me and my trekking companions enjoy our independent hikes; since we are few in number and like the peace and solitude, our route back was enjoyable. The usual route to the fort involves crossing the huge plateau. Even after several years the route is still as beautiful as it was, crossing flower strewn meadows and verdant forests.
We took about three hours to descend; after crossing the plateau we descended to theTolar Khind pass. Along the way we passed a couple of villages who now sit selling tea or nimboo-pani to trekkers (how they are spoiling us!) It was a pleasant surprise to have excellent buttermilk on the way down! Down at around twelve at Khireshwar village (the traditional base for a hike up the fort) we had some batata-poha and waited for a jeep to take us back.
The journey back home was uneventful as usual. As we took a jeep that cruised past the dammed waters around Khireshwar, we took a last look at Harischandragad, discussing plans in future when we will be back. After all there are still a few routes up this formidable fort that are worth exploring.
More photos at the following link.