This part of Maharashtra state is called Bhandardara, the height of which is 1250 meters, this place is very famous for its natural scenery and its culture. If I talk about myself, then I spent 3 months here and in these 3 months I visited all the forts, temples and famous mountains around Shendi village. I felt the best standing on top of the highest peak of Maharashtra which is 1646 meters high. Today I will tell you about a day that was spent while hiking around Bhandardara Dam.
The Pravara river flows from the Ratangad peak which is the main source of water for Bhandardara Dam. Some other peak rivers also join it but they are able to contribute only during the monsoon. Bhandardara is very famous for the unmatched beauty of monsoon, people come from nearby cities to see this unique part of nature, which includes Mumbai and Pune. Apart from the tourists from West India, I, a Himalayan resident, have come here to witness these natural sights.
Actually, I had to leave from here because I got typhoid here, but with the medicines I got from a good doctor and by taking care of myself, I recovered very quickly. It has been more than 20 days since I am here and now my lost energy has returned. Because this place is very famous among the trekkers of West India, tourists come here throughout the year except summers. There is 25.6 mm rainfall here during the monsoon, due to which the vibe of the landscapes here goes to a different level.
Of course, I will not be able to come during the monsoon because at that time I have to go to Ladakh, these days the winters of January are going on and I live in a tent. Today after breakfast, I ask Raghu that you are free today, let's go somewhere for a walk. Raghu says there is a small task which after completion we will go to the top of Bhandaradara dam from where we will watch the sunset. Raghu is a tribal and I am very surprised to see his interest in nature.
We leave Shendi village after lunch, Raghu says that the bike will run to a certain extent so let's go by bike. Whereas I say that we should dedicate this sunset hike by walking to today's sunset and the dam present here. My proposal is gladly accepted, tying the laces of our shoes we bid goodbye to Shendi village at 1:30 in the afternoon. We take the trail situated above Krishnavanti village to reach our destination.
On the way we pass through fields, the season's crop sown here has been harvested. There is a well in the middle of the field from which a woman is drawing water for drinking. Water from the service lane cannot come here so this entire area stores rain water or well is a good option for drinking water. From the road, we can see Alang, Malang and Kulang mountains shining in the sunlight. Looking at these high mountains, I have only this to say that "I will definitely come to you one day".
It is the month of January and while the winter cold has dried up the green grass and turned it yellow, the trees of the forest are still green and are waving on the earth to mark their presence. The view ahead is very beautiful and magical. I feel like bringing a tent and staying here for the night to watch the galaxy passing above us. Watching some shooting stars and talking to the moon. There are so many things to talk about and such a long way to walk...everything is alive.
At a certain distance, there is a gang of hunters who have come to hunt a wild boar. Raghu says that there is a boar with teeth here and every night it comes to the village and destroys the crops. Today people have come to hunt that boar in sadness. The body language of the people seen in the distance is telling that they have not got success yet. Looking at my face, Raghu says that because of the wild boar, farmers are abandoning farming, which is not good for both the land and the people.
Halfway down, Raghu meets one of his friends named Eknath. Eknath is also a part of the hunting team and is looking for his prey on this side of the mountain, but he too did not see anything. We stop and drink the water we have brought with us and admire the Shendi village visible below. At 5:30, we reach the sunset point after a hike of about 8 km, from where we will see the view for which we have climbed for several hours.
The sun peeking from a corner of the mountain is saying that now the time has come to say goodbye. The sun waves its fingers at us from behind the peak of Ratangadh mountain and bids us goodbye, to which we reply by saying “We will meet again tomorrow”. Seeing the spectacular views here, my soul is also becoming happy along with me. While the redness of the sunset is adorning the peak of Ratangarh, another amazing sight awaits our eyes.
When I look down, the water of Bhandaradara Dam has turned golden, while the landscape of the Ratangarh mountain looks as if some carefree person has made a painting in the dam water. After going below the horizon, the pink color has spread all around which is making the atmosphere a little warm. I am liking everything very much, I want to embrace the feeling of being here and come down the mountain so that whenever I feel like it, I can refresh my memories and energy.
It has been more than an hour since we have been sitting here, on which Raghu says that now we should go back otherwise the chances of meeting cobras and leopards in the dark will increase. Accepting Raghu's words, we start descending. After coming down, we say good hike to each other. And joining hands we say in unison “Let's have a hot tea”. So on this side our day ends. I hope you liked this blog.
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi and I have used Google Translator to translate the Hindi text in English. All the photos have been clicked by me from Canon 77d camera, gopro hero 4+ and edited in lightroom. I want to declare that I have already posted 2 photos of this post on hive.