Trekker’s paradise: 'Harishchandragad'
A trek to Harishchandragad is said to be one of the most
famous and picturesque treks near Pune.
If you are in Pune and a trek enthusiast, this place must be
in your bucket list.
Here's the glimpse of most awaited trek to Harishchandragad.
This trek has three routes:
1) Pachnai (easy)
2) Khireshwar route (medium)
3) Naalichi wat (tough)
We followed the Pachnai route.
Hiking to one of the best treks in Western Ghats in Malshej
region of Maharashtra will definitely give you goosebumps to get up early and head
towards Pachnai which is the base village of Harishchandragad.
Route to Pachnai:
Pune-Alephata-Sangamner-Akole-Rajur-Pachnai.
We were lucky enough to witness tons of fireflies on the way
to Pachnai.
Peak season to watch fireflies is in the month of June and
July.
From the Pachnai village, it takes around 2 hours at normal
pace to reach Harishchandragad.
The trekking path has some metallic ladders & railings
which makes the hike easier and safe.
On the way you will find almost vertical rock face where you
traverse through an exposed patch, which will surely enthrall you.
After 3 kms of scenic hike, we reached at the top and visited
Temple of Harishchandreshwar.
This ancient temple is carved out of monolithic rock. It
consists of a shrine with a very tall spire built by well-finished arranging
stones one on top of the other.
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| Harishchandreshwar temple |
There is the huge cave of Kedareshwar towards the right of
Harishchandreshwar temple, in which there is a big Shiva Linga(5 feet tall)
completely surrounded by ice-cold water and 4 pillars (only one of them is
intact now). The folks from the villages believe that the 4 pillars represent
the 4 Yugas of the world.
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| Shiva Linga, Kedareshwar cave |
They believe that the end of Kalyuga will be marked by the
disintegration of the 4th and last pillar.
Food facility is available on top by local people, also you
can camp here.
Very near to Harishchandreshwar Temple we can see Ganesh
Caves.
These caves seem to have been carved in the 11th century.
These caves are an abode to trekkers and have idols of lord Ganesh.
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| Ganesh Caves |
We spent some quality time near the temple premises and
headed towards another major attraction: Mighty Konkankada!
Konkankada is a huge cliff at Harishchandragad which offers
spectacular view of Konkan, and is one of the biggest cliffs of the sahyadris.
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| Konkankada |
With a breath-taking view of the surrounding region it
depicts almost a cobra’s hood.
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| Konkankada |
A totally surreal and picturesque place.
If you are planning to stay there, awe-inspiring sunset is a
must watch from Konkankada.
Refreshing vertical cloud burst made me feel like staying
there forever.
The most amazing surprise I got there from nature was
Indravajra (a circular rainbow) and its beauty is beyond words.
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| Indravajra |
Indravajra can be seen only when there is a bit of mist in the
valley, and the sun is right behind the person facing the valley.
And I was lucky enough to experience this miracle.
Last but not the least, we hiked to Taramati Peak. Also
known as Taramanchi.
This is the highest point on the Harishchandragad fort and
2nd highest peak in Maharashtra.
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| Taramati Peak |
From the top, we have a glimpse of surrounding mountains,
the temple and Konkankada.
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| Taramati Peak |
This turned out to be a real great experience and a must
visit place.
A big Thank You for your time and I hope you have enjoyed
this post.
Please drop a comment, give your feedback and share.
