Tag: Off the beaten track

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Potholed Wonders

Somehow I have noticed that when people say ‘I love travelling’ it usually means foreign exotic destinations. Ask such people about something in their own city and one is more often than not likely to get a blank look. But of course there are exceptions!!


I admit I too had not done much ‘sight seeing’ of significant places close to my city, or indeed in the city itself. Something that I have been consciously working to overcome over the last year or so. This post is about one such wonderful place that I visited recently.


Potholes usually evoke images of roads riddled with holes and pits with traffic mayhem all around. So when I read about possibly several hundred years old naturally formed potholes near Pune which are geological wonders themselves I just had to go there… 

Natural potholes, geological wonders Pune
Natural potholes seen near Pune



These are at a place called Nighoj about a couple of hours drive (approx 90kms) from Pune. The road is excellent except the last part when one has to lurch across the country roads to actually reach the river bed. We are going to see potholes remember?? Jokes apart, these are formations in the bed of the River Kukdi.  The irregular jagged ‘holes’ or craters seem like a canyon and open up suddenly as one trudges along the hot rocky river bed. Despite seeing some amazing photographs in a magazine, the sight took my breath away.

These potholes are formed in the layered basalt rock of the river bed and extend for quite some distance and were about 25 feet wide and deep where we stood. The depth may be more in other parts according to reports. Being the peak of summer, the river had hardly any water, thanks also to the dam that is built on it. This showcased the full glory of the potholes and made them easily accessible as well. 

nighoj
Dam wall visible in the distance

The holes are shaped like a pot being wider in the centre

Geological wonders

A huge plus was that the river bed was very clean. There were a couple of temples on both sides of the river and a Laman Jhoola built across it. One can see the potholes slowly end and the river bed gets the usual flat appearance downstream.
 

Pune, Geological wonders
Temples and Laxman Jhoola


The area is home to the uncommon Capparis decidua. En route one passes several pomegranate fields as well as onion fields enroute where the harvested onions are stored in makeshift huts called ‘Kandyachee chaal’ कांद्याची चाळ (depending on the season you visit).

Kandyachee chal, pune
कांद्याची चाळ


 We were very lucky to see a colony of Swifts. It was a beautiful sight to see the birds feed their young ones. A binocular is a must!! Their nests are washed away every time the river fills up and they rebuild them again the next year. Tip: Keep utter silence so as the birds are not scared off.

Colony of Swifts

If you are in Pune with half a day to spare do visit this amazing place.The famous Ranjangaon Mahaganapati Temple is located close by on the main Nagar Road and can be easily added to to the itinerary.  
🙂
Happy travelling!

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Sacred groves (Nandivli)

I have written before about Devrai or Sacred Groves. I had the opportunity to visit one more recently with none other than the Patriach of Botany in my city. He gave us some more insights about Devrai which I would like to put into my own words.


Devrai is the marathi word for sacred groves, and loosely put, they can be described as forests that are protected by a local deity usually a Goddess (देवी) but some devrai have Khandoba or Mhasoba as their deity. The forest does not have a ‘temple’ in the form that we know it but it may be a simple structure made from local materials and the idol itself may be no more than a stone. Usually the offerings are flowers that have naturally fallen off trees and the blooms must not be deliberately plucked in a devrai. In fact nothing should be plucked in this forest or even taken away including dead or dry branches, twigs, leaves all of which must be left to decay there itself. The species growing in such protected forests thus get protection and thrive. Some shrubs, trees, roots etc may have medicinal properties. It is the ‘Bhagat’ who is the only person who is allowed to pluck such tree parts to help any sick villagers after offering due prayers to the tree. No one else can do so.


Sacred groves, Mulshi
Backwaters of the Mulshi Dam near Pune, Maharashtra



The Sahyadris have about 3000 devrai and the Mulshi area has up to 30 sacred groves. The Kudawale devrai near Dapoli is said to be spread over about 100 acres. These can serve as reference ecosystems which will help chose the
correct species for any new plantation, afforestation projects in
the area. It takes a thousand years or more for a proper forest to develop and simply planting a few hundred trees is not akin to creating a forest.


Dam, water, sacred groves, forests
The Sahyadri crest line near Mulshi Dam



It is such blind faith has helped protect the forests from the relentless march of so-called progress and urbanisation that has extended cement and mortar monstrosities way outside Pune. The area of some devrai has reduced and some do not have undergrowth. The latter is an indication of regeneration of the species growing there.  Lack of undergrowth heralds a bleak future for the devrai. Construction of new roads is a good thing but it may have a detrimental effect on such protected forests.


Here is a link to a Wikipedia article about devrai.


This article lists sacred groves in Maharashtra and here is one with some general information.


We recently visited a devrai near Mulshi. A tarred road to Lonavla ran through a part of this devrai. Access is by personal vehicles or an ST bus service from Pune (Swargate). As we neared Mulshi, the blazing red Dhaitee (Woodifordia fruiticosa) provided a welcome relief to the dry brown and yellow of the countryside as was the furry soft white inflorescence of the Bhamni. The weather had just started warming up and people were just about recovering from ‘Holi’. There was extensive flowering which was a pleasure and helped identification.

Bhamni: Cholebroochia oppositifolia

 We stepped out of the bus and were greeted by the sweet fragrance of the ‘Lokhandi’ (an Ixora species). You may remember the red walking sticks in Mahableshwar. They are made from this tree! Other trees specifically found in this grove were the Toran (Zizyphus rugosa). Its fruit is double the size of the usual Karwanda and is ready around the Divali festival. We were lucky to see blooming of the Waras (Heterophragma quadriloculare) , Vatoli (Diploclisia glaucescens), Shivan (Gmelina arborea), Kakad (Garuga pinnata) and Kuda. The Palas was in fruiting stage while the red blazing leaves of Baheda (Terminalia bellerica) and Kusumb gave a flaming touch to the scenery. I saw the Khedshingi with its strange looking fruit for the first time. The poisonous Hura (Sapium insigne) and Raan ghewda (Paracalyx scariosus) was a first for me as well.

My friends tell me that they could spot many varieties of birds and had an extremely satisfying bird spotting session here.
 

Here are some images (absolutely amateur variety!!) that I have taken during my visit to the devrai. Enjoy!


(Double click to open a new tab so the photo description can be seen)

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Heritage Walk

A heritage walk in Pune! While we vaguely knew about the history of the Shanivar Wada or the gram daivat (Kasba Ganapati and Jogeshwari) we were very curious to know if there were any remnants from the time that this city arose and developed. We have read about and participated in heritage walks, walking tours of other cities in the world… Reading a book and walking along simply would not recreate history. It had to be a guided walk…

Our wait was finally over with a walk organised by Nature Walk and Creative Outdoors with Sharveya Dhongde as the expert. It was an amazing experience! He ably recreated the atmosphere of a bygone era as we visited some ancient temples that are not commonly know and recounted the related history as we went by.
The ‘walk’ began punctually which is quite a feat for Puneites who are notorious for their disregard for punctuality! This boded well for the next few hours…

A chance meeting with Shri Pandurang Balakawade a famous historian was an added unexpected bonus as he shared his knowledge with us – right there, outside the Kasba Ganapati. A great coincidence indeed! I made the mistake of not carrying a pen and my faithful dairy hence this post is based on my recollections. There are bound to be some gaps which I intend to correct as and when I do get correct info. Please bear with these shortcomings…


First mentions of Pune were in the 11th, 12th and 13th century literature as a tiny settlement on the banks of the Mutha River. There are references to temples, some of which still exist and are worshiped. Our walk that began at the Shaniwar Wada covered some of these sites namely the Kedareshwar temple, Kasba temple, Tambat Ali, Trishund Ganapati, Nageshwar temple, ruins of an old ‘Kot’ built by a Bahamani king and Dhakta Sheikh Salla. The Punyeshwar and Narayeshwar temples do not exist now.

In the above period, making bangles out of shells from Gujarat and a type of pottery was a predominant occupation of Punekars in that era. They traded spices and cotton cloth via ports on the western coast with European countries. The town was pretty tiny then and limited almost only to areas around the present Kasba Peth. Three major odhe (streams) flowed down from the Bhuleshwar range of the Sahyadris and through the town. Easy access to water may have been one reason for the habitation to prosper.

Some time in the former half of 1600s the city was destroyed by Adilshah of Bijapur and a donkey led plough was said to have been used to raze the city. It was only when Jijbai and her young son Shivba came to Pune with the dream to set up the Maratha empire that Pune got a second life. A golden plough was said to have been used to plough the ground to rejuvinate agriculture… Gradually the town grew as did the power of Shivaji… Prosperity came to Pune.
After Shivaji, the Peshwas contributed extensively to city development.

We got a first hand impression of narrow byelanes (called bol, ali in Pune) which were part of the ‘Peth’ development. Street planning in the later Peths is more organised and plot sizes based on use (narrow deep plots for business areas and bigger squarish plots for the then cantonment area in Sadashiv Peth). Dwellings in Kasba Peth were very close – uncomfortably so for us present day urbanites! Yet several hundred years ago it must have made sense to live close together to ward off enemies…

During their reign (from somewhere in the 1710s), the Peshwas created many lakes around Pune and redirected the three main odhe (streams) by building pipelines. This not only freed up land for construction but became a water source since the river water could not cater to the by now rising population. These masonary pipes were tall enough for a man to stand up in and exist till now.

History and growth of Pune during and after the Peshwa rule, during the British Raj and the Independence struggle is available more freely. Most vade (square residential buildings) that exist now are from this period.


It was a wonderful three hours, a journey back in time to learn how this city arose. We appreciate the organisers efforts and Sharveya Dhongde in taking us on back in time. We look forward to more such walks!

Cheers!
Archana
While authorities have made some efforts at restoration or protection of such historical sites more needs to be done. I have included links to some web articles with more information about places mentioned in this post. Do share any historical information or links to them so we all are better informed.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_700-year-old-temple-to-be-restored-by-pmc_1540045

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-12-10/pune/27294289_1_fort-mutha-river-kasba-peth

http://www.intach-pune.org/html/18thcenturypune.html


http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/990.html

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Sacred Groves (Devrai)

My first visit to a Devrai (as sacredgroves are called in Maharashtra) was both scary and exhilarating. Scary because I was walking over a thick carpet of dead leaves not knowing what lay or lived underneath with the sunlight barely filtering to the ground throughthe dense tree canopy. Exhilarating because I had the opportunity to see decades old trees that had survived Man’s relentless tree cutting due to unshaken faith in the residing deity in that forest. Some trees looked so huge that the cement statue was possibly installed later… So what came first, the idol or the trees?? 

The sequence is immaterial, the preservation of species is what matters.This has happened because according to folklore one is not supposed to take away anything from a devrai, no flowers, leaves, twigs, seeds.. nothing. That may have helped protect these trees from being destroyed in the insidiously growing cement jungle and kept it out of the clutches of the money-minded “land lobby”.



Loth, a tree seen in a devrai near Pune

Vatoli


The only sounds to be heard were our feet crunching on the leaves, birds chirping as they possibly discussed our presence in the devrai with their brethren(friend or foe?) and insects that set up the ocassional crescendo ending in an abrupt silence. The silence compelled us to stop meaningless discussions and focus on the beauty that lay before us.
 
Next time you are driving on a high way, do take time to walk through one and let the pervading peace seep into your very soul.
Visit these links to learn more about sacred groves in India and their locations:
http://www.ecoheritage.cpreec.org/innerpageof.php?$mFJyBfKPkE6
http://edugreen.teri.res.in/explore/forestry/groves.htm
Cheers!

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