INDEPENDANCE DAY WEEKEND HIKE (PART 2): MARKANDYA & JAWLYA FORT

After finishing Dhodap, we spent some minutes in Hatti village with a very hospitable old man who had a small shop. He offered us tea and told us about the origins of his people. After Rana Pratap’s defeat, many of his men got scattered all over India. One group came to Nasik region and settled in the area around Dhodap. When we left Hatti toward Babapur (our next destination village), we often stopped to ask directions and noticed the different features of the people in the villages.

From Babapur we had to make our way to the pass between Markandya and Rawlya-Jawlya. At this pass there is a tiny temple with a resident ‘baba’ who charges 100 bucks to oversee parked vehicles. From this point one has choice of going either of the two mountains. We decided to tackle Markandya first as the route was shorter and there was shelter at the top.

Since this a regular pilgrimage place, the route is well marked. Villagers are trying to make steps and at places have put up railings. It was all a work in progress as some construction material was strewn around. Luckily once we reached the upper plateau, there was only a small path and there seemed to be hardly anyone on top. There is a ‘mutth’ on the plateau where another ‘baba’ resides. It is a comfortable place to stay though the villagers are a little less hospitable; they only relented after ‘baba’ permitted us to stay. The plateau is huge and the top is quite a steep climb up. Since we did not have time, a couple of us went half-way up to a small Shiva temple. The actual temple of sage Markendeya is quite further up and was hidden in clouds.

Next morning we got up shivering with the sound of heavy rain on the tin roof. Luckily in some time, the rain receded and we set out in the mist. It took us barely 30-40 minutes to get down and by that time, the weather had changed. The sun was coming out....

Rawlya fort seen from Markandya plateau

At around 8.30 after keeping our heavy bags inside our car, we set out with necessities to go to Jawlya fort. A steep climb takes on to the vast plateau of Rawlya-Jawlya. Once on the grassy top, views of the countryside including Markandya are fantastic. We had no guide but a cowherd on the way gave us directions. The plateau of Rawlya-Jawlya is quite big and uninhabited save for one tiny settlement that lies between the two peaks. We saw no people but lots of cows and buffaloes, grazing their way to glory. And shitting a lot too! Soon our trails got lost and we had to walk through sticky mud trying to avoid cow-dung generously littered on the way! The cowherd had told us to go towards the right so we tried to follow that direction. But the mist was closing in and visibility turned low. Luckily we kept on moving to the right near the base of Rawlya and soon found a clearly marked, albeit muddy path. This path goes on the side of Rawlya until finally the hamlet comes into view.

The hamlet was basically just two huts. The villagers make ‘khava’ from the milk which is used in Indian sweets. We dragged our feet through muck to reach the huts where we asked for a guide but no one wanted to come. With no choice but to proceed without a guide we asked for directions and moved towards Jawlya which was half-hidden in clouds. There were clear trails but as we moved on, they became faint and we were not clear where we would start ascending.

Fortunately we met a villager who had brought his cows up to graze. After a little cajoling he agreed to take us to the fort. With a sickle he began cutting undergrowth and started on an ascent that was steep and obviously muddy (a feature of this place!). A path soon became visible but we would never have found it easily by ourselves. A short steep ascent led us to a small clearing in front of the rock face. Again, we would not have guessed one has to climb here. It was a thrilling rock climb, slightly exposed but no rope was needed. We eventually reached crumbling steps and remnants of a doorway. 

The doorway almost opens upwards like a hatch would; on top is a grassy expanse with almost no remnants of fortification. We walked on the small top towards to a set of tanks. It was beautiful with lovely views all around; in the distance we could make out our old friend Dhodap! One day maybe I would do the original plan of a cross country hike from Dhodap  and combine it with Rawlya – the other twin fort needs a rope.

Water tanks on Jawlya Fort

Coming back was easy and leisurely. We had done the trek in good time; it was one o’clock and we had a long flat walk back. The rain had stopped and so the mud was less squishy now! We walked back admiring the lovely quiet plateau, now revealing itself and the views around as the mist had completely lifted now. Soon we were back near our starting point; Markandya was in sight with its temple on the summit – eye-catching orange in colour. Walking back I was thankful to the rain gods for giving us views that would remain in our memories for years. The weekend was almost over now but what a weekend it was!

More pics at: https://picasaweb.google.com/115394767952469723630/DhodapJawlyaMarkandyaTrek

Directions: From Nasik, take the Bombay-Agra highway and take a diversion for Vani. From this road, one takes a diversion for Babapur, beyond which lies the pass for Markandya and/or Rawlya-Jawlya.