Shivneri trip

The statue in the Shiv-Mandir

Aundh - Nashik Phata – Bhosari – Chakan – Rajgurunagar (Khed) – Manchar – Narayangaon – Junnar – Shivneri

Pune to Narayangaon: 75 kms
This time we planned our trip to Shivneri. We left Aundh at 6.45 am and reached the Old Mumbai-Pune highway near Harris bridge at Bopodi. From there we followed the highway till Kasarwadi and took a right turn at Nashik Phata.
The road is quite crowded because of the industrial town on the way. The people in Bhosari, Moshi, Chakan are so used to the highway that they carry a notion that basic traffic rules are not to be followed. So you encounter people going the wrong way in full speed. They also don’t mind to stop suddenly, turn abruptly and even manage to hold discussions in the middle of the road. There is no point in honking the horn as they are oblivious to it. Here we realise that India is indeed a free country and everyone is free to do whatever they want wherever they are.
Rajguru Nagar is another place on the way. Apply caution when you approach the Junction. People cross the road as if they got the road as their dowry. There is a rumbler strip as soon as you enter Rajgurunagar. For the uninitiated a "rumbler strip" is a series of speedbreakers. The rumbler strip that we encountered had about 12 speedbreakers followed by a single one about 100 feet from the rumbler strip. And to add to the fun they are all unmarked.
Yeh mera India I love my India. Ha ha!
You will cross two Ghats on the way. Khed Ghat and Awasari Ghat. It takes 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Narayangaon. Narayangaon is a small, crowded town famous for its wine yards. An annual Grape crop festival is also quite a famous event at Narayangaon. This is the time when all the Page 3 people and “celebrities” make their way to Narayangaon. The starlets crush the first grapes with their feet. Actually I think it is very unappetising.

Narayangaon-Junner-Shivneri: 30 kms
After Narayangaon, you need to take a diversion to the left just before Hotel Poonam and hit the Junner road. In the beginning (about 2 kms) the patch is very rough (You can see the remains of the road that was once upon a time!) so be watchful and enjoy the ride. Both the sides of the road you can see wine yards.
You reach a T-junction – the road on the road towards the left takes you to Junnar and the one towards right takes you to Ojhar (or is it Ozhar? Ozhar is about 8 kms from this point.) The road upto Junnar varies from very good to absolutely no road. But we could see some road work going on.
Keep going straight after reaching Junnar till you reach a majestic statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Take a left turn. You actually start seeing the fort as you enter Junnar. You can also make out the caves that were made during the Saatvahan era. This road takes you upto Shivneri. From Narayangaon you will take hardly 40 minutes to reach Shivneri Fort.

Layout of the fort























One of the many gardens on the fort























Shivneri




















Shivneri is 105 Kms away from Pune. History says that Shahaji Bhonsale (Shivaji’s father) was worried was the safety of his pregnant wife Jijabai. He selected Shivneri Fort and kept her there because of its uniqueness and difficulty for enemies to reach the Fort. Shivneri is a very strong fort with steep rocks on four sides, strong fortifications and massive doors. You have to cross about 5 or 6 doors before you reach the fort.

The first gate

On the 100th step!

You can drive up to the bottom of the hill where the steps to the Fort begin. There are about 450 steps to reach the top of the Fort. From the starting point itself you can see the steep rocks along which the fort is built. As soon as we reach the fort we see a diversion on the right. This road takes us to the Shivai Devi Temple. Shivaji was named after this deity. It's a small temple on one of the cliffs of the fort. As usual photography is prohibited in the temple.

The building of the Janmasthan


















Climb up further and you see breath taking views of Sahyadri hill ranges nicely laced around with the Meena River. The best time to visit Shivneri is after the rains or in winter.
From this point the climb ends. You can walk along the vertical limits of the fort enjoying the magnificent views on the left side. This pathway leads to the Shiva Temple, the birth place of Shivaji. The monument is maintained well. You may relax for some time near the windows enjoying the breeze as well as the splendid sight of the valley. You can see Junnar city from here.

On the 300th step!

















Behind the birthplace is Badami tank. It was all dried up when we saw it. There are some water tanks on the fort and all of them are full of frogs. Yes frogs on top of the mountain! Go further for the last point of the fort. It's a dead end like a tip of the arrow. It's a massive, frightening cliff. Be careful, a slight slip will send you into the lap of death.

Fascinating Spots :
Shiv Janmasthan: This is the place on the fort where the birth of Shivaji Maharaj took place. This place is named as Shiv Mandir. Ahead of Shiv Mandir there is a huge water tank called the Badami tank.

Akshay on the stairs of the Janmasthaan




































Kadelot: This is the place where prisoners were punished by throwing them down the fort. This point is on the northern end of the fort.
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.)
Kamani Tank : This tank is at a level below and is full of bats.
Ganga Jamuna : These are the water cisterns behind the Shiv Kunj. Water in these cisterns is potable. On whole of Shivneri there are more than 10 water tanks.
Ambarkhana : Ambarkhana is the place where huge amount of grain can be stored. The caretakers here keep this place very clean. What I didn't understand is that this Ambarkhana is located near the entrance of the fort. Why?

Akshay peeping from the window

View on the north side

The south side

















The West side


















Junnar - on the east side


















The fort is very well maintained and is very clean too. There are a number of trash bins kept everywhere on the fort. There are many gardens on the fort and we found all of them very well maintained. However, we couldn’t locate any washrooms. Drinking water is available on the fort but I preferred my own water. Bottled mineral water as well as soft drinks too are available on the fort. There is good cell phone coverage all the way from Pune to Junnar as well as Shivneri. There are many petrol pumps as well as tyre repair shops all along the way. There is a fairly decent restaurant (Hotel Ashiyana) at the base of the fort that serves food. The fort can be covered in about 2 hours.

On the way back we could see the many huge dish antenae on our left side. I believe these are connected to the GMRT (Giant Meterwave Radio Telescopes). Overall a pretty satisfying trip.

Here are our trip logs Odometer reading followed by the place:
46 kms ..........Parihar chowk, Aundh
58 kms ..........Bhosari
85 kms ..........Khed (Rajgurunagar)
110 kms ........Manchar
120 kms ..........Narayangaon
Take a left turn just before Hotel Poonam
122 kms ..........Take left turn for Junnar go 100 mtrs and take a right turn
137 kms ..........Junnar
Take a left turn at the Shivaji statue
140 kms ..........Shivneri