Raireshwar fort is a hill fort in Bhor Tehshil of Pune district, and 85 km away from Pune city. Raireshwar has a temple famous for its historical importance where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of foundation of ‘Hindavi Swarajya’ in 1645.
We started our journey at 8.30 am and reached the base of the fort around 10am, we followed route via Bhor which is very narrow and not recommended for large vehicles. There is another route via Wai which is good.
There is a small village settlement of the top of the fort. You have to climb iron ladders to reach the top and is the only way to reach the fort. Ensure that you carry plenty of water with you. After reaching the top we had breakfast and enjoyed kanda bhaji, wadapav and kokam sharbat at the only stall available there, its open only on weekends. We visited all the places on the fort except seven coloured soil.
Raireshwar Fort
Raireshwar Temple
This is a beautiful place to visit during the monsoon or the winter season. The views from the fort are just breath taking. Ideal place for a one day trek and can also be made a two day trek if you plan to visit Rohida and Kenjalgad.
Kenjalgad Fort seen from Raireshwar Fort
We left the fort around 1.30 pm and visited Sardar Kanhoji Jedhe and Jeeva Mahale samadhi at village Ambawade.
Sardar Kanhoji Jedhe Statue
Sardar Kanhoji Jedhe Samadhi
Jeeva Mahale Samadhi
There is a beautiful temple of Lord Shiva called Nageshwar, which is family deity of Sardar Kanhoji Jedhe.
Nageshwar Temple
Lord Nageshwar
After taking blessings from Nageshwar we reached at Sardar Kanhoji Jedhe wada at village Kari in 20 minutes. Its renewed house and a small museum where you can see few historical things. Descendants of Kanhoji Jedhe live there and who greet and speak with utmost affection to everyone who visits.
Purandar Fort actually consists of two forts - Purandar and Vajragad. The latter is the smaller and is on the eastern side of the main fort. Purandar fort is also known for birthplace of Sambhaji Maharaj (son of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).
Our gang has made a plan of a day trip to the Purandar Fort on 2nd Oct as it was holiday to all. Our gang includes 8 members: me-Kiran, Abhijit-Snehal, Rohit and Rahul Patil Bandhu, Sachin dada and Mai. The plan was to leave @ 8am from Pune, so that we can reach the fort around 10.30am. I and Snehal had couple of calls a day before to decide what food can be taken with us. She decided to take Upma and I thought to make parathas, and we were set for the trip.
Travelers :)
That day Kiran and I got ready around 8am and called Abhijit, It would take them 10 minutes to get ready. I packed everything like parathas, chutneys, and pickles. It was decided to buy curd on the way. In 10-15 minutes, Abhijit and Snehal came to our house and we called other folks. It would have taken them a long time. We chatted till then and after every 15 minutes, we were continued the round of calls to those folks. So at about 10 o'clock everyone gathered at our place and we finally headed towards Purandar.
The climate was very calm and pleasant because of the monsoon and we were riding our motorbikes, it was so much fun. As soon as Dive Ghat arrived, everyone wanted to stop there and see the beautiful scenery around and no one could stop clicking photos, everyone tried their photography skills. The cold weather made Kiran and me crave for tea, and as soon as we share our desire for a cup of tea, everyone nodded, and before reaching Saswad, we enjoyed 1-1 cup of tea. We resumed the journey but only after 15 minutes Mai said what is there to eat because some people are hungry because they didn't have breakfast. But we managed to convince them to wait from some time. Then we stopped at Saswad to Purandar Road to see the temple of Changa Vateshwar Temple on the bank of Karha River.
Changa Vateshwar Temple, Saswad
We had had our lunch there and walked the entire temple. Temple is beautiful but not neatly maintained, not so clean. That’s why we went to the terrace of the temple and had our lunch there as we brought our meal with us.
After starting the journey towards Purandar soon it rained heavily and we got soaked but we decided to go to the fort and reached Purandar at around 5 o'clock. It was very cold due to getting wet in the rain, so all wanted hot kanda bhaji and tea immediately.
On the Fort there is an ancient temple of lord Shiva, also a statue of Murarbaji Deshpande the commander (killedar) of the fort who gave up his life in order to protect the fort from the Mughal.
We walked around the fort but not climb till top as it was late. But the climate was very pleasant because of the cold weather, we sat near a big water tank for an hour.
It was our sudden plan hence could not manage to cover the fort and even did not get a chance to gather the information about the fort but I would definitely like to come to this fort sometime after keen planning.
Sinhagad Fort is a favourite weekend
gateway for Punekars as it is a very scenic location and just approximately 30km from Pune.
The fort has been standing there
since about 700 years and has a long history associated with Great King Chatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj. The hero behind this fort was great maratha worrier Tanaji Malusare. Sinhagad was called
‘Kondhana’ after the sage Kaundinya. The Kaundinyeshwar temple, the caves and
the carvings indicate that this fort had probably been built two thousand years
back.
Sinhagad Fort has to be one of my
favourite places because of the numerous reasons –scenic drive, view from the
top, scrumptious authentic food, history and much more.
It was our sudden plan to visit
Sinhagad fort. We(Myself, Kiran, Snehal and Abhijit) left from Pune around 3pm on our bikes. You can
go there by car or by bike. The vehicle has to pay a toll(Rs. 20 for bike and Rs
50 for Car) at the base to reach the fort. Local buses are available every hour from Pune
or you can reach by shared taxi or auto. Nowadays, every time I visit the fort,
I can see groups of bikers and trekkers.
The road runs by the side of a dam
which is a huge water body and looks simply amazing. At places, you can find
lots of local shops selling corns and people enjoying the cool and calm water
of the dam. The mountains are full of fog and whole Pune City is visible
which looks amazing. Also, the water of the dam does stretches into a huge area.
The picturesque road is available until the parking at the top. Due to
heavy traffic and rains, the roads are in bad shape but the drive to the fort
is scenic.
The road from base village to the fort
is small and parking the vehicles on both the side of the road makes it
narrower. Close to 1.5-2 km road from the fort is used as a parking area and
people park their vehicles wherever they find space thus blocking the road and
resulting in a traffic jam. If you want to avoid traffic jams and get a good
parking slot then start the early morning as the place gets crowded after 10 AM.
We reached the fort around 4pm. A
place full of lush green mountains, it’s a must-visit place for nature lovers and trekkers.
Most of the fort is destroyed; it still has a lot to offer. Apart from its historical
importance; it is also a hot stop for a lot of trekkers. It is also a part of
the training for the cadets of the National Defense Academy situated very close
to this place.
One can easily spend 4-5 hours or a
half-day picnic with family and friends. Sinhagad Fort is usually crowded on
weekends and holidays. It is so fascinating to imagine the history behind the
remains. What would have been the life then!! I am amazed every time I visit the fort.
From one side of the fort, you can see
the popular Khadakwasla Dam and on the other side, you will see the beautiful
landscape. You will forget about all tiredness when you see this
breathtaking view.
After strolling the fort for a couple
of hours, one can grab the most famous Pithla Bhakri, Thecha, Kanda Bhaji,
Kulfi, and never to miss the locally produced Matka Dahi. I love the Matka Dahi
with Jira powder the most. The shopkeepers are the residents from nearby villagers
and carry all the stuff every day from the villages to uphill and that too on
their feet. It was fun to eat raw mangoes, cucumbers, corn, berries
and buttermilk sold on the way. Don’t forget to taste
the tasty “Kaccha Aam”.
After having snacks we roamed around
the fort for an hour and explored few places. We saw the memorial of great Maratha
worrier Tanaji Malusare.
Narveer Tanaji Malusare statue at Sinhgad
Tanaji Kada is the place from
where Mavale(Maratha soldiers) climbed up the fort and attacked Mughals.
There is a house of the great freedom
fighter Lokmanya Tilak as he came to stay on the fort.
There are many small temples on the
fort. There are a number of water tanks on the fort. But Devtaki is the most famous one. The water is cold and sweet, when you visit do taste it. Only this water tank can be used for drinking water.
The strong wind along with mist, fog
and rains at the famous ‘Hawa point’ was an experience to remember. ‘Kade lot’
is also a popular point. It is said that in olden days the prisoners were
thrown off from this cliff.
Due to monsoon, the weather there was
cold and was raining frequently. The fog, mist, drizzle and the blowing wind made our walk at the fort memorable. Once the fog clears, you can see
Khadakwasla dam and Torna fort from the top. The breathtaking views
are addictive. I can go there almost every day. The drizzle and
cold breeze added to our pleasant experience. It’s a perfect location to spend a wonderful
time with your family and friends.
Travelers!!
After relaxing for two hours we started
to descend.
If you have not yet visited the fort please do visit in monsoon, I am sure you will like it. Also, do not forget to carry your camera to capture the beautiful pictures.
