[RedTerrano]

Some days back, I got frustrated with Pune traffic and felt the sudden urge to take on some rural roads.

I opened google maps, contemplating my destination. I chucked out obvious ones like Mulshi, Sinhagad etc. (though Mulshi - Lonavla section is quite abandoned and a good drive, inspite of bad roads) Being a weekend I knew these places would be full of people who wanted to 'get away from it all'. Suddenly I noticed PURANDAR and I thought, perfect!

First, some background for those who are not aware.

Purandar fort http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purandar_fort is renowned and dear to all Maharashtrians mainly for two reasons. One is the brave stand (to death) by Murarbaji Deshpande against Diler Khan when Mirzaraje Jaisingh was sent down to Deccan by Aurangzeb. The second is that it is the birth place of Sambhaji Maharaj, who succeeded Shivaji Maharaj to the throne and managed to not only successfully fight off Aurangzeb himself for 8 years but to even expand the Maratha kingdom during that time.

On a related note, those who have heard/read contrary stories about Sambhaji, I personally recommend Sambhaji by Vishwas Patil. It is written in Marathi, though there might be translations available.
Get it
here or here
Definitely worth a read.

After 1818, when the British took over India, Purandar (along with some other forts as well) was actively used by them till 1947. During WWII it even housed captured German POW*. After independence, it was retained by OUR Army and till date it still has an Army base.

*These POW were the reason for my first visit to Purandar around 20 years back. People of Christian faith who died on the fort were buried on the fort itself. One day, one of my friends who had a German friend was told that the German friend's grandfather was buried on Purandar. Was it close by to Pune? Could my friend manage to get some photos of the grave? These were college days and we were just itching for a reason to bunk class. We bundled into his 4x4 Maruti Gypsy and drove off. Those days, one can actually drive to the fort top, like Sinhagad, though the road was not in a good condition. We did, found the grave yard and managed to locate the grave we were looking for.

With all these refreshed memories, I wondered if the road was still drivable and decided to find out. The route I chose was Pune - Bopdev ghat - Purandar.

Since I was driving alone, I could not take many photos enroute. But I still managed to stop and click some.

Also, photography on the fort is severely restricted. Lots of our jawans on top of the fort with weapons. In fact the are boards put up everywhere, citing this restriction but the jawans are extremely understanding and helpful. Once I explained I wished to photograph only the base area where the statues are and I was not even planning to go on top of the actual fort they let me in. Else one is expected to deposit cameras and even cell phones with cameras at the gate itself. Considering this, please excuse the lack of lots of photos.

Concrete jungle which I was so happy to leave behind



Bopdev ghat




After Bopdeo ghat, the road turned rural (1+1 lane, and even 1 lane in some places) with quite a few villages on the way. Many villagers nowadays sell fresh fruit and vegetables by the road side. I passed them by, but on my way back I did stop for a refreshing glass of fresh sugarcane juice, and was it delicious! Yum!

A fork and the road was almost non existent. Gravel, stones, dust. No problem for my Terrano. Onward we went.

Suddenly we burst forth onto the Pandharpur road and a few feet away was a board, welcoming us to the fort region. Drive some distance, and we reached the base of the fort.

The mountain road leading to the fort door was in a very good condition. Tarred almost till the top, except patches where repair work is going on. A very enjoyable drive (though I wished it was longer). You can see the road to the left in this photo


At the main gate,you need to register with the Army security, (photo ID required), and you drive in right inside till the actual fort base. Sufficient parking space, proper boards put up all over the place, and of course our jawans always around, alert and helpful.
This is how it looks from the top


Further down, I encountered this church, which I remember being in an abandoned condition all those years back.


I removed my shoes and went inside.


I was glad it was cleaned up, repaired and in use (most probably by the Army) Even though it was built by the British, it is a part of our heritage and history and I was happy it was not left to rot.

Outside the church, there is a cement map of India (you can see my baby there)


I parked my baby, walked some distance and was greeted with this awesome statue of an awesome man!



Signboard detailing out his heroic and epic battle


There was a jawan posted near the statue and I asked if I could photograph him with the statue, explaining I wanted to compose purane fauji and aajke fauji. Unfortunately he declined for security reasons.

Moving on, Shivaji Maharaj statue



To the right of this statue, there is an ancient building which houses Sambhaji Maharaj's statue


I was glad to see quite a few people on the fort, especially youngsters. Many of them had climbed the fort on foot from the base.
One look at them, another at my belly and I decided to head back to Pune, thinking for the nth time, "This is it, I am joining a gym from tomorrow" (and we know what happens to that one!)

Overall it is an enjoyable drive. Around 1.5 - 2 hours from Pune one way. Total ~4 hours commuting and add the time you wish to spend on the fort itself.
Visiting our forts is always a big deal for me. I would really recommend this to everyone. Short and sweet. Less crowded. Learn about our history, heritage and bravery as well as recharge your batteries with the fresh air. If nothing else, you will enjoy the drive.

[moralfibre]

Superb travelogue RedTerrano. This makes up for a good one-day trip around Pune. How much is the actual distance to and fro? Are there any eateries around for good local cuisine?

[noopster]

It's really refreshing to find a traveller these days who knows his history and is able to view everything in its context. Good job- and your Red Terrano must have made the trip to the fort easy pickings!

Sweet little travelogue and a good one to add to my places-to-visit-around-Pune list.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Superb travelogue RedTerrano. This makes up for a good one-day trip around Pune. How much is the actual distance to and fro? Are there any eateries around for good local cuisine?

Thanks moralfibre. I am glad you enjoyed my small writeup.
Unfortunately I did not keep a detailed log of the KM reading. I had to stop at MG Road camp to drop off some stuff. From there I took the Golibar maidan road - Kondhwa - Bopdeo ghat route.

One does find quite a few eateries post Bopdeo ghat, especially around Saswad. These are typically the kind named xxx Dhaba but I doubt they are the genuine (as in trucker, Punjabi cuisine) type. Sadly as I did not stop at any, I cannot provide more details. Sorry about that.

[Dodge_Viper]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Also, photography on the fort is severely restricted. Lots of our jawans on top of the fort with weapons. In fact the are boards put up everywhere, citing this restriction...

Looks like a recent rule in place. Last time I went up there few years back there was no such rule.

Didn't you visit the topmost point Kedareshwar temple? You get fantastic views around and if the weather is clear one can even spot around 6-7 nearby forts .

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Didn't you visit the topmost point Kedareshwar temple? You get fantastic views around and if the weather is clear one can even spot around 6-7 nearby forts .

No I didn't. Like I mentioned earlier, that would have meant surrendering my cell phone which I was not really keen on doing. Also, I had arrived late in the day at the fort and I had wanted to get back before 6 as I had some other stuff to attend to. It was a last minute whim I did, not really planned.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Didn't you visit the topmost point Kedareshwar temple? You get fantastic views around and if the weather is clear one can even spot around 6-7 nearby forts

You are right. Excellent view from the temple on top. It is an exhilarating climb - from down below it looks tough, but not really so, except for one or two spots.....

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

... that would have meant surrendering my cell phone which I was not really keen on doing. Also, I had arrived late in the day at the fort .....

Thanks, RedTerrano. Going through your post, I decided to have a ride and enjoy a tranquil evening there. I must say that it was worth every moment. The awesome view from the top and clouds drifting by.....

(Planned another trip - an early morning climb , probably in the winter??)

The jawans were strict, but polite. So had to surrender my camera and mobile at the base, where you start climbing.

A few pictures of the route and mountain....







This is where the trekkers reach, when they climb (as opposed to driving up) and the church...





A few snaps of the fort - after I climbed down, I understood that it was OK to click pictures from the bottom...












I was the last one out. One of the jawans was shooing away the stragglers, stating that the time is over... dusk made the whole area seem ethereal......



And a tribute to the warrior & the fort....



Nice cloudy weather, with sprinkle of rain, no crowds, chirping of birds.... it was heaven!

[s4ch]

Reviving an old thread.

Anyone in Pune recommends any places to drive to: forests, hills, just somewhere to get some fresh air? None of the common places like Mulshi, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar etc, somewhere completely away from the crowds, safe and quiet?

[rajarams]

Started last weekend to slowly move out. Been on 3 trips currently. Obviously, there are lot more, but i can mention these w.r.t current "lockdown" conditions.
1. Panwadi Ghat.
An evergreen route and always on my yearly calendar, this is a short drive away from Saswad and an easy 3-4 round trip from Hadapsar area. Very less crowds, reasonable roads and amazing scenery. We in fact went to do Ganpati Visarjan there :-)

More details on Panwadi here.

2. Shindaone Ghat - Railfanning
Close to Uruli Kanchan. A short ghat section, but very green views. And excellent place for those who love to watch trains rolling by amazing scenery!

Video of a train passing through the ghat -->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNzjhWHm-FI

3. Malhargad Fort.
Has become our new favourite considering that it is all-weather, all-fitness fort. Close to Dive Ghat, a good road all the way to the bottom and a short 5-10 min climb.

More details on Malhargad fort --> here

Planning many more over coming weekends. Will keep updating.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by rajarams

Started last weekend to slowly move out. Been on 3 trips currently. Obviously, there are lot more, but i can mention these w.r.t current "lockdown" conditions.
1. Panwadi Ghat. More details on Panwadi here.

2. Shindaone Ghat - Railfanning

3. Malhargad Fort. More details on Malhargad fort --> here

Planning many more over coming weekends. Will keep updating.

You can add Bhuleshwar to your weekends. In addition, you can come to Saswad via Bhuleshwar and head to Veer dam via Veer village and enjoy your snacks there! This can be done on separate days also.

Thanks for sharing!

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by rajarams

Started last weekend to slowly move out. Been on 3 trips currently. Obviously, there are lot more, but i can mention these w.r.t current "lockdown" conditions.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

You can add Bhuleshwar to your weekends. In addition, you can come to Saswad via Bhuleshwar and head to Veer dam via Veer village and enjoy your snacks there! This can be done on separate days also.

Thanks for these suggestions, definitely checking them out! Please keep updating!

[naren_gs1]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

You can add Bhuleshwar to your weekends. In addition, you can come to Saswad via Bhuleshwar and head to Veer dam via Veer village and enjoy your snacks there! This can be done on separate days also.

Thanks for sharing!

From Bhuleshwar .. one can also drive inner state road towards Supe ... Where chinkara sighting at MAYURESHWAR sanctuary is quite common ... Even without having to Step out!!