Karnala Fort Monsoon Trek

My first trek of this monsoon season.  Karnala is about 13 kilometers from Panvel city, Navi Mumbai, in the Indian Sate of Maharashtra and the fort is located within Karnala bird sanctuary.

How to reach Karnala:

Reach Panvel by train/Bus and take an auto in Mumbai-Goa Highway route to Karnala bird sanctuary.

Once the site of Buddhist rock-cut caves that were used for meditation, Karnala Fort later played an active role in guarding the coast under Kanoji Angre and the Marathas. The dense forests around the fort were a favorite haunt of the late Salim Ali who helped establish the Karnala Bird Sanctuary.

Entry fee of 25 Rs per person is charged before entering the area. They will charge Rs 100  for small camera. The entry guards checked the number of bottles and plastic covers carried which if found missing while on one's return- there might be a fine of Rs. 200/- . Entry time is restricted between 7 am to 5 pm.

The trek begins at the entrance of the bird sanctuary. 

After 10 min walk we reached  bird sanctuary. This small sanctuary is home to lot of birds, monkeys, mongoose and other small animals. The best and amazing to watch was the peacock who had spread its beautiful feathers and was giving different poses.

peacock spreading feathers

After an introductory session we started to climb the fort. A sign board on the left side of the road indicates the direction to the Karnala fort. The fort is nearly 1500 feet above mean sea level and takes about one hour to reach the top.  Beware of snakes in this area especially in monsoon .

Karnala fort also called Funnel Hill or The Thumb Fort because it shape. Karnala fort actually consists of two forts one at a higher level and other lower. The higher level was used as watchtower when the fort was occupied however now it is in a ruined condition. It is also called Pandu’s tower. Soon we reached the entrance of the fort .

Entrance of Karnala fort 

Main door

Inside the fort, there are few water tanks around the pinnacle and ruins of some buildings.  From the top of Karnala, you can see a vast area below. 

To the northeast, you will find Haji Malang, and just below before that, Prabalgad and Matheran.

To the east, in the distance, is a hazy view of Bhimashankar.

To the south are Rajmachi and the Duke’s Nose, to the Southwest is the Mahal Mira hill range while to the west is the metropolis of Mumbai.

The fort is famous for its strange thumb shaped pinnacle and the bird sanctuary that is setup in the forest . 

It was a nice experience to see the  rainy clouds covering the mountain and  we enjoyed the heavy rain, cloud and cold weather. Around 4 pm,  we reached back to the entrance. Local transportation can be hired from outside the sanctuary gate to get back to Panvel city.  

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Madh Island- Weekend getaway from Mumbai

It was a bright  sunny Sunday. As planned, a group of enthusiastic photographers travelled to Madh Island to explore its surroundings. For most of them it was a change from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai life. 

We took BEST bus from Malad Railway station. The bus ride took about 45 minutes. All along the way to Madh, one can see enormous development everywhere and high rise buildings. Madh is spread over a large area and the scenic beauty started to appear when the bus crossed the city boundary. The trees on the road side had lost none of their natural charm. We got down from the bus at Madh Church. Since it was Sunday, there was a  huge crowd of devotees around the church.  We decided to come back to the church after breakfast. Had Maharashtrian breakfast of  Misal Pav- a mildly spiced usal made from matki (moth bean), sev, a spicy rassa and soft, untoasted pav. We all enjoyed the breakfast.

Soon we came back to 'Our lady of Sea' church. By that time, the church hall was empty. What attracted me most was the phrase  'If you want peace!!!Protect creation '  written on a borad, which was place at the entrance of the church. As we entered, the building reminded me of  all the conservative churches I have been in. It was very beautiful inside. And we spent enough time inside the church.

Our Lady of the Sea church, Madh Island

Madh Island consisting of fishing villages and farmlands. Fishermen dwell in this area and one can get sight of their houses. We could see busy men and women knitting fishing nets and curating their catch from the sea.  I watched fish  kept to dry on 15-foot tall wooden racks to dry in the heat for a longer shelf life.

We wanted to see other important areas of Madh. We walked towards Kali Mata mandir. The narrow roads are blessed by Gulmohar Tree cover and  the heat is broken by these vividly flowering trees.

Another attraction on Madh Island is the 'Madh Fort'. The fort is situated close to Aksa beach.  And I walked around the fort. The fort is surrounded by local fishermen communities. I could see fishing boats reaching the jetty with  basketfull of fish.  Beside this fort, is a small temple of Lord Shiv known as Killeshwar Mahadev Temple.  We then decided to explore the fort from the other side. We climbed the rocks around the fort to reach the entrance of the fort.

The fort was built by the Portuguese as a watchtower in the 17th century and now under the control of the Indian Air Force. Prior Permission is needed for accessing it. Bollywood movies and serials have also been shot at this magnificent venue. The fort itself is a  fascinating place. Several episodes from the  popular TV series C.I.D have been shot here.

Madh Fort

There are quite good views of Mumbai skyline from the fort.  If you have good eyesight you can have a tiny glimpse of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Madh Island Beach is one of the most famous beaches of Mumbai. The beach is clean with less crowd around.  Overall it is an ideal destination for those wishing to get away from the busy life of the city.

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In Search of Mumbra Devi's Best View

The month of May... the hottest month of the year. It was hot and sunny, but pleasant. There were few travel plans for this month. So I decided to be a part of a photowalk to Mumbra Devi Temple, Mumbra - a suburb of Thane district, in the Indian State of Maharashtra. One has to take a  slow train to get down at Mumbra station.  Fast trains  run in different routes. Mumbra Devi Temple is situated in Parsik Hill.  As the train approched Mumbra, I could see the Mumbra Devi temple.

As per our itinerary, all of us reached  Mumbra Station East at around 5:00 pm. We started our walk from Mumbra station and we took the lane just opposite to the railway station and it goes upwards to Mumbra bypass. We walked through the narrow street lined with shops . The street was crowded.

We have to cross the old Mumbai-Pune highway to start our ascend to Mumbra Devi Temple.  One has to climb numerous steps in order to reach the  temple and it is said that temple is situated at a height of 210 meters appx above sea level.  From Mumbra bypass, we  began walking uphill through steps. When we began  to climb, I felt that the temple is near and can be reached easily. But soon I realised that it is situated at  a great height  and  we took around one hour to reach the top.

It was around 6 pm, when we reached the top. The temple was made in rocks and now concrete structures are built. The main temple has a mural of 10 faces of Mumbra Devi.

One can see whole plains from the temple. You will get the view of Ulhas river, Mumbra creek, Diva and Kalyan. After pooja and taking the blessings of Mumbra Devi, we waited there till sunset.

Since I do not have DSL camera, I watched others setting their cameras in tripod. After  Sunset, once all the lights  are switched on, one can witness the beauty of the Mumbra by night. My friends were busy to take the beautiful images with long exposures.

It was around 8 pm, when we started to descend towards Mumbra station. Once we reached  Mumbra station, we had cold drinks and bid adieu and returned to our home.

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Global Vipassana Pagoda, Mumbai

The main dome

I’m really excited to be heading to so many beautiful places in Mumbai that I have never visited. Global Vipassana Pagoda is one such place.

Opened in 2009, this temple is relatively new. It is situated in Gorai - a 15 minute travel by road from Borivali(West), and is dedicated to the teachings of Gautam Buddha-peace, harmoney and meditaion. It was an interesting journey to Pagoda from Gorai jetty .

Visiting time is restricted between 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. I'll let the pictures explain you about Global Vipassana Pagoda.



The entrance

The pagoda's stores the antique artefacts of Buddha, which are believed to emit positive vibrations. Hundreds of people come here in search of peace. 

Gong Tower

Bell Tower

Ashoka Pillar

There is one Lilly pad pond near to the Ashoka Pillar. There are many places around the main pagoda to see and visit video & photo gallery and painting gallery.

God and Goddess of Sky

Buddha Statue

Also , adventure lovers can visit  Esselworld and Water Kingdom that are at a walking distance from the pagoda.

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Midnight cycling from Bandra to Juhu Beach, Mumbai

This was my third Midnight Cycling in Mumbai and second through the coastal route. I had  earlier a 35 km ride from Colaba to Haji Ali and a 35 km ride from Nariman Point to Bandra. And this time 30 km ride to and from Bandra Station to Juhu beach and is ideal for enthusiasts, novices and families alike.

Bandra Station, Mumbai

At 10.00 pm Saturday night, as planned, I reached Bandra station and collected my cycle from a nearby shop. There was a large group of cyclists ready to leave as they awaited few of their members. Most of them were busy with selfies and I also joined  them. As all the members collected their cycles,  we left from Bandra  by around 11 pm after a set of instructions given  by the group coordinators.

The route mainly follows busy roads of Mumbai city.  We passed through Lilavati Hospital and Mount Marry church. I got a magnificent view of the Bandra-Worli sea link road while passing through  Lilavati Hospital road. 

Soon we reached Bandra Band stand .  It was around 2 am Sunday and we had a long halt for about half an hour. I saw Mumbaities enjoying even in the midnight -  friends, lovers and  families with their small babies were seen  roaming, enjoying sea waves and the weather. We spent around half an hour with selfies, group photos and snacks.

Then we moved to Juhu Beach through Carter Road - Pali Hill - Zig Zag Road. We assembled in a small ground near Citizen Hotel and spent half an hour for photos, chatting etc etc.

Then we cycled  back to Bandra Hill Road and returned our cycles. After saying goodbye to each other, I reached Bandra Station by around 4.17 am. And my train to Churchgate was at 4.17 am.

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Alibaug - Weekend Getaway from Mumbai

Mumbai is becoming warmer day by day and monsoon seems to be far away. I was looking for a place to chill out near Mumbai. While discussing the potential places around Mumbai, my friend suggested Alibaug which is approachable either by road or by a ferry from the Gateway of India.

We started  our journey from Gateway of India at around 11 AM. Took a Apollo catamaran ticket for Rs.110/- from booking stalls opposite to Gateway of India.  It took one hour to reach Madwa Jetty from where we had to take a bus that was arranged by the ferry transporter themselves. The area was packed with families and group of friends on a weekend getaway.

It took another 30 minutes from Mandwa to Alibaug.  Alibaug Beach is walkable distance from Alibaug Bus Stop.  So we decided to walk. The town reminded me so much of my hometown Kerala with amazing tall Coconut trees, Mango trees etc. etc.

We reached Alibaug beach by evening and the good thing was that it was low tide. So we could go to the Kolaba Fort by walk.  Among all the beaches, this one has the blackest sands.

Walking across the dry sea

During high tide, one can prefer Horse- carts, that is available for hire.

EXPLORING KOLABA FORT

History says that Mr.Kanhoji Angre, the most notable admiral of the Maratha navy,  was in charge of the offshore 17th-century Kolaba Fort.  It was from here that Angre launched several attacks on approaching British and Portuguese ships.

And we climbed to the top of the fort to witness the glory. We walked on the fort walls, and the view from there was breathtaking.

Reservoir of fresh water 

                             

 Another entrance to Kolaba Fort

Another attraction in the Fort is a functioning Siddhivinayak Temple, apparently dating back to Angre’s time.

Beautiful temple of Shri Ganesh

We were lucky to witness some special moments in Kolaba Fort. We found one shooting going on inside the Fort. It was really a bonus to our trip.

LEISURE TIME

We left the Fort at around 6 PM and this is  the time for a bath before leaving the place. It was an absolute treat diving in the sea with crystal clear water.

There are also many water sports activities available. A range of activities such as banana boat rides, stand up paddle boarding, and bumper boat rides are on offer.  Those who likes water sports activities, this place means heaven for them.

What else near Alibaug Beach:

1) Sagargad is another hill fort not too far from here, which is in ruins but worth visiting.

2)  Religious locations in Alibaug include Kanakeshwar Devasthan temple and Vikram Vinayak temple.

3) Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary is less than 30 kms away from Alibag .
4) Alibag has many beaches in its vicinity that include the Versoli Beach, Nagaon Beach, Akshi Beach and Kashid Beach.

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Summer Waterfall Trek to Canyon Valley, Khandala

On the way from Mumbai to Lonavala, there is a ghat section near Khandala with hills on one side and deep valley with waterfalls on the other.  Ulhas river originates from this valley and thus called as Ulhas valley or Canyon valley or Tiger valley.

With a height of 320 feet, Canyon Valley Waterfall happens to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls located close to the city and is the only waterfall seen during summer.

Canyon valley trek surprises you with its features. Unlike other treks,  you descend first , cross the river and then ascend . Descend is from Lonavla and the trek ends at Khandala near Kamat restaurant.

ENROUTE TO LONAVALA

We started from Mumbai by Indrayani Express and reached Lonavala at around 8.00 AM. Our meeting point was near ticket counter at Lonavala Station. There were participants from both Mumbai and Pune.

THE TREK

After a brief introductory session and breakfast, we headed towards the valley. After 45 minutes of walk we reached the mouth of the valley. The trek starts with a sudden descend.

There were small crystal clear water ponds on our way and we took few minutes break to click photographs.

Then the group continued the walk through rocks by climbing and jumping.

And then the first rock patch appeared and all of us crossed it without major hurdles.

The next rock patch was a little difficult. We passed the bags and then the participants crossed one by one. Volunteer's helped others to descend. Those who have already crossed got an opportunity to take some rest. It was somewhat difficult for the first time trekkers.

Finally we reached the base of the valley. We walked towards the waterfall. The continuous sound of the waterfall started hitting our ears in the silence.

The water is mixed with  sewage from Lonavala,  so not really clean and refreshing. But visiting  this ones all season this waterfall  is worth visiting. There was a big pond under the falls and most of us  jumped into it. After a nice bath, we opened our food packets. That was our lunch for the day.

It was around 1.00 PM, we started our ascending. This was new in this particular trek.


There was a stream and water pond to pass and  hardly one person can walk through the edges by catching the rocks. The beautiful view of the water stream was worth spending the time just looking at it and relaxing.

Then we continued our climbing. There was one small waterfall and we filled our bottles.  After 3 hours of trek, we reached the top of the valley. After few minutes of rest, we moved towards the highway to take a rickshaw to Lonavala.

Surely, Canyon valley trek is one of the most exciting trek I ever had .

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Elephanta Caves

I visited most of the places in Mumbai but missed Elephanta Caves - a UNESCO heritage site. I discussed my plan with my friends on a busy Saturday and some of them also wanted to visit the place. The day following, we assembled near the Gateway of India and took a ferry ticket for Rs.130 to Elephanta and back.

Gateway of India

The Elephanta Caves are located on Elephanta Islands in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometers from Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.  An hour boat journey itself was refreshing and we tried our maximum to capture the magnificent view of Mumbai.

Soon we reached Elephanta Island and this board greeted us.

Mini train is available from the ferry to the entrance of Elephanta Caves  and from there we have to walk a few steps to reach the first cave. There are shops on both sides and are covered with shades.

The island consists of two groups of caves - the first five caves are related to the Hindu religion and another two caves are Buddhist caves.

Remember not to carry food items as the monkeys seem to be trained to steal food.

It was a hot walk and climb to the caves.  It's really a surprise to see the sculpture , the architecture, the sheer monumentality of these caves. Most of the priceless statues were damaged or destroyed.

The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, dedicated to Lord Shiva. The main idol is Siva also known as Trimurti Sadashiva and Maheshmurti, the three heads are said to represent three essential aspects of Shiva — creation, protection, and destruction.

Siva idol at Elephanta Caves

The roof of the cave and the shapes of the pillars reflects the perfection of stone architecture. This is one of the striking collections of rock-art in India.

Carvings at Elephanta Caves

Out next destination was Cannon Hill, one has to walk about 30 minute without proper steps to reach the top. Two big Cannon were placed on two sides of the Hill. The view from top was amazing.

Cannon

After exploring both cannons, we headed downhill for lunch. On the way back, we decided to wait for the mini train to go back to the ferry.



 If you are a fan of history and love to travel, then Elephanta Caves must be in your list.

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