Harishchandragad Trek

Name of the trek: Harishchandragad

Distance from major cities:
Mumbai - 125 km
Pune - 125km

Villages at Foothills: Pachnai

Altitude:4320 ft (1317 m)
Latitude: 19°23'21"N
Longitude: 73°46'12"E

Best time to visit: Throughout the year. Best during the winter (Sept - Dec).

History:

This fort is quite ancient as remains of the microlithic man have been found here. The various Puranas (ancient scriptures) like Matsyapurana, Agnipurana and Skandapurana include many references about Harishchandragad. Its origin is said to have been in 6th century, during the rule of Kalchuri dynasty. The citadel was built during this era. The various caves probably have been carved out in the 11th century. In these caves are idols of Lord Vishnu. Though the cliffs are named Taramati and Rohidas, they are not related to Ayodhya. Great sage Changdev (one who created the epic ``Tatvasaar"), used to meditate here in 14th century. The caves are from the same period. The various constructions on the fort and those existing in the surrounding region point to the existence of diverse cultures in the region.

Surroundings:

Huge mountains and forts surround Harishchandragad. To the north is the huge mountain of Ajoba and fort of Ratangad.To the south are shindole fort,hanumantgad harsar fort.To the south-west are the forts of Jivdhan , Bhairavgad ,Naneghat. To the east is the fort of kalad.

Harishchandragad is one of the most beautiful forts in Maharashtra.It is located in the Malshej Ghat region.Harishchangad is beautiful in all seasons.I went to harishchangad for the first time in the last summer.We had made the village of Shendi our base and from there we took a jeep and went to Pachnai which is the base of the fort .The village is quite small but food arrangements are available here.We started climbing the fort around 10:30 in the morning .The route from Pachnai is very splendid .One has to walk through quite dense jungle to reach the top .We reached the top around 12:30 noon. Then we had lunch in one of the many caves that abound the fort. After taking a short nap we went for sightseeing. The fort is huge and so has many attractions. The Kokan Kada is a huge cliff of 1300 mtrs .It is slightly concave. It makes for a very wonderful sunset and sunrise point. We also visited the Taramati peak which is supposedly the second highest peak in Maharashtra.The view from Taramati is simply awesome. Other attractions of the fort include the rock cut caves, the Kedareshwar temple,The nageshwar temple, the Harishchandreshwar Temple, etc.

We then came back to the cave and prepared dinner. We decided to depart early in the morning and so slept soundly. When we woke up the next morning around 4:30 we could see the starlight sky and the sight was amazing .We freshened up and started descending the fort. We reached Pachnai by 8:30.We had breakfast and left for Shendi village.