Sojourn in the Sahyadris - Kalsubai

Kalsubai


“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” 
― Barry Finlay, Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra, but that is not saying much; as at 1646 metres it is hardly the "Everest of Maharashtra" it is made out to be. Nevertheless it is an invigorating climb and though not a technical ascent it is steep and tests ones stamina. The panorama from the top make the arduous climb worth it.

Vishnu, the guide 
 There are many "how to" blogs on the net so I will refrain from a travelogue style, rather giving a potpourri of my experiences. Kalsubai is about an hour from Igatpuri and there are many ways of getting to Bari, the village at the base.  I drove from Igatpuri and taking a wrong turn finally ended up at Jahagirdarwadi, a few hundred metres short of Bari. It is possible to start climbing from here as well, so good luck for my guide Vishnu whom I found here, he was waiting and hoping for a stray tourist like me. I recommend that you engage a guide for two fundamental reasons, firstly you are contributing to the economy of relatively poor people; and secondly getting out of the cluster of huts in the village in the dark of early morning can be confusing. Besides, for a lone walker like me, Vishnu was great company.

The first temple about an hour into the walk
Start in the dark to avoid the heat of the day. I started at 5.30 am in January, it was pitch dark and I needed my head torch continuously  till the sun rose over the horizon at about 7.30 am.   Early in the morning at this time of the year it can be quite chill, specially before I started climbing.  I quickly warmed up into the walk and in a short while had to roll up my sleeves. 

Sunrise 
Due to the haze and hills on the horizon, the sun becomes visible a while after actual sunrise.Because I started early, I had finished the three hour climb (for me) before it became too warm. Once the sun is out it gets hot. Carry lots of water, as there is no natural source and the bottled water at the stalls en route are expensive.  I met families who had started on their "picnic" at about 10 am, I wonder how many reached the top in the heat later in the day?

The climb is steep
and there are iron ladders at three places to enable walkers to cross tricky rock walls. My walk-meter showed a climb of  900m in a little over a kilometer. Be that as it may, the steepness is evident in the thighs and calves on the return.  It took me three hours to reach the top and about two easy hours to return.  Being a Sunday, there were many people on the route, hundreds, and at some ladders one had to step aside to allow people to pass. 

Kalsubai, the top
is on a rocky promontory at the top of the hill. The rocky top is accessible by going up a steel ladder for about 20 metres.  Just before the final ladder, visible in this picture, there is a flat ground with many stalls selling food and drink.  The 'kanda bhajjia" were deliciously hot and tasty but the tea was insipid.  Most people stop for a snack here on their way down and on Sundays the crowd can be large. The flat ground around allows groups to gather and some to even camp for the night.

Kalsubai, the temple
is located at the apex, a tiny temple, but it has a flourishing economy of stalls selling "peda" and other pooja ingredients outside. During various auspicious festivals, I am told, crowds throng here for the pooja.  In this picture one can see some of the number of walkers at the top.  Some trekkers come the previous evening and camp here and around, or start climbing at 2 am so as to be at the top at sunrise.  The views from the top are breathtaking and despite the haze one can see the range of hills around. The view is enhanced by the long shadows of the hills in the range in the early morning.   

A hungry monkey
has two fruit,  one gripped in each set of paws.  Trekkers feed the monkeys who have become bold and aggressive, grabbing anything loose.  My guide told me that unattended rucksacks and water bottles  are often picked up by these animals. The route is dry and dusty at this time of the year; a fine dust is kicked up by those passing and many stall operators are seen covering their nose and mouth.

Stalls everywhere...
Most flat spaces have a local selling something, from the ubiquitous nimbu pani and  guava grown in home gardens, to the more commercial bhajjia and packeted eatables. The route is lined with commerce, a cloth spread on the ground, a table with the makings of nimbu pani and well covered stalls with tables and chairs. There is someone selling something somewhere.

And finally...
having been up and down, I drove off to a wayside dhaba and treated myself to the most delicious hot and fresh tandoori rotis and tadka dal.  The resort town of Bhandardara with its famous dam and waterfall is nearby and the route is lined with eating places big and small. Climbing is hungry business and so till my next walk I leave you with this sage advice:

“Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end.”  -Edward Whymper