Singhgad Seize - Oct 1, 2004

I had a wonderful weekend last week. Though things were not planned but they went in sequence and rythmically. All it started when a good friend of mine showed his face Friday evening. Friday sets the alarm for weekends. After an arduous, heavy, loaded, and sulking weekdays work (even if you pretended like that, it is exhaustive) you get to see the gate to enjoyment and merry making. No wonder why TGIFs are doing good business and have profused extensibly.So my friend dropped in and as usual we had a get-together party with the nostalgia of the past and exchange of our recent additions in our biographies. During the merry-making process an idea popped up of going to Lonavala. And as we all know that an idea can change your life :) so it worked this time also.Saturday morning and we were well set for the trip. Faced and survived the turbulance of the people with the people flooded locals of Mumbai. Reached Dadar and took a MSRTC to Lonavala. A friend of mine was being already asked in the meantime to be there to join us to transform us two to a triplet. We joined and started the trip after exchanging hellos and light banters.LONAWALAA small place blessed by lovely mountains and hills blessed with lush green vegetation. The expressway gives you the opportunity to have the sight of the famous Khandala waterfall. The fall which though carry small water in this season and could be easily overlooked elsewhere but lives with prominance because of the contrast between green surrounding and the sparkling white froth of the water. It is like a thin white stroke of a brush on a green canvas but thick enough to be overlooked. Also the fall is endued with a great height which makes the effect of the fall eternal. The fall is in between mountains. It is like a big green vessel. The walls being four mountains and you get to see it from the top of one of the mountains. The vessel enough big to accomodate thousands of elephants and enough deep to take in a reasonable big river if to be filled to brim. Inside the vessel the ornamentation is perfect. Big trees are sporadic but the green carpet of velvet grass has been laid with the uncanny precision of a magician without an inch being left. Rocks are in abundance but not enough to hide the green beauty. Infact it seems that even the rocks there have fallen for the stimulating green beauty because even they look green not grey. The air on the mountain top is so fresh and pure that every pore of your body will rejuvenate. The golden sunlight just warm enough to make you cozy. The green beauty at its pinnacle soothing your senses to maximum.Had to leave for Karla Caves 10 kms from Lonavala.KARLA CAVES:Karla Caves was the first place where we got the first opportunity to test our physical fitness. The mountain had proper stairs to get you to the caves but we being adventuresome and elated by the euphoria of the fighting attitude chose the rocks. We took the challenge and faced the steeps. Got back to stairs only when we had no other option. The space next to the sides of the stairs as ususal being used up for small tarpaulin shops. As you walked nearer to the destination the frequency of occurance of the shops went on increasing. The shops might look same physically but each had its own distinct signature. All were selling different items and articles. From lemonade, fresh water, cucumber, prasad, idols, lassi, chhaach to lunch. You could see the caves openings from the base. The mountain again lush green and the opening of the caves looks like black spots. As you approached them nearer, the fuzziness would vanish into the amazingly dexterous cut stones revealing their true forms. You saw rooms, halls and idols carved out of a mammoth rock. Not only you saw that but you would also be amazed with the spectacle of the interiors which would linger in your memory forever. A big hall having a rectangular shape with an entrance at one end and the stupa at the farther end. The height so high as if it has touched the sky. The side walls are made interesting by placing pillars on both the sides. The pillars of rocks are sliced out to give them a form of polygon and at the top they all wear idols carved intricately. The firmness of the rock as if been chaged to the malleability of the gold to make it workable. They are lined with perfection and precision on both the sides of the halls. The sight from the door looks like a perspective of the inside of a long hollow cuboid adorned with small pillars with entrance at one end and the other end occupied with the mighty stupa. This is not all that makes the site impressive but the master wooden work which has survived the wrath of all the extremities of weather since 10th century is what makes it impressive. The wooden work is done on the ceiling making the task more difficult for the hall of the height given. The wooden work is staying there to make the ceiling look like an inverted U-shaped curve rather than a dull flat surface. The planks being fitted to the rocks with perfection at its best, exhibiting the developed craftsmanship of the ancient india. The planks as huge as a full grown teak placed flawlessly. The stupa on the other end again being carved out from the same mammoth rock. The stupa lying their like a solid inverted bowl for centuries still have the aura and energy to comfort your soul. It has no carvings on it except few small holes to place the earthen pot lights. The surface of it is otherwise plain, so plain that it would have been boring elsewhere but here it would perplex your thoughts in an intrestingly engrossing way. You feel if been taken away by the silence and by the glory of the place but would get disturbed by occasional intrusions of other visitors. The place is worth seeing.We also had a small trip to Bhushi Dam. It was also enjoyable but non uncommon. The best memorable part though was the water staircase where you see water flowing down the stairs. The water takes the shape of the stairs around and falls down on the stairs. The force of water breaks the water into small droplets giving way to the air to intrude inside it to give birth to innumerable bubbles in the form of froath. The froathy water while falling down renders the stairs in white color making it a magical staircase waiting to be explored. When you climb the stairs bare-feet the coolness of the water would make you shiver once but after a while you will get into the mode and enjoy the brisk flow.THE TOUGHEST PARTWe left to Pune to test our limits and to grill ourselves to the maximum. We decided to try Singhad. Sunday morning we left for it. The mountain was reaching to the sun as it was already 11 when we reached there. We had water and necessary stuff with us. The fort of Singhgad was lost in the clouds and was not visible from the ground. We went up trekking, taking the most challenging routes. The climbs were steep but we denied to give up. Not only we were trekking it but the other groups also. One by one we left past most the groups before us because of our impeccable speed. No one could overtake us, only a girl who later came to be named as 'Tripti'. She was the one with guts. I was impressed by the guts she had. She was almost competing with us. Though she was with her group of seven but happened to be alone because she tried to match our speed which she could do. We took occasional breaks and rest to got back our breaths. We managed to make the aim in 80 minutes.When we reached the top it was the time for the triumph. We had chai and kandha pakodis followed by our lunch of Besan and Bajre ki roti (Khadki if I am not wrong).We enjoyed on the top and came back trekking again with the same girl. The girl with the guts even motivated me sometimes.Phew!!! The trip was over. With broken and shaked up limbs. Got super exhausted and dehydrated but.............We killed the fort.We won Singhad.