The adventure began on a weekend night at 8:30 pm, from Pune - Shivajinagar station where we had to board a local train to Malwali - a small station near Lonavla. It was a full moon that night, the reason behind choosing that day for a trek. With sleeping bags, dinner and water bottles packed in our shoulder bags we were ready. We had been already given warnings by Ajit - our trek organizer and lead from the Wanderers group, about the small window of time we had to board the train since it stopped only for a couple of minutes on each station. So we were all braced and ready to pounce as soon as the train stopped. The mood had been set.
Without any incidents all of us managed to board the train on time. Now it was a matter of one and a half hours before we reached Malwali. Some of us found a few seats in the compartment, while others found space on the compartment floor - a taste of gypsy life added enough spice to start the adventure with an eager optimism. Looking out of the compartment's door, the full-moon dominated the sky above - I knew it was going to be a great experience.
The short journey to Malwali was even more enjoyable with Ajit and Tanmay starting an enthusiastic and cheerful round of singing. As the train chugged along towards Malwali - the singing and clapping with the mixed Marathi and Hindi tunes had lifted spirits even higher. As soon as the train reached Malwali it was again time to do a quick hop on to the platform before the train moved away. We gathered on the station - filling up our used up water-bottles, and after a quick count of people we moved out of the small station into the darkness outside.
The last urban bastion was left behind as we crossed the bridge over the Pune-Mumbai highway, to step into a short paved road, which lead into the small town of Malwali, at the base of the trekking trail to Lohgarh fort. The night was beautiful, the moon shone across the sky and the cool wind swept across our faces, as the boundaries of the hills shown in shades of gray and black all around us. The trail to the top was wider in the beginning narrowing down further into a steep climb, a short distance ahead. The thrill of trekking through the night in Pune hills provides a unique experience. As the dark silhouettes of the Deccan plateaus tower all around us in the distance, it can be simultaneously chilly and euphoric, taking one into nature's raw territory, with all instincts aroused and with senses tuned for the unexpected.
We were in the midst of an adventure, revealing itself only slightly in the cold gray-silver sheen, that the moon cast over the tortuous trekking trail, through the hills. Moving along further savoring the treat to our senses we came across a curiously shaped tree. The dark shape shown against the moonlit picturesque background, like a horse standing on its rear hooves in an aggressive stance. It gave a good reason to stop and catch our breaths, but Ajit prodded us on so that we reach the fort on time for dinner. We moved along and as we made our way up the steep climb along the narrow road, it suddenly stretched wide into a rocky area which straddled a plateau on one side and a hill on the other. A few rocky seats had already been claimed by several guys from the team who were ahead of us, and we promptly moved on to fill the rest of them up.
Bottles of water were exchanged in the midst of jovial banter which lasted for a few minutes and then it was again time to move on. The shadows moved on under the starry sky until we reached a small village at the foothills of the Lohgarh fort. The fort was still shrouded behind the high trees on either side of the road and an imposing cliff protected the village on one side right behind the trees. Stairs started to ascend now towards the fort, and as soon as we had started ascending there was a slight commotion in one of the trees. Looked like we had attracted attention in the middle of the night. A dark shape started to make its presence clearer in the tree and as we looked hard bracing ourselves -
we found the shape morphing into a silhouette of a man. The man had been roused while sleeping on a platform mounted in the tree much to the relief of many.
Continuing the ascend we rose above the village below, quickly rising above the trees which had obstructed the view before. Slowly what revealed itself was a breathtaking view of shimmering urban lights in the distance, beyond a forest of trees, at the base of the cliff we had started ascending. Shortly ahead the imposing Narayana entrance to the Lohgarh fort, built in the 17th century, greeted us. I couldn't help thinking of the glorious days of Maratha dynasty when Lohgarh, one of the 350 odd forts spread across Maharashtra, would have held back marauding invaders. Another cliff rose by in the distance which Ajit promptly described us to be the Visapur fort. The twin forts were used as watch towers to guard the historical trade route used by Shivaji. Shivaji battled the Moghuls throughout his battle scarred life, which started at the fort of Torna when in 1643 A.D., at the age of 16 he vowed for achieving independence from the Moghuls. The Maratha dynasty lasted for a little more than a couple of centuries after Shivaji laid the foundation to his glorious achievements.
The walls of the fort now held us between their reassuring strength and we kept on ascending the stairs which led through several open spaces, until we reached an open platform at the top of the fort. The view was mesmerizing under the open sky marked by a full-moon, the Lonavla reservoir shimmering under the silver rays of the moon, surrounded by the dark lines of the forested hills and Deccan plateaus of the Sahyadri hills. The wind which was checked by the forest while we were ascending the cliff, now suddenly found itself free to assert itself aggressively on us. The chill in the air was evident and those of us who hadn't brought sleeping bags with them, suddenly realized how badly it would be needed.
The platform served as a pad for the devotees of Lord Shiva who has a small temple built near the centre of one of the sides of the platform, in his devotion. A statue of the Nandi bull, Lord Shiva's escort sits in front of the temple's entrance. Everyone placed their bags and baggage on the platform which served as the resting place for us through the night.
We took our time to breath in the fresh mountain air, taking in the untouched beauty of the naked natural wonder spread across us. As the wind blew across us, Ajit beckoned us to form a circle near the Nandi bull and sit down for dinner, promptly asking everyone who had brought dinner to share it and said chuckling - those who didn't (himself one among them) please dip into the common pool! Everyone shared a great bonhomie and we had an assortment of items lined up for ourselves. Over a hearty dinner, the cheerful banter continued, everyone relaxed after a tiring trek. Laying down under the starry sky, I couldn't help but wonder how much I had missed to be in nature's fold for so long. The boundless starry sky gives a unique perspective on life, making you realize your own tiny existence in front of the incredible vastness of space beyond our own planet. There's so much beauty in that macroscopic view of the universe, you cannot help but immerse yourself in the peace and calm that it brings over.
The wind continued its battering meantime, threatening to blow away the sheets that covered everyone and the mat that lay below them. The temperature was not as low, though the wind-chill made it harder to go to sleep. The sleeping bags made it much more comfortable because no special effort had to be made to hang on to the sheets. I went off to sleep around 3:00 am exhaustion pushing me to a deep slumber.
The blueish hue of dawn had started to diffuse through the moonlit gray sky when my eyes opened somewhere around five in the morning. I rushed to get up so that I didn't miss the potentially most beautiful part of the trip - when dawn approaches and wakes up the world again. Moreover, it's the best time to get photographs, since the beauty of the morning light is unsurpassed by any other time of the day. As soon as I got up and reached a vantage point near the small temple at the edge of the platform I was rewarded with a breathtaking view. The moon was low over the bluish-black horizon slightly above the hills creating a mesmerizing shower of silver sparks in the water reservoir below. I stood their for some time just gazing at the beauty that transcended everything we saw till now. However, there was more to come.
It was time for revelation. Nature started to colour its work of art slowly saturating the hues in the green shades of the forest, the sky burst into shades of red, golden yellow and blue as the sun started rising opposite the moon. A small hill behind me blocked the view to the other side. A lone tree on the side of the hill offered an opportunity for a beautiful snap against the burst of colours of the sky towards the east. I decided to rush to take a snap of the tree before the window of time closed. What I saw beyond the hill, when I reached the tree was beyond comprehension. A wide view of the valley lay in front of me - the moonlit reservoir between the valley hills towards the left, giving way to an opening which led to the other side of the valley, which was completely covered with clouds touching the ground below. The white layer of fluff glowed in the morning light hiding everything below it, leaving just the peaks visible and a short view of the deep gorge in front of me. This was the rear of the Lohgarh fort and moving forward I came across an as yet undiscovered fort passage which couldn't be seen because it was a level below the hill where I was standing, and hidden by a crenelated parapet lining the fort. Below the majestic fort walls forming the passage, the edges of the cliff sloped down steeply, the forest climbing up the slope as if trying to reach the parapet above.
All over the top of the fort there are big reservoirs of water dug out and lined with circular stone walls, with stairs descending the side of these walls touching the base below. These were probably used as water reservoirs to supply the population during times of seize. Lohgarh had acquired a reputation of being impregnable during its time, which can be partly seen by the excellent fortification that could be achieved by the natural boundaries of the fort.
I went back to our sleeping pad as the sun shone brightly now, since now it was time for everyone to pack up and gather for tea. Tea time itself was another great experience dished out by the Wanderer group. We collected dry sticks to start a fire for brewing the tea, the way our ancestors used to do for their cooking. That completed the nature trip experience. Ajit, Tanmay and others joined in to bring the tea to a boil, while others started with an assortment of tomatoes, butter and chutney to make sandwiches. We had a round of introductions, since till now we didnt get a chance for a formal introduction. The most remarkable member was Dr. Chitra Khare who's an accomplished eye surgeon and a regular trekker. She was trekking with us at a young age of 62, showing no signs of exhaustion at any point of time. Her accomplishments included an Indo-Nepal rafting adventure, which she's the first person to complete at this age in the whole world. Certainly, something to inspire all of us.
After the tea, Ajit decided to take us on a tour of the "undiscovered" passage that I thought I had supposedly discovered in the early morning light. A team of monkeys sat as silent spectators on a tree near the edge, which marked the boundary of the gorge below, as we moved towards the fort wall. All of us deposited our bags in one place. The passage's nearer half ended at a high rocky wall, and the rest of the half was only accessible if we climbed down the high wall. It was another unique experience, since to reach the tip of the passage, to see the rest of the valley, we had to climb down using some rock climbing skills. Ajit gave us a few tips to climb down a wall and half the team decided to give it a try. After some thrilling, moments climbing down the rocky wall, half of the team was on the other half of the passage. Since there was little time left, rest of them had to stay back while the other half returned from their quick exploration. When I reached the passage's tip the whole valley below came into view - an excellent vantage point for watching over vast space below. As we returned back to climb back the rocky wall, we found something interesting had happened in our absence with the rest of the team.
A few members could not be seen above the rocky wall, Ajit was no longer there to help us climb back on top of the rocky ledge. Nevertheless, climbing the rocky ledge was easier for me, my height became an advantage quickly. Climbing back we saw a couple of members on a tree at the edge of the cliff, instead of monkeys this time. That was an interesting role-reversal I thought, and set out to find out what had made them do that. We were promptly informed that one of the primate cousins had decided to make us the object of observation, the way we had made them, while coming down towards the passage. So to accomplish his goal, the monkey had snatched a bag and made haste. The final destination of the bag turned out to be a high branch of a tree nearby, on which the team members were found earlier! Ajit, Tanmay from Wanderers and Yogi a CME cadet made valiant attempt to get the bag back, while the monkeys made their observations sitting nearby on an edge. Finally, when the bag was recovered everyone let out a sigh of relief, however, by now we were already quite late and in a danger of missing the last morning train to Pune from Malwali station. So everyone gathered their bags and rushed down the path we had come, saying goodbye to the enchanting place we had discovered that beautiful day. I came back with a deeper desire to trek and discover the treasures that are yet to be found.
