Having been on a few day treks with Trinity Adventure before, this time I had decided to join the Pital Khore durg mohim, a multi-day trek to explore forts in the khandesh and marathwada regions of Maharashtra.
Our group had boarded the Jogeshwari Travels sleeper coach from different points in Pune the previous night, and we reached Nandgaon around 6:00 AM. We got down near the Nandgaon railway underpass and unloaded all our bags from the bus. Our group leader had arrived in the area the previous day and had arranged for a vehicle to pick us up from there and bring us to Manikpunj. We reached the temple in Manikpunj and met our group leader; our full team was now together. Everyone quickly freshened up, left our bags at the temple, and started towards our first destination: Manikpunj Fort.
We walked through the small village towards the fort. There were stone steps and a pathway that led us to the top. The hike up was not too long or steep, and we covered the distance pretty quickly. There was a small temple we visited en route, and at the top, we saw what looked like a Sufi shrine. There were nice views of the surrounding area, and we could see the Manikpunj Dam and the backwaters.
We climbed back down and reached the temple again. We had a breakfast of pohe with tea, which had been prepared by some of the locals for us. Many people in our group of 14 already knew each other, but some of us were new. We had a round of introductions after breakfast and got to know each other’s names and a bit more about everyone.
As our group leader was making arrangements for a vehicle to take us to our next stop, he saw that an ST (State Transport, now known as Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) bus was about to leave the village towards Nandgaon. We quickly gathered our things and boarded the bus. We reached the main Nandgaon bus stand and waited for the bus to Chalisgaon. Today was anant chaturdashi, and some of the locals invited us to join them as they celebrated Ganesh Visarjan with song and dance. It was such a wonderful experience to mingle with the locals—children and young people—and celebrate with them.
Once our bus arrived, there was a huge crowd trying to get in, along with 14 of us carrying all our trekking gear and bags. We somehow managed to board, and the other passengers didn’t make a fuss about us or our baggage. I was pleasantly surprised to see an electronic display inside the bus indicating the route, upcoming stops, and other information. The bus conductor told us where we needed to get down on the main road. We left our bags at a small local shop there and walked a little further to see Khojaji Fort.
This was a bhuikot killa i.e. a land fort built on flat ground instead of a mountaintop.
After exploring the remanents of the fort and spending some time there, we walked back to the shop and retrieved our bags. We waited there for a while, ate our packed lunch of parathas, and got some refreshments.
After lunch, we crossed the road to catch a bus towards Naydongri. From there, we managed to arrange a mini people-mover vehicle to take us to our next stop, Rajdehare. The vehicle could only fit 10 of us, and somehow we managed to cram all our luggage in as well. The remaining four of us decided to figure out another way to get there. We hitched a ride in a brand-new small truck up to the turn-off on the main highway, then walked a little further along the road to Rajdehare.
One of the locals offered to drop us off where we needed to go on his motorcycle. Two of us got onto the bike with him and his toddler—this was really going to be a test for the motorcycle! He was very friendly and told us all about the area along the way. We stopped near his house to drop off the child and then continued on to Shravan Tale. I was so impressed by his willingness to go out of his way to help us without expecting anything in return. The experiences of an urban life in the big city makes us cynical, I think; even when someone offers help, we tend to look for an ulterior motive. But this was just a random act of kindness from a stranger—something to remember and pay forward. Once we reached Shravan Tale, no one else was there yet. He waited with us as we coordinated with the rest of the group, and the people-mover soon arrived to drop them off. Our other two members also managed to hitch a ride on a motorcycle and arrived shortly after.
We dropped off our bags at Shravan Tale and started our hike up to Rajdeher Fort. It was a little tricky to find the right path through all the shrubs and trees, but we eventually figured it out. We saw trees with wild custard apples and different flowers and fruits.
We stopped for a quick break near the top to share the snacks everyone had brought, and then continued on. We also crossed what looked like the remains of a dead animal (probably a cow). It seemed to be hoisted or lodged in a tree. We speculated whether this death was from natural causes or if it was the work of a predator.
We reached the top and then walked to the edge of the plateau. The views in all directions were amazing. Everything around us was bathed in the warm glow of the evening light.
After spending some time taking in the views, we decided to head back before dark. The sun started to set as we made our way downhill, offering us some beautiful views along the way.
After reaching Shravan Tale, we relaxed for a while and started preparations for dinner. There was a chool (wood-burning hearth) that we were able to use. A few of us made instant soup with hot water and popcorn. We had plenty of leftover parathas from lunch, and initially, most of the group was unenthusiastic about eating them again. Determined not to waste food, we fashioned them into something new: we crumbled them and sautéed them with onions and spices, and suddenly the dish was a hit!
The locals told us that more than 700 families take turns bringing food for visitors to Shravan Tale twice a day, every single day of the year. They follow a roster and perform this annadaan as a gesture of goodwill and selfless community service. They insisted we join them today’s dinner, and even though we had already eaten, we decided to honour their invitation and share a meal with them. The food they served was simple, yet tasty and very satisfying. All of us had planned on having just a nibble, but ended up eating far more than anticipated. We could feel that the meal was prepared with pure intent and served with genuine positivity.
It was a full moon night, and true to local tradition, groups took turns singing bhajans and prayers all night long. It would have been difficult for us to sleep through that, and it felt awkward and disrespectful to sleep while the locals stayed up in devotion. We decided instead to head to the Ganganandgiri Maharaj Ashram to spend the night. The short walk under the bright full moon in the cool night air was delightful as we chatted and spotted fireflies in the trees. Looking back, we saw the silhouette of Rajdeher Fort where we had been that evening.
Once we reached the ashram, we quickly settled into the main temple hall, which was clean and spacious enough to accommodate all of us comfortably. We weren’t the only ones there; the driver and conductor of the early 5:30 AM bus were also resting in the hall alongside a few others. It had been a long day, and everyone turned in to get as much rest as possible ahead of our second day.