Destination
Purandhar
Next in line was supposed to be Peth (near Karjat). However, we were
supposed to go on a single day trek, and returning from Peth in single
day would have been a tough ask in terms of time as well as the travel.
So our team decided on Purandar instead.
Getting There
To get to Purandar, there
are
two methods of transport:
Take an ST from Swargate ST Stand at 6:00am or 7:00am that goes to
directly to Purandar paitha (via Narayanpur).
Take an ST from Swargate to Saswad (available at any time of the day)
from where, one can board a bus to Narayanpur.
The day we were supposed to go, however, turned out to be "Datta
Jayanti". As a result, there was a huge rush at Narayanpur; both
incoming and outgoing. The net result being, we had to stand all the
way back!
The Trek
Narayanpur is located a bit
off
the foot, or "paitha" of Purandar. You can have a light breakfast at
the
village , or, if you have taken option 2 above, at Saswad itself. The
trek
to Purandar in itself is quite short, and it takes between one to two
hours
at a leisurely pace. However the only catch is, as always, take all
directions
and distance pointers from the locals with a pinch of salt. Prediction
of
time by locals can be equated with software schedules. Always, atleast
multiply
the provided schedule by a factor of 2 !
Purandar fort itself is a vast expanse at the top. It can really take 2
entire days to see the whole fort. However with restricted time, you
need
to be choosy about where you go.
Places to See
There are a few interesting
spots
to visit on Purandar.
Statue of Murar Baji Deshpande: Murar Baji Deshpande was the
fort-keeper ("killedar") when Purandar was seiged. He was killed in the
fighting that ensued to protect the fort. The statue reminds us of the
bravery and valour of this man.
There is a Shiv temple on the "bale-killa" (the heart of the fort)
which is approximately an hours climb after reaching the fort itself.
It is possible to cut this short by going up slightly difficult (and
usually slippery) patches, but you may want to decide against it when
you come to it.
Instead of going straight to the top to reach the Shiv temple, you can
go left instead (facing the mountain), and reach some other interesting
places. We didn't have enough time to go there and had to get back to
Pune by the evening. So we decided to skip these places.
Survival Guide
Plenty of water is, as always, a must. Even more so since there isn't
any at the top (except in the monsoons). Also, as with most forts,
there is no provision for food on the fort itself. So you will need to
carry your own food stuff.
Final Verdict
A nice and a quick trek for
anyone.