The Beginning: Jivdhan Fort

With the new job in hand it was time to start a new path but at the same time it was not the time to forget the old loved ones. The love for trekking in Sahyadris could never get over me. And with some college buddies who share the same job and interest it was about to get better.

History

Naneghat was an important pass built during the Saatvahana Era for transport of goods from the Kalyan port to Prathisthan(Junnar). It was necessary to guard this pass from enemy attacks so the hill fort of Jivdhan was built during 1oo BC. This fort was captured and destroyed by Britishers during the 1818 AC seize.

The Road Journey

It was a cool Friday morning when we decided the spot for the weekend and it had to be Jivdhan Fort for all the challenges the fort keeps in front of you as the difficulty level of this fort is somewhere between medium to high.It was Prashant, Dhanraj, Nilesh, Chaitanya and Vaishnav along with me for this trek task. We left at 7 am on our bikes and took the NH50 route from Pimpri-Chinchwad to reach Narayangaon and then took a left turn from the highway to reach Junnar. From Junnar it was an hour drive to reach the base village of Ghatghar. Along the way you pass two forts which are Junnar Fort and Chawand Fort.

The Leg Journey

Once you are at Ghatghar there are two ways to reach the Fort one is called the Junnar Darwaja and the other is Kalyan Darwaja which is also called the Naneghat Route. We decided to reach the fort via Junnar Darwaja and the return route would be the Kalyan Darwaja. It is advised to take a guide along with you as the trails through the woods are very confusing and all look alike. Also do not attempt this fort during heavy rains as the rocks are too slippery. There have been incidents when people had to rescued from the fort during heavy rains. Be sure to carry a rope during any season.

As we started the journey there was a temple and a pond on the outskirts of the village from where we took a right and followed the water way. It was almost a 70 degree climb for almost 100 feet and after the climb we took the cattle trail. Along the trail there was a small cave which was used as water cistern(watch out for bee hives in the cave).The trail which was a bit difficult to follow took us to the base of stairs leading to Junnar Darwaja and this took us almost 3 hours to be there.

The stairs are a perfect example of ancient art as they are totally engraved on the mountain rock. After some stairs there are two patches of vertical climb almost 20 feet tall but luckily there are steel ladders installed recently to cover this patch. This is followed by few stairs again and we are on the fort.

Atop Jivdhan Fort

There is very little or almost no Fortification on Jivdhan Fort but at the entrance of the Junnar Darwaja there is a cistern, the water in which is totally covered with some oily substance. But believe me the locals said “Once you drift apart the oily substance the water beneath is very clean and potable”. We gave it a shot and it was way too better than chilled mineral water, it was sweet and had the taste of the dissolved mountain salts.

As we moved ahead on the fort there was a cave which was sculpted from a single rock. The cave was supposed to be used as Grain Pantry and had 5 separate rooms in it. The cave is ideal for the night stay even during rains as no water percolates into the cave through the walls. When in the cave or if you are camping take care of crawlers and serpents as you’ll find them in plenty over here. While camping do not eat near the place where you are staying this might invite mice for the night party.

We had to climb a small hill to reach the other side of the fort which is the Konkan side. From here you can get a complete view of Konkan region and deep valleys alongside the fort. On a clear day one can see Gorakhgad, Machindragad, Harishchandragad, Naneghat, Nanancha Angtha, Chawand fort and few small dams in Thane district from the fort. Also one of the best rappelling attractions lies on the western side of the fort which is “Wanar Lingi”.

The Descent

We decided to start descent through the Kalyan Darwaja at 4 in the evening. The Kalyan Darwaja is a pure example of sheer ancient art as the whole gate is carved out of single rock and the gate entrance is almost 40 feet deep. The descent through the Kalyan Darwaja was very steep and it surrounded by tall rock walls on both sides. After the steep descent there were few steps also carved in the rock.

Ahead along the way there were many huge honey combs and the bees were on full rage. We waited for them to clear but the bees were in no mood to let us go through that way. So we decided to reach the fort again and move down through the Junnar Darwaja. But it was already dark as we reached the fort and the return journey was about to get creepy.

As we started to descent we meet a local guy who came on the fort to deliver dinner for a group from pune who were camping on the fort. We were lucky to find him as he helped us to reach the village. The return path was difficult as it was totally dark coupled with almost vertical descent.

We reached the base village of Ghatghar at 8 pm and started our return journey at 8:30 pm. On our way back, it was a great night drive experience through the woods and the roads being in very good condition it was a total bliss. We stayed at a friend’s place in Khed for the night and had a great countryside time.