Asherigadh – rightfully a watchtower (25th November 2023)

 

Socializing has many hues and forms. My favourite one is to travel with old friends and if it’s a trek, even better. A lot of catching up happens apparently as memories are shared, anecdotes relived amidst peals of laughter; it’s always the funny and quirky incidents that stay in mind longer or maybe are prioritized to be brought to the forefront to be retold.

So, I didn’t lose a chance when an ex-colleague of mine asked me if I wanted to trek to Asherigadh. We decided to carpool and at 6:15, we were on our way to Palghar. Asherigadh is about 85 kms from Thane and is on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. You cross a bay bordered with dense forests on the highway. Khodkona, a small tribal village forms the base village to access the fort and is easy to miss. Look out for a green board against a small bus-stop while driving; one needs to take a left into the village road here. One can also reach Palghar by train and then travel to Manor, which is the nearest town by road, and then take a rickshaw from one of the nakkas there. The fort and its fluttering flag can be seen from the highway and it’s while we were straining our eyes to take a glimpse of the flag that we missed the turn and had to reverse. There are many restaurants and dhabas on the way where you can have breakfast or lunch and buy water and other stuff. There is one shop at the base village as well where you can buy water and tidbits to carry for your trek. You can order for your lunch at this shop like we did, before you embark on your trek.

At around 9 am we started our trek. As most trekkers would know, it is better to start even earlier else being in the sun for too long during climbs drains your energy. You are instantly hit by the village vibe as you come across a few paddy fields to your left and the odd villager herding her cattle home. The natural ramparts of the fort as a massive chunk of rock can be seen on your left as you enter the forest. The majority of the trek is through a dense forest. However, there is a clear pathway and there is little chance of getting lost. The villagers also have marked arrows in white on boulders and tree trunks; they guide you well. For the initial part of the trek, you will also find benches and a few shaded structures to rest. What starts as a gradual climb soon turns into a relatively steep ascent traversing large rocks and boulders all the way. The good part is that you are shaded by the canopy of trees and foliage. A gentle breeze, every now and then set the drowsy choir of trees into action and they swished and hummed along with the wind. The towering trees and their dense foliage are not just a respite from the sun but their greenness soothe the eyes and have a rejuvenating effect; the sweat is forgotten. There are enough boulders en-route for one to rest and even lie on. We came across a few dogs on the way and two of them accompanied us all the way to the top and explored the fort with us, leading the way.

We didn’t rush and about an hour later we came to a small plateau where we rested and caught our breath. If you see a small green board, you’ll know where I’m talking about. You can see some iron railings here. And I saw a very slender slithering brown snake too! And now after this part, it’s the rocky façade of the mountain that you will be climbing. Steps carved in the rock at places make it easier, so do look out for them as they will lead you through the right path. You realize that it’ll be fun yet more challenging in the rains. You come across another opening and it gives you a 270-degree view of the surroundings. You are enthralled by the spread of the dense forest below – the greenery against the blue skies that never fails to amaze. Another mountain peak faces you. In the distance, the silhouettes of mountains are exactly how you drew them in your drawing book as a child. There are iron railings to prevent you from falling off while you are taking that selfie. From here, a narrow iron ladder placed between two huge rocks will take you to the top of the fort; one needs to be careful with the steps, especially in the rains. In the afternoon the handrails can become really hot.

You know you have reached the top when you see a stone carving with a protruding crown which indicates that the fort was under the Portuguese rule for a while. Soon a dilapidated structure that could have been the door – the entrance to the fort welcomes you. Vegetation, though dry was dense at the top of the mountain. A pathway leads you past a palm tree, standing distinctively among other trees to a plateau. Remains of structures which could have been accommodation for the fort inhabitants in the past urge you to pitch a tent and relive their life for a while. Walking towards the right along the pathway with scorched golden grass on both sides will lead you to the temple dedicated to Goddess Asheri (Laxmi). It’s in a spacious and cool cave and it was good to see that the villagers had repainted it and cleared it off all the graffiti that once lined its walls. Outside the temple are three canons – they seemed to have been reconstructed with carriages being attached to the barrels which were the only remains initially present. We sat outside the temple in peace for a while before deciding to explore the fort.

The top of the fort offers a huge area to be explored. We were deciding which way to go, and finally a narrow path past the temple is what we took and were so glad we did that. Soon you come to one of the ends of the fort and the panoramic view from here is breathtaking. Layers of mountains from one end to another, the expanse of vegetation below, a highway (Mumbai-Ahmedabad) snaking through all this leaves you mesmerized. Captivated by the colours and forms, we paid our obeisance by taking it all in, sitting quietly on the rocks at the edge of the mountain here. Picturesquely, the fort’s flag fluttered right behind us. If there was one song we felt like listening to (which happens to be one of Nagesh’s and my favourites) here, it was Azaadiyan from the movie Udaan and that’s what we did; the clear blue skies merged with the lyrics, the music and the calmness we were feeling. Soon the sound of human intervention brought us out of our reverie and we decided to return.

The fort is said to have many small water bodies – rock cut ponds and two small lakes, but we had time to go to only three of the ponds. On the way back from the flag, crossing the temple and getting into the forest, there is another pathway which leads down to these three ponds. It had fish and frogs in it, and the water was as clear as crystal.

One needs to be careful while descending as it becomes really strenuous on the knees as it is a rocky path through the forest. It took us about an hour to reach the base village where we had a sumptuous meal at the house with the shop before heading back home. Asherigadh is a wonderful trek through a forest and has many things to offer to the trekker. However, experiencing the litter of plastic bottles and empty wrappers at places on the path questions what we are giving back to it.  As Pink Floyd warned us years ago ‘She might take it back, she will take it back … someday’. And that someday is already here; it’s November, and it’s raining in different places in Maharashtra; hasn’t happened before!

Be responsible and enjoy the mountains. Adios!