As the monsoon sets in all I can think about is wandering the Sahyadris, meeting new people and having fulfilling weekends. In order to have one such fruitful weekend I attended a monsoon trek to Sarasgarh organized by YHAI Kandivali on the 28th and 29th of June 2014. Sarasgarh is one of the twin fort located in Raigarh district of Maharashtra, Pali being its base village. It is identified by its four pinnacles and hence was mainly a watch tower to keep an eye on the area around.
At 10.30pm on 28th the group departed from Borivali, picking up members along the way. As the bus left Mumbai and Navi-Mumbai and zoomed towards Pali, thereby reaching the destination at around 2am. We were supposed to rest and catch up on whatever sleep we can for an energetic morning! But, anticipation and excitement caught the better of me and I could hardly catch upon 40 winks. Nevertheless I was energetic and enthusiastic the following morning.
After a wakeup call at 5am, we freshened up and few visited the Pali Ganpati Temple in the village itself, which is a very well known pilgrimage. After a sumptuous breakfast of ‘pohe’ and tea at a local vendor, we huddled up and formed a circle, where we were given instructions and every member gave their own brief introduction which acted as an ice-breaker for all the people gathered.
Once the introductions were done and a small talk was initiated, we started to move towards the hill. Initially covering up a long road, we walked and then slipped into an almost negligible path which led into the woods, accompanied by three village dogs. We started moving upwards, climbing, walking in the morning sunlight with talks and laugh along the way. We were consumed by greenery by our sides and beautiful flowers too.
We kept on moving simultaneously consuming a lot of water, as the humidity caught the better of us and we had to make up for the water lost due to perspiration. Nevertheless, we continued to walk, eventually taking a break on a small plateau like flat along the way. Where we rested, took a few selfies and groupies and after feeling refreshed moved on towards the top smiling and patiently waiting for us!
With another stop along the flat patches which became a great avenue for photographers again feeling newly energized we started moving, that is when we saw a cloud of fog moving fast and covering the mountain, the whole view somehow was so tempting that the gang wasn’t just walking but sprinting in the upward direction.
Once most of the hill was climbed, suddenly the smiling uphill changed to a steeper smirk. But that smirk didn’t dampen the spirit of YHAI-ites, instead we moved ahead feeling even more determined to reach the top. After one such rocky patch, we reached the ledge of the mountain where along the corner there were long steep never-ending steps. There was also a cave and a water tank at the base of the steps.
After a few more photo-sessions, we set off along the steps marveling the workers who carved them out of stone and also people who used the steps daily. As the steps ended, we reached the entrance doorway of the fort! Feeling at peace we moved further and further climbed a set of few more steps, covering even more difficult steep patches of rocky terrain. We reached the highest point! \
The humidity might have drained away water from our bodies as well as from our sources. But, it felt amazing to have finally reached the top.
We gathered near the temple and sat for having our much-awaited packed lunch. After a lot of food and fun sharing, when finally our stomachs and our hearts were full, we relaxed simply cradelled up in nature and conversations which gave us back all the energy that was spent in the climb up!
We were then given up a lot of information of the fort history, along with a view to the other of the twin forts, Sudhagarh as well as a view of the ‘Tail- Baila’ which was used as an office in those days. Finally full of food, energy, conversations and information, we started our walk downward. But, not before we patted our own backs for reaching the top a little before the stipulated time! Well done gang!
We finally started moving back towards gravity. That is when the difficulty arose, because the steep difficult patches seemed to mock even more, especially to those who were afraid of heights. But the troop leaders, just warded off the demons and made the whole journey downwards seem like a cakewalk. The water resources had dried up till then, and so the walk downward was rushed as the sun was up and high and was sponging away whatever water our body tried holding back.
With dry throats, but with a determined heart we moved further and further till we reached the base village, where the locals supplied us with a lot of drinking water without hesitation, even if they have to undergo a lot of efforts obtaining it!
We also had lemon juice from the local vendors once we were on the streets again, which brought a smile sprinkled with refreshment along with every sip. I enjoyed every sip looking at the mountain, which seemed to wink at me, appreciating the efforts and conveying his regards for a lovely company!
