Kaas Plateau, Bamnoli and Thoseghar... in high places !

Recently went on an overnight trip to the Kaas Plateau , near Satara, in the Western Maharashtra inland region.

This Kaas Plateau, situated  roughly 20 kms away from  the northern part of the Koyna Sanctuary, and a similar distance away from the city of Satara, is part of the Sahyadri Range, at an elevation of about 1200 metres and speard over 1000 hectares. The major part of this plateau is a Reserve Forest area, and the part we visited borders the Kaas Lake , which actually supplies water (by gravity) to western part of Satara. This area has extremes of climate from biting cold to burning non-humid hot.

Basically made of exposed basalt rock, this plateau , due to erosion has a fine (roughly a few inches) layer of soil covering it. Water gets accumulated within the uneven surfaces, and basically this favours the growth of herbaceous plants(grasses) on the plateau.

During the monsoon months,  this plateau gets approximately 4000 mm of rain, is home to more than   1,500 types of plants belonging to over 156 botanical families, 680 genera, and 1,452 species.  624 species are mentioned in the endangered list, out of which 33 species are found on the Kaas Plateau. The UNESCO has Declared this plateau as a World Heritage Site.
 
Beginning June, and the onset of the monsoon in Maharashtra,  the plateau is home to blooms of different colors.

This year , we have had a deficient monsoon. Yet, thanks to the restriction on human movement and protection measures on the plateau,  the flowers have kept there date.

We started from Dadar(Mumbai) at night, and reached Satara by road in the early hours. After a bit of rest and light breakfast, we proceeded to the plateau.  This was followed by a trip to the Bamnoli Lake, and then to the Thoseghar waterfalls.  We returned home to Mumbai, very late at night on the same day, enriched by the wonders of nature which I captured, as below.

 

The information board in Marathi, that greeted us on arrival .  A lot of people , treat this as a picnic spot, unconcerned about spoiling the environment with their trash. This board is a request to folks to cooperate with the the Forest Department, the Police , and the Kaas Volunteers , and help maintain the Plateau, as it was meant to be.  You can see that it has been fenced to keep out mindless trespassers.

 

My first view of the plateau in the morning , mists in the distance  hovering on top of the Sahyadris.

 

 Shades of  pink/purple  , my first sighting. of JaambhLaa Terda or  Impatiens Lawii, amidst a bed of  Golden Sonki  or Senecio Grahamii

 Life was all fresh, pink and beautiful, possibly because  so many who would walk rough shod , were kept away in the distance.  It was my experience that despite rules, many folks thought that they improved the beauty of the plateau by lying amidst the flowers, possibly crushing some.

 

 Another view of the Kaas Paathar  as it is locally called, or Plateau ..

 

 Notice that the authorities have fenced in the area, and only authorized people work inside.

 

 It was early in the morning, and I found this complicated exhaustive web spun by spiders amidst the green;  currently decorated by raindrops.... 

 

 These white flowers are called Pangend in Marathi, and otherwise called Eriocaulon tuberiferum (Tuberous Pipewort) .  No one plants these flowers, they grow on their own each monsoon, and you wonder how they occupy certain areas and dont occupy other areas.  Maybe differences in soil and moisture. And yes, pollination.

Another beauty called  Jartari (Marathi: जरतारी) - also known as slender flemingia. What an amazing royal purple, and how appropriate is
जरतारी!

This bright and simple one, holding its own amidst other curvy types,  and  called Sonki, or  Senecio grahamii

This one called Halunda in Marathi,  or otherwise, Vigna Vexillata or "Elephant's trunk" . As soon as an  insect lands on the central petal, an elephant trunk like projection comes out bathing the insect with its pollen. The formal name Vigna ,is based on a 17th century Italian botanist, but you cannot fail to notice the connection between the "Elephant's trunk" and our traditional "Vigna"harta .....     :-) 

 Lifestages of the Sonki

 This one called Kandil Kharchudi in Marathi,  or Ceropegia Vincaefolia officially. Considered a critically endangered plant. A rare sighting. This plant traps particular insects for pollination opening up the top structure. The insect cannot get out because of unidirectional hair which leads them only inside. Once pollination is done, the flower droops, and  insect is allowed to leave.

A closer look at the Pangend (Marathi गॆंद)  or Eriocaulon tuberiferum (Tuberous Pipewort) which is actually an aquatic herb.  Grows on the rims of ponds , this is an endangered plant , and its entire suitable habitat is found to be just a kilometre squared of land.  Its existence is threatened by grazing animals, windmills and the area being a mining area.

I need someone to identify this plant. It is a typical wild grass inflorescence according to experts.

A closer look

This is रान हळद in Marathi or  the wild turmeric , or Curucuma Aromatica  plant above, growing in profusion. Found only in eastern Himalayas and warm Sahyadri regions.

This is known as Nisurdi निसुर्डी  in Marathi, or formally as Boraginaceae (forget-me-not family) -Adelocaryum coelestinum.  A perennial , this is commonly found in the Mahableshwar Hills. 

This one is called Aabhali आभाली flower, or formally  Cyanotis tuberosa. This plant has great medicinal properties.

This one called Smithia Hirsuta (hairy Smita) or कावला in Marathi. This plant figures in the Unesco Red list of endangered plants .

A brilliant field of जांभळी मंजिरी or Pogostemon Deccanensis growing amidst marshy land  bordering one of the numerous water bodies found on the plateau .  Notice the Homo Sapien reflected amidst it all. The purple flowers on a light green stalk make for brilliant viewing.

A new one coming into the world at Kaas Plateau.  Notice the super clear water.

As the जांभळी मंजिरी enjoys looking into a crystal clear mirror ....

The greatly prevalent Impatiens Lawii, or जाम्भ्ळा तेरडा found in large parts of the Kaas Paathar .

This appears to be another variety of wild turmeric or रान हळद.  Suggestions invited from those who think this is something else.

This appears to be a plant belonging to the Salvia Species; a Sage inflorescence.

Above, Eriocaulon Sedgewickii or गॆंद in Marathi. There are huge fields of these white flowers. 

Known as Ceropegia Media (Marathi : मेडी खरचुडी)  this plant is a slender climber. The flower tubes are lined with small hairs that trap insects and initiate pollination.

This one called Grass of the Dew or Cyanotis Tuberosa. Called Aabhali आभाली in Marathi.  Also called Ears of the Cat.

This one called Blue Fountain Bush - Bharangi भरंगी. Official name is Clerodendrum Serratum. This flower too has medicinal properties and is used for inflammatory respiratory diseases and fever.

Indian Arrowroot  or Curcuma Caulina Flower blooms   at the Kaas plateau. This plant has several dietic and medicinal uses.

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We departed the Kaas  PaaThaar on our way to the Thoseghar Waterfalls via the Bamnoli lake, where we planned to break for lunch.

Bamnoli is a village roughly 15 kms away from Kaas Plateau, and is on the shores of the Shivsagar lake formed by backwaters of the Koyna Dam. Paddy cultivation is the main occupation of the village folks, and now a days, some have ventured out into offering boating at the lake , which comes right up to the village streets in the monsoons. 

  

The lake shore

A typical scene as we drove from Bamnoli to Thoseghar Waterfalls. One may faintly see windmills on the top of the flat mountain top on the left. 

There has been a lot of development here. This is a view of an entrance to a local Engineering college. Right in front of the white multistorey structure, is a lifesize (or more) statue of Hanuman , perhaps to inspire the students .

The inspirational Hanuman of the Hills

The drive to Thoseghar Falls  involved a climb through some ghats.

Just before we disembarked at the entrance to the Thoseghar Falls.

The Thoseghar falls are a natural formation along the Kaalganga River basin, with a drop of 800 metres, creating some impressive waterfalls. The local  authorities have created viewing areas for visiting the Big falls and the fewer Smaller Falls, and a trail linking the two.   Much care has been taken to prevent people from carelessly treating this as just another picnic spot, and messing it up with trash, and plastic, and strict rules and fines are indicated.

Pathways leading to the waterfalls.

The Big Waterfall as it is called.

The two Smaller Waterfalls

Where the water flows through a narrow gorge, over stones and rocks, after falling a distance of 800 mtrs vertically .

A closer look at the Smaller Falls. You can see the fencing of the Viewing Area.

The Falls, having reached much lower......

And this again, a typical view of what is the main preoccupation of the villgers. Rice growing and farming.   Post monsoon, this is the color of Maharashtra around the Sahyadris .  

    

The Gorakhgad Trek.

Gorakhgad and Macchindragad, two forts named after a disciple and his guru (both saints) respectively,  lie in the extended Bhimashankar  range of the Sahyadris,  within the Murbad Taluka of Thane District.

These forts were of strategic importance during the reign of Shahaji Raje (father of Shivaji Maharaj), and later during Shivaji's reign were actually used as a stopover point / activity tracking place  during journeys to Junnar via Naneghat. 

We travelled to Kalyan on the Central Railway Suburban network , and then by local public road transport.  The base village is a place called Dehri. There is a Gorakshnath temple on the Murbad Dehri  route , which is the starting point of the trek.

You can see the two peaks , and strangely, the bigger one, is Gorakhgad, while the one named after the guru, Macchindragad,  is the smaller peak .

  Gorakhgad , at an elevation of 2125 feet,  is approached by a path that starts just behind the Gorakshnath temple. The path winds around through an extremely dense jungle , and one is advised to come here only with those who have trekked here before, else it is easy to get lost.

We trekked through an extremely dense jungle, with narrow paths, sort of mildly uphill till we reached on a  clearing.  After this, the gradient got steeper,  the monsoon vegetation, and the sudden rain, also made climbing a bit messy and difficult.  The thick jungle blocked most of the natural light.  About 20 minutes of steep trekking and we came to a plateau of sorts.

We could see at times, the caves of Gorakhgad, and also saw a Vana Vibhag banner announcing features of the Fort.

The jungle slowly thinned out to a grassy area as we climbed further and up, and the last part was all about climbing through some rock cut staircases. After climbing Kalavantin Durg, and Harihar Fort, I felt these were the hardest steps to handle, as they were steep, the fall on the sides was steep, and many of these steps were broken.  Something I didnt mention was the sudden onset of rain and heavy winds.

Like in previous treks where we had to climb rock cut steps, the descent was much more difficult, and at one point I descended sitting on the steps.

At one point there was also a metal detatchable ladder provided to aid the trekkers.

I found this trek harder than the earlier ones , but extremely wonderful.

Some photographs in this collection have been taken by my friend fellow trekker  Ranchodas Das.  Included in here to make the narrative more complete.
 

Traveling to the base village Dehri  by a local rickshaw transport. The Mumbai suburban railways get you used to hanging and leaning out.

We took the road to the right which led to the Gorakshnath Temple. Our first view of the Gorakhgad and Macchindragad  peaks.

The winding path through the jungle were preceded by local fields, and cattle.

So many different varieties of green in the jungle as we trudged through .

Dense vegetation all around us, and this was one of the more well defined paths.

We proceed amidst the jungle in single file as the path winds slowly uphill. The gradient here was not steep at all, and the climb was not strenuous at all .

I clicked someone else doing its own climb amidst the leaves, and like us, it must have been amazed at the jungle cover.

Paths with huge rocks , often provided a place to anchor a hold , in the soil which was slushy due to rain.

A view of the surrounding plains, as captured when we reached the first clearing in the mountains.  Notice the variety of the trees.

Onward we climb, as it gets steeper as well as the jungle gets even more dense.

Another view  of the plains, from a bit higher and from another side of the mountain as our trek path winds around it..

No, I am not trying to push it.  But this is just what lay in our path as we proceeded upwards.

You can tell we have reached the plateau of sorts , much higher than before. It also threatens to rain and the clouds are closing in.

This was almost like a place made for me.  The ancient Shiva temple we were about to see  must have inspired me, but I apologize for doing this still wearing my trekking shoes.

It is almost as if this barren branch leaned back is surprise on sighting the Gorakhgad peak so close, and said "Aiyyo!"....

The Forest department provides information about the Gorakhgad and Macchindragad at this point.  We have come roughly one kilometre up, and will now see ancient Satvahan dynasty ruins , carvings,  caves, and must now face rock cut steps in out final approach to the peak.

The ancient Shiva Temple precincts.

More of the same temple.

The padukas  still preserved at the temple. 

The dense jungle now gives way to grassy land as we approach the peak

 This is how tall the grass was. (The tallest among us was sitting there) ...

 

 A clear sky and it inspires this click .

 

Machhindragad , clicked through a gap as we climb. 

 

 We have reached the caves , approaching from the left. The greyish rock in the centre of this photo hides the steps which we climb to enter the caves.

 

 We had come in from the steps on the left . Above us lies the steepest climb to the peak. I still wonder how devotees climbed these places in the old days, and did penance in the caves.

 

 Another view of the caves, highlighting the steep gradient to the peak, and the sheer drop below the caves. 

 

An inside view  of the caves, with art work and inscriptions.  This place was amazingly free of the typicall graffiti one sees normally. Possibly because hordes of people do not come to visit Gorakhgad.  

 

 Some views of what surrounded us as we climbed on.

 

Steep falls and tough rocks. And when you climb , it is a treasure of history.

 

We finally make it to the top, climbing carefully through some very old rock cut steps, which don't just go straight but take assorted turns .

And yes, it is a sheer drop from where I sit.  The Sahyadris in their majesty, dense jungles and all,  surrounding it all.

Macchindragad , standing close by, in its own majestic glory.

 

Our trekking group, enjoying a well deserved rest . It was like watching a movie of Mother Nature all around us, but I wouldn't want to be sitting in the front seat....

Another view of Macchindragad

I make an effort to stand on Gorakhgad , right alongside Macchindragad. 

 

A Shiva temple at the Gorakhgad peak 

Yes. We begin the descent, and as always, with all these steps, this is more difficult than the ascent. You can see some other group people being very careful, clutching the rocks for support and slowly descending.

At one point, i decided that the only way to descend was by sitting down. And it seemed to work.

A twenty foot rope has been installed at this point to help trekkers hold on and descend the difficult parts.  Some didn't need to use it, but it was helpful.

 This is the detachable ladder provided on Gorakhgad. It fixes into knotches in the rock, and you stand on it and climb down. Here is one of our group doing the needful as i prepare to come down. And another member keeps watch from after me.

 The descent continues in a careful manner. It had rained and the steps were extremely slippery.

  A much needed break below the peak structure, leaning against the rock. What you do not see is the steep drop down on the left.

 The rain , the clouds, and the camera all conspired . Perhaps the Gorakhgad thought another new Fort had suddenly come up on the left.  :-)

 I had to capture these grasses just for the color.

Bidding goodbye to the mountains.

 And here , bidding goodbye to you....