Junagadh

Junagadh literally means Old (Juna) Fort (Gadh). A different etymology derives the name from "Yonagadh" (literally, "City of the Yona (Greeks)", referring to the ancient inhabitants of the city under the Indo-Greek Kingdom). It is also known as "Sorath", the name of the princely state of Junagadh.

The city of Junagadh has an imprints of two and a half millennia of human civilization, so inevitably it has been ruled by a multiple rulers. Maurya Dynasty ruled over Junagadh in 319 BC. Kalinga, Greeks, Gupta, Mughals are few other dynasties to rule this city. During his rule, Sultan Mahmud Begada changed the name of Junagadh to Mustafabad and built the fortifications around the town and the mosque in Uparkot Fort. The fight for Junagadh’s crown continued even after the British India's rule. After a brief struggle between India and Pakistan, Junagadh decided to join India in 1947. A part of Saurashtra state then, later became a part of Bombay state and finally became integral part of Gujarat state in 1960.

Towering over the city is Mt. Girnar, a holy site for Hindus and Jains and the highest peak in Gujarat. Girnar Hill is an extinct volcano, which has been a holy place for Buddhist, Jains and Hindus since the 3rd century BC. The ancient Guru Dattatreya Temple is at the hilltop and one has to climb 9,999 steps to reach there. Guru Dattatreya is considered to be the human manifestation of the Hindu trinity of Gods, Bramha Vishnu & Maheshwara. In Hinduism it is customary to do a circumambulation ('Pradakshina' or 'Parikrama') around deities and temple. Girnar Parikrama is said to bear fruits as you do a Pradakshina to all the saints, sadhus, Gods and Goddesses who reside in the Girnar mountain range. This Girnar Parikrama, 36 km in length, is only open for 5 days in a year before Kartiki pournima (~ Nov/Dec). The Girnar Parikrama is done only through the dense Girnar Jungles, which otherwise are not accessible due to restrictions from the forest department.

Being the capital of Junagadh princely state once, the town shines with historical significance with many historical monuments. Amongst the numerous attractions, places like Girnar, Mahabat Maqbara, Uperkot fort, Sakkarbaug Zoological Garden, Damodar Kund and Damodarji Temple, Buddhist Caves and Ashoka's Rock Edicts are some of the favorite of the tourists. Jungadh's main attraction, however, remains the Girnar hill, located towards the east of the city. The city has several lakes: Narsinh Mehta Sarovar, Damodarji, Sudarshan Lake, etc. and few dams: Willingdon Dam, Hasnapur Dam, and Anandpur Weir.

My Verdict:

Junagadh is a true amalgamation of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Islam and has a unique significance in history. One can see inscriptions, edicts, caves, temples, forts, stepwells, tanks and canons dating back to 2nd century AD, and not to forget the Girnar Hill. So history, architecture, religion, street shopping or physical fitness, whatever is your reason, Junagadh is the answer for you.

Best time to visit:

Around the year for Junagadh, Nov/Dec for Parikrama (as per Hindu calendar)

Places around:

Sasan Gir (National park for lions), Somnath, Diu

Tips:

• Don’t worry, if you have forgotten to carry something for your Junagadh trip, you will get almost everything here.
• A number of accommodation options are available here - Dharamshala, Aashram, Home stays, Hotels, Resort, etc.
• Getting an auto is easy and it costs you around 100-150 Rs. for short travels in the city. The autos are bigger and can easily accommodate ~6 people. Taxis are also available on hire for sightseeing and visiting the city attractions.
• Junagadh is well connected, by Road, Train and Bus, to all the big cities in Gujarat.

This place on map:

Junagadh

Tags:

Weekend Trip, Monsoon Drive, Heritage, Ahmedabad Getaways, History, Religious

Malshej Ghat

Malshej Ghat is equidistant from Mumbai and Pune, which attracts a lot of weekend breakers from both these cities. It is around 4hour drive from Pune.

Route: Pune > Chakan > Rajgurunagar > Narayangaon > Junnar > Malshej Ghat

We started our journey at around 7 am from Pune. Our first stop was Shivneri Fort, the birth place of Chhatrapati Shivaji. After a bit of hiking and roaming around the fort, we resumed our journey to Malshej Ghat. There are a couple of famous Ganesh (Ganpati) temples around Shivneri, one of the Ashtavinayaka temples. So based on your priorities and the available time, you can take diversions to include them.

By the time we reached Malshej ghat it was almost noon time. The view from the ghat was breath taking. On one side there were numerous waterfalls and on the other side it was a lush green valley. There are a couple of big waterfalls, which attracts most of the tourists. However we ignored them and went to a smaller one. It was kind of a private waterfall for us :). I would recommend you to do the same, just go across the entire patch and check out all the waterfalls. Then you can pick one of the less crowded one for you. Sitting beneath the waterfall for ten minutes, not only rejuvenates your body but your soul also feels the freshness.

 Changing rooms (temporary hut type) are available near the big waterfalls. They charge around 20-40 Rs per person to let you use the rooms for changing the wet cloths. After changing we walked around the place for a while and had the Makai Bhutta (corn), best to have in rains at such a place. Please be careful while walking on the road there, it is a state highway and it is being used by many privet and public transport vehicles.

After spending some quality time at Malshej Ghat, we decided to start our return journey. On the way back we stopped at a couple of places to enjoy the view. Lush green hills, open fields and clouds – it was no less than the DDLJ shooting places. We did some photography there and resumed our backward journey to Pune.

MTDC has a resort at Malshej Ghat. It is located on a perfect location, just on the edge of a valley. The view from the resort is amazing and in the monsoon, due to clouds, you will feel like heaven. Obviously being the only place to stay at Malshej Ghat, this place is booked well in advanced in monsoon season. So if you are planning for a night stay then, making advance booking is highly recommended.

For trekkers, it has one of the best trekking destination around Pune – Harishchandragad. There are a couple of ways to go at the peak. One day trek would be little exhausting and would need great endurance. Instead, most of the people prefer night stay at the peak. You need to do your own arrangement for night stay there. You could sleep in the temple area.

My Verdict:

A perfect monsoon getaway from Pune or Mumbai. It is an ideal one day trip destination, overnight stay would also be a great experience as well. The drive is nice, includes ghats, villages, waterfalls, lush green hills and valleys. A must visit place for nature lover, trekkers and photographers.

Best time to visit:

Monsoon (Jul-Sep) is the best time to visit this place. For trekking however, best time is Oct-Dec. Trekking in monsoon is extremely risky.

Places around:

Shivneri Fort, Bhimashankar Temple, Bhimashankar Sanctuary, Harishchandragad, Buddhist caves

Tips:

• Carry some snacks with you if you can’t stay hungry for a long time. There is a high chance that you don’t get anything to eat for at least 3-4 hours.
• Seal pack your electronic items and wallets, even if it is not raining. The weather could change quickly there.
• Advance booking is must, in case you are planning to stay overnight
• For trekking at Harishchandragad, do some research and be prepared for cold night stay
• Keep the place clean

This place on map:

Malshej Ghat

Tags:

One day Trip, Monsoon Drive, Water Fall, Pune Getaways, Mumbai Getaways

Madhe Ghat Waterfall

Madhe Ghat is located around 70 km from Pune in the Raigad district, near Torna Fort. This place is not much explored like Tamhini Ghat or the other ghats around Pune. However many people have started visiting it in last few years and the places around are getting developed at rapid pace.

There are a couple ways to approach Madhe Ghat:

1) Via Khadakwasla Dam:  Pune > Khadakwasla > Sinhagad (Base bypass) > Pabe Ghat > Donje Phata > Khanapur > Velhe > Madhe Ghat

2) Via NH4: Pune > NH4 (towards Satara) > Nasrapur (bypass) > Velhe > Kelaad > Madhe Ghat

We took the first route while going to Madhe Ghat and took the other route while returning, completing the loop. The route via Khadakwasla is more scenic and less crowded.

Just after crossing the Sinhgad base, we took left towards Pebe Ghat. It was a lovely photographic ghat with lots of small villages on the way. After few ups and downs and zigzags, we kind of reached a peak. The view from the peak was just amazing. There was a small Tapri for Tea and some limited snacks. We had something there to fill our empty stomachs and started hiking around that place. All of a sudden the weather changed and it became cloudy.  We kept on hiking for around 30 mins and then decided to go back to resume our journey to Madhe ghat. The trail was really inviting and for a moment I thought of dropping the original plan to just keep on walking till the end. Anyways from there we continued our zigzag journey, mostly downhill. Finally we took right turn towards Madhe ghat. Don’t forget to ask locals, if you miss the signboard or fill that you are kind of lost :).

The parking space at the Madhe ghat was bit clumsy and people parking in haphazard manner made it all the more frustrating. From there it is a muddy road, of around one km, to reach the top of the fall. On the way we crossed multiple water streams. It was totally misty and little showery, it was a real fun though. Soon we reached the source of the water fall. Just before falling, all the water streams merges into a gigantic waterfall, falling from a plateau. The plateau gives a spectacular view of the hills and valleys around. We could walk till the edge of the fall and see the beginning of the fall. In fact there was a group doing rappelling there. That could have been a lifelong memory, but we didn’t know about it so hadn’t planned for it. So checkout on net for your rappelling arrangements, if you are more of adventure type.

From the top, I could see a beautiful trail near the bottom of the fall. I also saw few people walking there and also figured out a way to go there. But the cloud and mist reduced the visibility to a couple of feet, so we decided not to go there. Visibility was a serious problem that day, in one moment we could see the spectacular waterfall and in the next moment we could see nothing at all. It was just mystic!! 

My Verdict:

A perfect monsoon getaway from Pune, ideal for a one day trip. The drive is a perfect combination of ghat, rivers, waterfalls, lush green hills and valleys. A must visit place for nature lover and photographers. 

Best time to visit:

Monsoon (Jul-Sep) is the best time to visit this place. 

Places around:

Torna Fort, Rajgad Fort, Sinhgad Fort, Khadakwasla 

Tips:

• Carry some snacks with you if you can’t stay hungry for a long time. There is a high chance that you don’t get anything to eat for at least 3-4 hours.
• Seal pack your electronic items and wallets, even if it is not raining. The weather could change quickly there.
• Keep the place clean

This place on map:

Madhe Ghat Water Fall

Tags:

One day Trip, Monsoon Drive, Water Fall, Pune Getaways