Ulysses 360 Degrees
Adventure Quest | Trekking Himalayas |
Trek Sahyadris
Rajmachi (Raj Machi)
Range: Karjat
Height: 2710 ft.
Grade: Easy
Base Village: Kondivde
History:
Rajmachi is a Marathi word made of 2 words Raj and Machi. Raj is short for Raja - i.e.king and Machi means plateau. Thus Rajmachi stands for the king of plateaus.
Rajmachi Fort is situated in Lonavla region, on the top of the Western Ghats. The highway from Khopoli to Khandala-Lonavla, known as Borghat, is an ancient trade route. Overseas trade of the Western India and the Deccan was carried through the ports of Chaul, Revdanda, etc., on the western coast. The trade route passing through the Borghat connected these ports to the region around Pune and beyond on the Deccan plateau. Fort Rajmachi was built to control the trade route of Borghat.
There are two Fortresses on Rajmachi –the taller one in the east is Shrivardhan and the other in the west is Manoranjan. Rajmachi is a unique fort having wide plateau on all sides of the twin fortresses. There is a rich treasure of historical monuments on Rajmachi, viz. mighty ramparts and walls, gateways, secret exit gates, administrative offices, water storage tanks and reservoirs, residential quarters, temples and idols of deities. Kal Bhairav temple is situated in the col between Shrivardhan and Manoranjan. Local inhabitants worship Kal Bhairav even today. The Budhdist caves on the western slope of Rajmachi plateau (at present known as Kondhane caves) were carved in the period around 200 BC. The existence of these ancient caves indicates that Rajmachi had been identified as an important place right from the Budhdist period.
Sightseeing :
The forts on top: Shrivardhan and Manoranjan are worth visiting. There are historical monuments on both the forts worth viewing i.e. mighty ramparts and walls, gateways, secret exit gates, administrative offices, water storage tanks residential quarters, temples and idols of deities.
Kal Bhairav temple is situated in the col between Shrivardhan and Manoranjan. The Kondhane caves on the western slope of Rajmachi plateau. These can be visited either while starting the climb from Kondivde to Rajmachi or while descending.
Ways To Reach :
- From Karjat : Reach Karjat station from there take a rickshaw to Kandivde.Or take a bur from Karjat to Khandpe and then walk till Kondivde. From Kondivde there are several waysto reach Rajmachi from each of the villages below i.e. Kondidve, Kondane, Kondidade etc. Most of these routes are marked by trekkers with white arrows. It is advisable to ask local villages for the routes. The most prominat one is via Kondane caves. As you cross these villages you come across a big opening from where you see a distinct trail leading into the forest on top of the mountains, this leads to Kondane caves.
- From Lonavala : One can take a rickshaw from Lonavala to Tungarli Lake. Continuing on the road further there is a left turn. This road is rocky non-motorable road but is wide and distinct. Some adventurous drivers do drive on this road. It is advisable to drive only a SUV type vehicle on this road. For trekkers it is a flat long 4 hour walk to Rajmachi.
Accommodation :
There a caves on the forts where trekkers can stay or cam on the open plateau. The villagers are very friendly and offer food and shelter at their homes too.
Food :
Food is available in the village on top.
Drinking Water :
Water is available in reservoirs in all seasons.
Time To Reach :
3-4 hours from Kondivde and 4-5 hours from Lonavala.
Notes :
Do not walk the Lonavala route at night without expirenced guide, there are snakes and otehr wild life.
