I started my first monsoon trek of year 2008 to Sudhagad which is located approx 10kms from Pali in Maharashtra. Pali is also a famous temple of Lord Ganesh. It comes under the famous Ashtavinayak temples of Maharashtra. This time I was with Junglelore. Before I go ahead let me tell you about Junglelore. It is a group of avid trekkers based in Mumbai. This group has trekked the Sahayadris for more then a decade and they realized the need to protect our man-made monuments. Since the mountains and forts lie in dreadful condition today Junglorelore has taken a step to create awareness among every individual.

The start : As usual I left my house early morning at 4.45am. After a week’s rest the monsoon had started pouring in Mumbai. Our bus started from Dadar at 6.30am. I was excited since the climate was beautiful which also made me feel energetic. haha!!. We reached Thakurli village which is the base village at 9.45 am after crossing Panvel, Pen and Pali. The Sahayadri range was covered with the velvet green grass. Nature was blooming to its fullest in the monsoon season. Oh! what a scene to capture in my camera it was! After our introduction we started our trek at 10.15 am. From the base I saw the black pregnant monsoon clouds gathering at the top of the mountain.The climate was cool enough to relax me while climbing. When we had reached half way,heavy rains and wind had already pulled everyone of us in it’s arms. Finally after 2 1/2 hrs of trek we reached the top. Heavy rainfall and the waterfalls on the way was a very beautiful scene. We had our lunch in a small old house. Sitting in the old house with heavy rains outside and eating your lunch was all together a different experience.
About Sudhagad Fort : It is one of the ancient forts in Shayadri. It was earlier called as ‘Bhorapgad’. During the empire of Shivaji it was named as Sudhagad. The fort is approx 590 metres in height. It is a huge fort. The level of trek is easy.
Let me take you back to the history of the fort. The ‘Thanale’ excavations in this area are nearly 2200 years old. This shows Sudhagad is an ancient fort. The construction and geographical significance indicate that some great rulers might have constructed the fort. Sudhagad was included in ‘Swarajya’ in 1648.
There is a palace of Pant Sachiv on the fort where 50 people can stay. There is also a temple of Bhorai devi. The surrounding area of the fort is covered with dense forest including medicinal plants and trees. Some other beautiful points to visit are Pachchapur Darwaaja, Takmak Tok & Dindi Darwaaja. Due to heavy rains and fog I was not able to visit all the places. From Takmak tok Dhangad,Korigad Tel-Beila can be seen. Also river ‘Amba’ and the surrounding villages can be seen from Takmak Tok. While climbing the mountain I was able to get a fantastic view of Sarasgad which is at Pali Village.

Overall this trek was a very good kick start for me. Thanks to Junglelore team & Tejas Abhyankar from Junglelore who was with us for guiding and making all other arrangements.

One thing I would like to add in short and sweet is — Love and Respect the nature,wild animals and other creatures and try to preserve and respect our historical monuments.