A Sheer cliff and a mountain pass which is stretched over western ghats providing the magnificent view of great bend of Sahyadri. Yes, you guessed it right! It’s a place which is famous as an ancient trading route connecting the Konkan coast with Deccan plateau through Junnar. Nane means coin and ghat means pass – Naneghat. A beautiful patch with a grand cave depicting the ruling of Satvahan dynasty with links in Brahmi inscriptions over the wall.
The journey started around 3 pm from Chakan chowk by a traveler bus. I joined a group of enthusiasts from JABIL company who are passionate about exploring new places and so do I. The journey started with interesting talks and conversing around with new people.
The plan was about camping up on plateau. It was interesting to know that the team had divided themselves into Kitchen, tent and bonfire team. The kitchen team took all the required vegetables for the preparations. The market was flooding with fresh vegetables and fruits. After a small break, we headed to Chavand fort.
We took a divergence from Narayangaon towards Chavandwadi- the base village. It is small village with a beautiful temple in center. The sun settled down as soon as we reached to base.
The team leader gave us basic tips and precautions while trekking up. Forming pairs, we started climbing in torchlight. The fort has well built steps which offers the beautiful views of the small villages’ downside. The lamps lighted by villagers was resembling to a chain of lights which are lighted during festivals. So beautiful!
The weather was cool, and the winds were reliving us. After climbing several steps, a sudden ascent appeared in the way. It has railing on a side but still it is risky while climbing in night. Everyone passed it in no time while heading to the main entrance.
The massive announcements of “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja ki jai!” at the entrance ignited the enthusiasm all around. Though it was night, but the ruins can be easily seen in moonlight. After a walk around fort, we reached to center. There lies a temple of goddess which is worshiped by villagers. We settled down for some time while enjoying the cool winds flowing above.
The descent was quite easy and in no time, we all reached down to village. In night treks the torches are must to carry to avoid steeping over any crawling creature. The villagers were king enough to provide some firewood. After getting fresh at the well, we next headed to main spot- Naneghat.
After travelling a distance of 12 KM, we reached to the base village Vaishakare. We got down from traveler and carried all luggage to the camping area. The plateau is flat enough to mount tents over it. The firewood team collected dry grass around and started preparing for the fire with wood collected in village.
In no time, the Chulha got set up. Kitchen team started cutting vegetables along with tea preparation. The tempting smell of ginger tea catalyzed the preparations even faster, haha!
The tent team was setting up 4 tents which will allow 3 people each. After setting up, everyone gathered near bonfire. It started getting colder as the time passed. The temperature drastically reduced and cold winds started hitting.
The master chef decided the menu of Masala Pulav. The tasty preparation of rice with all the spices and lot of veggies to make it even more delicious. I like cooking and so was part of Kitchen team. The fire was settled nicely around the vessel boiling the veggies and rice.
Meanwhile, we all participated an activity – Get to know! In this activity, you have to introduce your fellow travel partner with their strengths and details which other do not know. Sometimes, it happen that we take friends grated and this was the time to praise them. Some people got emotional while some got touched by the heartful appreciation. Travelling not only expose to new places but it also enhances the bonds between people to create ever lasting memories.
Soon, a strong smell of spices entering in nostrils ignited the taste buds. The Pulav was nicely cooked and was served with pickle and papad. Everyone was hungry like a hog and finished the tatsy meal in no time. Eating the hot, delicious pulav in the cold and windy night was a love affair. The area was cleaned to remove any traces of food. A jungle lies nearby to the pass and we were very careful about the existence of the wild animals around.
The temperature was dropping as the night passed. Some went inside the tent while some of them got busy in star gazing. Literally, I have never seen such a night filled with so may starts twinkling around. Cold night, forceful winds, warm hoddies and starry night, ahh……what a combination!
I no time, we got to know one of our tents literally flew down to valley. The wind was so forceful that its uprooted tent. Fortunately, there was no luggage inside. It was about midnight when we all went asleep. It was decided that 2 persons will guard every 2 hours. Around 3 AM, two of guards saw some creatures with their eyes shining in the bright torchlight. They immediately informed to some members and kept a watch so that they do not come near to tents. Be very cautious especially about animals while camping around jungle.
I woke up when sun was about to rise. Stepping outside the tent, the sight was stunning. The sky was playing holi spreading beautiful colors over horizon. The place got lighten up with the morning sun and it was a sight to behold.
The tall mountains were standing in pride guarding the pass, the route was cutting across mountains and the valley was filled with fog everywhere.
I always wanted to get the instagram worthy tent photos with stunning backdrops and the scene was hundred times beautiful than what I ever thought!
We captured some beautiful movements moving around when everyone woke up. After getting fresh, everyone cuddled near the bonfire as the cold winds were still persisting. Kitchen team made such quick breakfast with Maggie and tea. While travelling anywhere, its very important to have a nice and heavy breakfast to kick-off the exploration.
The first in the list was the grand cave. After reaching to plateau, a road goes down to rocky patch which leads to the cave. At the entrance to trade route, a big large stone vessel is kept which is known as a storehouse to collect toll in ancient times. The vessel was big enough to accommodate a healthy person inside.
Moving over the rocky patch, one comes to the bend of Sahyadri mountain ranges.
The caves are well maintained with a gate. After stepping inside, there are inscriptions on the wall. All these inscriptions are in Brahmi language which depicts the ruling of Satvahan dynasty. These inscriptions link vedic and Vaishnavism deities mentioning some vedic rituals and names depicting the history of Satvahans. During the reign of the Satavahana, this was the most important trade route, as it connected harbor of Sopara (now Nalasopara) and Kalyan directly to Junnar and Paithan. Bor Ghat, Malshej Ghat, and Naneghat were the foremost road links for commuting coast to the Junnar plateau.
You can read more about the inscriptions here.
After exploring caves and nearby sights, it was time to climb the hilltop. An ascent of mountain resembling to the finger appears like merging with sky. It is tiring to walk against the slowly rising ascent. The view from the top are breathtaking. A side of it offers magnificent views of Sahyadri and other side to Jivdhan fort.
While climbing down the hill, a very unique and interesting masterpiece grabs the attention. There are two piles- one small at a lower height and other at higher height. The smaller one has a shape of a women with a face like structure. A big head, straight nose and wide cheek bones can be clearly seen. It resembles to an ancient lady who is looking over the forest. The higher plie resembles to a soldier with a big headgear. When you visit Naneghat, do not forget to see theses masterpiece!
After exploring about 2-3 hour, we came back to the accommodation base camp. It was afternoon and we were at the end hour of the trip. Everyone packed their luggage and essentials and marched towards the vehicle.
After walking some distance, I spotted a bus stop nearby. A state transport bus comes through Malshej ghat and it is nearby a half an hour walk from bus stop to caves.
Everyone was refreshed after exploring the rugged trails through untouched and placid patches of nature. The phone started blinking with the flood of photos and laughter spread across the crowed while discussing the movements spent together. Nonetheless, the discussion around the creatures were never ending, haha! Some thought it may be the wolfs, wild dogs to the extent of leopards. The sweet memories and the cheerful experiences were the best things to carry with us ahead!
Do visit this beautiful place when you are in Pune. Some tips for making your travel to Nageghat wasy-
Route- It lies 120 km from Pune. Grab a state transport bus from Pune to Junnar. Then, another bus from Junnar to Ghatghar. An hour of walk will lead to Naneghat. It is also about same distance from Mumbai. From Thane Bhivandi toll naka, take a right turn on large cross junctions at SH222. You need to travel through Kalyan, Shahad, Murbad, Saralgaon, Tokavade, and finally Vaishakhare.
Things to carry- Tents for camping, food, milk, good amount of water source, warm clothes, an extra pair of clothes, torches, firewodd to keep animals aside, Trekking shoes as surfaces are uneven, medical kit with first aid essentials, battery charger. There is not a single shop nearby so be very cautious to carry food and water.
Best season to travel - To enjoy reverse waterfall and greenery, monsoon is best season. The winter season is known for the foggy mornings around the mountains where you feel like floating in clouds. The summers is hell, so kindly avoid in summer.
Precautions-
1. While camping, make sure to clean the plates without any food traces.
2. Fire wood to keep animals aside.
3. Do not litter and spit anywhere.
4. Fortunately, the caves are in good condition without any scribbling. Express your love to your spouse with verbal appreciation, do not scribble anywhere.
5. The winds are very strong so do not go to the edges of the cliff.
Happy Travelling!!
To read my travel adventures and the unique stories, do visit my blog site- Desiyatra