Trek to Harishchandragad

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.

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.

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.

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.

Konkankada

With a breath-taking view of the surrounding region it depicts almost a cobra’s hood.

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.

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.

Taramati Peak

From the top, we have a glimpse of surrounding mountains, the temple and Konkankada.

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.

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