Tour to Ambarnath Shiv Temple, Lonad caves, Lonad Shiv Temple

Journey Date : 9th Jul, 2023
Mode of Transport : Train, Two Wheeler

Travel Experience

    In Maharashtra, especially during the monsoon season, seasonal trekkers become active to experience the beauty of the Sahyadri ranges. While the green hills appear stunning during this time, the risk is equally significant. Many tourists lose their lives after falling from cliffs, drowning in waterfall pools, or due to landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. This year, the Irshalgad hill collapsed, and the Irshalwadi village at its base was buried under a mudslide. Just two days later, there was news of another mountain collapse in Raigad district, which led to the destruction of a fort bastion. To prevent further mishaps, even the Maharashtra government advised against trekking during the monsoons. So, we decided to cancel all monsoon treks. Instead, we planned to visit ancient temples and caves. After discussing it with Vinayak, as we usually do, we decided on visiting the ancient Ambernath Shiva Temple, the Lonad Caves, and the Lonad Shiva Temple. While sharing the same plan with my friend and uncle, Vilas Parab, he suggested visiting the Birla Vitthal Temple, which is near the Ambernath Shiva Temple. So, we included the Birla Temple in our itinerary.

Ambernath Shiv Temple

     We usually travel by public transport, but since this time we were heading to a remote area with very limited information about public transport available on Google, we decided to travel by bike. As Vinayak was familiar with the road network of Navi Mumbai, he took the initiative to plan the route. I began my journey from Goregaon at 6:00 am and reached Vinayak's house in Dombivli around 8:20 am. Vinayak had recently bought a new house and had invited me for the housewarming ceremony, but for some reason, I couldn’t attend it. This visit also gave me a chance to see his new home. Vinayak's mother served "Kande Pohe" for breakfast. After breakfast, we set off towards the Ambernath Shiva Temple around 8:50 am. We stopped at a petrol pump to refill the fuel tank when it suddenly started raining. Though both of us had brought windcheaters, I faced difficulty as I was wearing jeans instead of track pants. We waited for about 10 minutes for the rain to stop, but there was no sign of it letting up. Not wanting to get delayed, we decided to move on. After riding some distance in the rain and getting completely soaked, the rain finally stopped, and I felt a sense of relief! The temple was 13 km away, and with the help of local people and Google Maps, we reached there in about 30 minutes, around 9:30 am.

    Amazed by the surroundings and the grandeur of the temple, we went inside, had darshan of Shiva Shambhu, and then came out. The Ambernath Shiva Temple is believed to have been built in the 11th century by the Shilahara king Chittaraja. It is located on the banks of the Valdhuni River, about 2 km from Ambernath Railway Station (East). This temple was constructed in 1060 AD. When it comes to ancient temples, the most fascinating aspect is the intricate carvings. We took a round of the temple to admire the carved idols, and the craftsmanship was truly astonishing. The spire of the temple is also incredibly beautiful, a true marvel of sculpture. The architecture of this temple is a blend of the Bhumij and Nagar styles. Temples with similar spires can be found in Maharashtra—for example, the Amriteshwar Shiva Temple in Ratanwadi, the Gondeshwar Shiva Temple in Sinnar, Nashik, and the Nilkantheshwar Shiva Temple in Madhya Pradesh. These temples were constructed by various kings during the Shilahara dynasty in different periods. Many people say that the spire is incomplete because the temple was not completed, but this is not the case, and the fact that the spire of this temple was destroyed during the Islamic invasion is deliberately hidden. The spire was actually destroyed during the Islamic invasions. A similar fate befell the Kopeshwar Temple in Khidrapur, Kolhapur, where the original spire was broken and later replaced with a round dome. After spending some time admiring the idols carved on the temple walls, we decided to move on to our next destination—the Birla Vitthal Temple.

Carvings on Ambernath Shiv Temple

    Birla Vitthal Temple is located 7 km from the Ambernath Shiva Temple. We reached the temple in just 20 minutes, around 10:15 am. There was a slight sense of disappointment as photography was not allowed inside the temple premises. In the courtyard, right in front of the temple, there is an idol of the Birla couple offering salutations to Vitthal and Rakhumai. A plaque beside the idol provides information about Shri Birla and the temple; we read it and then proceeded inside. The temple is truly beautiful, with carvings made using modern techniques that resemble those of ancient temples. The idols of Vitthal and Rakhumai in the sanctum are as stunning as the temple itself. The attire and jewelry adorning the idols further enhanced their divine appearance-it felt as though we could go on gazing at them endlessly. After circumambulating the temple, we prepared to leave for our next destination. However, it suddenly began to rain, so we stayed inside the temple, waiting for it to stop. After about 15–20 minutes, the rain subsided, and we resumed our journey towards the Lonad Shiva Temple.

    With the help of Google Maps, we entered through the Bhiwandi Bypass and reached Lonad village via an unpaved road. After a long journey, the temple finally came into view, and we felt a wave of joy—only for it to fade quickly upon seeing the ruins of the temple scattered all around. A large tarpaulin had been placed over the temple to shield it from rainwater—such is the state of our Hindu temples! We had darshan of Mahadeva from outside, choosing not to enter the sanctum, and instead took a walk around the temple to observe the carvings. While walking, certain things became clear, and we began to understand how such a beautiful temple had fallen into this state of neglect. Multi-storey buildings, two to three floors high, have been constructed just 4 to 5 feet away from the temple. During their construction, the temple must have suffered damage, and many ancient remnants from the temple appear to have been used as filling material in these nearby houses. Behind the temple, there is a lake where villagers have buried temple pillars and used them as barricades. While the temple was originally damaged during the Islamic invasion, the ignorant actions of the local residents have caused further harm. Witnessing all this, I couldn't help but silently curse the negligence of the Archaeology Department.

Note : Historical information of the temple given below is taken from the website of Maharashtra Times, written by Mr. Praveen Kadam. link : History of Lonad Shiv Temple

    Annapayya, son of Mangalayya, chief of Silahara king Aparaditya, etc. Copper plate dated 997 A.D mentions that the revenue of Bhadane village was assigned for this temple. From this it can be said that this temple is at least 1 thousand 24 years old. A temple in Chaudharpada village, one kilometer from Lonad village, has an inscription called Gaddhegal (Gardhab Shapavani). In this inscription dated January 24, 1240, the name of Lonad is written as Lavnetat and the temple is mentioned as 'Lonaditya'. Transcription and translation of this inscription by Dr. It can be read in Dawood Dalvi's book 'Ase Hale Thane'. Etc. of Aparaditya II related to Lonad temple. S. An inscription dated 1184 is in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum. The inscription has moon, sun and Shiva linga engraved on it. In the article, it is written that the houses of two nobles of Lonad village were exempted from duty. The Lonaditya temple is sculpted to be on Gajaratha. It feels like the elephants are carrying the burden of the temple on their backs. Many ruins of the temple can be seen in a scattered state. Many elements like Ganapati, Lajjagauri, Mithun sculptures, mridanga players, dancers, Yaksha-Kinnars, sky couples showering flowers are seen in it. The Lonaditya temple is facing east and it is built in tridal style. The ruins that exist today give an idea of ​​its original scale and beauty. There is a Shiva Pindi in the core, a space and an assembly hall outside it. The top of the nave has been destroyed and part of the roof remains. A lot of collapsed carved parts, Amlaks etc. are visible around. As the Shivlinga is installed one and a half meters down in the core, one has to go down the steps. The entire structure is dry jointed with eight feet high stone walls. The doorway has nine sculptures with lalatbimba and the ceiling is decorated with a lotus figure. Sculptures of Mahishasur Mardini and Gajasur Vadha can be seen outside the temple. To the west of the temple is a large pond of one acre area. A ghat may have been built over this tank earlier, its stones are now found in a disturbed state. There is a Shiva temple in Chaudharpada village near here. At present this temple is called Rameshwar temple but its name should be Someshwar or Shompeshwar. Silahara King Mallikarjuna's Ee from Vasai. S. An inscription dated 1162 mentions the restoration of a temple. There is a record of donating a wadi at Lonavatak for the temple. The idol of Shiva Parvati and the body of Shankara in this temple belong to the Lonaditya temple and may have been shifted there in the past. This architectural cave in the beautiful but ruined state of the Shilahar period is a must-see.

Lonad Shiv Temple

    After visiting the Shiva temple in Lonad, we continued walking to see if there was anything else worth exploring in the village. Construction of houses and buildings was underway in several parts of the village. A little further ahead, we came across a newly built temple of Goddess Kali. As we approached to see the idol of the Goddess, a dog tied at the entrance began barking at us, preventing us from going any closer. So, we took darshan of the Goddess from outside and then proceeded towards the Lonad Caves.

    Once again taking help from Google Baba, we set off towards the caves. Leaving the asphalt road behind, we took a right turn onto an unpaved path. Just then, we heard someone calling out to us, trying to stop us. "The way to the temple is from here, go this way," said an elderly man, who had rightly guessed that we were headed to the temple (the caves). No matter how smart Google Baba is, the guidance of local people is always essential. The road leading to the caves was narrow, suitable only for bikes. With a valley on the left side, we had to ride slowly and carefully. After covering a distance of about one to one and a half kilometers, we reached the caves.

    The caves were quite crowded, mostly with villagers. Since these caves aren’t very well-known, they don’t attract many tourists. The village youths were busy preparing food; a goat was tied up in front of the caves, and a large vessel was kept nearby. Meanwhile, some groups were seen preparing ingredients using a mixer. That day, the villagers had planned to sacrifice a goat to the goddess and cook mutton.

Lonad Caves

    Lonad caves are located just north of Kalyan on the outskirts of Thane district, near a village called Janwal. These Buddhist caves sculptures date back to 5th to 8th century AD. The external verandah is damaged because of land sliding and dynamite blast nearby areas. The cave is now converted into a temple of godess Khandeshvari, but the carvings and inscriptions bear testimony to its Buddhist origins. There is an outer verandah with four pillars of which one is broken. Just above the pillars, there is a series of carved panels that depict the Jataka tale of Vishwantara (Vessantara), the benevolent and charitable Bodhisattva. Vishwantara was born in the kingdom of Jetuttara ruled by King Sanjaya. He was born along with a white elephant named Pacchaya, with magic powers to make rainfall. Renowned for being extremely charitable, Vishwantara gave away the elephant to eight Bramhins from a neighboring kingdom who deviously came to seek his help for saving them from a drought. The people of Jetuttara were upset at losing the magic elephant, and forced King Sanjaya to banish Vishwantara to the forests. On the right wall outside the pillars, there is a large carved fresco that also depicts a scene from the Vishwantara jataka tale. This is the scene of King Sanjaya who banishes Vishwantara in response to the complaints from his subjects. From the verandah, three openings lead to the internal chamber. The opening in the center looks like the main entrance, and the ones on both the sides are also big enough to enter through. The chamber is largely bare. In the center a rectangular yagna kund or holy fireplace that seems to be constructed in recent times. Towards the left end of the chamber, there are two mounds of rock that seem to be the remnants of some statue or structure In the center of back wall of the outer chamber, there is a door in the center that leads to the sanctum. On the two extreme ends of the back wall on either side of the central door, there are rectangular cut-outs with idols of Gods. On the right is the idol of Ganesh with a large mouse. The inner chamber is a small sanctum with dieties of Khandeshvari Devi and Mahishasura Mardini. The idols are placed on a platform that seems to be a new construction. Having explored the inside of the cave, we noticed a water tank on the extreme right on the outside.

Waterfall near Lonad Caves

 

   After exploring the caves, we observed some visitors are coming from jungle, so we moved ahead towards the jungle to see if any more ancient things to explore, but we reached at the small waterfall or can say a water stream. we spent 5 -10 minutes over there and decided to start return journey. We reached home (Vinayak's home) at around 1:20 p.m. Vinayak's mother had prepared a special dish "Patodyachi Aamti" for lunch, had a hearty meal and with fond memories I started my journey towards my home Goregaon.

Trip to Padmadurg, Samrajgad and Revdanda

Journey Date : 17th Dec, 2023

Mode of Transport : Bus and Boat

History of the Forts

    1. Padmadurg was one of the sea forts built by Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1676 in order to control the naval activities in the Arabian sea. It is located in the northwest direction of the Janjira fort at a distance of about 4 km. During cleanup activities in 2012, ASI authorities found around 250 cannonballs of historical value. The fort was not only a part of Sindhudurg's defenses but was also Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's main ship construction yard. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built this fort in the year 1676 when there was no technology developed as today also they built while fighting with enemy and now ASI autorities giving the reason of lack of resources to perform restoration work!

Padmadurg Fort

    2. Samrajgad’ a.k.a. ‘Danda-Rajapuri’ is situated on a hill, south-west of the sea shore of Murud village and is near to the famous fort Janjira. It was built by Shivaji Maharaj to keep an eye on Janjira and to cut off its access from land. Samrajgad was used as the main base for the attacks on Janjira. Janjira was under the control of Siddi, who are Habshi or Abyssinians. Shivaji Maharaj sent Vyankoji Datto to build this fort. As Samrajgad is perilously close to Janjira, Vyankoji was given a platoon of Maratha soldiers for protection. Vyankoji fought with Siddi’s cavalry and captured the surrounding regions of Danda-Rajapuri. Around 300 Habshi were killed in this battle. Siddi tried to make a truce but Shivaji Maharaj did not yield. 

    Samrajgad was built on a hill near Rajapuri. With the construction of Samrajgad, the access to Murud was cut off for the Siddi. To remove these shackles over his trade routes, Siddi attacked Samrajgad. He sent soldiers and cannons in small boats. They attempted an attack on the fort by tying cannons to palm trees, but the trees collapsed and the attack fizzled out. After this failure, Siddi planned the next attack carefully. Shivaji Maharaj had left Raigad for the conquest of Janjira. Siddi wanted to capture Samrajgad before that. The second attack was led by Siddi Khairat and Siddi Kasim. 

    On 11th February 1671, under the cover of a dark night, Siddi Khairat attacked from the land side of the fort with 500 Habshi soldiers. It was the festival of Holi on that day and Maratha soldiers were in festive mood. They still managed to counter-attack and fought Siddi Khairat well. Meanwhile, Siddi Kasim had landed near the fort from the sea in boats. He put up ladders and ropes on the fort wall. While Maratha soldiers were busy fighting off Siddi Khairat, Siddi Kasim and his soldiers climbed up the walls and entered the fort. The Maratha army was now caught in this pincer attack. They fought hard in spite of the overwhelming odds. They were finally beaten when the stores of gunpowder caught fire and exploded. Scores of soldiers from both sides were killed. Hearing the news about explosion, Shivaji Maharaj sent his scouts to Samrajgad. By that time, Samrajgad was lost to Siddi. With this defeat, Shivaji Maharaj was forced to cancel his planned attack on Janjira.

Pond at Samrajgad

    

    3. Revdanda The history of this place dates back to the ancient legendary times of Lord Krishna. As per myth it is believed that the entire Revdanda area was ancient “Revatikshetra”, where Revati, the wife of Balaram, brother of Krishna resided. This place was gifted by Krishna to Revati during the time of her marriage. Another story goes like King Hansdhwaj stopped the Ashwamedha Yagna horse over here and Revdanda witnessed a violent war between him and Arjuna the Great.

    During the 6th century Revdanda was an ancient port which grew in importance by the 10th century with the trade augmentation by the Nizam Shahi rulers of the region. With the advent of the 16th century Portuguese came to rule these parts of the land. The Revdanda creek slowly became an important locale of their trade and commerce, which in turn led to the formation of the Revdanda Fort in 1558. Captain Soj or Soaj was the architect of this fort, which still stands in remnants as a testimony of the Portuguese rule in India.

    Many powerful rulers of that time had laid their hands in besieging the fort, but all their effort went in vain. The Angre rulers over and over tried to capture the fort between the span of 1636 - 1683 and the Marathas also tried in 1736. In 1740, Revdanda along with the fort came under Maratha kingdom as per the treaty signed by the Portuguese. By the year 1818, Revdanda Fort came under the British Raj, thus bringing an end to the Portuguese era.

Fortification of Revdada fort

Travel and Trek Experience

    Normally we plan our trips on our own, but the cost to visit Padmadurg sea fort is higher due to boat charges, hence we joined the travel & trekking group "Dongar Yatra". The cost is 1700 per person which includes the Exploration of three forts Padmadurg, Samrajgad and Revdanda forts, breakfast and lunch. Prathamesh and my two friends Vinayak and Ameya booked our seats. "Dongar Yatra" had arranged tempo traveler which was planned to depart at 10:00 p.m. on 16th December 2023. They had several pickup points such as Sanpada, Chembur, Neral, Kamothe etc. Sanpada is the nearest station for Vinayak and Nerul is the nearest station for Ameya so they decided to board the bus accordingly and I decided to board the bus from the starting point Dadar.

    

    On 16th December, I reached Dadar where trek leader Sneha and other participants were already present. While waiting for other participants, at around 9:45 p.m. I received a call from Vinayak that he was at Thane railway station and all trains for the trans harbor route were canceled. I informed the trek leader and she suggested he reach Dadar by fast train, Vinayak reached Dadar around 10:25 p.m. We started the journey at around 10:30 p.m. Ameya shared his current location, but when we reached Nerul L P, the bus driver took a flyover route and we reached 3 km ahead of him. We were running already 30 min delay and now again we waited for around 30 minutes. There is no option for Ameya to hire an auto or any other vehicle, he reached the bus at around 1:00 a.m. by walking 3 KM. We moved ahead and at Kamothe one more team leader Vikas Dutal joined us.

    We reached Murud beach at around 5:00 a.m, we rested on the bus, and at around 7:00 went for breakfast in the nearby mesh named "Panvalkar Khanawal". The taste of "Kande Pohe and Tea" was good. After having breakfast we returned to the bus, team leader Vikas gave some important instructions to the participants after that we all introduced ourselves and went to the beach. Everyone was excited for the Padmadurg fort, but the boat owner's phone was not reachable, finally at around 8:40 a.m. boat arrived. We removed our shoes and folded our jeans to avoid getting wet also helped the sailor to turn the boat by pushing it, after that we boarded the boat at around 8:55 a.m. and started our journey towards Padmadurg fort.

    

    As we were moving ahead, the fort was getting closer and the hugeness of the fort could not explained in words. Everyone's excitement was at its peak, within 10 minutes we reached the fort. We were elite from the boat into the knee-depth water. Corals were formed on the rocks also due to algae, rocks were slippery We all carefully walked over rocks and reached the dry place. We wore the shoes and started exploring the fort. Team leader Vikas started explaining the fort structure, and at the place, he pointed and said "Miracle / Engineering Marvel" Initially we didn't understand what he wanted to say, but soon he explained, that the fort was built 350 to 400 years back on the island, till date sea tides strike on the fortification, due to which fortification rock got erode, but the bonding material used has no effect of tides, it is still as it is. The quality of the material they used to bond the two rocks while building the fortification is still unknown. They build this fort while fighting and retaliating against the attack of Siddhis.

Engineering Marval, No affect of tide on bonding material

    We moved ahead and first, we explored the outer side of the fort known as "padkot", The fortifaction collapsed due to negligence of customs and ASI, also sad to see several ancient canons lying down and broken into pieces. After exploring the "padkot" we decided to move inside the fort through the main gate, while climbing each step my chest swelled with pride. When we moved inside the fort, on the left-hand side some ruins grabbed our focus, on some websites, they mentioned it as stable, but the structure is not stable, as in the sea fort what is the use of horses? those structures are like soldier rooms or might be used for other purposes but sure those are not stable. We moved ahead and reached the Kandeshwari Goddess temple, moved ahead and saw some room-like structure with cement coating; the team leader told us this structure was built by customs officers as this fort was used by customs officers earlier. We moved ahead and came across a big water storage tank, currently, water is not drinkable, but in the early days, they used to store rainwater and use it for the whole year as there is no water source or well on the fort.

Ruins and water tank on Padmadurg

Kandeshwari Goddess Temple Ruin

    We moved ahead and climbed the fortification stairs and started walking on the fortification. The wall is approximately 4 to 5 feet wide. Fort Janjira is visible from the fortification, one big canon was kept on the bastion to protect the entrance of the fort, and from there you can aim the Fort Janjira, though the canon range is not that long enough. Also one can see the arrangement of ancient "Sauch kup" Toilets arrangement, nowadays Govt. is still struggling to educate people on this. Those days people know the importance of cleanliness as well they know very well how to construct drainage systems. We spent around 90 minutes exploring the fort and discussing the ancient construction technology. The same boat arrived at the fort for the return journey, we wanted to spend more time on the fort, but we had to visit two more forts hence we boarded the boat and within 10 minutes at around 10:40 a.m., we reached the sea coast.

 

Ruins at Padmadurg Fort

Canon on Padmadurg Frot and Fort Janjira

    At the sea coast, pay and use restrooms were available, and we got refreshed and got ready for Samrajgad trek. A strange thing we observed, local people don't know the Samrajgad! We boarded the bus and went for Samrajgad, with the help of Google Maps we reached the base of the Samrajgad, there was a way to Samrajgad from Shiv Temple, hence we sought help from locals for the correct route to Shiv Temple, but they misguide us and we took the wrong path and reached west coast where there was no clear path to move ahead.

The team leader and one team member went ahead to find the correct route, while we waited behind. One of our team members found the correct path, and we all moved back and reached the correct entrance. Earlier we passed from the entrance but due to no sign board, we missed taking a left and moved straight.

Stairs on Samrajgad reconstructed

Ruins on Samrajgad

    The height of the hill was not much, but it was almost noon, hence we got a little bit tired. within 20 minutes we reached the fortification of the fort, we tried to find more ruins on the fort, but nothing was available. Not sure, but ruins can be found if excavation work is done by ASI. There is only a fortification, a flag pole, and one broken pillar of the temple is available. If excavation work is done by ASI, more ruins can be discovered and also help to know more history of the fort. We all sat on the fortification and team leader Vikas, gave the information about the fort along with the historic fight between Siddhis and Marathas, which was told earlier in this blog in the section of History of the forts.

   We descended the fort and boarded the bus and went to the same mesh "Panvalkar Khanwal" for lunch. There was an option of Veg and Non-Veg lunch, so we ordered Veg lunch, after having delicious lunch "Solkadi", we boarded the bus for Revdanda Fort. Around 1:30 p.m. we departed for Revdanda Fort and in 90 minutes at around 3:00 p.m. we reached Revdanda Fort, where the team leader paid 150 Rs for bus parking. We entered the premises and the ruins of four four-story buildings grabbed our focus. Before entering into the building team leader Vikas told us the history and the importance of the fort. In the front of the building entrance old canons were kept, canons were in good condition. We entered the building but the building was completely hollow, also on the top of the building there were bee hives so we got out of it without disturbing them. We had a group photo and later we moved to Revdada beach, the beach is beautiful and clean. We spent some time on the beach, and while roaming on the beach observed a sculpture of the "Sharab" mythological animal on the fortification. Usually, this sculpture is observed on the Hindu fort, not on the Portuguese forts. Might be Marathas placed this sculpture when they captured the fort in the year 1740,

Building inside view on Revdanda Fort

Four sotry building at Revdanda Fort

Sculpture of Sharab on the fortification of Revdanda Fort

    After spending some time on the beach and taking a beautiful photo, at around 5:00 p.m. we started the return journey. While returning we took a 30-minute halt at Mumbai-Goa highway for tea. Dropping each member at their feasible location, we reached Dadar station at around 10:00 p.m.

    Thanks to the "Dongar Yatra" group for the beautiful and memorable trip, and special thanks to team leader Vikas Dutal for giving valuable information about the forts.

Group photo at Padmadurg

Shiv Temple from where path goes to Samrajgad top

Entrance of Padmadurg

Group photo at Revdanda fort