Hike to Siddhagad : Adventure mixed with Beauty of Nature

  •   Sat, Oct 03 2009
  •   by Deepak D’Souza, Dombivli

Oct 4, 2009

Hiking during the monsoon season and searching for objects for photography has been my passion since quite few years. Like earlier years, this year too around forty five youths of the Infant Jesus Parish, Dombivli, planned the hiking expedition during the second weekend in the month of September to a relatively closer destination-the Siddhagad Fort in the Murbad taluka of the Thane District.

We took a private bus from Dombivli early in the morning and passing through Kalyan and Murbad (30 kms from Kalyan) reached the base village known as Narivali (about 16 kms from Murbad). After taking breakfast at Narivali we started our hiking expedition to the Siddhagad Fort.

The Siddhagad Fort is divided into two parts. The lower fort is about 1,400 feet above the sea level which is known as Siddhagad Machi (plateau). There is a village of about 300 populations on Siddhagad
Machi. The upper fort is about 3235 feet above the sea level and is known as Siddhagad Bale Killa (Citadel). The trail to the fort is quite difficult and it takes at least three hours to reach the chief door of the fort (darwaza).











 

Within the fort, there is an ancient temple of Goddess Shri Namrata Devi and a dilapidated shrine of Lord Shiva. There are also few remnants of the fort over which the British and the Maratha forces had fought for mastery. There are some broken cannons, and few water cisterns. Facing towards Siddhagad on the left, one can see Gorakhgad and Macchindragad. The Siddhagad Fort is also known in Indian Freedom movement as two the freedom fighters, Bhai Kotwal and Hiraji Patil were shot dead at this place by the British in January 1943. A memorial dedicated to these freedom fighters is located at the opposite end of the fort.

The trek from the base village Narivali provided ample number of objects that i could capture in my camera. The houses covered with grass roof and vegetable creepers, children peeping from the windows,  paddy fields, varieties of wild flowers and insects and above all the distant mountain ranges were the delight of any photographer who would never miss the opportunity to capture the wonders of nature in the digital chip. At the end of the trek we had a delightful dip in a shallow spring water stream.

After the enjoyable trek and being in the cradle of nature for over eight hours we returned home by nine in the night. Though physically tired, i felt a sense of satisfaction as i could make the tryst with the nature and at least forget for a day the monotonous urban life and stress and routine of office work.













 

Those who would like to go on a hike to the Siddhagad from Mumbai or any other place in small groups can take a Central Railway local train and alight at Kalyan as it is the nearest convenient railway station.

Every half an hour there are State Transport buses to Murbad. From Murbad another ST bus will take the trekkers to the base village, Narivali. A walk towards the Siddhagad soon turns into a trek that will take around three hours to the Siddhagad Machi. The approximate time of the trek is around 6 to 7 hours including the return to the base village.
by Deepak D’Souza, Dombivli
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Comment on this article

  • Laila, M'lore / KSA

    Mon, Oct 05 2009

    Thank you Deepak for this article and breath taking pictures. And also for making us aware of such places.

  • Joseph Fernandes, Mangalore / Qatar

    Mon, Oct 05 2009

    Nice pictures, how beautiful are Gods creation.

  • DONY LOBO, MILAGRES, MANGALORE-DOHA,QATAR

    Mon, Oct 05 2009

    A very beautiful and informative write-up and photographs…..thanks to Mr.Deepak D’Souza and Daijiworld, perhaps in line with the great articles that we used to read from Dr.Eugene D’Souza about places of historical importance and scenic beauty. Perhaps the children of all the Daijiworld readers especially those born and brought up in far flung and foreign lands, would love to see write-ups and scenes with photographs of breathtaking views, of unique places like Jog Falls, Bababudhangiri heights, the Kudremukh peak, Nandi Hills and Chamundi Hills, Nilagiri Mountains and Ooty especially the narrow gauge train that climbs the mountains, Yercaud and Kodai and even Mahabaleshwar….and the dreaded Agumbe Ghat road etc.

  • mohammad, dubai

    Mon, Oct 05 2009

    Yes Ms Zeenath its a nice piture.  Always India is great.

  • Joel, Mangalore/Dubai

    Sun, Oct 04 2009

    Really beautiful place. I liked those old houses. Reminded me of old. I remember people having "kolvachem Ghar" (Dry-grass roofed houses) in Bantwal when we were kids.

  • John Pinto , chickmagalur/ Qatar

    Sun, Oct 04 2009

    Nature is the Best solution for many Cures. Visiting such places and being there is the best medicine . Try it. thanks for the great photography.

  • zeenath banu, Dubai/Kannour Karnataka

    Sat, Oct 03 2009

    WOW... is that a spectacular photo or what? Excellent shot.


Leave a Comment

Title: Hike to Siddhagad : Adventure mixed with Beauty of Nature



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.