Trip to Chavand

Laziness and me are like Siamese twins so when one fine day I registered for the trek to the beautiful Chavand hills situated in Pune district at a height of 3500 ft, my friends and colleagues were quite astonished. All I could hear was “you…!!!Going on a trek? Oh! My God...Hope you complete it!!!!!” My heavy frame was another topic of hot discussion. “Hope you don’t flatten the hills into plains once you tread on it……..”
It would be untruthful of me if I say I was not in dilemma. “Should I not snooze peacefully and pamper myself to a lazy Sunday rather then climb some hill, get scratched and battered?”
Anyways all said and done I somehow managed to reach the boarding point from where we were to take the bus ride for 5 hours to reach the base.
The bus started exactly at 12:30 a.m and after journeying through the dark night we reached the base at 5:30 am.
It’s been ages since I had seen the sun rise early in the morning and the feeling was exquisite.
At 7:00 a.m after a light breakfast of sandwiches we started the ascent. All my friends are regular trekkers and somehow I was the odd one out. Within a few mins of ascent I realized that I am not made for trekking.
“Oh my God! What was happening to me?” I was feeling dizzy and could see stars in bright daylight.

Somehow with incredible assistance and support of my friends(Urmila,Sahil,Sachchidanand and Sandeep to be precise) I managed to drag myself to the top.
This entire endeavor was worth for the transcending beauty of the surrounding hills and the plains below left me enchanted.
It brought back a quote I read somewhere “Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.”
We exhausted a couple of hour’s exploring and I for one could experience how Columbus must have felt when he first journeyed to mysterious lands in the east.


Anyways all that begin must eventually come to an end and this trip which started with a lot of apprehension also came to an end, leaving a dearth for more.
It will be unfair if I don't share a brief Sketch of this magnificiant place, so this is for all who feels lazy to explore:-


Sahyadri is not just a mountain range, but a great treasure of history, the history of the struggle by the great Marathas & ancient Satvaahans.
The Satvaahans ruled what is today called the state of Maharashtra & their great regime is commemorated by the remnants of the forts & caves they constructed in the heart of the Sahyadris.
The whole range that has been guarding the ancient commercial route of Naneghat for thousands of years includes the forts of Jeevdhan, Hadsar, Mahishgad and Chavand.
These belong to the Satvaahan era. And Chavand being one of them is a very significant one.
Situated at a height of 3000ft from sea level, the fort houses many a remnant of constructions that take us about 800 years back in time. The fort is in Pune district, at a distance of 20 km from the city of Junnar. The region at the foothills of the fort contains exotic flora & fauna. It was here that we could spot at least 12 varieties of birds. Village of Chavandwadi lies at the base of the fort.

History

Medieval period
Malik Ahmed founded the Nizam Dynasty in 1485. He was the first Nizamshah who acquired the fort of Chavand after the dissolution of the Bahmani Empire.
The seventh Nizamshah was Second Burhanshah. His grandson Bahadurshah was imprisoned here in 1594. Bahadurshah was the nephew of Chandbibi, a renowned personality from the same period. She played an important role in helping him to achieve the throne.
In 1636 Shahajiraje, father of Shivaji Maharaj, signed a treaty with the Moghals, in which the Moghals got Chavand.
Shivaji Maharaj named the fort as “Prasannagad”.
Mythological references:-
1) The forts named after the names of great sages (for e.g. Vasota, named after Vasistha) are pre-ancient forts.
2) The forts decorated by Buddhist carvings and sculptures (for e.g. Shivneri) are ancient forts.
3) Forts belonging to the medieval period are related to Shaiva, Shakta or Naath.
4) The goddess Chamunda is the goddess of destruction of evil, the deity belongs to Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka.
Fascinating Spots:-
1. Saptamatrika (The seven cisterns)
The British in their attack have destroyed many a construction in the eighteenth century. Here a temple half buried in the earth can be seen. As we go ahead on the left, we can see 7 water tanks aligned along each other. These have much mythological significance, & their names are as follows: Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrayani & Chamunda, the most powerful goddess of all.
2. Man made caves
As we proceed towards the northern direction around the fortification, we can see that a proper way was constructed hereby to move around to keep watch. On the north side of the fort, human made caves are situated where the fortification ends. Here it is said that a secret passage exists, amidst the wall, right below the caves. As we go the south side, we can have a beautiful view of the river Kukdi that originates from Kukdeshwar, a famous pilgrimage near the fort. On the southeastern side, no fortification exists as steep fall dominates this place. Again as we proceed westwards, we can see the fortification here. This fort being strongly secured was used for imprisoning Bahadurshah Nizam in 1594.
3. Temple of goddess Chamunda
Chamunda is the most powerful goddess of all.