Boats (Wordless Wednesday)
The White Ghost
The White Ghost! Words that one usually associates with paranormal beings, dark nights, the other world and so on. There is yet another kind of white ghost that is visible to the naked eye and tangible to touch.
Do I hear your ‘what’ and ‘where’???
Without any further ado let me not increase the suspense. A tree called Sterculia urens is commonly referred to as the White Ghost simply because of its shiny white trunk. In fact, its said that this is the only tree that can be identified in the dark because of the colour of its trunk.
Do I hear your ‘what’ and ‘where’???
Without any further ado let me not increase the suspense. A tree called Sterculia urens is commonly referred to as the White Ghost simply because of its shiny white trunk. In fact, its said that this is the only tree that can be identified in the dark because of the colour of its trunk.
I am told that it is commonly seen in Tadoba but I encountered it in the forest at Sasan Gir. We were there to see the King but the White Ghost was the one that held my attention. It gave tantalising glimpses in a distance as we cruised around in our Gypsy (a vehicle by Maruti Suzuki). Now you saw it and now you don’t. It had disappeared behind a mass of Teak trees. Sanctuary rules forbade us from getting off the Gypsy to go closer to investigate. The closest we could manage was at a distance of about 50m but the image has stayed with since.
My amateurish images on the point on shoot camera do no justice to the stunning trunk texture. The totally bare branches had a pannicles of inflorescence at its end. Some trees had extensive branching resembling a dancer with multiple outstretched arms.
Our guide called it the Gum Tree and I have since learnt that the gum karaya exuded by this tree is used as a thickener, stabliser and emulsifier in foodstuffs. Roasted seeds are eaten.
I had seen one tree of this type on the Sinhagad slope but that trunk was not as dramatic as the one at Gir. I am told that the tree trunk changes colour, a fact that I have yet to verify.
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| Fruit and leaf of Sterculia urens (this image from the tree at Sinhagad) |
In his book ‘Deshi Vruksha’ , Prof SD Mahajan has described this tree in detail. Belonging to the Sterculiaceae family, its flowers don’t look like flowers, fruit does not look like a fruit either.
The bark of this tree changes colour from white to copper tinges, flaky and green when its leafless. Pradip Krishen’s ‘Jungle Trees of Central India’ has a wonderful collation of images of this magical bark!
Trees called Shivan (Marathi name for Gmelina arborea), Kinhai (Albezia procera) and Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) also have dramatic yellowish white trunks.
Have you seen this magnificent tree? Do you know of any other beautiful tree?
Take care and Happy Tree Spotting!
🙂
How Many People Do You See? (Wordless Wednesday)
Bird (Wordless Wednesday)
A Trek For All Reasons
The Kas Plateau has attracted huge interest from nature lovers and people seeking a good spot for a days trip out of Pune. However its very beauty and easy accessibility has caused the Kas Plateau to become a horribly overcrowded place when in the flowering season (Aug-Sep) every year. For this very reason, I grabbed a recent the opportunity to visit the Raireshwar Plateau which also is home to several ephemeral species. My visit lived up to all my expectations in terms of floral diversity and beauty and as a trek of course. The final part of our route to the Raireshwar Plateau involved climbing up 328 steps at a dizzying height and this may possibly be the deterrent reason as we encounted almost no crowds there.
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| The picturesque countryside beckons |
After an early start from Pune, we drove down to the Korle village and walked up to Raireshwar. The track was fairly easy except for large stones embedded in the track. Monsoon rains in the initial part of the season had painted the entire region into brilliant green hues. However the rain gods had frowned upon the state it was no different for us.. the easy trek turned to a tough one as we had to deal with the blazing sun. The occasional cloud drifted across to provide some relief as did three water falls flowing down from the top of the mountain range. This climb can take about an hour in good weather.
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| Spot the track as it winds up the mountain |
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| Walking up in the blazing merciless sun |
The track joins the tarred road for a short while and again turns towards the plateau. Technically, the route is motorable till the base of the steps and one need not trek up all the way (Its the Ghera Kenjalgad road according to my map). Of course that means missing out on some phenomenal views, raptor sightings as well as the changing flora with increasing elevation. So take your pick!
The steps that I have mentioned are part stone part iron ladders into and over the craggy mountain face and have a protective hand rail on one side. They are sufficiently wide for a trekker to climb up along with her gear. While we had only a gentle breeze to break the heat of the sun, I am sure the situation must be different on other days considering that we were now at over 4000 feet above sea level. Yet the view as one climbs up is stupendous, breathtaking, plus every other adjective you can think of.. provided one does not have fear of heights!
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| Zoom in to see the steps |
The steps taper off into the plateau where I met a couple of boys selling ‘ताक’ (buttermilk). They were perched in the branches of a tree with the container hanging from the lowest branch. What a great spot to sell to thirsty weary trekkers! We gladly took the glass he offered (Rs 10) but it did not offer the relief that buttermilk usually does, due its intense garlic garnish! I wonder why they did that…
Unlike Kas, the plateau was not totally flat but had some gentle undulations and all were covered with the cream/yellow coloured blossoms of the Indian Arrowroot (called Chavar in Marathi) – Curcuma caulina. I’ll let my photos do the rest of the talking with respect to flowers!
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| At the top |
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| Curcuma caulina flowers (Chavar) |
We had to walk some distance (possibly about a kilometer but seemed like much more in the intense sun) to reach the temple area. Raireshwar is home to the temple where the young 16-year old Shivaji cut his finger at the Shiva temple to take oath of a Hindavi Swaraj. Hence the huge historical importance of Raireshwar. (The pujari had left by the time I made it to the temple so I was unable to get ‘darshan’) En route to the temple is a spring that emerges from a Gomukh. Beyond is the Pandav leni and a quarry that has sand with seven-colours. We could not make it to the caves or the quarry but I am told both are worth visiting. There is small village on the plateau and there was a board indicating a school… I wonder if it was functional…. The locals do provide simple wholesome fare which is well worth a try.
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| The structure with the white roof is the temple where Shivba took oath of Hindavi Swaraj |
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| Dipmal outside the temple |
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| Inscription in Modi script in the temple wall |
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| Shivaji statue installed recently |
The return journey seemed faster possibly helped by some clouds that took the bite out of the sun. All in all a wonderful day’s trek from Pune… one that is certainly recommended especially if you like to spot and identify flora. We were lucky to see a Blue Mormon Butterfly!
All in all, this trek met all my criteria of a perfect weekend outing– walk, views, trees and flowers, history, heritage, new destination.
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| Kenjalgad visible in the distance |
Inspired to plan a visit?? Here are some images of the flowers we spotted, to help strenthen your resolve
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| Sun-kissed flowers seen growing along the steps |
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| Chlorophytum species |
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| Adelocaryum malabarica (aka Kali nisurdi) |
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| A lovely pond on the plateau. A serene peaceful spot |
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| Impatiens dalzelii (aka Pivla terda) |
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| Murdannia sp |
There is so much beauty just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed in India. So many places that one reads of but never makes the effort to visit. We have finally begun this journey.
What about you? Go on . Start now… Its never too late..
🙂
Monsoon Beauty (Wordless Wednesday)
Blue (Wordless Wednesday)
X is for eXtreme, eXcellent, eXtraordinary
We are almost at the end of the April 2015 AtoZ Blogging Challenge and the letter X is almost always eXtra challenging!! I am writing about gardens in Pune and I think the tedkis (hills) of Pune some of which have reserve forests on the top are truly unique to this city.
These tekdis offer all of the adjectives in the title of this post:
eXtraordinary: Pune is blessed with two rivers and importantly also has many hills located right inside the city limits. They can justly be called as the lungs of the city! We have the Vetal Tekdi (which is the highest), Hanuman Tekdi (which has the Gokhale Smarak Stambh), Parvati temple which is atop the Parvati hill, the Parvati Pachgaon forest area, the Tukai Tekdi and Durga Tekdi. The changing landscape over the seasons is a visual treat!
These tekdis offer all of the adjectives in the title of this post:
eXtraordinary: Pune is blessed with two rivers and importantly also has many hills located right inside the city limits. They can justly be called as the lungs of the city! We have the Vetal Tekdi (which is the highest), Hanuman Tekdi (which has the Gokhale Smarak Stambh), Parvati temple which is atop the Parvati hill, the Parvati Pachgaon forest area, the Tukai Tekdi and Durga Tekdi. The changing landscape over the seasons is a visual treat!
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| Poster |
eXcellent: the hills are excellent places to exercise – for a walk, jog or even train for long treks in the Himalayas. In fact, March and April are months when one commonly sees many walking up and down the hills with huge backpacks, as they gear up for their outings in June or July… The tekdis are also home to some indigenous tree species that are either uncommon or are simply not seen in the city. Some of the trees are Ganer (Cochlospermum religiosum ), Bartondi (Morinda pubescens), Salai (Boswellia serrata), many species of the Capparis Genus. Regular walkers very commonly sight Peacocks on their morning walks on the Vetal tekdi as also a variety of birds… What bliss…
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| Acacia sp |
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| Alangium salvifolium |
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| Gardenia turgida |
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| Dichrostachys cinerea |
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| Dolichondrone falcata |
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| Evolvulus alsinoides |
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| Flower of Watakaka volubilis |
eXtreme: They are an example of extremes of human intervention. Some hillocks have been almost flattened as they have been razed to make way for buildings and concrete jungles all under the name of development. Simultaneously, other hills have been ‘saved’ by peoples movements and resistance to the same ‘development’. There are umpteen examples of organisations who have taken up ‘greening’ of the hills or who spend their Sunday mornings cleaning up the waste or folks who daily take up some water to water new plantations!
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| Morning walkers fill up such bottles and carry them up to water saplings to help them survive the harsh summer heat |
The most surprising part of these tekdis is that despite their obvious presence, a large number of people are simply unaware of this wonderful natural beauty. I know of people who have lived over five decades in Pune and still have not gone to any of the our tekdis…
The tekdis should be a must-visit place in the itinerary of every nature lover visiting Pune.
Cheers!
PS: Location Map here.
U is for Udan
The Udan Biodiversity Park and Sensory Garden is a one of its kind garden in the city, one that I have already written about earlier. As the name suggests, Udan is both a sensory garden and focuses on biodiversity as well. Do read about its excellent sensory elements here.
The site of this park used to be an abandoned and overgrown plot with a nullah at one end. Naturally it became a dumping ground of sorts, an eyesore and generally a unhealthy place. As part of its CSR initiatives, the Zensar Foundation (Zensar is an IT company that is located close by) partnered the PMC to develop this plot into a biodiversity plot. They recruited experts who reused a lot of rocks and soil from the area to create something unique. Specially chosen plants helped attract butterflies – these provided them food and also a place to lay eggs.In fact the garden layout itself is in the shape of a butterfly!
The site of this park used to be an abandoned and overgrown plot with a nullah at one end. Naturally it became a dumping ground of sorts, an eyesore and generally a unhealthy place. As part of its CSR initiatives, the Zensar Foundation (Zensar is an IT company that is located close by) partnered the PMC to develop this plot into a biodiversity plot. They recruited experts who reused a lot of rocks and soil from the area to create something unique. Specially chosen plants helped attract butterflies – these provided them food and also a place to lay eggs.In fact the garden layout itself is in the shape of a butterfly!
The rocks have been artistically placed to create a wonderful fountain and a waterfall. Medicinal, aromatic and flowering and indigenous species have been planted and some are specifically to encourage kids to explore their sense of smell, touch, sight and taste.
The high point is the small but thriving shrub of Frerea indica – a species that has been brought back from brink of extinction.
A stark reminder of the damage to the environment is in the form of a ‘graveyard’ with placards for species that have become extinct.
In fact, there is a small nursery where the gardeners are happy to give visitors saplings of plants in their garden. For free. I came away with Marjorum and Basil saplings that are happily growing in my balcony.
A park that every Punekar should be proud of!
Info:
Entry: Free
Time: 6AM to 10AM and 4PM to 8PM
Parking: On the road
Location Map here.
J is for JJ Garden
J is for JJ Garden and strangely I actually ventured into this garden because of the highly popular Vada Pav stall (some label it as the best) located at the park gates. Vada Pav is a typical Maharashtrian fast food and is a deep fried potato patty eaten sandwiched in a Pav (can be loosely described as bun). Cheap and satisfying food of the first order which can be eaten on the go at any time and any place!
Hey, this post about gardens not food so lets enter the park. Unlike others we have visited so far on the A to Z tour, this one is managed by the Pune Cantonment Board.
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| Fountain |
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| Trees have motivational quotes. This one says “Happiness lies, first of all, in Health: George Willian Curtis” |
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| Oriental style gazebo |
The park trees have boards with interesting motivational quotes – though I dont know how many people even bother to read them. I saw a lovely Soap nut tree bearing fruit as also really big Banyan and Tamarind trees. For some reason there were large Putranjeev (also called Child life tree) – but their pretty drooping green branches more than made up for downsides of the garden.
Located as it is in the hub of the commercial area, the garden is quite noisy but the kids playing there did not seem to mind it one bit! The garden could be better maintained and it has scope to be a wonderful resting spot in this very busy area of Pune.
Info:
Entry: INR 1 single entry ticket
Parking: In adjoining lanes
Rest rooms: No
Location Map here.