Imagine you are travelling on a highway in the outbound
areas connecting the cities .......you tend to look around and see mountains
...your mind starts identifying patterns and shapes more humanly....so much so
that you start talking to them......
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| Asherigad Hill- Spot the Single Coconut tree on the Hill if you can |
Does this happen to you? It does to me and more often
than not.....this time in the winter of 2013 on the NH-8 at
Palghar.....and popped into my eyes was the hill of Asheri Fort........
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| The 'Waghoba' Temple |
What is most significantly noticeable here is a single coconut tree standing on an adjoining hill.....at such height....rarely does one see a coconut tree at such a height..........
The way to the top starts from the beginning of the Khodkona village
marked by the 'Wagobha' temple and a few small
houses.
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| The Trail begins |
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| On the Way Up |
The trail begins with a large number of various trees which were pale in February and the dry leaves laid on the path make crackle sound as you walk on them, very similar to the munching of chips.
Further as the ascend starts smaller rocks appear never too high
to really bend your knees. The cover of the trees shadow the path in the
interim.
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| The 'Waghoba' Structure again |
On the way there are stones with faded marks showing the way to the top.
After an hour or so you gain sufficient altitude to look back and enjoy
the views of the endless fields ......Here you see another 'Waghoba' Small structure.......cut into its shape from a stem of a tree itself.....paint dubbed by the vermilion.....
The climb up from here becomes steeper....
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| Steeper Hills |
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| The Secret Route to somewhere... |
There is an opening here which seems to be a secret route. By our understanding it must have
led to the fort in the earlier times...but now the path seems dead ....
Moving up from here you reach the best part of the trail...a 15 feet high rock patch with a narrow way to make it to the top. Here you can get that rock climber's tickle in your stomach where you actually root your feet as well as your palms into the notches in the rocks to grip and almost crawl your way through.
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| The Rock Patch around 15 ft |
View of the valley from here as you pass the hurdle justifies the worth of the effort put in to do so.......
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| View of the Valley |
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| Rajachi Topi or Portuguese reminiscence |
Here one can see a mark of the territory of the King of the Fort...with
his crown carved in a rock as per the natives..but historians claim it the reminiscence of the Portuguese Rule ..
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| Steps Leading to the Fort |
The path leads way to a series of steps in the upward climb and you reach to a flatter portion on the top of the hill roughly around 2 hours from the base.
The top is a blessed with a couple of lakes and many water cisterns around 14 of them located around the periphery.
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| The Clear Lake on Top of the Hill |
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| The Lake with a Lotus Plantation on Top of the Hill |
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| The Cave Temple at the Top |
It also has a cave temple and the locals tell a interesting story
about an immigrant Monk who stayed at the top of the fort for a good
couple of years.
As per the natives, the Sadhu along with a few assists which
included women are responsible for the development you see at the temple, the
marble seating and the collapsible steel gate. It was a good place to sit and
gulp in some of the roti rolls, bananas and sip in the juices......
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| Hindu Holy Book of Bhagwat Geeta |
The cave is big enough to shade 8 to 10 people comfortably and is also breezy....There is a leftover of the Holy Hindu Book 'Bhagwat Geeta', very much in distort , the legacy of the Sadhu...
Just above the cave temple is a vast bed of flat rock where you can lie down looking in the blue sky....and loose yourselves..Its an amazing moment that one can experience with the varying breeze at that height and fillers to the eyes full of blue and green...the whistling sound of the air and the sigh of relief in your breath....things come to life here and its a perfect place to ponder....
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| On the Top Rock Bed |
If your move around you can explore areas most of which are
impacted by the Sadhu......I had a mix feeling
about this guy. Frankly he was good in making some developments, but at the same time being a
fake preacher ( as natives claim) and influencing the villagers is not a good act. The villagers were clear enough though
about their ideas when they got him and his gang out of the place by complaining
the local Tehsildar and the help of the police ........
Whatever it was the story was
interesting.......
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| View of the NH8 and the mountains beyond |
It added a bit of flair to the panorama that we enjoyed on
the top as we moved around .........You can see the NH8 from here clearly passing in between this hill and the range of hills on the other side with articulate peaks ..
The descend down the hill is comparatively easier with the views in background especially when you meet the same rock patch area and the steps.
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| Baskets |
Down at the
base some quality time can be spent in the houses to get a feel of the village
life.The silent house ventilated naturally with the shingle roofs make you realise the sudden cooling effect just as you enter it throw a narrow door.
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| Inside the Village House |
The smell of the cow-dung laid for the floor finish took me back to my childhood days when I visited my native house in konkan. The heaps of fodder kept for the cattle, the wood cut for the fire. The basket made from the coconut leaves. Everything was here.....and just a few kms away from Mumbai...
Finally I tried to move from there with a heavy heart and began to walk towards the highway. In the way I met an interesting creature.....in
fact it took time for me to realize that it was something living as it was just
leaves moving due the air is what I initially thought....
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| Dead Leaf Mantis - Now that's a tricky one ..... Spot it if you are sharp enough... |
But it had a pattern due to which we could make out that it was
the dead leaf mantis .....and could capture it too...Man....Only seen on National Goegraphic before ..this animal was a definition of how one can adapt oneself to fight for survival in this journey of Life...........
This merry trek in the Khodhona Village will be remembered for the interesting facets of LIFE that I discovered.....
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