THE 'GAP' OF THE TAILBAILA FORT.

                                    

                         

                                 THE ‘GAP’ OF TAILBAILA FORT        

It was long time I haven’t written blog. Say I was not getting that ‘Kick’ to write. I was waiting for a spot on which I can form story through my lens. And here it was- Fort Tailbaila.

Before starting on this magnificent geographical structure I would like to give a little intro on what is Sahyadri..And its formations which fascinates every Artist and Photographer. Interestingly Sahyadri Mountains are the faulty mountains. No, they haven’t done any fault actually. But the way it has evolved is considered as a geographically faulty process. But my heart says its geographically ‘Different’ process and not ‘Faulty’. In terms of geology these ranges are much older than the Mighty Himalayas. The Sahyadri range which is a prominent part of Western Ghat is a result of a domal uplift; the underlying rocks are ancient- around 2000 million years old. Basalt rock dominates its terrain. At a beginner’s level this much intro is more than enough. Let’s get back to main point- The ‘Gap’ of Tailbaila.

You might be wondering why I am telling you all these. It has a reason. The spot which we are going to travel today is formed due to such ‘Faulty’ process and is one of the amazing sites to visit. Get ready for the roller coaster ride of this Tailbaila Fort.

Standing tall at 3332 ft above sea level; this fort is considered as the best example of ‘Dyke Formation’ in terms of geology. It is a thin wall of Basalt having ‘V’ cut dividing this wall into two parts. Situated in the beautiful region of Lonavala(Everyone’s Fav.) this wall is about 200-250 ft tall. To climb this one need to know the climbing techniques and has to be done under strict expertise guidance. But one can reach to the base of the wall by hiking for half an hour from the base village- Tailbaila. And once you reach here, you are into heaven guys. Seriously. See the 2^nd picture. The wall appears like a pinnacle from this side and it is damn huge. OMG. I was afraid on the very first sight. I was imagining what scenario it would have been when this structure was taking amazing shape million years ago. Simply outstanding. The moment you trek through bushes and you find this guy welcoming us; you fall in love with him. Have a look on the picture below.

Historically this region was a trade route connecting the Konkan and the Deccan plateau. Hence our ancestors found it necessary to build watch towers on hills which later got converted to the forts. This region consists a series of forts namely Sarasgad-Sudhagad-Tailbaila-Ghangad-Korigad. And believe me, all of them are just awesommmmm. A quite fort with no battles fought since it was used for keeping eye on the surrounding territory. But more than fort this is famous for its breathtaking Natural wall and is often climbed by pro climbers and trekkers.

To incorporate some of the most stunning locations in my Sahyadri Photography Project I was desperately waiting for this one. This time I took two of my buddies Vaibhav and Sanket with me. As planned we had to catch Indrayani Exp. and get down at Lonavla stn. We did so. This was followed by ST bus travel of 1.15 hrs towards Bhamburde village. We got down at Tailbaila point and walked for around 3 kms towards the base village. And finally the mighty wall started appearing large opening its arms and welcoming us warmly. This sight was something I was dreaming to visit past one year. It raised Goosebumps on my body. Wow. Meanwhile a local guide met us while walking; giving directions to the home where we were planning to stay. Mr.Rokade is a genuine person and he regularly provides stay facilities for the trekkers throughout the year. We banged our heavy sacks on the floor and rested a while in his open space. Such a relief.  We were too tired by travel from Kalyan-Tailbaila village. Rokade’s wife welcomed us with cold water which was the most needed element at that stage. It was 12.30 noon by now. We decided to have lunch we had bought. This was followed by A little rest in the afternoon as it was too sunny that day in spite of being monsoon season. Strange!!! After this ‘power nap’ we decided to head towards the much awaited wall. Every step was giving me immense joy. I was very happy to be here. Crossing the farms bloomed with yellow flowers got me back to my childhood and I started playing with every petal. Soon I realized I was getting late and pushed myself faster. Within an hour we reached the base of the wall and this was one of the most cherished moments of my life. The view from here is just stunning and this huge wall makes you mad guys. I decided not to click for the first half an hour. I wanted to feel this place. I wanted to get lost in my fantasy world which I usually do on my every treks and shoots of the Sahyadri. Once again I was in love with the Sahyadri.

We started exploring the region making way straight under this wall keeping it to the right and valley at the left. There is one temple dedicated to Bhairav Deity and it is regularly cared and maintained by the villagers. This is the ‘V’ place from where pro climbers bring this wall under their ‘control’ by reaching the summit. I felt so proud of them and decided that one day I will be doing the same for sure. I was in love. The rocks were communicating with me saying to climb as soon as possible else they would be disappointed. I promised them assuring to come soon with expertise and pro persons. We clicked some self-silhouettes as there was too shadow and sun being right behind our back.

Again returning to the starting point we relaxed a bit. It was sunny day till now but suddenly climate changed so drastically that any photographer could only dream of this. It was like golden chance for me and I was ready with my AK-D5200 ( Aniket Kasture D5200) to ‘Shoot’. Lol. I hardly got time to change my lens since there was so much happening all around me with lightening speed. I decided not to waste time and shoot as much as possible.

Strong cool winds approaching us rapidly, fresh Blue sky converting itself into dark grey shade, Valley getting disappearing in the fog with a little strong light through the clouds making a strong presence was like watching a Hollywood film based on Fantasy World. Seriously. Please have a look on photo no.6. It was this rock under which I sat for a while to have a self dialogue. This is my regular ritual on every fort. These are the moments where your spirituality gets awakened all of sudden. Nature in its own way makes us realize who we are and what we ought to do in our life. This trek was very much needed for me since I was going through some serious personal problems. And what a curable medicine it gave me. Wow!!! The only thing I did there was to stare the wall continuously. And this strategy answered all my questions.

So after this ‘awakening session’ it was time to leave. The toughest part for a travel photographer-writer is to leave that place. Giving it a final good bye look we started descending. The next target was to capture sunset shots of this wall. We descended within 15 minutes and I started exploring the surrounding area to get ‘that’ angle of sunset. It was 5.30pm by then and I needed to work fast. Finally I fixed my angle and got some good pictures. Have a look.

Hope you guys liked these sunset shots. The reason why I am asking you is that I not only click for myself but also for the viewer. If the viewer likes my shot I am more happy and satisfied. By the evening we were too tired. Entire day was a hectic one; right from Kalyan to base village, exploring the fort, sunset. So this was a well deserved resting time for three of us. Often Travel Photography is considered as an easy job and it is moreover seen as a fun job. Dude, it’s not that easy and funny. “Kabhi shoot ko aja mere sath…..Photo nikalna toh dur, tu thik se chal bhi nahi payega pura din”Neways Have a look on some more pictures clicked at the base during sunset.  

After the conversion of all light colors to dark colors i.e. Sunset; we were hungry badly. As usual we ordered typical local food prepared on clay stove. ‘Pithala-Bhakri’. So yummy!!!

Heart filled with satisfaction and tummy filled with this delicious dinner. It was 10pm by now and we got to sleep early to catch the sunrise the next morning.

What a pleasant morning. My alarm was the chirping of the birds getting ready for their daily routine duties; and reminding me of my duty to click the sunrise. Indirectly they were saying that Dude you are going to witness one of your best sunrises shoots ever. And yes indeed it was. What a divine light was entering slowly behind Fort Ghangad which is very near to Tailbaila. I always love to see the dark blue sky being enlightened by the very first rays of the sun. Amazing. I was not able to stabilize myself. After the ‘Raireshwar Sunrise’ it was this one which stunned me the most. Simply beautiful. Here are the shots.

This picture of a lady farmer and her bull is my personal favorite shot. It’s inspired by an Indonesian Photographer. I captured through my vision.

From the entire three pictures one can easily make out how softly light enters on the Earth’s surface. Probably the light takes care not to disturb the mother earth by appearing all of a sudden. Once the sun started dominating the terrain of the farms, it was time to hunt beautiful subjects to shoot. The light was totally in my favor. I was so blessed.

This time I decided to use the terrain of the farm as my subject and clicked some shots.

Unlike any village under the Sahyadri this village was too beautiful. It tempted me to click few shots depicting its presence under the mighty wall of Tailbaila.

You might be wondering what that White colored patch behind those houses is. Is it Effect? No. Is it morning fog? No. It is the smoke of the chulhas (clay stove) which is burnt every morning in the houses here. I took this as a readymade advantage and got the HDR effect without doing so. It was 7.30am by now and I realized we had to catch bus at 8.30 to Lonavla. Once u miss out this bus then long wait for hours for the next is sure. I hurried and was about to pack up my kit, something stroked me. Yes, the final Panorama shot. Again removing my tripod I fixed my camera and got one nice shot. Have a look on the picture below.

After this shot I went back to my stay house. I packed my entire sack keeping a watch not to miss any of my things here. Bus was late by half n hour. Return journey was very soothing. I got window seat. Observing this area’s beauty from a window seat is always a rewarding experience. Morning time added a special flavor to its beauty. I was accompanied by many school children in the bus who had this only bus to catch their school timing. They were very cute and innocent. I just love children from rural land. There were few teenage girls also and yes they were beautiful too. Lolz. Hence observing all these stuff we reached to our destination soon unknowingly. We were too hungry by now and so had a heavy breakfast and got ready for the return journey towards Mumbai.

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ON  SAHYADRI’S  TOP  MOST  FORT-SALHER.

Whenever winter season arrives I get attracted towards Nashik region like a magnet. This is Maharashtra’s one of the most pleasant area I have experienced so far. I always wanted to climb on the top three highest peaks of Maharashtra namely- Kalsubai (5441ft),Fort Salher (5300ft) and Fort Salota (4900ft). Luckily my wish was fulfilled very soon. This time it was Fort Salher-The Highest fort in Maharashtra and Second highest peak after Kalsubai . I was very excited to visit here. I visited twice to this fort hence this blog will contain experiences of my both trips combined. Salher is situated in the interior part of Nashik district. Hence our 1^st trip was planned by using private vehicle, as we were a group of 10. However my 2^nd trip was by Public transport as we were just two. Believe me the less the people the more we enjoy. Of course I had great fun on my 1^st trip but the 2^nd was really a special one. Reason is- this fort is a fort of silence. Since it is situated in a very remote area, it offers so much untouched by human interference. In my both trips it was winter. Same month and almost same date. Nashik has such a beautiful winter. Temperature goes down to 5’ degrees also. But still this area manages to attract all nature bugs and hardcore travel photographers like me. The kind of mountain formation is also unique and distinctive in this patch. They are huge, they have sharp edged cliffs, they compete with the sky yet they are blessed with all the beauty of Mother Nature. During my 1^st visit I decided to come here again to have a self dialogue in the silence of Salher and its Baglaan mountain ranges. In this area you will not find thick forest and active wildlife as described in my earlier blog of Raireshwar-http://aniketkasturetravelphotography.blogspot.in/   but it has its own special appearances to woo nature lovers like us. It has its own surprises. You just need an eye to figure it out. I bet there will not be any person who is not delighted by this region. So beautiful it is. So special it is.

Trek to Fort Salher is a 2.5 hrs trek from base village-Waghambe. Me and my friend had our lunch and headed towards the highest fort of the Maharashtra at around 1.30 in the afternoon. I was happy to come here again while my friend was very much excited since it was his first time. Within no time we covered half of the distance. There is another route to reach this fort from Salher wadi. But from here we cannot trek to fort salota which is exactly beside fort salher like a neighbor. Hence we opted out this option. Slowly and gradually mountains started appearing big and huge as we were getting close enough to indentify the texture and terrain of this triangular mountain. The thing I love the most about Salher and Salota fort is its Clear triangle shape like a pyramid. 

Salota has very steep slope and climbing against gravity is challenging job. But once determined we can do anything. Salota created fear in my mind as it was not an eye pleasing view to face a huge triangular rocky mountain from its base. It appeared like a monster to me who could fall on me at any moment. But soon all my fear vanished when we started our climb. Salota has big rock cut steps leading to its top. They are really big and our lungs pumps extra blood while climbing these.  But that’s the specialty of the forts of Maharashtra. They are true to a saying called- ‘Gain in pain’. Finally we reached Salota’s top and we all were stunned by the atmosphere and splendid views from here. Right in the front was the huge fort salher and the deep valley between these two mighty brothers. This was everyone’s profile picture spot. We descended and reached the ‘V’ point from where we headed for salota. Now it was Salher’s turn. Though we were tired we were filled with full energy and confidence. It has total seven entrance doors of which three are witnessed from this route where we were travelling. The remaining four are seen from salher-wadi route. They are still strong and intact. Overall fortification on this fort is in good condition. Seven Entrance doors, Caves, Ganga Sagar lake, Parshuram temple, and many scattered ruins of houses of the then ministers who ruled here fascinates me. This fort has to be seen in three parts. 1- East side, 2- West Side and 3- The temple of parshuram located on a small mountain on the top of the fort. This fort has great historic importance as it had witnessed one of the fiercest and blooded battles between the Marathas and the Mughals. It was this battle which inspired the further Maratha warriors to fight against the mighty Mughals. Marathas won caturing this fort with tremendous wealth and gold of the Mughals. But the they won this at the cost of Suryarao Kakde who sacrificed his life on the battlefield. Truly a brave warrior. I had Goosebumps while seeing this region, imagining the kind of battle which was fought here where I was standing right now. I went back all the way in the 16^th century. I felt so proud on my ancestors. Giving them a salute I went further.

 As we reached at the time of Sunset we headed to the west. It was freezing cold and I forgot my gloves and sweater in the cave where we kept our sack. Now it was really hard for me to shoot as I was shivering badly and my teeth playing drums. Still I managed somehow as sunset from this point is unforgettable experience. Pin drop silence and no interference of human activities is truly a moment to be lived. I heard the sound of wind so closely for the first time. Since this is the second highest peak of Maharashtra winds are very rapid and strong. That day temperature was 9’degree and from this altitude it was really chilly. That’s how Nashik is. It is Special on its own parameters. I packed my shoot little earlier this time as I wanted to feel the ambience of the most soothing Sunset of my lifetime. I sat on ground. I wanted to sense the atmosphere. I was feeling blessed to witness this sunset. The God was painting and I was observing his color palette. Nature is the supreme power. It is the ultimate truth I believe. On my every shoot it proves this to me. I bow down to him sincerely.

It was 7pm now and it started darkening the sky. We had to collect wood for cooking dinner. We gathered some and returned in the caves. Now I was totally chilled and immediately sat beside bonfire. Me and my friend prepared Rice which was so delicious. Every time I wonder as to how we trekkers manage to cook well on the forts as compared to home kitchen??? Mom will be surprised.  After having dinner it was time to roam on the fort in moonlight. Co-incidentally it was full moon night which was again a great surprise. In Mumbai we hardly see moon hidden behind sky scrapers, so forget about its light which is replaced by Electric bulbs. Lights, neon signs etc. So this full moon on salher was truly a divine to watch.

It was 9’ degree temp, the next morning with strong chilly winds flowing all over this triangular mountain. You can imagine the cold Nashik has averagely. We were above 5400ft so it was terribly cold here. I was tensed now as to how I will be able to shoot since my eyes were watering continuously by strong chilly winds. But Sunrise is my favorite. So I decided to face this bravely. On my 1^st tour I have experienced the sunrise here. Hence this time I was sure I would be getting something divine. Irrespective of shivering badly I plotted my tripod to get that perfect angle. I ate few biscuits as winter makes you hungry badly. Gradually few rays started making its appearance. Seeing the light conditions I decided to shoot HDR type Sunrise here. Mother Nature was on my side and she blessed me with some stunning climatic conditions required for HDR. For non-photographers I would like to inform that HDR is High Dynamic Range Photography which enhances the situation adding extra dimensions to it. It adds more drama to the image making it appear like fantasy world wallpapers. Sahyadri is all about fantasy, so shooting HDR here is always a reward. This sunrise was truly memorable shoot because of my battle with strong winds and cold. It was a tough challenge on one side to shoot with heavy concentration and to face winds on the other. My entire tripod was experiencing earthquake feel. Nature can be harsh sometimes. But it has its own ways to woo us. So I never complain and enjoy it rather.

After completing Shoot I returned to the caves. We prepared maggy. Hunger was attacking us badly. We ate greedily. Now we had to reach to the top this fort. The temple of Parshuram. This is perhaps the only point where we can see the upper side of the mountains. It’s head from top angle. The entire Baglaan mountain range appears so tiny from here. Usually we look upwards to see a mountain. But here case is opposite. You have to look down to see the mountains. Imagine the height of this fort and the aura it has. Amazing! One can never forget the view he sees from here. Grand, Large and out of the world. I request you all to please visit here once in a lifetime. Memories you will always cherish.

Regards

-ANIKET KASTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY.

Please give your reviews via mail at: kastaniket@yahoo.co.in or contact on 9664284368

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RAIRESHWAR- A FANTASY LAND IN THE SAHYADRI

RAIRESHWAR PLATEUE:-

I had heard a lot about this region and was eagerly waiting to travel here. This time I grabbed a chance while I wanted some dramatize landscapes for one of my project. Without wasting time I packed my gears and headed Bus Stand to visit Heaven called Raireshwar Plateau in the Wai-Mahabaleshwar patch of Maharashtra. Located around 30 kms way from Wai, this plateau is based at 3000ft above sea level. This place is of Great historic importance as King Shivaji took an oath here to fight against the mighty Mughal Dyanasty creating havoc and terrorism on Hindu citizens residing in the Maharashtra.

There is an ancient temple of Lord Shiva where King Shivaji took the oath. Thus after conquering Karnataka province, he settled the ‘Jangam’ community here who migrated with him from the Karnataka. Till date they are residing here and earning their living from Agriculture. Village settlement of around 500 families lives here up above 3000ft in the core of the mountains, dense forests with very active wildlife. Person visiting here for the first time is stunned by the serene landscapes and calmness here. So was I. It was totally like a new world for me. Winter season added more joy. 

Raireshwar Plateau is so vast and wide that roaming here entirely will take three to four days. The basic geographical aspect of this region is very interesting. It comes under the mainstream line of the Western Ghats of India i.e the Sahyadri Mountain ranges. The forest here is so dense and fierce that one may find tough to roam here during day too. Tigers and Leopards roam here freely and villagers are at constant risk from getting attacked by the big cats. Goosebumps!!! When we were heading towards the ‘Nakhind’ Mountains my guide (Shivaji Jangam) showed me the bones of a goat which was killed by the Leopard two days ago at the same spot where we were standing. I was terribly frightened. Our steps added more speed as it was around 3 hours trek. I could here every sound of my body organ in that silence of the forest. Wow!!!

 

Finding way from 5ft tall grass was indeed a tough job. But for my guide it was part of his regular routine. We had kept our choppers ready to defend in any case. Since this area was one of the prime area during King Shivaji’s reign, it has been surrounded by many Hill forts which are worth visiting to test your trekking capacities and love for the Wild. Some of the mighty forts like Rajgad, Torna, Sinhagad,Pratapgad and other like Makarandgad, Kamalgad, Kenjalgad, Purandar,Rohida are located around Raireshwar. To get ‘protected’ from this many forts was such an amazing feeling for me. Along with the forts this area has a thick blanket of the famous ‘Jaavli’ forest which is still known for its fierceness and active wildlife. One cannot dare to roam here alone. This is the specialty of the Sahyadri. On one hand it is terrible and on the other it is too beautiful. It does have some nor the other for every person and I am sure you will definitely get something out of the world at your Visit. After two hours we were tired a little and decided to have lunch beside a water stream. We opened our Lunch box given by my Guide’s wife. 

Eating a typical local rural food is such an amazing feeling. It has no artificial smell which we often have in our cities. I could easily feel the affection in the food put by my guide’s wife. As I extremely love drinking river water, I did the same here. After taking 10 minutes rest we headed for our destination. ‘Dhom’ Backwater was seen deep below at our left side and the view was Stunning. Fort Kenjalgad’s distinctive shape was adding more curiosity about him and I was making plan to visit there soon. Finally we reached the ‘Nakhind’ mountains. Probably one of the most scenic and outstanding views of the Sahyadri was in front of me. Totally divine. First five-ten minutes I was completely blank and lost in my world of the Sahyadri.  I screamed loudly- “I LOVE YOU SAHYADRI” and my guide was amused seeing this. He laughed and started clapping. Rather than capturing shots I was busy in my own thoughts here. Many times it so happens that the writer inside me takes a front lead than a Photographer. So I started a self dialogue. This is a phase where Mother Nature teaches us mutely. You just have to listen to her like a good child. While shooting here I took some risky ways to get that perfect ‘angle’ knowing this would cost me hard. I am happy I came back one piece. I had planned to stay here so that I could shoot a beautiful Sunset. But unfortunately we were just two and staying here in the night with Big Cats was indeed a bad idea. Unwillingly we started our return journey to our camp. The Sahyadri never disappoints and it gave some great shots while returning. Day got over with full satisfaction and I slept happily that night.

NEXT DAY:- It was freezing cold the next morning. Gathering all my power I woke up from sugar sleep and packed my gears (camera and Equipments) heading towards East direction to shoot Sunrise. My Favorite. The entire sky was filled with dark blue color and I was desperately waiting for the yellow rays. All of sudden nature sprinkled its miracle and released one light but strong ray of sun. You will not believe it was just ‘one’ ray. I had never seen such kind of drama before. As if someone had put on the torch in a dark room. Entire universe got lit up. I was stunned, amazed and was lost in its beauty. I clicked my best Sunrise Shot ever.

After witnessing a dramatize sunrise it was time up. I returned back at my guide’s home. His wife offered me a cup of tea and it was so delicious that I requested to make one more. The village of the Jangam community is such a beauty in simplicity. Lush green farms with morning rays making it appear like Green sparkling night insects. I headed towards the temple where King Shivaji took the oath. Indeed a holy place.

After spending two days on this heaven called Raireshwar, it was time to say temporary Good bye. One cannot say permanent good bye to such a beautiful place. Right?  My Guide’s wife packed lunch for me and insisted to visit again. This was a little emotional moment. I had fallen in love with this place and its people. I took a 360’ overview and left from there. It was around 2 hour journey to reach the base village from where I had to reach the Wai Bus Stand. In the bus I was flying in my thoughts of Raireshwar-The Nakhind Mountains-Forts-Dense forest-villager’s encounter with big cats-The food-The divine Sunrise and the Soothing Sunset. Truly a fantasy land.

Regards                                                                                                                                                      -ANIKET KASTURE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

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