The World's Largest Wheeled Cannon - Jaigarh Fort 2015

Where? - Location Compass

Jaigarh Fort is situated on the promontory called the Hill of Eagles of the Aravalli range; it overlooks the Amber Fort and the Maota Lake, near Amber in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. The fort was built by Jai Singh II in 1726 to protect the Amber Fort and its palace complex and was named after him. It is pink in color and is home to the World’s Largest Wheeled Cannon (That was only used once.) Jaivanan Cannon. It is one of the strongest Forts of Jaipur and India. It is well crafted and well equipped to be able to go past odds.

How To Get There:

• Around 4 km’s away from Amber Fort & Connect by A Tunnel (Network)
• Rickshaw can be taken (Economical)
• Taxi’s are also available for group travellers (Beware of cheats, pay by meter.)
• There are local busses also who run the same route, that can be taken by enquiring with the locals and figuring the frequency and timings.

Jaigarh Fort - Exploration Time: 1-2 Hours

How Old - Built In: 1726 / 18th Century

When? - Ideal Time To Getaway

Best Period To Getaway: December - May (Winter & Summer)

Timings: 9 am - 4:30 pm (Entry Timings) - Important

Contact Numbers: +91-141-2671848 | +91-141-5110598

Charges: Indians - 35 Rs Foreigners - 85 RS (Camera/Add On Charges Separate)

My Happy Getaway - Jaigarh Fort 2015

We were out in Jaipur exploring and chilling after quite a lot of planning and going back and forth. I was with a few of my favourite people (Tattva 2) yes a travel group that we have now converted into a small circle of family, friends and explorers. Dua figured the place out and after not a lot of convincing and deciding to stay a day longer to explore we set out to see what the pink city had to offer us. One of the first places, and what i’ll be writing about here is the Jaigarh Fort.

We took a Qualis, a spacious and roomy car that all of us comfortably got into. And then our road trip to the fort began. The signing (And all the Kya’s? - Ignore the Inside Joke) began to fill the car with laughters and smiles. Dhruv (My finance man) and his flirting and anticipation of the flight he had to catch later surely kept us occupied. We soon began to climb up a hill and passed a few gates and a narrow entry point. We could see Amber Fort and Aravalli Hills from the hill and the beautiful water streaming by. Jaipur is a beautiful and artsy city that will make you feel warm and one with our culture, traditions and people. At no point did I feel out of place or out of sync, I believe every traveller should at least once backpack to Jaipur. (There is way too much to see, feel and experience there.) I wish I stayed longer.

So a bit about the Jaigarh Fort. It is built with thick walls of red sandstone and is spread over a vast range of 3 kilometers in length, with a width of one kilometer. The fort houses the world's greatest cannon on wheels known as the Jaivana Cannon and a huge palace complex. This includes the Laxmi Vilas, Lalit Mandir, Aram Mandir and the Vilas Mandir. The fort has a well-tended garden which can be viewed by tourists even today along with an armory and a museum.

The Jaigarh Fort is an opulent structure built in the early 18th century. Amer, the city in which the Jaigarh and the Amer fort are located, was ruled by the Kachawahas from the early 10th century. During the Mughal dynasty, the Jaigarh Fort became their empire's main cannon foundry and was also used as storage stronghold to store ammunition and other metal required for war. During the successive wars that broke out in the Mughal dynasty in 1658, the cannon outpost at the Jaigarh fort was protected until the protector, Dara Shikoh, was defeated and executed by his own brother, Aurangzeb. Later, the fort was handed over to Jai Singh II and he is known to have molded the great ‘Jaivana Cannon', along with using the devices and the foundries inside the fort.

The Jaigarh fort was never conquered in battle, and was also the strongest of the three forts in Jaipur. During the Mughal dynasty, the fort bore witness to an ambush by Aurangzeb who defeated and killed his own brother who was the overseer of the cannon outpost in the fort. Apart from that, the fort never witnessed any major resistance, and only test-fired the world's largest cannon, once.

We explored the fort right from the start to the end point. The fort is filled with monkeys, and at a fair distance you can also spot a lot of peacocks (We spotted a beautiful one sitting on a tree on our way back, and two running away on our road trip to our next destination.). Peacocks are just so beautiful aren’t they with their beautiful necks and colourful feathers and graceful walk. Was bliss to catch a view of them. The fort is really majestic and well crafted, the detailing work and mightiness of the fort shows how strong it was and how much damage it could withstand. The fort is pink in color and is surely one of the most renowned places in Jaipur. There is a lot of history in the walls of the fort, secret view and gun points. Also the height it was on gave a clear view of enemies or threats from a distance. It is known to be one of the most strongest forts in India.

This was surely a memorable experience, and I hope I can do many more such trips in the future, with my happy set of people. And to many more such forts and experiences.

This is Happy (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.

Have a great day.

And an adventurous weekend! :)

What Does It Look Like? - Picture Gallery

Pictures of THG  Jaigarh Fort 2015:

https://www.facebook.com/thehappygetaway/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1441090799&hash=-7935430294008488639&pagefilter=3

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A Cave Lost Within Mumbai - Mahakali Caves 2015

Where? - Location Compass

Mahakali Caves also remembered as the Kondivite Caves are a group of 19 rock-cut monuments. The Buddhist Monastery is located in Andheri East and consist of rock cut caves, cut out of a solid black basalt rock. This caves feel similar to any other Buddhist cave you may have visited, but the fact that it is so easily accessible and can be visited by one and all and still isn’t quite famous really is worrying and upsetting.

How To Get There:

• Reach Andheri Railway Station - Local Train - East (Most Economical)
• Take local Taxi till Andheri East - Mahakali Cave Road End
• By Road Highway (Expressway - Andheri East)
• Buses go right upto the cave from the Station (Bus No. 333, and a few others)

Mahakali Cave - Exploration Time: 1-2 Hours

How Old - Built In: 1st century BCE and 6th century CE.

When? - Ideal Time To Getaway

Best Period To Getaway: December - May (Winter & Summer)

Timings: 7am - 5pm (Entry Timings) - Important

My Happy Getaway - Mahakali Caves 2015

So on a weekday, I decided to head to this fort, that happens to be just 35 mins away from my place according to Google Maps. Imagine a cave so close I did not know that existed. (Shame on me.) And since I was considering heading out Solo, I decided to head out with my sister as she was quite free too. We took the local and once we reached we discovered that the Cave visiting timings have ended we reached at 5:22 and the cave shuts at 5! How disappointing. But on our way back, and really close to the Mahakali Caves you can find Dharmakshetra - A meditation and religious center by Shri Satya Sai Baba. It is a beautifully and well kept place, not parallel towards one particular religion as you can find statues and resemblance of multiple god and beliefs. However I believe the calling there is to find inner peace and unity through giving and prayer.

We entered the center and found huge building and well crafted statues and carvings. We climbed the hill where we also found a meditation room, where we spent a few peaceful minutes at. (Have added the pictures of the center in the album.) Soon we were home and I was confident that I was going to make an attempt to try to go to these caves again. It was morning this time, and pre work that I decided to make an attempt to visit these caves again. I entered the broad gates and the overall fencing that will make you feel this isn’t a cave but a local garden or park that you are ending. On the end of Mahakali Road, not many know or are aware of the cave or its resemblance, which is quite disappointing. I soon was inside, and my word, wasn’t it beautiful. I have to hand it to those people who invest time and money into reserving and safeguarding this place. It was well maintained. Yes, few parts of the caves did have leakages and there was a stink of urine and bad odor coming from a few caves. But overall I have to say, they are trying their best. There is no entry charge to enter the cave and when you enter on the right side you’ll find the series of caves. Very similar to each other with small rooms, and carvings and entrances all along, you will feel like you have entered a land of the old.

Cave 9 is where you can find sculpturings and the main Bhuddha Stuppa. To see the Caves on the outer layer of the park. You’ll need to go climb or rally over from the side of the park (I climbed up) and then make your way down to the other side where there are 3-4 openings and cave like structures. Mahakali Caves may have lost their early pre age charm and beauty but from whatever is still left of it, it does still seem to be really beautiful and peaceful. This place can be visited by one and all, and is doesn’t require a trek or massive amount of time investment to visit, it is right within the city. Close to every Mumbaikar. Yet quite far away, as people don’t take out the time or are unaware about its existence. I wish more people knew, and cared and worked towards safe guarding its resemblance and history.

Visiting the caves was surely, enjoyable. I can’t wait for my next trip. Either solo or with a group. Either somewhere far or somewhere close. I am sure it will be memorable.

This is Happy (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.

Have a great day.

And an adventurous weekend! :)

What Does It Look Like? - Picture Gallery

Pictures of THG  Mahakali Caves 2015:

https://www.facebook.com/thehappygetaway/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1438412399&hash=-2395141442470207403&pagefilter=3

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A Lost & Depleted City Fort - Riwa Fort 2015

It’s fun sometimes, to pack your bags and head out exploring. To climb new mountains and visit unexplored places. I often look for places and research about lost forts and historical monuments. I look up places around me, that id never have had visited If I didn't know or have this interest in travelling. I recently came across this fort called as Riwa Fort, Google maps seemed to know where it was located. And Wikipedia had a paragraph or so about it. So I was like, what the hell. Let’s go check this out. So before I head out for my day filled with work, meetings and other not so fun things I decided to visit this fort.

I took a cab, but its easily accessible by train too as it is located very close to Sion Station. Took me 15-20 mins from Bandra, but could take lesser by train. So firstly, this is not an easy fort to find. Even though Google Maps has it marked down, it did take me quite some time to locate this fort. I went through circles, a slum, around the talav and finally near an Ayurvedic center is where I located a gate that had stairs going upwards. After being lost for a while, I finally began to ask people where is the god damn fort? I showed them the map too. A few suggested that it must be on the hill. And since nothing else seemed more likely. I started climbing up the stairs. I met this cleaner or chacha (Uncle) of some sort who had flashy red eyes and a stinge of the alcohol he was drinking and pointed towards no particular direction and said haan beta Killa Killa. (Hahahahah!). So the base layer has some plantation circles happening by the center. And the higher you climb (which is not very high.) you begin to see remains of the fort. It’s hardly even a fort. If you like big walls and a lot to see this is probably not for you as there wasn’t much to see at all. There's just a few stairs if at all they count as remains and a Bastian built with black rock which stands tall on the hill. Fort Riwa was built by Britishers after the attack of Siddi of Janjira on Mumbai in 1672 AD. After Siddi’s attack, Britishers constructed chains of new forts around Mumbai. This fort is one of them. It is located quite close to the Dharavi slums and Sion.

Mahim creek divided the main islands of Mumbai from Saashti Islands. Saashti Island was under the regime of Portugese. In those days trade was carried through the Mahim creek and Saashti islands. The main aim to build this fort was to keep an eye on the trade activities in the Mahim creek and also to protect themselves from the potential threat from Portuguese and Marathas from the north. The fort was built by Jerald Augier in 1672 A.D.

So this fort historically seemed to be used only to keep watch, and it being on a hill seems to make that seem feasible. There is a decent view that can be enjoyed from the hill too.

It was a fun getaway, to see whatever it is that remained of the place. I still felt that there was more to the fort. And that you know I was probably at the wrong place or not there yet. I tried going through different paths and realised that this is it. Sometimes even a little bit is a lot, in terms of memories of what is left of places or things. So I sat down then at the basitan and looked into the forest. It felt warm and good. The birds there made a lot of noise, and the peace and quiet really makes you feel like you are home. You can see a lot of the city from the hill, the roads, vehicles and people. Soon I began to head back towards work, leaving the hill, stairs and greenery behind. I could claim that this is a scam for a fort. And probably google and everyone else shouldn’t really call it a fort. But you know what? I don’t really feel that bad. It is what it is. Expectations and how majestic or well kept other forts are shouldn’t come in the way of a new experience. I loved that is so long lost, yet so close to home and how people don’t seem to care for it and yet it stands tall to be loved, seen and explored by people. Would surely love to visit again soon, maybe this time with a group or more people.

Pictures of the Fort  (Riwa Fort 2015):

https://www.facebook.com/thehappygetaway/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1438412399&hash=4409671804596707434&pagefilter=3

This is Happy (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.

Have a great day, and an adventurous weekend! :)                      

The Happy Getaway:

https://www.facebook.com/thehappygetaway

https://instagram.com/thehappygetaway/

Twitter: @thehappygetaway

Thank You

Alvin Anthony

A Festival Of History - Shivrajyabhishek Sohala 2015

It was a beautiful weekend, heading out to Raigad to witness one of the most proclaimed and celebrated festivals in Pune. It started off from the Rajmachi trip with Mayyur (Wild Rangers, founder and boss.) mentioned he wants to go to Raigad next weekend for the festival and celebration. I had read a lot about it off late. And after visiting Shivneri a few months back, and watching a few documentaries my interest and need for going for this had peaked. I kind of signed right then he mentioned it and confirmed after a couple of days.

So there is twice when they celebrate it, once as per the calendar and once as per their cultural belief. We went for the calendar listed one, as the weekend prior which we missed was when the other one was celebrated. We met at 11:30ish at Dadar, I got into a cab with a few others up to the mini bus where I met the rest. We were small group of around 10 to 12 people or so. We had a young married couple, a few frequent trekkers, a first timer and a variant set of people. The ride to Raigad’s base was fun. I caught up with some sleep and listened to some nice mellow music on the way. It was early hours when we reached the base point where we could see vehicles hoarded up all around the place. I then began to realise how big this festival is and how many people come visit and travel from far and wide for this. The weather was chilly as the early monsoons had begun to kick in (No rain though, throughout this trip. Such is my luck!).

We walked the street to the base point of the mount, we grabbed some hot chai and bottles of water for the way up. The walk up was really pleasent, with stairs and patches of the mountain all along. There were kids, oldies, parents, trekkers. A whole lot of people walking and walking to see the fort and its pride. Shivaji Maharaj was surely a mighty ruler, and the ways his forts are shaped is truly a testimony to this. Shivaji Maharaj had seized the fort in 1656, then the fortress of Rairi, from the royal house of the Chandrarrao Mores, a junior or Cadet dynasty to descended from the ancient Maurya imperial dynasty. The last More king was a feudatory of the Sultan of Bijapur. Herenovated and expanded the fortress of Rairi and renamed it Raigad (the King's Fort). It became the capital of Shivaji's kingdom. In 1765 the Raigad Fort, along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company, which considered it a piratical stronghold. In 1818 the fort was bombarded and destroyed by, using cannons.

After reaching up we had some nice breakfast in the form of upma. We then began exploring the fort. Being there for the first time, I was really fascinated with all the people, colours and noise around. The place was buzzing. We head from the entrance to the right end, and then to the main tower and base area where the function was on. Towards one side was talks, speeches and a more silent and civil session being conducted and towards the other side of the gate. Oh people were going bonkers. Swords, pagdis, dhol’s, colour and a lot of happy faces. It was festive. I think, I have never experienced celebration of this capacity ever before. The minute I stepped in with Arpit, Kapil and the others towards the crowd we were great by the color yellow being showered all upon us. My hat, camera, bag, you name it. And you’d think one would be annoyed. But I loved it. We went closer to the dhol, moved our hips a bit to all the music. Then moving forward we saw the market place and the throne.

We could also see the procession including a mimic of Shivaji his family and the congregation heading towards the celebration. I felt it was beautiful. I’m a big theatre fan, and this was just heartwarming to see. We then head to the temple(Jagdishwar Temple). Arpit protected our shoes, as we went quickly in. I liked the temple, peaceful and well tucked away. Then we head to Tak Mak Tok that gives you a beautiful view of the entire mountain range surrounding Raigad. Its a beautiful spot. Have to recommend you going there during the rains, I cant imagine how green and beautiful it must be then. We then took a halt around the point where we found some place. Grabbed a bite, chilled out a bit waited for the others scattered to catch up. We then took a group picture and head towards the bottom. Oh the crowd. I believe it was around 3, and the program had ended probably. As we all started heading down, the whole mob of people rushed downwards. All of a sudden the heat began to kick in too. And all the small stalls around yes had lemonade, but all of them ran out of water. It was surely a rush to the bottom. I believe the organiser could do a better job with people management, I know its hard to control such a lively crowd. But there were kids, old people, and woman. And I felt with a bit of organising a 1 hour or so path wouldn’t take 2 or more hours to cover. However on a whole it was good organising, I believe the people who make this happen year in and out do a fabulous job and some things can't really be prevented.

After losing, finding and again losing the others all of us finally reached the base point. Water never tasted this good, after reaching the bottom. We soon, with a bit of struggle (Mayyur we need to use Google locations more!) found the transport and head back. This was a beautiful experience. Usually treks or trips I do don’t include a whole lot of people or crowds. So this was different. And I seemed to love it. I surely will visit again and will make it a point to take a sword and orange flag along. I love how people are so passionate and in love with things they believe and adore. A lot to learn for me from this experience. And a lot of good people to meet too. We were soon in the bus heading home playing antakshari and longing the site of home.

Pictures of the Fort & Festival (Shivrajyabhishek Sohala 2015):

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.901750296555416.1073741839.855590067838106&type=3

Show some love to Wild Rangers too and Mayyur:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildrangers/

This is Mr. Happy (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.

Have a great day, and an adventurous weekend! :)                        

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Thank You

Alvin Anthony

Breaking Into A City Fort - Sion Hillock Fort 2015

I’d like to bifurcate forts into two kinds of places based on where they are located, either a city fort that’s located within the lifeline of a city like Mahim Fort, Wadala Fort, Bandra Fort and also Sion Fort. And Forts like Lohagad, Shivneri, Peb and others that are on hill tops and away from cities either near forests or villages. Sion Fort being a city fort has a view of buildings, offices and streets. It was located on a hill, and I was told by many that it's not really even a fort (Which, I’ll beg to differ with.) it's just a big garden. I still did decide, to make time on a weekday afternoon (Oh, the heat. Evenings and early mornings I guess are better times to go at.). Also, this was a solo trip I decided to do, because it was really spontaneous.

I first took a cab to the base point of the fort. There's a street vendor lemonade guy right at the entrance of the fort, that makes really nice chilled lemonade for 5 bucks a glass. The fort/park timings are usually from 6:30 to 12:30 in the mornings and 4:30 to 8:30 or so in the evenings. I was there at 11:30, and to my surprise the gates were closed. I was so bugged and pissed off, and wanted to hurt someone. But the lemonade guy told me how there are new guards who mess around and close the gates very early and open it late and don’t take care of the place as well. He told me if i’d still like to go I could climb up the wall and jump the gate and go (How exciting!). He mentioned how there a lot of students and kids who break in and play and study in the park and around the fort. I realised how this was my calling to break into forts and live the thug life. I soon began to lift myself and climb  the wall at the side of the gate. Soon I was in, breaking into a fort for the first time ever. I climbed the stairs that took me to the larger entrance and the park. It was a very well maintained park with good tracks and seating arrangements. I saw a lot of youngsters studying for exams and kids running around. There was also a lot of birds chirping and squirrels running around. I soon began to climb towards the fort. There is huge entrance like structure at a height that you’d see stairs guiding towards. Also, there is a guide down from the top for during rains for a waterfall to be formed and water to stream downwards. I climbed the stairs spent some time at the entrance, which was windy and bliss.

Soon, I could see the fort, from a distance as I walked towards it. The fort was built under the regime of the English East India Company, between 1669 and 1677, atop a conical hillock when Gerard Aungier was the Governor of Bombay. It was notified in 1925 as a Grade I Heritage structure.When it was built, the fort marked the boundary between British-held Parel island and the Portuguese held Salsette Island that lay to the north across the creek. The hillock is situated 500 metres from the Sion railway station. At the base of the hill is the Mumbai Circle office of the Archaeological Survey of India, and a garden – the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Udyan. There is a lot of cement and other attempts to try and help the fort to survive, as it looks to be depleting. You can see a lot of Mumbai from the height. And the fort is really beautiful as it has its old and lost vintage feeling about it. It has a lot of rooms, and entrances. It looks mighty from the bottom and has various openings for cannons and attacks to be done from.

It was a great solo trip to do alone. I think I should backpack and head out myself more often. It surely is a more self reflecting and beautiful experience and a change from groups and heading out with fellow travellers. I think the Sion Fort, may not have the charm of a village or a hill top fort. But surely is well kept and has an essence and life of its own. It is one of the most loved and adored forts of Mumbai. Yet there are a lot of people that still do not know about the fort. Its a shame that there are such beautiful historical figures right next to us and we still do not take out the time or make the effort to go visit them or consider it to be cool.

Pictures of the Fort (Sion Hillock Fort 2015):

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.893067357423710.1073741836.855590067838106&type=1

 

This is Mr. Happy (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.
Have a great day, and an adventurous weekend! :)                        

Do Follow & Support:

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Thank You

Alvin Anthony

 

A Green & Unsettling Morning - Maharashtra Nature Park & Mahim Fort 2015

It’s not quite often that you're told that there’s no point of visiting a Fort, because it's been taken over by slum dwellers and localities. Cause it’s dirty, locked up and damaged, you’re asked not to waste your time or even bother dropping by. But I never like just “listening” to things, and treating them like experiences. So I locked on a day the 3rd of May to do a trip to Mahim fort (Nearly just 15 or so minutes away from my place) to see for myself, if it’s really true what people say and to have an experience of something so upsetting myself.

Also, after my recent visit to Kaneri Caves, and the nature park my sudden interest for visiting nature hotspots and reserves, has suddenly peaked. So I decided to pool my Fort visit with dropping by at Maharashtra Nature Park (Best decision ever!) close to Mahim and Dharavi. So I called Sheldon told him, “Let’s go, broo.” And like everyone else he didn’t seem interested or pro the idea of volunteering to come to Mahim Fort. He was all in for the park though. (But don’t worry, I made him come around coming to both places. Haha!). It was a sunny Sunday morning, it started off with my taking a rickshaw and heading to the park. The minute I got out, I see this really adorable dog, making faces at me who then I hug and pet. Later I entered, and soon Sheldon joined me, we payed the gate pass entry fee (Rs. 20 or so.) and were then inside the vicinity of the green long forgotten reserves of nature.

The minute we entered, we first found a squirrel nibbling on a thread. When we turned our eyes up we saw a beautiful parrot hiding away in the leaves. It was bliss, the feeling like being in a jungle, even though you're in a city. The peace, the hot summer breeze, the chirping of birds and the blue skies. It is quite unfortunate, that people don’t really appreciate nature and its beauty as much anymore. I was really disappointed, that even though I live so close to the park, this was my first visit, and that it took me a lot of looking up to do, to be able to know about the park. Its an amazing place for bird watching, morning walks, meditation, butterfly watching and just cutting off from the fast life and reminiscing the green pure world. We kept following the trail and ended up completing the walk through the park the other way round (This is maybe, why they should start giving us maps at the start I guess.) We walked through the short and narrow path, explored through various plantation patches, and saw a lot of woman and other workers cleaning, and maintaining the park, which was comforting to see. As you walk towards the end of the park, you’ll see a huge banyan tree and it merging into a small open locality of sorts (Quite, dirty and unclean the last patch.) that will make you a little sad, cause you wouldn’t really want the beautiful protected natural patch to end. The park off lays the Mithi River, which is quite dirty and not well kept. We were able to walk aside the river as one of its paths lays directly aside it. It was good sharing conversations, looking for birds and butterflies.

Soon we reached the end of the park. We stepped into the library for a bit, where so old books related to nature, environment and the wild life. There is also an art gallery, that has exhibitions put up on a monthly or so bases (Mention in local newspaper listings, usually as per the authorities there.) There is also an open space with steps, a stage and plants where a environment themed poetry session was on when we were there. It seemed like a great place to hold small sessions and activities. The authorities told us that it can be taken up for show and events related to environment and nature. (Surely gonna make a note of this, you should too!) It was a nice visit to the park, they usually open up at 7amish on the weekends, which I’d suggest will be the best time to visit the park and take photographs too, if you like too. Sheldon, loves watching and clicking birds, so he was a little let down (Actually a lot more than little.) that we just kept seeing crows, and didn’t catch glimpses of other birds. But on a whole, I felt it was a lovely morning.

We soon done with the park and head out to the fort. After not a lot of convincing Sheldon agreed to come show me where the fort was too. We first cabbed it out to the bridge and then went to the small beach like opening that Mahim offers towards Mahim Creek. (Mumbai being a mixture of 7 Islands, this beach and Creek have a lot of significance for how Mumbai came up and together in the early days.). Your soul will not wither away, it will wander aimslessly seeking happiness and peace all day.In 1516, Portuguese officer Dom Joao de Monoy step foot in Mahim Creek and conquert the fort. The fort was a site of frequent turmoil between the Portuguese and the Ali Shah, before the island of Mahim was taken away from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat by the Portuguese in 1534. In 1661, the Portuguese offered the island of Mahim as dowry to Charles II of England. It was later strengthened by Sir Thomas Grantham and became a strategic defense tower against possible Portuguese and Maratha attacks. According to older records, the fort had 100 soldiers and 30 cannons at that time.

You’d think a Fort with history, culture and some amount of significance, will be taken care off and be kept well. But the insides of me hurt and cried. Cause it was dirty (filthy) and not cared about. If you like Forts, you’ll wonder why people don’t care. I understand people face problems, and at times this is the way out. But it's just upsetting to see the way it's maintained and not even cared about. The closer you walk to the fort you’ll smell feces and garbage. You’ll see people walking around doing their chores, kids playing cricket (which is fine!) and you’ll find clothes hanging to dry everywhere. The entrance is blocked with a huge ladder and the dwellings of people on both levels of the fort. No, you won’t even be able to enter. The lady there told me that people live all across the fort there is a thin staircase to climb during low tide, but the people won't let you go see the fort. The entire, fort has now basically become a colony where people reside. I am all for poverty, finding your space and making do, but at the cost of a historical fort being tucked away and hidden. I am not sure. A lot of people will say “I told you so.” But for me the problem here is deeper, I know. You know. But what can we do? Write letters? Try talking to these people? Try doing something ourselves? Well I don’t know the next step. But I promise you I will get back to this in time, and make sure that something is done at least from my end to change the present situation. Even if it is in a little way. Cause I don’t like our country being looked down at, but because of instances like these I see why we give people an opportunity to look down at us, and for us to look down at ourselves. I am sure, there should and will be a better alternative to this. You’ll find a bamboo loading and moving area at the beach near the fort, which is still okay cause it doesn’t dirupt the fort directly like the people there do.

So a solo, or two man trip is always fun (Thanks, Sheldon.). It was nice to head out to the park and fort. Have a beautiful and bitter taste of life and its challenges. And realise that knowing isn’t good enough, you need to go out there feel, experience and do  your part. Hoping to do more short halt trips and exploration escapades in the future.

Pictures of the Fort & Park (Maharashtra Nature Park & Mahim Fort 2015) :

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.885080161555763.1073741834.855590067838106&type=1

This is Mr. Happy Captain (Or you can call me Al) signing off, until next time.

Have a great day, and an adventurous weekend! :)                                                                                                                                                 

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Thank You

Alvin Anthony