[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by MX6

You mean it's raining in Pune? Which part? I'm leaving office in 2 mins to catch up with the rains.

Shivajinagar - near Shimla Office. Raining cats and dogs since 5.15. But looks like lot of empty patches in-between.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

Magnetic - I heard that in relation to temples which says that 'when the calling comes, your feet will themselves lead you there'. So, is there a connection between Amtruteshwar and Ampere?

Best season to go - by end September. The common belief here is that you get the last rainfall during 'Ganpati Visarjan' - so the rains will be less. Why I am insisting this is that, when it rains - it rains! continuously throughout the day, night, next day - the record was five days without seeing the sun while I was there....

Any special worry about leeches? AFAIK, there are a lot of mosquitoes, bugs, creepy/crawly things, but nothing which made us scared / wary.

About Leeches? That was just for my information. There is no train directly to Igatpuri from Bangalore. So does that mean, take a train to Manmad and take bus or some other train?

I know what every one would suggest : DRIVE!
But where then do you park your vehicle after you commence the trek.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by ampere

There is no train directly to Igatpuri from Bangalore.

So does that mean, take a train to Manmad and take bus or some other train?

I know what every one would suggest : DRIVE!

But where then do you park your vehicle after you commence the trek.

No. Options (a) Bangalore - Bombay - Igatpuri (b) Bangalore - Daund - Manmad. Think this train goes via Ahmednagar, Kopargaon. If it touches Nasik Road, then that is the nearest station.

Parking - don't worry. Village folk will take care.

Better option - make a group which will start from Pune. All of you can come to Pune first and start by road from here.

If you can make it a 2 or 3 day trip, you can cover Malshej - Harischandragad - Ratangad. You will always come back for more.

Pictures of the first rain of the monsoon? Quality pictures so so (Samsung J150 mobile)

[ASHISHPALLOD]

its raining here in 12mati since last 1 hour, time for hot pakoda and tea!!!!.

@ampere,
if you really want to do this trek, better take weekly train from bangalore to shirdi[ garib nawaz exp], then go to sangamner and onward bhandardara.[ can halt at MTDC resort bhandardara].

[ranjith.rajaram]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

its raining here in 12mati since last 1 hour, time for hot pakoda and tea!!!!.

Cool AP, its just drizzled in yerwada for 5 min. But we still had tea & aloo bonda here..

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

its raining here in 12mati since last 1 hour, time for hot pakoda and tea!!!!.

Great, rain gods are finally smiling!! See the state of our canteen when we had the same idea?

Another option, ampere - great!

Let me try to get some pictures of my trip in - there is still a long way to go, as this only the first half.

You can now see the carved pillars, walls etc. Even these have been vandalised....

[vrprabhu]

More of the vandals handiwork -

the base, the top and the broken stupa...







did anybody plan to cart it off - antique hunters?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

its raining here in 12mati since last 1 hour, time for hot pakoda and tea!!!!.

@ampere,
if you really want to do this trek, better take weekly train from bangalore to shirdi[ garib nawaz exp], then go to sangamner and onward bhandardara.[ can halt at MTDC resort bhandardara].

Thank you sir! Thoughts are definitely forming in my mind! Need to plan accordingly .. office and home ministries!

The Shirdi is a good option.

@VRP, there is a direct train to Manmad (Karnataka Express) that goes through the route you mentioned.

[vrprabhu]

This is how the original work looks like...




Even these appear incomplete or subject to destruction.

But it does clearly indicate that the people who lived here had held 'Stupa' with high esteem..

[vrprabhu]

Here is how the caves look inside... smartcat, take a look!

From the entrance -


After the foyer -


There are only two flat pieces of rock, like a bed, hewn into the walls on either side, inside. You can see a part of one.

Too dark inside - pictures didn't work out properly.

[vrprabhu]

This is what we found in one of the caves...







It was too dark to take a proper picture and we tried all sorts of combinations. I think the one without flash looks the best.

Does this indicate that these were not only literate, but had enough skills to carve out something important on the walls, so that their message gets passed on from one generation to other?

I can make out some words like the Tamil 'ka', 'ya'. And some appear to be Kannada / Telugu.

I would love to get it translated, like Roamer did the Portugese plaque....

[vrprabhu]

Inside the caves it was very cool.

It was very soothing to sit inside, and contemplate.

Had it been early morning, and had I known Yoga, this would have been ideal setting

As it is, it caused this -



Can you believe what they were discussing, MX6? Kadubu and how to cook idli using jack-fruit leaves.....

And this -



Relaxing and reviewing a hard days labour!

[vrprabhu]

It was approaching 2 PM now... stomach was making its presence felt giving out some rumbles....

So I go around once more - can any building of today stand if the pillar is removed, as seems to have happened here...


And bid goodbye to this sentry - he takes care of the caves now.


A discussion ensued - Savitri river beckons. Mahad and Raigad is at our back. Mangaon and Pen are ahead. Which is the better route?

Varandha ghat is voted out and Tamhini ghat wins - because 'Palash' beckons...

Again, in view of the time factor, no more stops and no more pictures. But good road, with few curves makes us hit 80 - 100 kmph and we land in Mangaon.

[vrprabhu]

A quick recce points us towards this hotel -

One of the best non-veg hotel where I had food - and I thoroughly enjoyed it, without leaving a morsel on the plate. The (fried) fish was excellent and the chicken was done in a very tasty gravy.


Anybody in this vicinity, don't miss a chance to eat here.

It was so crowded, we had to wait 20 minutes.

And the food was excellent, that I felt like glutton (in fact, after eating felt that I wouldn't get such good food anywhere else, and decided that would be last non-veg meal! - and have stuck to the resolution, so far). A non-veg chicken thali was just Rs. 55/-!!

This place is close to Mangaon bus-stand and everyone is aware of it. So, if you are travelling from Panvel to Mahad by this road, be sure to stop here.

[MX6]

Amazing drive I had in the rain. Almost 1 hour of heavy downpour. I put my cd of collection of special songs from Raagas Amrithavarshini, Megh Malhar, Madyamavati, Hamir Kalyani, Sindhubhairavi and a few more that goes with the rains!
The drive from Wakad till Sancheti hospital was beautiful.
The best song of the drive was one from a tamil movie "May Madham" (month of may) that goes "Yen mel vizhundha mazhai thulhiye, nee ithanai naalai yengirundhai?" (Oh rain drop that fell on me, where were you all these days?)

@ampere. Option to go to Ratangarh. Take the train to Pune. We drive from here.