Naneghat Trek and the Thrill of its Streams

 

Journey Date : 23-Jul-2022

Mode of Transport : MSRTC Bus

Short History about Naneghat

    During the reign of the Satavahana (230 BCE – 230 CE), the Naneghat pass was one of the trade routes. It connected the Konkan coast communities with Deccan high plateau through Junnar.  Literally, the name nane means "coin" and ghat means "pass". The name is given because this path was used as a tollbooth to collect toll from traders crossing the hills. According to Charles Allen, there is a carved stone that from distance looks like a stupa, but is actually a two-piece carved stone container by the roadside to collect tolls.

Travel Details and Experience

    This was the first trek after the COVID lockdown; hence, I was highly excited for this monsoon trek. We started our journey from Dadar railway station at 5:15 AM and reached Kalyan railway station around 6:35 AM. From Kalyan station, we walked towards Kalyan West MSRTC depot, which is 5 minutes away. We board the MSRTC bus "Kalyan to Ahmadnagar" via Aale Phata or Malshej Ghat. We requested the bus conductor to drop us off at the Naneghat starting point, as there is no official bus stop. (The official bus stop is at Tokawde, which is 5 km away from Naneghat's starting point.) We got down at Naneghat around 9:15 a.m. and had breakfast at a nearby stall. Thanks to the bus conductor for dropping us off at the Naneghat starting point.

    At around 9:45 a.m., we started ascending, as we were aware that it would take 3 hours to reach the top and the same time for the descent. At the first gate, we pay the forest department's charge of 30 ₹ each and move ahead. After crossing the second gate, we reached the first water stream (there are a total of three water streams). As the flow current was low, we took some rest, had some good photos, and moved ahead. Before reaching the 2nd water stream, we came across 2 ways; we took the left one, which reached the top of Naneghat. After crossing the third water stream and climbing a very short, difficult patch, we reached the plateau. The view of the mountain Nanacha Anghtha (Nana's Thumb) is awesome. We took some photos, spent some time, and moved ahead. Note: If rain continues, the water current will increase, making it difficult or impossible to cross the streams. Keep some food with you if the situation arises to spend the night in the jungle. Don't risk your life.

    The actual naneghat (trade route) starts after the plateau; the steps made from stones from 30 BCE to 230 CE are still in good condition. Almost one and a half hours later, we have completed 50% of the trail. We are experiencing difficulty climbing the stairs due to the uneven size of the stones. As we moved ahead, we observed a rain shower, and the surrounding area was covered by clouds. The view of rainwater flowing down from steps and the sound of flowing water work as refreshments for us.

    After climbing for two and a half hours, we come across one water cistern, which is a sign that the top of the mountain is near. As we moved forward, we saw railings installed by the forest department at viewpoints for the safety of visitors. Finally, we reached the main cave at around 12:45 p.m. The view and the weather at the top or in the cave are so beautiful that we feel like we are in HEAVEN.

water cistern

    We spent some time inside the cave. The wall of the cave is full of encryption written in Bramhi font. The encryption was about the donation done by Queen Naganika at the time of the spiritual event Yaga, etc. Near the cave, we meet a German visitor and his Indian friend. We shared information about the cave and Naneghat with them and moved ahead to see the reverse waterfall. Our bad luck is that the plateau or top of the hill is fully covered with clouds, unable to be seen beyond 20 meters. We didn't see the reverse waterfall, so we decided to visit other monuments like Ranjan (coin pot), which was used to collect tolls from traders in ancient times.

Encryption in Bramhi lipi (font)

Coin Pot for Toll

    We had a snack and tea with the German visitor and his friend. They started their return journey, and we decided to reach the peak of the Naneghat, but suddenly rain increased and the wind flow was so high that we were getting pushed backward, so we canceled our plan to avoid risk. Furthermore, we went to see Lord Ganesh's statue carved in stone inside a water cistern. After spending an hour at the top, we decided to start the return journey, but this time we are planning to return to Mumbai via Junnar. We canceled the plan to reach Junnar as we didn't have enough information and no vehicles were ready to give lifts. So we started descending at around 2:15 p.m. As time passes, the intensity of the rain increases, and we find difficulty descending. We were unaware of the problem we were heading into.

    As I mentioned at the start of the blog, we crossed three water streams. While returning, we reached the 3rd water stream (Revers order) and saw the current of the flow was high due to heavy rain. We decided to wait for help. After some time, a group of teenagers arrived. They also got scared by seeing the water current, but they decided to cross the stream by making a human chain, so we also joined them but still had doubts in mind as we were risking our lives. We managed to cross the stream safely, but two more water streams were there. We moved ahead along with a teenage group and reached the second water stream (reverse order). Here, we didn't see any big rocks for support. I decided to spend the night in the jungle as I didn't want to risk my life, but from the opposite side of the water stream, some trekkers saw me and encouraged me to cross the stream. We again joined the teenage group to make a human chain and crossed the stream safely. We thank the trekker group and God for helping us to cross.

Note: If the rain continues, the flow of water in the streams increases, making it difficult or impossible to cross the streams. If there is a situation of spending the night in the forest, some food items, dry clothes, water bottles should be tied in a plastic bag and kept with you. Do not risk your life by trying to cross streams.

    When we reached the first water stream, the water current was very low due to the dam wall. We felt relaxed, seeing the low current. After crossing all three water streams, we increased our speed to reach the highway to board a bus. We are unaware of the new problem we are heading into. No public or private vehicles were stopped for lift. We waited for around 30 minutes and then decided to walk towards Vaishakhare village, which is 3 km away. It was around 5:30 p.m. We were too tired, but there was no other option other than walking towards Vaishakhare village. After walking for 2 km, we saw a dhaba (restaurant) and decided to have lunch as we were hungry and tired. After lunch, but it was already late, 6:00 pm and it was raining heavily, so he told us to go to Vaishakhare and get an auto. But Vaishakhare was still 1 km away 😟.

    After having some rest, we again started our return journey towards Vaishakhare village. We reached Vaishakhare village at 6:30 p.m. Luckily, an autorickshaw was standing near the restaurant. We asked him to drop by at the Tokawade bus stand. He also shared his contact number. (Contact Number: 9021086353 for autorickshaw) At Tokawade, we waited for the MSRTC bus. At around 7:00 PM, finally, the bus arrived (Junnar-Than), We boarded the bus and got down at Thane CBS bus. depot at 10 PM.

    Though the trek was easy, due to heavy rain and a lack of return journey planning, it turned difficult and hectic.

 

Places to Seen Near Naneghat

Jeevdhan fort

Malshej Ghat

    

    

Spending Tracker

Random Clicks

Naneghat Name Board