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| Moragad-Mulher-Hargad Panorama (courtesy: Ameya) |
For the yearly August hike (taking place mostly on 15th
but this year shifted to 18th due to a long weekend) I had planned an
outing to Nasik area. I had a painful experience on a hike to Salher-Mulher
forts a decade ago after which I vowed not to return to this area for hikes.
But time changes people and I was ready to revisit these great forts again.
First on our itinerary (we drove from Nasik on Friday night
and reached Saturday morning) was Mulher fort. The fort is actually a twin fort
with Mulher and Mora citadels and a third fort Hargad joined by a col. On my
earlier trip we had lost our way and probably done only the main fort. This
time I was determined to do all three.
Because of the car we reached the foothills passing through
and beyond Mulher village. The weather was perfect with light rain and clouds
hiding the forts. The first part of the climb takes one to the forested Mulher
Machi which is littered with crumbling ruins like the beautiful Ganesh Mandir.
A guide is helpful as there are several paths here but it should not be too
difficult to reach the top. Several doorways are encountered on the route and the
atmosphere was seeped in history. A good climb takes one to a carved Hanuman in
the cliff face from where more doorways take one up to the grassy top.
The top is flat with several water tanks and some desolate
ruins. Mulher is described as a ‘beautiful’ fort and its an apt description.
The route to the top led through a nice forest, now filled with flowering
bushes. The top was open and gave us fantastic views all round. The start of
the Baglan range with Mangi-Tungi, Tambolya and Nhavi Killa was visible across
the plains.
Walking past the whole length of the fort, we moved towards
left (eastward) towards the twin fort of Mora. We had to climb down through a
Chor Darwaja to reach the steps leading to Mora. The top was smaller than
Mulher but equally beautiful giving great views of the neighbouring Mulher
fort. There is a large water tank here too above which we sat contemplating the
beauty and peace around.
Next on agenda was Hargad. To reach this fort we had to
climb down from Mora and then to Mulher machi from the common col. This took us
to the revered Someshwar Mandir which was noisier due to frequent visits from
villagers (and a baba who has taken permanent residence). We walked along the
whole length of the machi towards west to reach the common col between the two
forts. Unlike Mora, one has to descend to the Machi level and take a longer
walk. A broken gateway is a marker here.
Being higher Hargad is a tougher proposition as the route is
up a steep gully which is thickly forested. The climb was strenuous as our
guide took us very fast up the route; doorways appeared but the fort top was
still far away. At the top, few ruins and bushy expanses greeted us. We were
rewarded with beautiful views of Mulher and Mora. Another large water tank on
the fort requires a descent but from here the sharp outline of Salota was
visible. The top of Hargad played hide and seek in clouds throughout the day
but we were lucky to get a break so that we could enjoy the views.
Our visit to Hargad ended as the clouds took over the fort.
There is a cannon on the fort but we skipped it and started moving down as we
wanted to reach base before nightfall. Descent was quicker and we reached down
in good time, moving from the common col of Mulher-Hargad to a long ridge
falling from Hargad. Down at the base, my cousin took a panoramic shot of the
entire range; looking at the three mountains we felt proud of having done three
forts in a day before the sun had set!
How to reach: From Nasik travel to Satana, then Taharabad
and finally Mulher village (about 134kms from Nasik).
Where to stay: One can possibly stay at the temples on the
machi as the caves on the top are messy. Near Mulher village is Uddhav Maharaj
Mandir which is hospitable to trekker and they give out clean rooms to stay and
are most helpful and informative.
Pictures at: https://picasaweb.google.com/115394767952469723630/BaglanTrek?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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