Harishchandragad Fort Trekking and Camping

History of Harishchandragad Fort:

Harishchandragad is a very ancient fort. The origin of this fort dates back to 6th century during the Kalachuri dynasty. The various caves that are present here are carved during the 11th Century. The great legend Changdev, the creator of the epic Tatvasaar, used to meditate here in the 14th century. The very famous Harishchandreshwar temple is also of the same period and a lot of beautiful carvings can be seen here. These carvings indicate that the fort is of the medieval period. This fort was under the control of the Mughals which was later captured by the Marathas in the year 1747.

Basic Info:
Harishchandragad is a beautiful hill fort in the Ahmednagar region and a very popular trekking destination in the western ghats. The fort mountain along with, TOLAR KHIND, MALSHEJ GHAT offers a lot for trekkers. The main attraction here is the KONKAN KADA which offers a spectacular view of Konkan. During the rainy season you'd be walking in the clouds on this fort.

How to reach:
There are 3 popular ways to get to the fort(Khireshwar, Naalichi Vaat and Pachnai). 

1. Khireshwar Route: This is most popular route. Khireshwar village is a base village. Route to reach at base village is Pune->Narayangaon->Junnar->Khubhi Phata->Khireshwar
2. Naalichi Vaat Route: This is most difficult route. Walhivare is a base village. Route to reach base village is Pune-->Narayangaon-->Moroshi--> Walhivare
3. Paachnai Route: This is easy trek route. Paachnai is a base village. Route to reach base village is Pune-->Alephata-->Kotul-->Paachnai.

Trekkers for this Trek:
Kajal Gupta
Sunil Mehta
Kirti Prasad
Ashwin Karthik C G 
Hemant Borole
 
Trekking details:
Difficulty level                        Medium to Difficult
Height                                     Harishchandragad is 4665 ft (1422 mtrs) above sea level.
Base village/District                Khireshwar, Maharashtra, India.  

This was our last trek of 2016. Our plan was to do trek in afternoon, overnight stay on fort and return on the next day. We gathered at Wakad Bridge and had early morning breakfast. We started our Bike ride towards Khireshwar village on 25th December 2016 at around 07:30 AM from Wakad. Road condition is average so we were expecting to reach base village by 11:00 Am. After driving for some time, we decided to take break near Junnar. We stopped at local hotel to have tea.

Beautiful Farm near Junnar

Breakfast at Local Hotel

After having tea, we have started driving on Junnar-Malshej road. We reached near Khubhi phata at around 11:00 Am. You will see big entrance of Malshej ghat near Khubhi phata. We were amazed to see amazing view of Pimpalgaon Joga Dam from this point. We stopped at local hotel to bring some snacks and water bottles.

View Of Pimpalgaon Joga Dam

We have then started driving towards base village Khireshwar. Base village is around 5-6 Km from Khubhi phata but road condition is very bad so it took us around 45 mins to reach at Khireshwar Village. You will see view of mountains and lake on right side while driving. Be careful to drive on this road during rainy season as it gets too muddy and slippery.

Khireshwar Village Road

Tolar Khind from Khireshwar Parking

We reached at Khireshwar Village at around 11:50 Pm.We had lunch at local hotel before starting long trek. After lunch, we relaxed for few mins and then started ascending towards fort. You will see many confusing route on trek so it is recommended to hire a local guide.

Lunch at Local Hotel.

Our Trek Guide

Initial trail of this trek is simple walk then you will start ascending fort through dense forest. You will hardly see Sun rays on this trail. This trail gets muddy and slippery during rainy season so be careful during heavy rains. Ascending is a bit tiring so we took break of 5 mins after covering some distance.

Group Selfie at starting point of Trail

Short Break after Long Ascend

After few mins of break, we have started ascending towards fort. Look for arrows marked on stones which will guide you to the correct path. One has to walk in dense forest cover which is quite a delightful walk. You will see narrow trail after few mins of ascend. We were able to see big open space after crossing narrow trail. You will see big mountains on both side after crossing this narrow trail.

Narrow Forest Trail

View of Lake after some Ascend

Walking towards Tolar Khind

We took break of 5-10 mins under tree and then started ascending. Another forest trail was started. This trail is covered by trees on both side. At the end of this trail, you will reach at the start of Tolar Khind. Going further the climb is quite steep and one needs to be very careful.

Excited Faces at another Forest Trail

At around 02:00 Pm, we reached at first rock patch. We took few mins of break before climbing this rock patch. Few Iron railings are installed on this rock patch for safety reasons. You will see deep valley on left side while climbing this patch. We have started climbing rock patch one by one.

Ascending first rock patch

View of rock patch from top.

You will see amazing view of dense forest and surrounding valley once you climb this patch. We have then started walking towards fort. After few mins of walk, you will see beautiful view of lake from top.

View of Dense Valley from top.

View of Lake after Ascending rock patch

After covering some distance, you will see few small patches. It is easy path and small stairs are carved in mountain rocks but be careful as it is exposed to valley on right side. We asked local kids(our guide) to return to village as it is not safe to descend forest trail in evening. 

Ascending stone carved stairs

We were at our own and just following marks on trail setup by local villagers. There are several patches on this route and it tests you mental stamina and strength.  We kept ascending these patches and reached near to traverse. We have then decided to take a break of few mins. We were tired but it was fun to ascend these patches.

Rock Patches

Narrow trail After ascending few rock patches

At around 03:10 Pm, we reached  near to traverse point. You will see deep valley on left side of this traverse. Almost half of the trek is covered till this point.

Excited faces

Traverse exposed with Deep Valley on Left side

After traverse, we were seeing multiple route and we choose the trail that was going on right side but that took us to dead end so we had to return near traverse point. We waited for local people to guide us on the right trail. After waiting for few mins, we saw two local people coming who helped us to get on right trail. We have then started walking towards fort. After walking for an hour, you will see 2 routes. The left one takes you to Balekilla. Balekilla is one of the peaks of the Harishchandragad. It takes an hour from there to reach Balekilla. There are no remains left, but a group has installed a small statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the top of Balekilla. The right route takes you to the Harishchandreshwar Temple. This route contains crossing several hills. If we decided to explore Balekilla there was a chance for us to miss the sunset from the Kokankada. Hence we skipped Balekilla and headed towards the Temple. We were reached at the entrance of fort at around 05:20 Pm. 

Beautiful view of Harishchandragad Fort

After walking for another 5 mins, we reached at Harishchandreshwar  Temple at around 05:30 Pm. Our next plan was to explore Konkankada  in evening and remaining places of fort on next day morning so we have started walking towards Konkankada. It was a simple walk so after walking for almost 20 mins, we reached at Konkankada.

Harishchandreshwar Temple

View of Fort from Konkankada Trail.

View of Caves from Top

We reached at perfect timing when sun was about go down. We enjoyed surrounding view and started moving towards Konkan Cliff. You will see big camping site near konkankada.

Camping site near to Konkankada

Group Selfie taken at Konkankada

We then decided to wait for Sunset. Konkan cliff is huge cliff and is called so because it overlooks the Konkan region. It seems more like an overhang than just a peak point. It gives a beautiful panoramic view and is regarded one of the best places to watch a rainbow since the entire circular rainbow can be seen from this cliff.

Relaxing on Konkankada

View of Sunset from Konkankada

We then started moving towards camping site at around 06:40 Pm. We collected woods on the way for bonfire. We took rest for 40-50 mins, got freshen up and then started preparing starter and Dinner. We sat near to bonfire and enjoyed some music after dinner. We were tired so went to bed early at around 12:30 Am.

Preparing food at Camp site

Dinner at Camp site

We woke up early, got freshen up and had some breakfast at local hotel near camping site. We then started walking towards Taramati Peak at around 07:50 Am.

View from Initial trail towards Taramati Peak

Initial route of trek was simple ascend through dense forest and then narrow trail will start. We reached Taramati Peak point at around 09:00 Am. You will see beautiful view of fort from peak. We spent few mins at Taramati peak and started descending towards camping site. Descending was simple and we reached Camping site at around 10:10 Am.

View of Fort from Taramati Peak

We have then explored fort for few mins. There are several places to see on fort. You will Harishschandreshwar temple in middle of fort. The main entrance of temple is decorated with sculptures of faces, which are believed to be the faces of the temple's guards. There are 3 caves and water tanks near to this temple. When you move towards the right direction of the Harischandreshwar Temple, you will come across a huge cave that houses the Shiva Linga- it is the Kedareshwar Cave. The unique attraction here is the Linga that is completely surrounded by water. Saptateertha Pushkarni is a well-built lake located to the east of the Harishchandreshwar temple. There used to be idols of Lord Vishnu inside the temple-like structure that are on the bank of the lake. There are many caves spread across the fort. Some of the caves are used for the accommodation and some are still maintained well.

Caves and Water Tanks on Fort

Harishchandreshwar Temple

Beautiful Architecture of Temple

After exploring fort for some time, we decided to start our return journey at around 11:20 Am. Descending was bit easy so we covered half of trek within an hour. We took break of 5 mins and started descending fort.

Descending Route

Fun Time during Trek

Start of Forest Trail

After continuous walk for 40-50 mins, we reached at Tolar khind rock patch at around 01:10 Pm. After continuous walk and descending through rocks, we reached at base village at around 02:15 Pm.

Descending Tolar Khind Rock Patch

We were tired so took rest for few mins near parking in base village. We started our return journey towards Pune at around 03:30 Pm. We had Lunch on the way and were reached Pune at around 08:30 Pm. It was amazing trekking and camping weekend.

Resting at Base Village

Best time to visit Harishchandragad Fort:
The best time to visit the fort totally depends on an individual what exactly he wants to experience. In rainy months of July to September, one can experience the foggy conditions. Entire Konkankada is under clouds for most of the time. From October to February the climate is pleasant and you can enjoy the breathtaking view of the surrounding regions. Remember, still it becomes hot in the afternoon, so try to complete your trek as early as possible. Check for moon status online if you want to experience stars. On a no moon day, the stars are visible to their brightest.

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