Rajmachi

It is finished in beauty.....

TREK

To make a slow or arduous journey. To journey on foot, especially to hike through mountainous areas.

To break off from your normal mundane life.To get a thrill, a kick out of facing and venturing into the unknown.TREK !

Where:

RAJMACHI. Rajmachi is a historical fort situated in the North West of Lonavla(Maharashtra), on the top of the Western Ghats. The Fort has a rich treasure of historical monuments like ramparts, gateways, water reservoirs, idols of deities and temples The fort is about 18/20 Kms from Lonavala and a nice way to reach the fort is from Tungarli Lake. This trek is very good for the beginners. There are two forts here Manaranjan(2700 feet)and Srivardhan (3000+feet). We went to the Manaranjan peak fort. Manaranjan consists of strong walls, and many water tanks.

How to reach:

There are 2 common ways to reach here , either From Karjat or from Lonavala. For Beginners, it would be better to trek from Lonavala as this is a much easier path. We climbed the peak from Lonavala, as most of us were on the trek for the first time, right to the Manaranjan peak and then trekked down towards Karjat. This is cos we had to return to Bombay.

People from Pune etc, would rather climb down the same route to Lonavala.

To go from Bombay we took the night 1150 Pune Passenger train from V.T station, got down at Lonavala station , at about 430 early morning, slept for about an hour and a half on the Platform !! (lol!). Then at about 6 630 , we were on our way.

The journey:

Enchanting.Mind Blowing.Out of the world.

There are better places than this, no doubt.But to be in the midst of nature to this extent and yet so close from the hum drum of Mumbai is truly great.

The journey from Lonavala and then down to a village Kondivadde near Karjat is through dense forestry, lovely water falls, chirping of birds, slippery muddy path, walking through numerous streams....and CLOUDS!!! You will find yourself far far away from the sea of humanity that you see daily in Bombay.

It was atleast 30-45 mins walk , every time before we could spot some villager or local farmers. After about 3 and half to 4 hours of a joyful trek we reach the peak of Manranjan.

Atleast the path to climb is somewhat clear and we can follow some sort of lane that has formed maybe because of villagers moving up and down. So it is not difficult to get to the top of the peak from Lonavala once you ask the local the correct access road. Please Make sure that you are on the right track by atleast asking 5-6 people before you embark on the trek, Unless you are accompanied with some professional trekking instructor or some one who has already climbed the same peak.

More or less this path is easily walkable except for the last part which leads to the fort, this part is very narrow and slippery.It is almost like you are walking on the edge of the valley.

The view from here is something I just cannot write about. It is to be seen to be believed. You’ll feel on top of the world and thats cos u truly are.

This is the only time I could look down upon thick fog and clouds from the peak.

The journey coming down to Karjat is just too good.almost the whole journey is through water falls.We jumped, slid, crawled, slipped, fell the way down.

But the journey is through dense forest and there is no clearly visible path or lane which can be followed.so be extra extra extra careful that you take some help whenever you spot a local villager.

Some lovely people have actually taken the trouble of marking arrows to guide the trekker to the right way at frequent intervals on trees and rocks.But now the arrows have faded off and hardly visible at some places.

I am emphasising on the extra cos we almost lost our way on the way down, we had no clue where we were standing and where we were heading.we tried finding our way out, but once you are lost everything seems scary. We had to shout our throats hoarse till someother trekking group heard us. They where 3 guys and pro-trekkers.very well versed with the path there. One of them heard us, shouted back to us and then followed our calls way back up, spotted us and then lead us on the correct path all the way till the foothill from where we got a rickshaw to Karjat railway station. From there we took a Local Train back to ’Aamchi Mumbai’

The Unbelivable part is that the whole trip cost us less than 100/- Bucks per head.

Some tips from me(Not the Expert !)

• Keep in mind that you have to walk for atleast 10-12 hours that day.with minimum rest time.

  
  




• Make your bag as light as possible, remember that this is not a picnic but a trek.You have to carry whatever you bring yourself.And carry a ruck sack or a shoulder bag, Not a hand bag.

  
  

Your dress and shoes, dont wear denims or any such material that will get heavier once wet. cos it will get wet if you trek to rajmachi in this season. Extra care for your shoes. Wear some thing made for the rains and that dont slip too much.

• Carry a windcheater or a plastic jacket just to protect you against the rain and cold. You’ll get wet no matter what you wear.

  
  




• Food. Carry something dry and that will last for a day. Theplas, Bread adequately covered in plastic sheets are the best bet.

  
  




• Have Fun. But dont jerk or push each other for fun, you’ll never know when it may take an ugly turn.The entire terrain is very slippery.

  
  




• Carry some amount of first-aid.Band-aids...ointments for minor bruises..cotton etc.

  
  




• Dont over do or try to copy the others.If one person is able to climb of get down from some place with ease, you dont have to enact him . you should do it at your own pace and style that suits you. Even if it means getting down on all four or knees. Better Safe than sorry.

  
  

Carry plastic bag to collect all waste and then dispose of once you reach down.

DO NOT LOITER ON THE MOUNTAINS.

Pray that it rains, there is nothing like a trek to Rajmachi in the rains. When we were there it was pouring Heavy.The more the better I would say.

The outcome is wholesome fun and frolic for the entire group. Relish the moments... Capture them in your heart. No camera is better than your eyes.

You will have sweet pain in your legs ankles and calves for a couple of days.

But take my word, Its all worth it.

Happy trekking !