A Joyous Journey into the Merry Trails of Khodkona Village

Imagine you are travelling  on a highway in the outbound areas connecting the cities .......you tend to look around and see mountains ...your mind starts identifying patterns and shapes more humanly....so much so that you start talking to them......

Asherigad Hill- Spot the Single Coconut tree on the Hill if you can 

Does this happen to you?  It does to me and more often  than not.....this time in the winter of 2013 on the NH-8 at Palghar.....and popped into my eyes was  the hill of Asheri Fort........

The 'Waghoba' Temple

What is most significantly noticeable here  is a single coconut tree standing on an adjoining hill.....at such height....rarely does one see a coconut tree at such a height..........

The way to the top starts from the beginning of the Khodkona village marked by the 'Wagobha' temple and a few small 

houses.      

The Trail begins

On the Way Up

The trail begins with a large number of various trees which were pale in February and the dry leaves laid on the path make crackle sound as you walk on them, very similar to the munching of chips. 

Further as the ascend starts smaller rocks appear never too high to really bend your knees. The cover of the trees shadow the path in the interim.

  

The 'Waghoba' Structure again

On the way there are stones with faded marks showing the way to the top.  

After an hour or so you gain sufficient altitude to look back and enjoy the views of the endless fields ......Here you see another 'Waghoba' Small structure.......cut into its shape from a stem of a tree itself.....paint dubbed by the vermilion..... 

 The climb up from here becomes steeper.... 

Steeper Hills 

The Secret Route to somewhere...

There is an opening here which seems to be a secret route. By our understanding it must have led to the fort in the earlier times...but now the path seems dead ....

  

Moving up from here you reach the best part of the trail...a 15 feet high rock patch with a narrow way to make it to the top. Here you can get that rock climber's tickle in your stomach where you actually  root your feet as well as your palms into the notches in the rocks to grip and almost crawl your way through.

The Rock Patch around 15 ft 

View of the valley from here as you pass the hurdle justifies the worth of the effort put in to do so.......

View of the Valley 

Rajachi Topi or  Portuguese reminiscence

Here one can see a mark of the territory of the King of the Fort...with his crown carved in a rock as per the natives..but historians claim it the reminiscence of the Portuguese Rule ..

Steps Leading to the Fort

The path leads way to a series of steps in the upward climb and  you reach to a flatter portion on the top of the hill roughly around 2 hours from the base.

The top is a blessed with a couple of lakes and many water cisterns around 14 of them located around the periphery.

The Clear Lake on Top of the Hill

The Lake with  a Lotus Plantation on Top of  the Hill

The Cave Temple at the Top

It also has a cave temple and the locals tell a interesting story  about an immigrant Monk who stayed at the top of the fort for a good couple of years. 

As per the natives, the Sadhu along with a few assists which included women are responsible for the development you see at the temple, the marble seating and the collapsible steel gate. It was a good place to sit and gulp in some of the roti rolls, bananas and sip in the juices......

Hindu Holy Book of Bhagwat Geeta

The cave is big enough to shade 8 to 10 people comfortably and is also breezy....There is a leftover of the Holy Hindu Book 'Bhagwat Geeta', very much in distort , the legacy of the Sadhu...

Just above the cave temple is a vast bed of flat rock where you can lie down looking in the blue sky....and loose yourselves..Its an amazing moment that one can experience with the varying breeze at that height and fillers to the eyes full of blue and green...the whistling sound of the air and the sigh of relief in your breath....things come to life here and its a perfect place to ponder....

On the Top Rock Bed

If your move around you can explore areas most of which are impacted by the Sadhu......I had a mix feeling about this guy. Frankly he was good in making some developments, but at the same time being a fake preacher ( as natives claim) and influencing the villagers is not a good act. The villagers were clear enough though about their ideas when they got him and his gang out of the place by complaining the local Tehsildar and the help of the police ........

Whatever it was the story was  interesting.......

View of the NH8 and the mountains beyond

It added a bit of flair to the panorama  that we enjoyed on the top as we moved around .........You can see the NH8 from here clearly passing in between this hill and the range of hills on the other side with articulate peaks ..

The descend down the hill is comparatively easier with the views in background especially when you meet the same rock patch area and the steps. 

Baskets

Down at the base some quality time can be spent in the houses to get a feel of the village life.The silent house ventilated naturally with the shingle roofs make you realise the sudden cooling effect just as you enter it throw a narrow door.

Inside the Village House

The smell of the cow-dung laid for the floor finish took me back to my childhood days when I visited my native house in konkan. The heaps of  fodder kept for the cattle, the wood cut for the fire. The basket made from the coconut leaves. Everything was here.....and just a few kms away from Mumbai...





Finally I tried to move from there with a heavy heart and began to walk towards the highway. In the way I met an interesting creature.....in fact it took time for me to realize that it was something living as it was just leaves moving due the air is what I initially thought....

Dead Leaf Mantis - Now that's a tricky one ..... Spot it if you are sharp enough...

But it had a pattern due to which we could make out that it was the dead leaf mantis .....and could capture it too...Man....Only seen on National Goegraphic before ..this animal was a definition of how one can adapt oneself to fight for survival in this journey of Life...........

This merry trek in the Khodhona Village will be remembered for the interesting facets of LIFE that I discovered.....