Route to Rajmachi

 Often, before going on a trek, most of us are clueless about whether we’ll be able to make it for the excursion or not. Especially, when organised by a group working together. Even the day before the departure, hint of doubts persist, until we actually set-off on a drive to explore a location, which even after discovering it we realise that we’ve a missed a lot about that place. 

It was Fort Rajmachi that found its place in our list of exploration. Standing tall on the great Western Ghats, it consists of two citadels Shrivardhan and Manranjan. But what we discovered was not these twin bastions but the route that connects one to Rajmachi.

The 15km. walk from the base of Lonavla’s Della Adventure Park was more of an exhilarating jungle trail than an adrenaline pumping trek. I experienced the greenside of life and at the same time turned green with envy; because there was so much heartfelt expression by Mother Nature. Be it through the various species of trees or endless forms of shrubs lined up across the ghat region; the region displayed oodles of creativity.

At the onset, there was a warm invitation by a mellifluous call of a peafowl, hidden somewhere amidst the deciduous region. An indication for all us that our tryst with the natural side of life has just begun. Pebbles, stones muddy patches, rock-cut tracks, rugged terrains, all were finely laid-out all over; together gave us a green carpet welcome. 

 A fleet of playful butterflies did parikrama every now and then. The tiny ones often teased us by not stopping at one place, giving us zero chance to capture their beauty. To support them, there were winged wonders too, who were masters to whiz past us. Of the lot, Red Whiskered Bulbuls were the only ones that gave us a curious look and permitted us to kiss them through our lenses. 

We were lost in the silence of the surrounds, but our experience shaken up, when a whistle of a train screamed in our hearing senses. Soon we realised that our path was parallel to Bor Ghat’s railway tunnel, clearly visible some miles away that connected Mumbai with Pune. Even from such a distance, its sound absolutely took over the beauty of the silence, which eventually got muted, as the train entered another tunnel.

But what seemed to be vanished deep 

down in the heart of the jungle, the noise, appeared again from nowhere. This time, it was of the modified mountain bikes. The group of hardcore trekkers were all-set with their mountaineering attire to ride through that uneven terrain to reach atop. Convoyed by them, were the land rovers; beating the ruggedness of the land, gripping the loose earth and leaving their tyre mark all over the surface. The scene seemed to be taken out from one of those ‘Dare Devils’ episodes. No wonder, I wished to join those excursionists.

The rollercoaster pathway laid down everywhere, eventually landed us on a verdant plateau. Greens, blues, browns and blacks, spread all over in different forms and shapes. And there were whites flowing freely, or rather cascading through the paved surface of the earth. It seemed that Mother Nature politely presented her ‘freedom of speech’.

People from my group simply hopped to douse in the flowing stream, soak-up the sun, which frequently played hide-n-seek and tried to get camouflaged, irrespective of the fact that they cannot, with the resplendence of the environs. It was more than an hour break. We all stuck there like a baby macaque that dangles below its mother’s chest.

But there was so much to discover and we had to move on.

The track was getting denser. Layers of foliages and creepers created an eerie environment. But it was the gushing sound of a nearby waterfall that gave us a soothing touch. Though we trailed in a group, we experienced solitude within.

We reached at a point where the stream of a water body knew no bounds. It resolutely decided its way down to the nearby watercourse. From there, the Rajmachi Fort was just 5kms. Reaching there was easier but harking back, impossible. As we had to stay there whole night and nobody was prepared for such outing.

Right by the side of the water body there was a tea stall. And we all were desperately in need to savour one. Though what was served to us tasted very bad, but at least it gave us energy to re-experience the route of Rajmachi that we left behind.