There goes a saying – an idle brain is a devil’s workshop. Well, this might not be true everywhere, for an idle brain on a lazy Sunday morning produced a brilliant idea, which led to the creation of this post.
We were sipping on our morning cup of tea and brooding over the fact there was nothing to look forward to for the rest of the day. Then, like a sudden strike of the lightning, it occurred to me that we could really seize this opportunity by embarking on a short trip. The better half readily fell for it and it was up to me to find out a destination close to the nature and which is not far away. We decided on Purandar Ghat – which is on the way to Purandar Fort, famous for the Purandar Treaty from the History – as it is close (around 50 Kms only) and we can be back within 4-5 hours and primarily because the route was known. We never intended to visit the fort; all we planned was to be in close proximity with the nature and some good opportunities for a few random clicks.
It was easier said than done – having an infant at home always poses new challenges – and we could only start at around 11 in the morning.
The road that we followed could be found below (no help from GPS). Mostly when we crossed the overly busy Hadapsar Industrial Area, it was a smooth drive towards Saswad through Dive Ghat and beyond. From the diversion for Purandar Fort to the Purandar Village (located at the base of the Purandar Ghat) was a little challenging for hatchback and sedans, but once we were past the village, the actual beauty of the rustic nature unfolded and the roads were in much better shapes. It was easier negotiating the hair-pin bends and the steep curves.
The plan was simple – go till the entrance of the Fort and then take a U-turn. All along the way towards the fort, it was lush green. The narrow tarred roads were winding up through the hillock, through thick vegetation. The purity of the air was easily noticeable. Chirping of the birds, the sound of the falling leaves and the gentle sound of the wind breezing constituted some otherworldly atmosphere. We stopped at many intervals, perhaps at every possible opportunity, sat, relaxed and then started once again, in a cyclic order.
When we felt that we were quite rejuvenated and had accumulated enough strength to fight the battle for a week, we turned back towards ‘home, sweet home’. We were back at Saswad by 2 pm where we had a small Maharashtrian lunch and then took leave. And by 3.30 pm.we reached home, reinvigorated and fresh.
A short but memorable and a crisp but enjoyable drive indeed.
Map of the Route:
Let the pictures utter thousand more words:
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| Roads - Winding Up |
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| View from the top - surely a cliched click |
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| Still don't have the faintest idea of what it was |
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| Friendly?? |
