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| Starting trek from Kamthe Village |
‘Aswal Khind’ literally means ‘bear pass’ and the name seems to have originated from bears infesting the thick jungles around. While the forest in itself is as dense and wild as imagined, the pass itself is not very obscure and seemed like a well-trodden past. I don’t know if bears are present in this part of the Western Ghats anymore but I could certainly imagine wild cats prowling in the dark!
I had heard about Aswal Khind in reports of a route from Raireshwar plateau to Konkan. Most visitors had mentioned walking in the wilderness of the large plateau till they came to the end which is characterized by a hole in the rock (Nakhind), from where a difficult route ascended to Aswal Khind. Many did not make the route or others just got lost even before Nakhind. With this kind of info, Aswal Khind gained stature in my eyes. Definitely something worth visiting; however this was not that hike.
Me and my regular trekking companions went with a group from Pune who was organizing a ‘pilot trek’ to Aswal Khind (though with 45 people I don’t know why the term ‘pilot’ was used). However we would be only doing this pass which connected Kamthe village in Konkan to Kudali village on the plateau (somewhat near Bhor). The trek reminded me of a previously well-cherished hike to Dhavle Ghat which is nearby. They shared similar characteristics though Dhavle was much more wilder!
The trek starts by reaching Kamthe village which has to be reached from Poladpur (also the place from where road to Dhavle starts). From Kamthe a well trodden path climbs steadily upwards going closer and closer to the mountains that surround this village on almost three sides. In the morning, when we started, rain was falling and the waterfalls around were a wonderful sight.
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| Route through thick vegetation |
A guide is necessary as the hills are densely forested and in monsoon, most of the tops are hidden, making identification difficult. The rain stopped as we climbed but save for a clearing at one level, most of this trek is well shaded, as the path goes into lovely forests. Our guides had bought their sickles to cut through the dense growth. Waterfalls guzzled all around us and we often crossed them merrily. As we went higher, the trek became steeper. Rain started falling and mist enveloped us. After about three or so hours, we finally reached the top of Aswal khind.
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| Looking back at the route from Kamthe from a waterfall |
At the pass, there are huge boulders on which the guides were sitting as we huffed and puffed up the slope. They told us that on the right was Raireshwar with the Nakhind point but of course it was hidden now in clouds. The way ahead moved downwards and would go through a leech-infested forest. Socks were hiked up with trouser hems stuffed inside. We would now be walking without pausing till we cleared the forest. The route here was unclear and the forest floor was full of fallen leaves. After about 30-40 minutes we reached a stream after which the forest cleared. Crossing the stream I looked back to see the mountains of Raireshwar, their peaks still hidden in clouds. But the mist had cleared and I could see a depression between the forested hills where Aswal Khind lay.
Eventually we walked a bit more and had to cross the same stream again; this time it had grown in size and we had to be careful. A few dogs who had been following us from the start were scared and my cousin had to carry them in his arms. We eventually reached the road which goes to Kudali village. Our bus was waiting there but a tire was flat. While the driver took care of that we gave our tired bodies a soothing hydrotherapy session in the flowing stream nearby. Coming back was a pain as to reach Bombay, we had to reach the main highway to Bhor (vehicles as well as ST buses available), catch a bus to Mahad (2 hours) and then a long ride to Bombay on a bumpy road (shame to call the Mumbai-Goa road a national highway!) The aches and pains of that long tiring journey are gone and only memories of the lovely Aswal khind remain; it was much tamer than expected but enjoyable nevertheless!
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| Raireshwar from other side of Aswal Khind |
