harishchandragad

रातची भाकरी खाउन आम्ही मुक्कामाच्या गाडीत झोपलो. गावात भन्नाट वारा सुटला होता. वर डोंगर रांगांत वीजा चमकत होत्या. रांगेमागे चमकणारया वीजांमुळे, डोंगरमाथा अधुन मधुन उजळुन निघत होता. पहाटे चार च्या सुमारास गावातले कोंबडे आरवले. कोंबड्याच्या आरवण्याने जागे होण्याचा सन्मान मिळाल्याने पहाटे पहाटे मन खुष झाले. तांबड फुटायच्या आधीच आम्ही दोघे निघालो. गाव कधी मागे पडले आणी घनदाट रानात आम्ही शिरलो. रानातल्या पक्ष्यांचा दंगा एकत आम्ही चालु लागलो. रानातले श्वेतकंठी नारंगी कस्तुर, शीळकरी कस्तुर अधुनमधुन नजरेस पडत होते. दुर दरीत वानरांचा आवाज घुमत होता. शेकरुंची कडकड आणी रानातल्या बार्किंग डिअरचे ध्वनी उत्कंठा वाढवत होते. हळुहळु वाट चढु लागली आणी तांबड फुटायच्या आधीच आम्हाला घाम फुटु लागला. टोलार खिंडीतील व्याघ्रशिल्प न्याहाळले. उन मी म्हणायच्या आधीच खिंडीवरचा घसारा चढलो. एका ठिकाणी बरीच माती घसरल्याने आधीच अवघड वाट अरुंद झाली आहे. कारकाई, भैरवगड समोरच ठाण मांडून बसले होते. दुर रानातुन रानकोंबडे साद घालत होते. खिंडीतल्या गर्द रानाचे छत ढगांशी मस्ती करत होते. डोंगर उतारावर सोनकीची छान सोनेरी झालर पसरली होती. मजल दर मजल करत पठारावरुन लहानुले ओहोळ ओलांडत एकदाचे विक्रमी चार तासात, शंकरदेवाचे देऊळ गाठले. सर्वत्र कारवी, तेरडा, सोनकी माजली होती. माळावरुन सिकाड्यांचा किर्किराट चालु होता. गडावर कोणीच माणसं नव्हती.

After a nice short dinner we went to sleep in the vehicle at our base village. It was very windy that night. The lightening in the sky was throwing the light on the mountain range in front of us. At dawn, the rooster calls awakened us. After so many years I got the pleasure to have the rooster doodle a do as a wakeup alarm. Before the sky reddened, we left the village and enterted the forest. We were welcomed by various alarm calls of birds and animals. The forest was booming with the calls. Occasionally orange headed ground thrush and malabar whistling thrush could be seen in the dense foliage. The valley was booming with the langoor calls. The barking dear and the indian giant squirell was also heard. As the climb was steep, we started sweating early morning at the sunrise. As we reached the Tolar pass, as usual we observed the tigeridol in the pass. After the tolar pass, there is a steep rock climb. After carefull climb, we had a nice view of deccan platue on either sides of tolar pass. The view of dense forest canopy in the pass, made us feel happy. The occasional low clouds were passing along. Drammatic change in the lighting as the clouds pass is amazing experience. The mountain of karkai and bhairavgad were basking in the sun. From the distance occasional call of forestfowl was heard. The hill slopes were ornamented with the sonki flower bloom patches. The kurdu flowers were dancing with the wind. As we trekked through the small hillocks and winding small waterstreamlets, we reached the shiva temple after recordtime of 4.5 hours. Without lingering around the temple and caves, we further walked through the streamlets on the platue to reach our final destination, the "Konkankada". On the way we saw balsam, karvi, sonki blooms. The cikadas were singing marily with the whistling wind in full volume. The shallow (about ot dry) streamlets were making khalkhal noise.

देवाजवळ जास्त वेळ न रेंगाळता, आम्ही कड्याची वाट पकडली. शेवटच्या टप्यात आमची उत्कंठा शिगेस पोहोचली. तोंडातून एकही शब्द न काढता, क्षितिज न्याहाळत कड्यावर एकदाचे पोहोचलो. कड्याचे स्पष्ट दर्शन होताच आमचा आनंद गगनात मावेना झाला. समोरचे आकाश कड्यासमोर ठेंगणे वाटु लागले. लोटांगण घालुन दरीत डोकावल्यावर, नेहेमीसारखे पोटात गोळे आले. ठोके जोरात झाले. कोणालाही धडकी वाटेल असे या कोकणकड्याचे राकट रुप आहे. आपण कोण, कोठुन आलो, सर्व गोष्टींचा विसर पडला.

In the last stretch we were joyous to see the clear sky and spectacular clear green view of the valley below over the cliff. The sky is short infront of the precipitous konkankada. It is a unique cliff, and nothing can match it, in entire western ghats. Though the vertical height of the cliff is not very high (It is aboiut 425 meter). the shape of the cliff makes it very unique. The semicircular shaped cliff has a considerable overhang (about 20 meter) in the central zone. The perimeter of the semicircle is about 900 meters. As we looked below over the cliff using a special technique, the heart bit rose, the butterflies had fun in our bellies. This cliff has been climbed very few times. It was first climbed by a group of climbers from IITB Mumbai, in 1985. For a while one feels like juping from the cliff in the valley below, as the jelousy towards the birds for their flying abilities enters the human mind here.

The image above shows the verticle precipitous cliff north section. One can see the tough tube route, "nalichi waat", which is roughly 45 deg gradient climb for 350 meters height. The route is famous amongst the adventure mountaineers of Maharashtra. The pinnacles of Nhapta and Kaladgad can be seen in the background.

वरील छायाचित्रात, कोकणकड्याचा उत्तर भाग दिसत आहे. अवघड समजल्या जाण्यारया नळीच्या वाटेचा सुरुवातीचा खालील भाग चित्रात दिसत आहे.

The image above shows the central and southern part of the precipitous cliff. The central section has cobrahood overhang. The summit of Rohidas and Taramati can be seen in the background. The southern section is having inclined slippery zones near the edge. It is not recommended to venture in this area close to the cliff. One can see the 1.5 meter high aluminium tripod on the top of the cliff.

वरील छायाचित्रात, कोकणकड्याचा मधील व दक्षिण भाग दिसत आहे. दक्षिणेकडील भाग निसरडा असुन, या भागात कड्याकडे जाणे टाळावे. कड्यामागे रोहिदास व तारामती शिखरे दिसत आहेत.

कोळी हा भीतीदायक पण अनोखा जीव आहे. जगात अनेक प्रकारचे कोळी आढळतात. (अंदाजे ३८००० प्रकार). जंगलात आढळणारे छुपे कोळी आपले जाळे आडवे बनवतात. या जाळ्यात एका बाजूस एक जाळ्यापासून बनवलेले भुयार असते. दिवसभर कोळी या भुयारात लपुन रहातो.

जाळ्यात शिकार सापडताच, कंपनांमुळे व हालचालीमुळे, लपलेल्या कोळ्यास शिकारीचा सुगावा लागतो. तो लगबगीने भुयाराच्या बाहेर येऊन शिकार शोधुन फस्त करतो. छायाचित्रांमध्ये दर्शिवलेल्या सारखे या जाळ्यावर दवबिंदुंचा सुंदर पसारा असतो.

Spiders are scary but very interesting characters. There are about 38000 species of spiders in the world. The images shown here are the images of some kind of sheetweb spiders. These spiders lay their web in the shrubs. The webs are about 20 to 30 cm across. The sheets are normally horizontal. Often one can find a small funnel shaped tunnel at one end of the web.

These spiders detect the small vibrations and movements in the on the web sheet using their senses and hair on limbs. The spiders move rapidly out of their funnel shaped woven tunnel and capture the prey. The webs are often coated with the dew drops. These images were taken in the western ghats at the altitude of 3400 feet.

Beautiful flowered waterplants were seen in the potholes on the platue over the cliff. These arrangements looked like the natural flowerpots.

कड्यावरील कातळात अप्रतिम खळगे आहेत. या खळग्यांमध्ये सुंदर फुलांनी बहरलेली वनस्पतींची रचना मन प्रसन्न करुन गेली.

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The image above shows the top view of the valley and the cliff from the central overhang. The undercut is hidden. The layers of basalt rocks can be seen. The view causes the butterflies in the belly. This view is possible only if seen by lieing down on the specific section of the cliff. Viewing the valley standing at the edge or even sitting at the edge is not recommended.

कोकण कडा हा पश्चिम महाराष्ट्रातला अद्वितीय कडा आहे. याचा आकार अर्धवर्तुळाकार असुन, या कड्याला बराच ओव्हरहॅग आहे. नागाच्या फणीसारखा याचा आकार असुन, खोली अंदाजे ४२५ मीटर आहे. कड्यावरील काही भाग सोडल्यास इतर भाग घसरट व धोकादायक आहे. कड्यावरुन दरीत डोकवण्याची एकच पद्धत आहे (योग्य ठिकाणी लोटांगण घालुन). कोकणकडा हा महाराष्ट्राची शान आहे. हा देवाचा महिमा आहे.

The Caves at the base of Taramati peak on the platue above are controlled by ASI. The light on the Lord Ganesh carving is truely inspirational.

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The couple of booted eagles were seen resting at 100 meters on the cliff. As we waited for the sunset, a large thundering cloud appeared over the cliff. As we had metallic tripods, we decided to retreat. Any lightening could have been dangerous for us.

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उंच भरारी मारत काही पाखर आमच्या खुप जवळुन सुर मारु लागली. त्यांतुन येणारया पंखांच्या सपसप आवाजाने आम्ही बरायचदा दचकलो. दुपारनंतर बारमल बापलेक गुराख्यांची कड्यावर भेट झाली. नेहेमीसारखीच त्यांची गुरं हरवली होती. हवापाण्याच्या गप्पा मारल्या. आमचा आवाज एकून पठारावरील खोल भागात डुंबत बसलेल्या म्हशी वर आल्या. कोकण कडा हा पश्चिम महाराष्ट्रातला अद्वितीय कडा आहे. याचा आकार अर्धवर्तुळाकार असुन, या कड्याला बराच ओव्हरहॅग आहे. एवढ्या अवगढ भागात गुर बाळगण म्हणजे भलतच जिकेरीचे काम आहे.

In the afternoon we were surprised by father-son shephards. They were looking for their buffalows at the edge of the cliff which is 425 meters vertically deep. After discussing with them about their and our life, we had a small photosession with them. Suddenly they located the buffalows in the small groove on the platue over the cliff closeby. In the evening, the valley got filled by hundreds of martins. As the birds did awesome acrobatics in the strong wind over the cliff, sometimes we were shaken by their wing sound.

The climax was spectacular. The clouds, the eclipsed sun, the sunrays, the cliff, distant lightened skyline, clouds, the strong wind and the beautiful sonki flowers. .We reached the caves below the taramati peak. The Ganesh Caves are usual resting place for the trekkers coming here. All the caves were vacant. We suddenly found that we were only two fellows on the entire mountain. Fortunately we met Maruti a barmal shephard who looks after the ASI work at the caves. He returned back to his village leaving us behind after giving us some grains for cooking. As usual we struggled to fire the chulha. Somehow after an hours struggle we had a nice dinner of khichadi, cooked the way the human used to cook thousands of years back. Our egoes were washed off. Next day dancing on the music of cikadas, brushing through the dense foliage of grass, and shrubs we returned back to the base village. On the way we saw beautiful wildflowers, butterflies, insects, spiders. As we left the village over the rough road over the pimpalgaon dam, we stopped several times, to have a glimpse back of the mountains which we descended.

जोरात गर्जना करत येणारया ढगाला सामोरे न जाता आम्ही माघार घेतली. गणेशगुहेत मुक्काम ठोकला. मारुती गुराख्याकडुन शिदोरी घेउन, रात्री चुलीवर खिचडीचा बेत केला. नेहेमी सारखीच चुल पेटवताना तारांबळ उडाली. रातच्याला गप्पा मारुन गुहेत पडी मारली. सकाळला परतीची वाट धरली. फुलपाखर, रानफुल, चित्रविचित्र किडे, यांच्या संगतीत खिरेश्वर गाठले.