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 Landscape Of The Old & Forgotten - Bassein Fort 2015

It was a sunny weekday afternoon, and I was wrapped up with work like every other day. I then began to look at options that I could bagpack to in quick time, in and around Mumbai. It’s hard sometimes to keep up with the weekly “Go to a new place” routine, when your work schedule doesn’t permit you to travel too far or invest too much time (Note to self: Need to travel full time, to keep up with this.) But then again, If I don’t get out and travel I’d probably feel gloomy for the entire week ahead, so not doing it was really not an option.

So Bassein Fort (Vasai Fort) is a fort that I have heard a whole lot about since my childhood, but have never visited or been to. I have heard stories about how big and mighty it use to be and is, about the churches and sea facing walls, the Portuguese and their mighty rein during the historical times and of the founding and building of the fort. Since this wasn’t that far me in terms of distance and I could cover most of it in nearly half a day (As per what Sheldon said), I decided to pack my bags one weekday and go. Me and Sheldon head out to explore and cover the Vasai Fort, one of the most unvalued and tucked away Forts of Maharashtra (And oh so beautiful.).

If I often wake up early, especially If I'm really excited to head out trekking or have work to do. However because of working late the previous night, I kinda met Sheldon an hour later than what we had planned (Sorry man!). And during summers, since the heat picks up really quickly an hour is really expensive to lose on. Luckily we did reach there soon, after taking a fast train. We first took a rickshaw midway and then changed rickshaws again. The rickshaw driver soon left us at the entrance at the fort, as to my luck and since Sheldon had been to the fort before he knew his way around and we needed to do next. We soon began to walk deep inside the green bushes and forest like paths taking us deeper into the fort. There were ruins all around us, and birds, trees and a feeling of being close to history and the past. We walked closer to the shore, as we came across large doors and damaged towers. Some say the weather got to it, others say with time the walls began to perish. However, it did look like it was depleting. We soon reached the shore (Oh, going to any kind of water body during the summer is bliss!). We could see boats, crabs and fishes all around. I even picked up a small pot I found on the shore. We were then told that we can’t take pictures. That’s right a beautiful sea view and you can’t even take pictures because of security reasons yes (Merchant trading rules). We were a little bummed out, but I still did manage to sneak around and take a few pictures anyway (Such a criminal I am nah? I know.).

We also saw a small Hanuman temple, it's tiny and you wont miss it on your way to the shore. It was closed when we met. But it seemed beautiful right in the middle of the forest and fort to find a temple. We then climbed up a small path, and could see the sea view from the high facing fort walls. We continued to trail around on the walls. Then we climbed up to what seemed to be a watch tower or bell tower of sorts. It was beautiful carved. And I believe the Archaeology Preservation Community are trying and doing a great job by restructuring and cementing the walls (Trying too hard at some places, but it's surely give and take. And I am happy to see we are trying to preserve and safeguard these places.). We spotted a few love birds around (Couples, yes) whom Sheldon did try to scare away. But we just pretended that they weren’t there and kept exploring. We soon started discovering the various churches (There are 7 apparently in the fort.)

According to Historian Joseph Gerson Da Cunha, during this time, Bassein and its surrounding areas appeared to have been ruled by the Chalukya dynasty of Karnataka. Until the 11th century, several Arabian geographers had mentioned references to towns nearby Bassein, like Thana and Sopara, but no references had been made to Bassein. Bassein was later ruled by the Silhara dynasty of Konkan, and eventually passed to the Yadavas of Devagiri, before being conquered by the Muslim rulers of Gujarat. The Treaty of Bassein was signed by Sultan Bahadur of Gujarat and the Kingdom of Portugal on 23 December 1534 while on board the galleon São Mateus. Based on the terms of the agreement, the Portuguese Empire gained control of the city of Bassein, as well as its territories, islands, and seas. At the time, the cession of Mumbai (or Bombay) was of minor importance - but retroactively it gained a crucial importance when the place passed from the Portuguese to the English in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, and became a major trade center - making this the treaty's most important long-range result.

We saw a chimney tower, that was used for cooking a couple of water storage spots. And also there was another temple (This one was open!) that I stepped into quickly, explore and took some blessings from. We soon met a few locals climbing trees and grabbing some mangoes, they were kind enough to give me two, and tell us a bit about the fort and about themselves and their village (The Vasai Village). He happened to live close to my place earlier (Mt. Mary’s) when he was a kid (Raju). He told us even a day wasn’t enough to see all of the fort. That’s when I said my goodbyes and got really anxious to cover as much of the fort as i could. We soon saw another Church that was left in ruins that we were told Sunday masses still happened at (A Jesuit church, could say so with the IHS logo at the front and because I was schooled at a Jesuit school of St. Stanislaus). We explored (I lied down) the church for a bit. Was very beautiful and peaceful. Was very well crafted. We then explored the compounds and could see graves of various soldiers, and other people around the church. I met a really adorable doggy too, who was hurt and been taken care of by the villagers, I could see his wounds were being medicated by them. We soon head towards the last church on our path.

Sheldon’s trip was made. As I have mentioned on my previous posts, the man loves birds and is always looking around to click and see a new bird on his trips. Guess who we met? A Kingfisher. Yes a beautiful, peaceful calm and colorful Kingfisher. He sat down all quiet, all ready to be taken pictures off. We looked at his beautiful wings and eyes, it was surely a treat. We then explored then next church it had a huge compound and well crafted interiors. I never felt like leaving, even for a single moment, but we had too so that we could come again and relish the beautiful fort and all its might. Its huge, it keeps going on and on. Raju was right, it is a magical fort that is long forgotten by many, yet for those who have visited it will always hold a special place of importance in their lives.

The trip then came to an end. Its good to do trips and alone, and with 2 or 3 people sometimes. Exploring with Sheldon was fun like always. Enjoying conversations, and sharing travelling experiences. (And me bugging him cause I wanted to go and see more places, or spend more time at places.) Can’t wait for the next trip. Surely am looking forward to it.

Pictures of the Fort & Temple (Bassein Fort 2015) :

https://www.facebook.com/thehappygetaway/timeline/story?ut=43&wstart=0&wend=1433141999&hash=-8815666137905326921&pagefilter=3

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

A Beautiful Cave With A Peaceful Heart - Kanheri Caves 2015

It’s good at times to just pack your bags call a few people you love and head out exploring and visiting new or long lost places. Kicking back your feet, doing things spontaneously not having a schedule, and just having places in mind that you want to catch glimpses off. So this was one of my first of such kind of trips, backpacking to the Kanheri Caves in Borivali, a place I had visited at an early age as a child (And, I really did not remember much off.) with a few good friends that made the trip even more memorable. A short yet memorable trip was about to get underway.

It started off with me calling Sheldon, and saying “You’re free, I’m free, lets do this.” We soon spoke to Dua and Jean, and gradually the next morning we were catching a train from Bandra station and heading out to Borivali. Me and Dua enjoyed some cold lassi, idli’s and morning vada's at a few stalls close to the station as we waited for Jean. As soon as she arrived we, caught a rickshaw and head towards the park. (You can usually take a bus too, it’s pretty close to the Borivali East station, and right on the highway if you're travelling by road.). We reached the park and soon began our long walk towards the caves. The weather was pleasant, you can see others walking, jogging and reminiscing the beautiful morning and nature too. Cycling around (Renting them) is a good option too, unless you have people who do not cycle, or wish to learn to cycle in your group then you will need to walk.

So after a long walk of conversations, jokes and enjoying cold cucumbers we had finally reached the base point of the caves. I have been to a few Buddhist caves in the recent times, and they all have this beautiful feeling of peace, harmony and beauty in them. You’d feel like you’ve finally gotten home after all these years. There are numerous amount of small caves you can explore there once you enter. You’ll see a lot of trees, monkeys and remains from the olden days. We saw two snake too! (If you’re lucky/ during the monsoons) The caves are quite well maintained and taken care off. These caves are as old as from the first century BCE to the 10th century CE. Around a 109 caves are carved here out of basalt. All caves have a stone plinth for a surface. A huge congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the well crafted and beautiful statue, the Buddhist shrine. Some of the caves were use for living, studying and meditating (Vihara’s). The larger caves are the ones we're halls used for congregational worship (Chaitya’s). Avalokiteshwara are the most different figure. The large number of viharas demonstrates the well organized establishment of Buddhist monks.

This Cave was also connected with many trade centers, such as the ports of Sopara, Kalyan, Nasik, Paithan and Ujjain. Kanheri was a University center by the time the area was under the rule of the Maurayan and Kushan empires. There are about 34 unfinished paintings of Buddha within the Caves. Nearly 51 legible inscriptions and 26 epigraphs (Cave 90) are found at Kanheri, which is very beautiful to see. I was really put to ease by the architecture and work put into it by the monks, surely historical. Dua was mentioning how it is a bliss to visit these caves during the monsoons, as there a lot of waterfalls and small streams that flow across the park, and the weather also is bliss. (Must go again!). There are also various bird and butterfly watching spots (Clubs too) across the park that one can visit or spend time at to enjoy a little bit of nature.

We head back after exploring. We took a bus that dropped us at a central point. We then, by feet climbed up stairs that a lady told us can help us see all of Mumbai, yes just 100 steps and you can see all of Mumbai (Note to self: never believe random stranger aunties, or ask them where steps lead too.). We climbed up to see nothing, then head back and saw Deers (Many kinds), Vulchers and Peacocks. They were beautiful to see, and touch and be with up close. We even fed this really beautiful looking deer a banana that Sheldon was carrying with him. Was really nice to see them all chill at the shade of the tree, trying to enjoy the warm summer. We soon then later grabbed a bite and head back. Cause it was time to goo home.

It was a nice experience this, not going with a group running around having a schedule. It was nice to just spend really long hours talking at a place, fooling around, being at peace and just being together. Its sad to see that even though the cave is so close to the city, and to our lifeline (Unlike the other far off places I usually visit) there is not as much importance given to this place. Yes people do visit now and then, and you’d see it buzzing with locals and nature/history lovers. However, I really feel this place should be adored for how peaceful, beautiful and home like it is. I really hope to do more spontanious trips, and local trips in the future. And learn more about important and significant places right around the corner and backyard. Hope to do more trips and getaways with these guys too. (Hi5! Love you guys.)

Pictures of the Caves (Kanheri Caves  2015) :

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.880508555346257.1073741833.855590067838106&type=1

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

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

                                                                            

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Alvin Anthony

The Birthplace Of Emperor Shivaji - Shivneri Fort 2015

This trip, is surely one of the most memorable trips, that I have done in the recent past. Not because I travelled to Pune, in a day and back. Not because I may have missed majority of one of the most memorable Manchester Derby's (Football), where we won 4-2 and secured 3rd place. But because on Sunday the 12th of April 2015, I was finally able to see and live the stories and triumphs I was told about as a child. I was able to visit the home of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj a great king and warrior of ancient Indian historical times. I was finally able to visit Shivneri Fort, in Pune. A place I have heard a lot about, and have always wanted to visit since an early age. I was always fond of kings, queens, warriors and stories of their triumphs and reigns. (Huge LOTR fan here.) So this visit surely did help me learn and understand things, about Shivaji and his early life and childhood a whole lot better.

It started off with me calling Anup (Founder of Bhramar, and Mr. boss organizer)  during the week in the afternoon, confirming myself for the trip. Also assuring him, that no matter what happens (Heaven or earth moves.) I'll surely make it. Then the week went by really quickly and in no time it was Sunday. It's beautiful looking forward for something all week, and then finally seeing it happen. It was around 4:30 am, when I boarded a train from Kurla to Thane. It was a bit of a let down that no one else from the 36 or so that we're coming, we're coming from the suburbs. So it left me listening to the Beatles, sipping some chai and boarding an almost empty or so  train to Thane. Post reaching Thane, I looked for Ananad Cinema hall (As Anup told me too), walking across the empty Thane station roads, in the dim yet not so shady street lights felt quite warm and homely. Soon, everyone began to gather at the hall. Tall, old, short, young, mothers, babies, students, you name it we had it. It was quite a mix bunch of people (From different professions and walks of life) all gathered in the early hours, all looking forward to a good trip. Felt like one big family of Bhramar volunteers, regulars and newbies. A family of strangers, away from home.

Maybe delays are a new trend. Or just trips I take are jinxed, but we did end up waiting quite a bit for the bus to arrive. But once it did, we soon filled in and caught our seats to set off. The bus journey onwards was quite a peaceful one, me including quite a few others caught up with some sleep. Some others munched on a few snacks and shared some pleasant conversations. We soon arrived at our Breakfast halt. We all caught a light bite, had some hot coffee and tea and set off again. We soon, began to pass the beautiful mountains, misty river and cloudy hills  as we reached closer to our destination. We then arrived at the base point, and lied ahead of us the mighty mountain, which encompassed the long beloved Shivneri fort. The stairs greeted us, with longing gates and flowers.

Shivneri Fort was built under the aegis of Sahaji, the father of Shivaji, who wanted a strong fortification that could protect his family from the enemies. Jijabai (Shivaji's mother) spent the days of her pregnancy at Shivneri and it was here that Shivaji Maharaj was born, in the year 1627. Almost the entire childhood of Shivaji was spent playing inside the compound of the fort. He received most of his basic education at Shivneri only and the lessons he learnt here were responsible, to quite an extent, in shaping his personality as a great ruler.

We soon began to pass the gates. There were 7 different beautiful gates, set up for the enemies to cross, one more mightier than the other. We soon climbed up the steady stairs passing through the morning sun and breeze. Our first stop was at the Shiv Mandir, we first entered bare feet bowing in mercy and worship. We later gather outside the entrance, sitting one aside the other listening to Shilpa Parab Pradhan (Our Guide and Teacher, for the day.). She told us about the temple, and the early age history of the fort. How it was a very important historical structure, and how it was where Shivaji got his name Shivba here. We soon head back and upwards towards Ambarkhana (A grain, gold and food storage facility) which was well crafted and had vintage security and air circulation facilities (Impressive!).

We later passed Ganga & Jammuna one of more than ten water tanks present in Shivneri (This being the only potable and pure one.) We filled up our bottles and enjoyed the cold and earthy water of the tank, that was very refreshing to have in the warm sunny weather. We moved forward and came across, Shiv Kunj.  Shiv Kunj is a monument constructed by the state government, in honor of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Inside Shiv Kunj there is an idol of Bal Shivaji and Jijabai made of “Panchdhatu” (An alloy of 5 metals.) Very beautiful, and artistic indeed.  We later head forward to Shiv Janamasthan, we climbed up the narrow stairs and sat in a quarter where the entire group gathered up again and we began to listen to the birth story of the great king. How the modern day misconceptions  of the three Shivaji Jayantis, due to change in the English and Hindu Calendar, and due to multiple beliefs and followers. Also stories about Jijabai and her strength and grace to and through Shivajis birth. It was really heart filling to hear. We then head towards Kadelot point, a place where prisoners were punished by throwing them down the fort. This point is on the northern end of the fort.

We had now reached the end of our visit long yet beautiful visit, we received a few words of conclusion and wisdom by Anup and Shilpa. It was followed by a quick round of introductions, and getting to know one another. As we were behind schedule, we then later rushed to the base point, got back to our bus and head towards our lunch point. In a comfy little village home, we then enjoyed some delicious food, that helped us reminisce over the day gone by. It was beautiful, the rocky hill and detailed architecture. The crafted strategic pathways and structures. The history and childhood memories of Shivaji and his family who lived and grew up at Shivneri, after whom he was named. We soon, got back to the bus and it was songs (Some self made new ones! and jokes, till the way back home!

It was a good experience. All wrapped up in one rushed yet, memorable day. Bhramar were quite efficient and warm with their organizing and experience delivery. However, sometimes on such trips, time passes by too quickly so delays are bound to happen learning and listening to new stories. However, overall it was a memorable day, and great set of people (Very family like! ).

Looking forward to my next getaway with Bhramar, and the group.

I know it will be quite a memorable and happy one :)

Picture of the Fort (Shivneri Fort  2015) :

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.871141542949625.1073741831.855590067838106&type=1

This is Alman (You know, like Superman?) signing off, until next time.

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

                                                                             

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Thank You

Alvin Anthony

A Memorable Night Trail - Kavnai Fort 2015

I've always thought and dreamt of writing about my journeys, but I never really thought I'll ever bring myself to doing it. Been travelling across various destinations, for the last few months now and been advised by many to start a travel blog. I have finally decided to take on this challenge and contribute to the travelling and blogging community.So here, I am Alvin Anthony (You, can call me Al) 20, a business researcher, part time baker, designer, teacher, Mumbaikar and the founder of The Happy Getaway, writing my very first blog post. A little tensed since this is my first time doing this, but I hope you enjoy the content and my experiences.

So since the beginning of The Happy Getaway, this was my first trek which was to Kavnai Fort, in Nasik on the 21st and 22nd of March 2015. Organised by Tattva Adventures, led by Sai Iyer (A free lance designer and dog trainer. Woof!)  and his team, who have quite a lot of experience and knowledge in this space. I was quite excited to be doing my first trek with them. So after locating the trek online. It started off, with me giving Sai, a call and telling him how I love travelling, but I am extremely bad with trains schedules and maps, and how I really really wish, there will be someone else accompanying me from Dadar station. To my greatest of joys, Kshiteej (A really good director,photographer and advertising go to guy, I've been told.) met me at Dadar, and made sure I did not goof up, and catch the wrong train or miss my train. (Yay!). We met Sheldon (Our hospitality industry guy, who was just back from a late shift) at the Kurla stop, and then people kept joining in as the pre summer breeze kept us warm, and fast crowding local kept pushing on towards Kasara, which was the final halt. A few caught some sleep, and the rest were lost in deep conversations about food, travel experiences, destinations, and what we were looking forward too at Kavnai.

It was around 1:30, when we reached and walked towards the car, where we all squeezed in like one big happy family. Sai began with his customary vulgar late night hindi song session, and we all joined in gradually, singing old numbers and a few unfamiliar new ones (Note to self: Carry a mic next time, or shall be accused again of lip syncing.) We then in a few minutes halted at a dabba where we had a quick chai and coffee, session. We later took off and reached the base point of the fort. We then had a quick introductory round where I realised we had quite a mix bunch of people, including students (Vivek aka Selfie Guru) ,soon to be teachers (Jeanette), Smooth talkers (Vedant & Pranav), Family man (Nilesh), Mr. Hangover (Lawrence)  and frequent trekkers (Atharv, Vijay & Thomas). We soon commenced our trek, and started our late night trail. The last time, I had ever been for late night trail, was years ago at Lonavala. So this was a refreshing experience to get back to old ways. We started heading up the slope-y hill, flashing our torches all around and finding our path and each other. We walked and walked, and never looked back. The cold early morning breeze, welcomed us to our first halt point where, we caught our breath and peeped towards the flashing city and village lights. We could hear the whispers of silence as the noises slept and we pushed forward towards the up facing ladder, moulded entrance and old fashioned stone carved stairs. We grabbed the sides for support, and each other while falling.

In around an hour and a half or so, we were up. Conquering the old yet beautiful Kavnai fort. We then laid down under the stars, and rested. We even caught a shooting star as we layed. Some kept sleeping and the rest, moved around to explore and spend some time together across the fort. We sat facing the other peaks, as Sai gave us some insights about the forts history and also told us the mythological significances of the fort. The fort is said to have been built by the Moghals, was ceded to the Peshwa by the Nizam in virtue of a treaty concluded after the battle of Udgir around 1760. When the Marathas were defeated at Trimbak in 1818, Kavnai, like Tringalvadi and fifteen other neighbouring forts, fell without a struggle to the British. Captain Briggs who visited it after its surrender found two houses at the foot of the hill where the garrison lived. He choose to leave the entrance gate and the stairs as he found it beautiful and well crafted. Sai also told us that it is said that, it is believed that Hanuman beat demon Kalnemi while carrying the Dronagiri mountain to save Laxman. Samarth Ramdas the guru of Shivaji gave spiritual guidance to him. Also shivaji is said to have visited this fort secretly. This fort also happens to be the place where saint Dynaeshwar stepped and Gajanan Maharaj meditated Hence the fort has both cultural and historical importance.

(As Sai believes) Just because a fort isn't popular, it doesn't mean it isn't important.

The sun rise soon, hit the peak, and we all began to move out of our late night conversations into getting ready to descend. We continued to explore the fort and take pictures. The morning light, lit up the place, and our trusted photography expert (Rajith), captured every beautiful frame. We then began our descent, which i seemed to enjoy, as the summer heat had still not kicked in, and we could enjoy small halts, to pose and get facebook profilers clicked. We then reached the base point again, and got back into the car. Soon, we stopped for some chai and breakfast. And then visited the beautiful Hanuman temple, gleaming with bells, flowers, carvings and paintings. We explored the temple, and caught the essence of the village and the culture there. We soon head back towards the car, and off to the station.

The trek seemed to come to an end, yet the conversations, people, journey and memories don’t seem to fade away. It was a professionally organised trek, right from start to the finish. Props to Sai and his team. I really do hope to do more trips, with the group and Tattva. And I hope memories of this trek seem to live on, through this write up and our hearts.

Picture of the Trek(Kavnai Fort 2015) : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.859324194131360.1073741829.855590067838106&type=1

Until next time, this is Bandra Boy (Like Sai calls me.), signing out.

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

Thank You.

                                                                                                                          

                                                          Alvin Anthony

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