MANIKGAD TREK

I was very disappointed when my trek to Garbett had to be cancelled due to my work commitments but luckily God has made Sunday after Saturday aur meri yeh holiday koi nahi cheen sakta mujhse and as incorrigible as I am, I started checking out if any of friends are going for the trek. Well at this point, Pankaj our master blaster trekker informed me that they are planning to go for the trek to Manik Gad. so chalti gadi me mai bhi kud gaya and I joined them.

All set for early morning train ride to Wadala

Generally when the treks are from Panvel side, I have to get up very early. So today I got up at 3.30 a.m and by 4.30 am I left my house and reached at the desolate booking counter with not a soul to be seen around, for a second I panicked and thought to myself  Bhai counter chalu bhi hai kya ...my logical reasoning was saying chalu hoga and thankfully the counter was indeed open and  a sleepy looking clerk gave me the ticket and I dashed to catch the 4.41am train for churchgate and reached Bandra Station by 5.00 am. From Bandra Station there was this CST local train of 5.13 am, which reached Wadala by 5.25 am. Pankaj my friend who had arranged this trek had told us to catch 5:36am panvel local train from Wadala.( I hope, now you understood why so much jumping around being done by me) warna kis pagal kutte ne mujhe katta tha jo mai trains badal badal ker travel karta. Mera bas chalta toh mai seedha CST local leta.


At Wadala Station  I met rest of the gang and we were all boarded on Panvel local. It was 7.00 am when we reached Panvel station. Where we were met by Sanjay sir and Mehul bhai. Both of whom had offered us their car for travelling to the base village. the group was split into  two groups and we were now travelling in cars to the base village which is Vadgaon. The route to Vadgaon is around 21 kms from Panvel ST stand ,enroute you cross Indiabulls Park , one gigantic Maruti Idol.

Enroute while driving from Panvel to Vadgoan
you see this gigantic Maruti idol on your left

 Just keep driving straight towards Rasayani (17.1kms) where on your left you will see long Reliance Industries Factory and driving further for approx 2.5kms from here you will see a sign board of  Manikgad and next to that signboard of  Vadgaon. From the signboard you got to take right turn and keep driving straight for around 1.4kms until you reach at a dead end.

Vadgaon signboard on the main road, Take right turn from here 

As soon as you reach the base village on your left you will see a general store from where you can buys biscuits, chips, water etc and yes even ice cream. ( I actually enjoy eating ice cream after the trek). Aur Manikgad ka trek katam  karne ke liye aap ko icecream toh milni hi chaiye after all you deserve it )

View from the general store , go from the right side

Little ahead of the shop you see the Vadgoan village, you need to take the road from the right side, the one which has Maruti temple. Keep walking till the end of the village, one very distinctive thing you will note is that the initial houses are little bigger and fancy but when you reach the end the houses are more of basic kind. Is the difference due to the stature or are the poorer people tribal. I wish I could have found the reason.

Walking towards the end of Village

We started our trek little late because our friends from Pune were so busy enjoying the waterfall nearby that they forgot that the Mumbai team was waiting for them at the village. Lekin aisi choti choti baate ho jaati hai badde badde trek me.

10:05am : Trek starts

We started our trek at 10.05 am. As we walked till the end of the village the route opens to a big field. The lush greenery and the majestic Manikgad could be seen.

Coming out from the Village the trek opens into large green field

A little walk and we are into the climb. This initial  climb is quite stiff  through some muddy trial. As you are climbing you get all the more beautiful view of the green fields on your left side , do catch a breath and soak the nature's beauty.

After walking for around 10-15 minutes you will see a diversion one going straight and one moving on the right, Ignore the one going to the right side, keep walking straight as the Mighty Manikgad is on your left side.

Some rock cut stairs on the way as we trek towards the fort.

10.25 am (Reaching First plateau)

After the stiff climb of 20 minutes from the base we reached the first plateau where we rested for 5 minutes. Relaxed a bit and took pictures.

Its Photo time 

10:38 am ( Reached the large plateau)

10-15 mins more of a gradual climb we reached a large field. It is like the walk from the forest breaking out in open. A natural green carpet is a sight to behold. we walked through the open field , almost getting our foot stuck in the muddy field. Once you cross this field you will reach the ridge section.

Walking through the open field to reach the ridge

 10.54 am. (Reached the Ridge)

The view from the ridge is amazing , one can see the Karnala peak very prominently. we all took opportunity to click few pictures here.

Once you reach the ridge you need to move on your left where you will see a large tree . recently they have also put up a signage on this tree. Once you take left turn at the ridge keep walking straight.

That's the way to go my dear friend

The walk on the ridge very easy, you walk quite a distance on a flat ground with Manikgad looming ahead of you. the breeze is very pleasant. Boss jitna enjoy karna hai yahan enjoy kar lo kyo ki aage kuch aur hi milne wala hai. this flat walk lasted for 30 minutes until we entered the forest portion of this trek.

Easy walk, enjoy it to the maximum

11.20 a.m ( Entry into the forest )

After this walk on the ridge you see more of trees with lesser open field and you realise that you are entering in the forest. The walk in the forest was coming as blessing in disguise for us because the sun was becoming hotter by the moment and humidity was killing us. (Kehne ko hum monsoon trek per nikle the...sab popat ho gaya)

Time to enjoy the forest walk

As you walk this jungle trail lots of small streams comes on your way, at places the trail is little rocky and confusing,but keep walking straight till you reach a point where there is this large tree and a small waterfall kind of setup. one needs to turn right from here. Please be careful especially during the jungle trail as  I was told that people often get lost in this jungle and they had to be rescued.

confusing trail routes

11.52 am (Reached the diversion point)

30 minutes walk into the forest and we reach the diversion point from where we take right turn. landmark huge tree in front and a waterfall on your left ( water may and may not be flowing as its a small waterfall).

Trekkers have put markers in forms of stones , placed one above the other

12.12 pm (Hanuman Temple)

From the diversion point we hiked for  ten minutes reach the Hanuman temple, the trail go up and down but is an easy walk, We paid our respect to Hanumanji and moved on. Behind the temple there was a board on which some one had written that climb to Manikgad is just 10 minutes away and on the left.

Hanuman temple in the jungle with the board behind

As we had hired a guide so finding this spot to climb on the left side was easy otherwise it can be tricky task. In other words here lies another point from where we can miss the trail. In 8 minutes we were indeed near to our climb point and started the climb. This climb was again stiff till we reached the flat portion of lush greenery and with nature doing its dance of joy. 

Sitting and reminiscing the Daffodil poem

I sat there and could actually empathise with the feelings of the famous poet William Wordworths, who in his poem Daffodils says and I quote

"The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:"

The green grass was so inviting that I felt like skipping rest of the trek. As the humidity was also taking its toll on me.(This was bound to happen because I haven't been trekking lately and fitness levels are at abyss).Meanwhile Mehul our friend who was happily clicking my pictures felt pain in his shoulder and gradually dropped his speed. a small suggestion I would like to give, Please don't attempt to do this trek if you are not physically fit. It indeed test your endurance.

Enjoying the green slopes with sanjayji

The next climb from this grassy green land is a rocky trail and steep too, I was almost running out of my breath. Ek point per toh I could actually hear my heart pounding.
Par yeh kis ne kah diya tha ki jannat yu hi naseeb hoti hai, 
Arre uske panne ke liye khub mushakkta karni hogi.

I stopped took a sip of a water and rested for a while, Body is getting old, I got to realise this because but my younger friends were hopping away to the top. Honestly speaking I hated this last portion because Har time lagta tha peak aagaya and then the mountain calls "April fool banaya "and you see another climb.

Me: Sanjayji lagta hai top aagaya hai
Sanjay : Pakka na, is baar no april fool !! 

1.25 p.m Reached first water tank at the base of the top.

First water tank  near the Top

I felt like a dead meat on reaching the top. Seeing the water filled water tank was so refreshing  But I was soon given a rude reality check when our younger friends were waving from the top some 100 feets above. I was like Oh Shit abhi aur baki hai. 

This is the Oh hell moment standing at the first water tank.
Please look closely at small figures of our friends on top

Body was aching , heels were squealing with pain and seriously I wanted to give up but I somehow pushed myself Aisa laga ki itne paas aakar bhi na upar gaye toh hamesha koste rahenge apne aap ko. Jai bajrangbali bole aur nikal pade. Actually the cool breeze and sudden rain shower only helped me and I was finally at the top at 1.52 pm.


Nothing much is left on the top except for few ruined fortifications wall.

Ruined fortification wall

 Then there is a small gate which has a ganesh idol carved on it.

I entered through this door and came across a huge water tank. We were told that this is a potable water and remains available through out the year.(Request to the visitor to this place , please don't throw any waste or put your feet in the water tank as they serve like a life line for a hapless trekker who may come here during the summers)

large water tank at the top

 and just little ahead there is a small Mahadev Temple.

 We all sat down near the watertank and had continental lunch ranging from cakes,kakaras, idlis,bakewadi parathas,omlets. Clicked few pictures and moved on for descend at 3.00pm.

Extravagant  and  sumptuous Lunch 

The descend was uneventful except for the fact that our friend Mehul who had decided to give up the trek halfway was waiting for us at the ridge and with whom we all reunited and he welcomed us back with yummy cheese slices.It was 6.20 when we finally finished our trek.

Trekker Tips :

1. Start early
2. Better do this trek in monsoon, In any other season it could be          very high on endurance.
3. Take a guide( Its a small cost but necessary here)
4. If doing this trek in summer carry lots of water even though the        water may be available on top.
5. Stay, Food and Guide can be arranged at the Vadgaon. Our local      contact was Rahul Jambhulkar mob no : 9011807551


Trek break up:

1 hr from base to Ridge
30 minutes walk on ridge till you enter the forest.
30 minutes approx walk in the forest and you reach the diversion to right side point.
10 minutes till hanuman temple
10 minutes till the next ascend on the left.
1.20 minutes to reach the first water tank on top
20 minutes to the final top.

Total time for the trek - 7hrs 20 minutes
 To climb 4 hrs &
 To Descend 3 hrs 20 minutes ) 


How to Reach:

BUS: S.T buses are available from Panvel ST stand to Vadgoan. (the bus will drop you in the market from where you need to catch auto or walk 1.5 kms to raech the base village of Manikgad)

CAR : Panvel-Rasayani-Vadgoan


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Bijapur Diaries | Gol Gumbaz

Very often when people visit Karnataka they often end up visiting the often repeated famous and exotic locations like Hampi, Badami, Pattadkal and Aihole to name the few.Let me tell you there is this small gem of a city lying in Karnataka often ignored by the tourist, which offers some fabulous architectural marvels and is a treasure house of historical monuments.

I am talking of Bijapur aka Vijayapur popularly known as Agra of South or also the queen of Deccan. Vijayapur literally means City of Victory.

Top of Gol Gumbaz

Now that it was decided that I shall be visiting this historical town, the next important part was booking of railway tickets.I think India must be the only country where everyone is on a travel plan all the time of the year, because whenever you try to book tickets most often they are not available especially on the weekends.

Travel Tip: Book your Railway tickets well in advance

I got a wait listed ticket which luckily got confirmed on the day of my travel. Earlier, inorder to reach Bijapur earlier one had to take two trains, if travelling from Mumbai. First Mumbai to Solapur and from there connecting train to Bijapur. Luckily for me this New train called Mumbai-Gadag Express got started so henceforth travelling to Bijapur shall be faster and easier.

Waiting for the train at Dadar station

It was 9.33 pm when Gadag express entered Dadar railway station.As it was a night journey so it didn't make any difference whether I got window seat or not ( actually I love to sit on a window seat and watch the stations go by or hear the hum of Chai... Chai call of the vendors) Ab kya kare sab ko kuch na kuch bimari hoti hai hume kuch is tarah ki hai 

It must be 5:30 am when I was jolted from my sleep by the commotions in the compartment I asked fellow passenger bhai konsa station aaya, He said Solapur. Hearing Solapur I for a moment felt like getting down and visit the Naldurg fort and Buikhot Fort , which I wanted to do. But then the reality sunk in because today I was not travelling alone I was travelling with my wife so naturally I am not expected to jump of the train at any station I wish to. Ab aisa hai na, ki jab akele hote hai , Hum wahi raha bana lete hai jaha cha hoti hai but today it was a different story and with heavy heart I saw Solapur station fade away in darkness. Nevertheless I was excited too because in few hours I shall be on my destination i.e. Bijapur.

Bijapur aka Vijayapura

Our Journey:

It was 7.30 when my train entered the Vijayapura Station. As soon as you come out of the station You see this Manmoth Structure of Gol Gumbaz from the station itself.However to reach its entrance you need to walk around 900 metres. My wife and myself we started to walk. As it was early morning so the climate was quite cool.We saw a  small tea stall at the turn we decided to have a cup of a tea and then start exploring. Actually more than the tea I like to have small talk with the locals because it helps me to visit the places more easily.

View of the Gol Gumbaz as soon as we came out of the station.

In an introduction to “Architecture at Beejapoor” published in 1866, Philip Meadows Taylor, an Anglo-Indian with a voracious appetite for Indian culture wrote: “Palaces, arches, tombs, cisterns, gateways, and minarets ...all carved from the rich basalt rock of the locality, garlanded by creepers, broken and disjointed by peepul trees, each in its turn is a gem of art and the whole a treasury.”

This introduction by Philip M Taylor sums it all as to what lies awaiting at Bijapur for me.

Bijapur is a historic fort city. You will know this only once you visit this city. There is history lying in every nook and corner. Where ever you go within the city you find some mosque, some tomb. I was told that  when you stand atop the Gol Gumbaz you can see many domes spread across the city along with the city wall. I always feel that the best way to know the city is to First know about the history of the place. So let me quickly take you through a small history lesson about this place.

If you want to know the summarized History please click this link and read.

Coming back to our journey

We finished our tea and reached the entry gate of Gol Gumbaz.

We purchased the entry ticket at the gate of the Gol Gumbaz  for Rs 15. Being early in the morning there was not much of a crowd. As we entered the  complex, we saw well laid out garden on both the sides and a Museum building which is right in front of the Gol Gumbaz. 

Well  laid out garden and Gol Gumbaz behind the Museum

Museum in front of the Gol Gumbaz

There are canons kept outside this Museum. On closer look I found Persian Emblem on the canon along with something written on the cannon. The canons are quite big.

Persian emblem along with some text engraved

Huge Canons

Circumventing the Museum we entered the Gol GumBaz complex and were pleasantly surprised to see again beautiful garden and this Manmoth Gol Gumbaz ahead of us.

Mighty Gol Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz  is the tomb of  Mohammed Adil Shah (1627 -56) , the seventh ruler of  Adil Shahi dynasty. Gol Gumbaz as the name suggest is round dome monument. I remember when I was in school we had these General Knowledge Test and we read about tallest tower, longest platform or largest dome, It was here when I first came across this name Gol Gumbaz. So naturally you can understand my excitement of reminiscing the past.  The Central dome of Gol Gumbaz is the largest in Asia and second largest in the world after the St Peters Basilica of Rome.

This gigantic mausoleum which took 20 years to complete was built at the orders of Adil Shah before his death , It has a floor area of 1700 sq.m., height of 51 m and diameter of 37 m. The walls are 3 m thick. The central dome stands unsupported by any pillars.

We look so small under this Gumbaz

I was mesmerized by the hugeness of the place. we look so small standing in front of the monument.

Next to the GolGumbaz there is a mosque . The entry to which was closed when we visited.

We now  moved on to enter the Gol Gumbaz but before entering the Gol Gumbaz one has to remove shoes and go inside.There was a person just oustside the gate with whom you can deposit your shoes and bags before entering the GolGumbaz. Upon entering the Gol Gumbaz we saw a huge platform on which laid the tombs of  the Sultan Mohamed Adil Shah, his two wives, his mistress Ramba, his daughter and grandson. 

Tombs of Adil Shahi and his Family

 When I was talking to the guide in the Gol Gumbaz, I came to know an interesting thing, Actually everywhere on the web I had read that Ramba was the mistress of the Sultan however the guide at the museum begged to differ, He said Ramba was never a mistress of Adil Shahi. She was a  dancer who had come along with her son from Ceylon ( Sri Lanka of today) to perform on the occasion of completion of Gol Gumbaz however she fell in love with the sultan and even professed her love and it was her wish that she be buried along with the king here.Next day she jumped from the top of the Gumbaz and died, consequent to which the sultan fulfilling her wish buried her here. Later when her son died he too was buried. This history is so easy to twist God knows what is true or false.But then Hum ko kya .... Hume to kahani suna acha lagta hai...after all we are also a storyteller.

Platform or stage behind the tombs

Just behind the tombs One can see platform which I assumed may be used for performance. I was also told that there is basement below this Gol Gumbaz which is closed. One more interesting thing was the air been realised from the floor through the grilled duct.

Air Ducts on the floors

If you stand below the Dome you will only be in awe of the architectural marvel because you will notice that there are no pillars supporting the done. This huge dome cap appears to have been placed on the criss-crossing arches running from one end to another. "Seeing is believing" I dont know how many times I may repeat this in Bijapur. 

The web of arches holding the dome

We now proceeded to climb the Minars which stands on the four corners of the Gol Gumbaz. We were told its a seven storied climb and each floor have a balcony where one catch their breath.Hence we started to climb this spiraling stairs.Standing in one of this balcony one can see the huge bracketed cornice below the parapet, are important feature of this monument.

ornate brackets

 Huffing and  panting we reached the top, but once reaching the top you will forget all the efforts you took climb the stairs because the city below looks awesome. You can see many domes scattered all over the city. One can also see the citadel boundary wall.

Lording our Bijapur city from Gol Gumbaz Top

Citadel Boundary wall can be seen from Gol Gumbaz Top

For a second I was transported into the past. I imagined myself to be the sultan and lording over the city.

Sochne me tax thoda na lagta hai. Free me Sultan hone ka ahsas le liya.

Ek din ka Sultan 😀

Other than the city one gets good top view of the museum building and the whole complex. We clicked few pictures and then entered the dome top.

View of the front side from Gol Gumbaz Top

 Last but not the least it was time to visit the famous "Whispering gallery", Time to witness one of the most fabulous experience of our lives. Whispering gallery was something out of the world experience for us where I was told that the tick of a watch or the rustle of paper can be heard across a distance of 37 m in the Whispering Gallery. The acoustical phenomenon of this dome is such that a sound is echoed eleven times over. You won't believe this, when I narrate to you my experience of Whispering gallery, it so happened when my wife standing at the other end of the dome ( distance must be around 138 feet) She could actually hear what I whispered. I was shell shocked when she replied back. I have never seen such thing in my life.

Travel tip: Try to reach early in the morning to experience this whispering wonder because once the people start flowing in you will only be getting frustrated and irritated by the sound of whistles, claps and shouts.

By the time we finished with our exploration of Gol GumBaz It was already 10:30 am, which meant that we took almost 2 and a half hour for seeing this monument.

Top Balcony or roof of Gol Gumbaz

Trivia 

Incidentally Gol Gumbaz((1627) and the Taj Mahal (1632) began construction during the same period by two different sultans governing independent swathes of land. Taj being in the north and the Gol Gumbaz in southern India both the tombs separated by 1500 km, obviously were not aware of each other.

Gol Gumbaz took 29 years to complete, the Taj Mahal took 22 years to finish,Gol Gumbaz  is almost double the size of Taj. Yet where more than  I pondered whether Taj Mahal has a feminine fetish, while the Gol Gumbaz is geometrically masculine. At any given time more than 7 to 8 million tourists visit the Taj Mahal in a year, whereas the population of Agra is around 1,5 million. Comparatively very few tourists visit Gol Gumbaz just because it is not on the regular tourist trail and also not adequately publicised and promoted by the local Tourism people.

We moved out from the Gol Gumbaz complex but not before visiting the Museum which was not open when we had come in the morning, The Museum itself is a treasure house having a collection of Chinese porcelain, parchments, paintings, armoury, miniatures, stone sculptures and old Bijapur carpets etc.

The museum is open on all days from 10 am to 5 pm, except Fridays. Entrance is free.

Museum done and dusted by me and my wife

I was very thrilled by whatever I saw till now. We were now all the more eager to see what the city of Bijapur holds for us. Stay tuned for the next part of the blog to learn more about lives of sultans.

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