Jambhulmaal Point Trek - SGNP, Mumbai

On a Sunday morning, I reached the gate of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. There was a huge crowd in front of the gate waiting for the park to be open. Those who  already had a pass for morning walk were passing through the gate. The park is a dream for anyone in  Mumbai  for morning walk,  treking and sighting of birds, mammals, butterflies and more than a thousand specious of trees.

The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is spread over an area of 104 sq.km on the northern fringes of suburban Mumbai.  The park  houses Kanheri Cave complex and three lakes - Tulsi, Vihar and Powai Lake that provides water to Mumbai city. 

The  park is divided into three parts- recreation areas, periphery of core area and then core area .  Our  trail was in the core area and the final destination is  'Jambhulmaal'  which is considered as the highest point in Mumbai City at a  height of 846 meters above MSL.

Our meeting point was at S.G.N.P gate at 7.15 am. After taking pass, we walked till SGNP office. The road was filled with morning walkers. The  trek starts from Kanheri Caves which is situated around 6kms from the gate of Sanjay Gandhi National Park . After breakfast and introduction session, we moved to Kanheri caves by a hired car .

After 6 kms ride, we reached the Kanheri Caves complex.  After puchasing entry ticket from the caves's gate, we started to explore the caves, led by three savvy coordinators.

It was a surprise to see the caves carved from a single piece basalt rock, ages back which demonstrates the Buddhist influence on the art and culture of India.

Kanheri Caves 

Total of one hundred and nine caves have been carved in the same way. Most of the caves were used as viharas,  for living, studying and meditating by Buddhist monks ages ago.

Kanheri Caves 

When you go up the hill, one can see  canals and huge tanks which were used to store rain water. Here, you can see Buddhist carvings all around which are mostly formed out of  Black Basaltic rock.

Cave sculpture of Buddha

Enroute we saw ruins of a temple .

Further we walked through the jungle which was a pleasant change from the usual sights, attractions, rush and glamour of the big city.

Further we walked through dried grass. 

Soon we reached Gaumukh Plateau. On the way we found lot of cave structures. It is said that there was a Gaumukh temple earlier, now in ruins.

Gaumukh Plateau

Furher trial is through jungle of Bamboo grass and we walked through canopy of bamboo grass.   Soon we reached lush green forest. Walking quietly, we carefully peered into trees, looking for some surprises.  It was nice to see the trees grown in such a way that it entangled each other creating a sort of natural art installation.

The region has a wealth of biodiversity and it houses more than 800 species of flowering plants and providing shelter to nearly 300 species of birds which makes the park attractive for nature lovers. As we walked deeper into the forest, we could spot some butterflies , birds and lizards.

Soon we reached an open plateau. After a few minutes walk,  past streams,  rocky hill slopes and bamboo jungles , we reached  Jambhulmaal Point. There was a watch tower and I climbed to the top of the watch tower. The view of the surrounding was fantastic. I could see Tulsi, Vihar and Powai lakes in sequence.

It was interesting to see the Powai Hiranandani skyline and on the left Thane creek and Thane skyline. 

Most of the members brought home made food - chappathy, theplas with sweet pickle, sandwich, idli with chatni  etc. We sat under the tree and shared the food. After having a yummy lunch and rest, we descended back to Kanheri Caves.  The descending was quite easy.

Overall the trial was wonderful and am happy to experience the hidden surprises within Mumbai city.