Harishchandragad |
At a Glance |
Trek |
Harischandragad |
Alias |
- |
Type |
Hill Fort |
District |
Ahmednagar |
Height above mean sea level |
4510 feet |
Base Village |
Khireshwar |
Minimum Duration |
2 Days |
Region |
Malshej |
Transport |
Kalyan to Khubi Phata by bus and then Khubi Phata
to Khireshwar (4 km)
walk |
Time to reach the top |
About 3 1/2 hrs from the base |
Water Availability |
Water cistern are available at the
top |
Best season to visit |
Any Time |
Sights to visit |
Number of Caves, About 100 years old
temple of Lord Shiva, Kokan Kada
, a big Shivlinga |
Difficulty Rating |
Simple |
Shelter |
Caves at the top |
|
Location |
It is one of the ancient forts in
Western ghats and is a dream trek to be undertaken atleast once
(some of us might have visited Harishchandragad four-five times)
Harishchandragad situated at the top of
Malshej Ghat is about 91 Km. from Kalyan. Kalyan is a main railway
junction and one can easily reach kalyan by railway. From Kalyan one
can board a state transport bus going through Malshej Ghat. S.T. bus
will drop you at Khubi Phata, from Khubi Phata its
an hour walk to Khireshwar, the base village. Actual climbing is
from Khireshwar to Tolar Khind (about 1 hour climbing.
After Tolar Khind
there is a rock patch.
Precaution and easy steps see you through it. Once the rock patch is
gone it is a simple walk up and down small hills to the caves.
Harishchandragad is necessarily a two day trek , one can do the
overnight stay in the caves, which are clean and well
maintained |
|
Precaution |
Carry ample amount of water from
Khireshwar. After
Khireshwar there are no water sources in the way till you get to the caves.
The best season to visit Harishchandragad is winter especially the months of December and
January. One should carry warm clothing's as its really cold
at night. Lunch, dinner and snacks are also available at the
top. |
|
Sight Seeing |
The major attraction of Harishchandragad is Kokan Kada
. Its beyond
description, one should actually see it to experience the nature's
architecture. Konkan kada should be visited in the evening as well
as morning. In evening one is enchanted by the sunset where as in
the morning one can experience the divine feeling of being in the
heavens. Taramati and Rohidas
, the two peaks atop Harishchandragad,
are also worth visiting as they offer beautiful views of the
sahyadri ranges. The ancient temple of Lord Shiva atop
Harishchandragad is also good sight for observing. An
ancient temple and the caves present at the base village
Khireshwar are also worth seeing.
Please follow the link to download the map of Harishchandragad. This map has been provided by courtesy of Mr. Mahesh Chengalva.
|
|
More photographs |
For more photographs
follow this link |
|
Note |
All references regarding duration of trek and
transport are given with respect to Kalyan |
Contact |
cdeepan@gmail.com Deepan Ashok Choudhary |
abhijit.avalaskar@gmail.com Abhijit Ulhas Avalaskar |
Last updated on : 1st Dec 2005 |