Trek to Chavand - Naneghat - Nanacha Angtha

Junnar Taluka in Pune is surrounded by some fantastic hill forts. Some of them are Shivneri, Jivdhan, Hadsar, Chavand. Places like Malshej Ghat and Naneghat are the must visit sites during peak monsoon. We chose to visit couple of them and planned a one day trek to Fort Chavand, Naneghat & Nanacha Angtha on a rainy weekend in July.

Distance

Pune to Junnar – 93 KM

Junnar to Chavand Villege – 16 KM

Chavand Villege to Naneghat – 13.5 KM

Route

Pune – Narayan Gaon via Nashik Road – Take a left at Narayangaon for Junnar - Chavand Villege – Naneghat

Three of us, myself, Pritesh and Aditya left Pune around 4.30 AM and reached Junnar by 7.00 AM. It was early morning for a village like Junnar so we found it difficult to get the breakfast. Otherwise the entire route is full of restaurants and Dhabas. Luckily there was one restaurant about to open on that early morning where we had our breakfast. The base of Fort Chavand is around 16 KM from Junnar main square, which took us around an hour to reach. We began the ascend by 9.00 AM.

Fort Chavand

History

“Founder of Nizam Dynasty, Nizam Ahmed was the first Nizamshah who acquired the fort of Chavand after the dissolution of the Bahmanid Empire. The seventh Nizamshah was Burhanshah II. Bahadurshah's grandson was imprisoned 1594 and was taken away to this fort. Bahadurshah is the nephew of Chandbibi. In 1636, the Mughals got the fort of Chavand by signing a treaty with the Nizams.On 1 May 1818 the British forces captured the fort.” - Courtesy Wikipedia

The fort was later named as Prasanna Gad by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Mythological references

“1) The forts named after the names of great sages (for e.g. Vasota, named after Vasistha) are pre-ancient forts.

2) The forts decorated by Buddhist carvings and sculptures (for e.g. Shivneri) are ancient forts.

3) Forts belonging to the medieval period are related to Shaiva, Shakta or Naath.

4) The goddess Chamunda is an idol of destruction of evil, with a terrifying appearance, armed with weapons. The deity belongs to Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka. “ - Courtesy Trekshitiz

About the Fort

The Fort is easy to trek thanks to the railing attached to the rocky patch of the path. Once you pass railing, there are steps to reach the first entry gate, the Ganesh Darwaja, of the fort. Climbing those high steps is quite exhausting. Just where the railing ends, you can spot a cannon head inserted vertically in the rock. This was used to tie a rope and cross the difficult r0cky patch before the railings were fitted in to the rock. The fort is also called as Jund.

What to Explore on the fort

Ganesh Darwaja (Main Entrance)

The entrance door, similar to other doors of the forts in Maratha dynasty, has an arch with Ganesh idon inscribed in it. Located strategically in such a way that it is not seen from the base or any other side of the fort. The arch has also got metallic support from the safety point of view.

As you enter the door and reach upstairs, you can spot couple of small water cisterns located around.

Sapt Matrika (7 Water Cisterns)

There is a structure on the fort known as Sapt Matrika i.e. 7 Water Cisters belonging to 7 Goddesses, namely, Brahmi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrayani & Chamunda.

Destroyed Temple

Towards the northern side, you can spot the remains of the stone carved temple of Lord Shiva. There is a pond in front of the temple. The temple was destroyed during the battle between the British and Maratha. The remains contain the Shiv Ling, the idol of Nandi and stone carved plates showing different Gods. 

Caves

As we go towards the north side, we can spot man made caves. Those caves seem to be half complete. The view of backwaters of Kukdi River is very beautiful from the caves.

Chamuda Temple

There is a temple of Goddess Chamuda, the most powerful Goddess, on the temple. The name of the fort is also originated from the name of the Goddess.

We spent couple of hours exploring the fort, returned to the base by 11AM and left for Naneghat.

Rocky Patch, now covered by metallic railing.

Ganesh Darwaja, the entrance to the fort

stone carved water containers, seen as you pass through the main entrance

Temple of Goddess Chavandai

Remains of the temple, the Shiv Pind

Destroyed temple of lord Shiva, idol of Nandi on the lower right side

some remains of the old structure on the fort

Sapt Matrika, 7 water cisterns filled with water

Man made caves on the fort

Beautiful view of the backwaters of Manikdoh Dam on the Kukdi River

Information Board at the base of the fort

Naneghat

We reached Naneghat in an hour. It was fully covered in fog. There is ample parking around the entrance of the ghat.

About Naneghat

Naneghat is a mountain pass connecting the Konkan Region (Coastal Region) to the Deccan Platue. It was an ancient trade route dates back to the era of Satavahan Dynasty. Located at 30km from the main town of Junnar, Naneghat is also famous for the hindu caves and ancient scriptures in those caves written in Brahmi script.

Literally, Nane means Coin and Ghat means Pass. The traders passing through the Naneghat used to pay the toll in forms of coins. You can spot huge stone carved container at the entrance of the route.

Just beside the entrance of the ghat, another route goes uphill and offers breathtaking views of the Konkan Region. As the cliff looks like the Thumb Tip when seen from the base, it is known as Nanacha Angtha. (Nana's Thumb)

The entrance of the Naneghat. The large stone carved container on the right was used to collect the tolls in the form of coins.

Brahmi Scriptures dating back to the Satavahan Era, inside the caves near the Ghat.

Breathtaking view of the Konkan Region seen from the galary near the caves at Naneghat

We spent couple of hours exploring the area around the Naneghat and began our return journey.

Around 3PM we reach Junnar and had the late lunch at Multi Spice in the main Shivaji Square in Junnar. We reached Pune by 7PM.

Expenses

Petrol : Rs.1500/-

Toll on Nashik Highway : Rs.51/- (Return)

Breakfast in Junnar : Rs.185/- for 3 people

Lunch at Multi-spice, Junnar : Rs.630/- for 3 people