Wanderlust - My Travel Journals: Khadakwasala

Khadakwasla is a lake created to store the rainwater to supply water to the Pune city. Only 30 kms of leisurely drive through road separates the main city from this lake.The surrounding is too scenic for amateur photography enthusiasts like us.

Four of us were looking for such a place - which was not far but would give us an opportunity to be away from the din and bustle. So after a few deliberation between ourselves, we finally decided to venture on a random trip to Khadakwasla. The intention was to spend a few hours with the friends and also click some random photographs of the surroundings - so we named this small expedition a 'photo tour'.

Starting early in the morning at around 6.45 am, we reached Khadakwasla without any hassles -can't deny that the GPS trackers on the phones prevented us from loosing our way.

When we reached to the destination the morning light had just begun to shine upon us - a perfect time for photography. The surrounding was absolutely beautiful and the rustic ambiance made us feel close to nature. We started exploring the places with our weapons - the cameras. On the road, in the bushes, in the roadside tea-stalls and small shops, random passers-by, hawkers trying to sell merchandise we never required, useless scrap objects - we have not spared almost anyone or anything from our relentless persistence.

We spent a good 2.5-3 hrs around the lake. The aim was fulfilled as we clicked loads of snaps of varied subjects and objects.

I have selected a few of the snaps from the day which are shown below.

The beginning of a new dawn:

We had tea at a roadside joint:

A random customer at the same joint (I had to master the art to be a Paparazzi):

The random clicks begin now:

The morning activities have begun, the city awakes:

The lake and the surroundings:

The Seller:

The roadside establishments -

Finally, the participants, without whose enthusiasm, this post could not have been published -

Finally, the following photos are shared by my friends to depict the fun-filled day (thanks to them for lending these photos to me) -

Hills Covered in Mist

Sinhagad Fort is one of the most popular weekend gateways for the Punekars in the monsoon. So we were no exception and this place was a must for us. Besides its charming attraction it has a proven historical background of its own.

Sinhgad Fort was previously named as Kondana Fort. Chhatrapati Shivaji's right hand man, Tanaji Malusare, captured this fort from the Mughal Army during the famous battle of Sinhagad in March 1670. In the course of the fight, Tanaji lost his life and Shivaji expressed his grief through the words " we have won the fort but lost the lion" and that was how this fort picked up its current name - Sinhagad which literally means The Lion Fort.

How to go:

From Kharadi, one needs to go towards Hadapsar. Once the Hadapsar flyover comes, take the flyover to the right and go towards Swargate. Pass by the Swargate junction and go straight. You will come across a T-junction from where you need to take a left. Immediately after taking this left, there is a 'Mahalaxmi Temple' on the left and here you need to take a right turn to take the Sinhagad Road. Once on this road, you have to drive straight for around 25 Kms to reach the Sinhagad Fort base. You can also park here and set on a trek if you love it. Otherwise you can drive straight to the top.

Here is the map.

Sinhagad Fort can be enjoyed the most during the monsoons, due its height and location.

We started off on a Sunday morning around 7 am. We passed the Khadakwasala lake. After Khadakwasala, there is a junction from where you need to drive straight for Sinhagad. If you are heading off to Panshet or Varasgaon, from this junction you should take the right turn. The first photo pf this post was taken while we were passing this Lake.

Winding Up Road

Road through the Lush

After reaching the base, one can see the glimpse of commercialization - there are lots of shared jeeps which can take you to the top. At the base, you have to pay a tax of 50/- to enter the forest area. The road was a kind of eerie and steep. Many a times I had to drive on first gear due to the sharp hairpin bends and steepness of the road. But the scenic beauty was superb - the thick forest creates a shadowy atmosphere.

At one point, there is a small junction where the straight goes to the top and left - I don't know. The landmark here is a tea stall at this junction which will be on your right when you are ascending. My recommendation to everyone is to stop here once. The view from this point is simply breathtaking. There were waterfalls running down through the hills like a silver lining at a distance, the backwaters of Khadakwasala Lake were looking like a plate of huge glass. The greenery all through the road was thick and lush.

Green and white :)

Green and white - what a combo

A small cascade with full zoom with my baby camera

Greenery all around

The Road through which we came

Backwaters of Khadakwasala

Khadakwasala Backwaters - another angle. Mist is taking over the control

Once we reached the Sinhagd parking, the fort was under the mist and a real heavy wind was passing. It is always like this at Sinhagad in monsoons. This is my second visit to Sinhagad - I experienced the same weather when I was here for the firt time. Well, this is the beauty of it.

Behind the mist, Sinhagad was looking like a humongous structure standing with all its pride acquired over the years.

Sinhagad - hidden behind the mist, but can you feel the wind

The base - Structure of Sinhagad is behind

Parking at the top - always full

The top was very much commercialized with loads of cars parked covering every inch of the parking. Additionally there were innumberable number of tea-stalls, shops for Kanda Bhaji, Bhakri, Vada Pav, Roasted corn (makai) etc. We also had a cup of hot tea and a plate of mouth-watering kanda bhaji. One shouldn't miss these while at Sinhagad.

From this point, you have to climb through the stairs. During the monsoons the stairs become real slippery so be careful. There are not much remnants of the fort, but some of the entrances and bastions are still standing.

The main entrance

Slippery Stairs

In front of the main entrance

Second Entrance - bakdrop is the mist in full swing

Fortification

The owner of the fort :)

After these doors, a small road to the right will lead you to a dilapidated structure of a room/building.

The small diversion on the right, with the fortification - covered under the mist

Remnant of a Bastion??

The deserted structure - still standing tall

We came to the main road (I forgot to say - most the roads are constructed by the government and are of concrete) and passed by too many number of small shops selling bhaji, pitle bhakri, lassi etc. You may feel like you are walking through a park - there is even a Doordarshan Tower inside the fort!!!Well, don't mind and get going will be my advise. Enjoy whatever you can.

Going straight you will find the tomb of Tanaji Malusare and a small detour from here will lead you to the old 'Kondaneshwar Temple'. This temple was responsbile for its earlier name.

Tanaji's Tomb

Kondanewshar Temple

Coming down from the temple you will pass by a pond which was used to store the drinking water of the fort. We went to the edge of the fort from a small diversion but due to the mist and the wind nothing much was visible.

Age Old Pond

Some remnant - gets covered with green in monsoon

Edge of the fortification - steep cliff on the right

Keeping on the main road and going straight will direct you to the end of the Fort. This part is too much windy and we found really difficult to walk or stand. The fortification at this part is still standing.

Fortification towards the end

The same fortification - from another angle

Fortification - from the other side

The windiest part of the fort

Coming back with a U turn but with a different route we found some more fortfications and an old Hanuman Temple. That justified the presence of some big monkeys all around Sinhagad.

Remnant

Remnants

Hanuman Idol

The path - covered with Makai Plants at both sides

Trying to explore the Makai Plants

Most of the top was covered by the Corn (Makai) Plants which served two purposes - it filled the place with lush green ambience as well as it served as a means of living for the locals who sell the roasted corn all around the fort in different shops.

Besides the entrance, there is a small row of caves - these were used by the sentries.

Rooms for the sentries

We spent almost 3 hours at the fort and then decided to come back. The whole place was covered with mist and it was raining. We were drenched but we had great spirits. So did a lot of ensthusiastic ones.

Coming down from the fort with that winding road is an expereince. Every now and then I found there was some vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The narrow road and the steep cliffs at one side made it a real adventure for me to drive.

We stopped at quite a few places for photography. The following are some of the views.