Harishchandragad is a hill fort in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. It is about 8 hours away from my home in Mumbai. We got there by car and reached the base of Harishchandragad at 2pm.
On the hike, we saw some beautiful waterfalls, and saw some amazing views of the lush green Western Ghats. Harishchandragad is one of the highest peaks in the Sahyadri range, at an elevation of close to 5,000ft. (The highest one is Kalsubai.)
The trek can be divided into three different parts:
- A steep climb up kachcha steps made by villagers.
- A forested stretch completely covered with trees.
- An open area with some rocky patches.
I had a great time trekking for about 3.5 hours. On the way, we enjoyed delicious nimbu paani, made by the villagers using water from the freshwater streams. We reached the fort at 6pm and visited the ancient caves and temples. After resting for some time we went to Konkankada, a concave cliff face, and set up our tent there. We enjoyed the evening by a small campfire and ate simple food that was cooked on firewood. We spent the night looking at various constellations like Orion, Taurus and Sagittarius.
I have gone to Harishchandragad three times so far, but I still want to go there again and again.
Other stories in this Guest Editor package:
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The Stars Of The Sea: Marine biologist Vardhan Patankar tells us why starfish have been fascinating people for centuries.
Birds Of A Different Feather: Scientist P Jeganathan writes a letter explaining why ground birds prefer to feed and nest on the ground.
See, It’s A Sea Turtle! Also Starring Starfish: Bijal Vachharajani lets us in on a little tale that's all about beach creatures.
