8-Oct-2011 : Raireshwara

Welcome. Today, we will share our experience of a visit to an important place - Raireshwara. This is the place where Shivaji is believed to have taken oath of Hindavi Swarajya.

From Trek - Raireshwara Oct 11

Location and Getting There:

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Raireshwara is located near Bhor taluka - about 80 kilometers from Pune. Getting there is relatively easy. State transport buses ply to Bhor from Swargate stand frequently. From Bhor, we need to get some private transport (generally, shared vehicles) to Korale village. This is the most difficult part. For a larger group, this may pose challenges. To better manage time, it is best to have our own transport.


From Pune, take Satara road. Take an exit towards Bhor. In about 2 hours from Swargate, we reach Bhor. From Bhor, take a road to Ambeghar, Karanjewadi, Karnawad, Pimpalawadi, and Korale. It takes about half an hour to reach Korale village from Bhor.


This is where we begin the trek.


Trek:
Kojagiri pornima (Ashwin full moon) is the first full moon after rainy season is over in India. It is an important festival as full moon would be visible after 2-3 months during monsoon. It is celebrated by staying awake during part of the night and drinking milk after seeing reflection of full moon in it. In the recent years, due to weather changes, the rainy season is little delayed. Sometimes, it rains in October as well.


Our group had decided to celebrate the Kojagiri full moon on Raireshwara temple. On 7-Oct-2011, we set out from Swargate by state transport bus to Bhor. We were about 25-26 members. There two vehicles were arranged. Each one had capacity to accommodate 10 each. But somehow 12-13 were stuffed in each. It happens in rural India (and most of the developing countries). We reached Korale village when it was pitch dark. There were no lights at that time around. Probably another of the routine power cuts. After getting down, we arranged our sacs in the dark. Our eyes were adjusted by now. Soon after, we started to climb.


The initial road (yes, it is an unpaved motorable road) had gradual ascent. Even though the full moon was just a couple of days away, it was pitch dark due to thick clouds. Fortunately there was no mist due to warm conditions. Thanks to October heat. In between, the road had steeper ascent. We had no clue as to where we were heading. There were couple of waterfalls due to late rains. After nearly one and half hour, we reached a pass. From here, one path climbs up Raireshwara. The other descends to the other side of the mountain.


The initial few meters are scree and hence a danger of slipping. Then a gradual walk almost on level, takes to the base of steep ascent. At the end of this ascent, there is vertical rock face of around 50 meters. However, two stair cases are fixed so that it is easy for every one to visit the temple.


Here we waited for some time to regain some breath. The stairs are easy and safe. Once everyone was up on the top, then there was another long walk. to the temple. The visibility was still low. After walking for 15-20 minues, we reached the temple. There are some buildings around the temple. One school is there. Around 15-20 houses are nearby. We did not see them in the night. All us us sat down and unpacked the dinners that we carried along. It was 11 PM by now.


When lunch was finished, some of us dozed on one of the platform in the open air. Now the milk was to be boiled. So some members went around searching for dry wood. It was difficult to get it in enough quantity. At last someone found a huge piece. That alone would be sufficient.


In another 2 hours, the milk was boiled and thickened. Now there was mad rush to get the delicious milk. This milk contained some ingredients like dry fruits and custard. Whoever was asleep was awake. Fortunately, the quantity was sufficient for everybody to have enough.


Some of us slept in the temples and some in the open platform.


When I woke up in the morning, it was daylight! Still some of us were asleep. We got ready for the day. It was almost 8 AM when the group started to move. When I went inside the temple for darshan, it was closed. Through the door, the idol is visible. The core temple must have been constructed at least 2-3 centuries. There are some extensions. Of course they are not done well. There is one important stone inscription. It is partially covered by iron grill!


After having darshan, we went straight to one of the houses for breakfast. These 15-20 houses grow only rice once in a year. Everything else is brought from below. The poha (flattened rice) gave enough ammunition for us to march ahead.

Now we were able to appreciate the beauty of the nature around. There were several flowers around. Most of them are found on Kaasa plateau. Here we saw several turmeric plants. Their flowers were on the verge of drying. The entire plains gave a different perspective. At the one end of this plateau, there is Kenjalagada. There was smithia. Yellow sonaki was abundant. It was around 10 AM. After having introductions (yes. introductions were in the morning when everyone could see faces), we started swiftly to catch the bus back to Bhor.

As with any return journey, this was easier but tiring. The different flowers and butterflies made our march tolerable. Now I was wondering the flowers. While climbing in the night, I did not figure out it was so beautiful. Most of the path has Kenjalagada on one side and Raireshwara plateau on the other. The sun was blazing by now. The heat was becoming unbearable. There are not many trees on the road. Soon after we reached Korale, one bus arrived there. All of us jumped into it. Since it was starting point, we could find place for seating.

In another half an hour, we got down at Bhor. We had lunch at one small hotel just outside the palace of Bhor. The lunch was delicious. After lunch, we saw the adjacent palace. This is one of the best preserved palace from Peshwe era. Currently, several movies and television serials are shot here. When we visited the palace, some shooting was already underway.


The entire trip was memorable. We visited the place where Shivaji Maharaj is supposed to have taken oath for self rule at a young age. This is where the seeds of Hindu padapadashahi was born, which loosely defines India's present boundary.


Link to wiki page

17-Sep-2011 : Kaas

Welcome. Today, I am going to share my visit to a phenomenal place - Kaas. This place is unique. Every September, a countless wild flowers bloom here. Some abundant, some rare. At other times, this place would just look ordinary! It is a wonder of nature.


For the past couple of years, we had decided to go to this place and see 10-15 varieties of wold flowers ourselves. This chance came in 2011. Due to excessive rainfall, the flowers did not get time for blooming. We were getting anxious. At last, on 17-Sep, we set out to see the wonder. We had mixed feelings. Just in case, it turned out to be a disappointment, we ought to be prepared.


Location and getting there:

View Forts in a larger map

This place is very accessible. From Pune, reach Satara. From  Satara, take Kaas or Baamanoli road. The plateau starts about 10 kilometers from Satara. The entire stretch is about 15 kilometers.


It is very crowded during the season. Hence it is advisable to have one's own transport. However patience is mandated through traffic jams.

Trip:
Once we leave Satara and come on Bamnoli Road, we see some yellow wild flowers. These are abundant. As the road climbs up and Satara is left behind, we come across plateau in the next 5-6 kilometers. If we get down (literally) to the ground, and look carefully, we can find 5-6 different flowers. We spent nearly an hour on one such spot.


However we were more eager to see the area much talked about. Soon we arrived there. Now the entire section looked yellow. This was due to the predominantly yellow flowers in this area. Here we saw at least 4 different species of Smithia, and some other yellow flowers. There were some red and violet flowers but they were lost in the crowd. We were feeling ecstatic! There were butterflies and birds. These were secondary for now.






After spending nearly an hour in the "yellow" section, we proceeded to Kaas lake. Soon after, we encountered a big traffic jam. The road is narrow and only one vehicle can pass easily. Today there were hundreds of vehicle. So we got down from the vehicle and started walking in the reverse direction, abandoning the plan to see the lake. It was raining all throughout. The entire walk was to be nearly 4-5 kilometers.


Soon we came across a section which had predominantly pink and violet flowers. Wherever one can see, it was just pink and violet! We were lost in identifying different species of flowers! It was raining all throughout.

We went little interior along the designated track. Now we could see several more flowers. Here we saw two different species of orchids. I was very dismayed to see them! Orchid should look like a beautiful attractive flower. However, this orchid had no flowers! Just the bud like green sections. Soon enough I reconciled my understanding of the orchids and started to wonder the nature. All orchids do not have very attractive flowers. But they are attractive!


Then there was a section with white flowers. This is another mesmerizing experience. The area looks as if filled with white stars on the ground. There must be countless flowers of each species. But one can distinguish them only when we bend. In the interior, we see white turmeric flowers. Probably, their bloom was over. The flowers did not appear very attractive. Pink turmeric flower is very beautiful to watch. Once I am able to recognize, I am able to locate it in the wild.






After seeing so many flowers, are we done yet? Now we were getting tired. The rain had give respite only in the late afternoon. Soon an insect eating plant Drosera was spotted. It is a small plant, akin to grass. It will not be recognized in the crowd of endless flowers. There are three species of Drosera found in Kaasa. 1) Drosera peltata - Shield Sundew 2) Drosera indica - Flycatcher 3) Drosera burmannii - Burmann's Sundew. The one which we saw was Drosera indica. It is a small plant with multiple stems. Some of them lying along the ground and some others upright. Each stem has very narrow leaves - akin to thorns. At the tip of these leaves, a sticky liquid secrets giving an appearance if sun dews. Insects are trapped by this sticky liquid. The flowers grow on the top of stems. They are generally pink, but can be white or orange in color. The seeds sprout at the onset of rainy season in India. This plant is medicinal and rare to find.
Here is the link to wiki page
Here is the link to flowersofindia page

Now was the time to return back. We were walking along the road where our bus was parked. It was difficult to walk due to hundreds of vehicles. The people were generally coming to see what it can be. They were getting dejected that there is nothing to see. One should go to Kaasa only if there is some interest in seeing different flowers! Otherwise it simply leads to frustration. On our return walk, we were pondering on the several new things we learned from nature. Once again humbled by how less I know! The key learnings were:
1) Orchids are not always beautiful flowers
2) There are several insect eating plants. Their method of trapping insects differ.
3) Bend closer to the ground and we can see several different species of flowers not seen by standing up