How difficult is the Harishchandragad trek?

The trek to Harishchandragad is considered to be of moderate difficulty . It involves hiking through various terrains, including rocky patches and steep ascents, which might require a moderate level of physical fitness and endurance.

How long is the Harishchandra Trek?

Trek Length: Approx. 6 km . Trek Duration: 3 hrs one way. Location Address: Pachnai village, Kalsubai Harishchandragad Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.

How much is the Harishchandragad Trek?

Cost for Trek Cost without transport: Rs. 850/- per person. Cost with transport: Rs. 1499/- per person.

Why is Kokankada famous?

From kokankada you can experience many natural phenomena like vertical cloud bursts, circular rainbows also called Brocken spectrum . You can watch one of the beautiful sunset from the KonkanKada. Don't miss the beautiful view of the valley during sunset.

Which trek is more difficult?

Chadar Trek The Chadar Trek or The Frozen River Expedition is one of the most unique and challenging treks in India. The 6 day chadar trek across the frozen Zanskar River in Ladakh takes place during the latter part of January till end of February or sometimes even in the first week of March, depending on the weather.

How to plan a Harishchandragad trek?

You have to take a bus to reach Khireshwar Village. Once you get down, the starting point of the Trek is about 5 km from there. To reach the starting point, you have to cross the Khubi Phata alongside the Pimpalgaon Dam. The point where the Pimpalgaon ends the trek starts.

What is the beauty of Harishchandragad?

The major attraction of Harishchandragad is Konkan Kada , an almost 1,423 m concave fall. It is a vertical overhang, like a cobra's hood, providing a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and an enchanting sunset.

Where is Harishchandragad located?

At a distance of 8 km from Khireshwar, 50 km from Bhandardara, 166 km from Pune & 218 km from Mumbai, Harishchandragad is a historical hill fort situated in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra . The height of the fort is 1,424 meters..

How to reach Harishchandra?

From Mumbai airport, you will have to travel by road (taxi/ bus/ motorbike) to reach the base village - Khireshwar, Paachnai or Nalichi Wat . For beginners, trekking through the Paachnai village route is recommended.

What is the difficulty level of bhimashankar trek?

Bhimashankar Trek difficulty level is Moderate grade , and navigates through dense forests, offering trekkers a mix of adventure and the opportunity to explore nature at its best.

What is the difficulty level of Kokandiva trek?

Difficulty level: Easy . Type: Hill Fort. Height: 3397 feet. Distance from Pune: 70 kms.

What is the difficulty level of the kavnai fort trek?

Who can do the Kavnai Fort Trek? Kavnai Fort trek is of an Easy difficulty level . Any beginner can do this trek. However, all these treks are more enjoyable when you are fit enough to trek.

What is the difficulty level of Kedar trek?

Kedarnath Trekking Distance The trek takes about 6-8 hours to complete, and the difficulty level is moderate . It's important to note that the altitude of Kedarnath temple is over 3500 meters, so you need to be physically fit and acclimatize properly to avoid altitude sickness.

Harishchandragad Kokankada Trek & Camping

The fort is quite ancient. Remnants of Microlithic man have been discovered here. The various Puranas (ancient scriptures) likeMatsyapurana, Agni Purana, and Skanda Puranaincludes many references to Harishchandragad. Its origin is said to have been in the 6th century, during the rule of theKalachuridynasty. The citadel was built during this era. The various caves probably have been carved out in the 11th century. In these caves are idols of Lord Vishnu. Though the cliffs are named Taramati and Rohidas, they are not related to Ayodhya. Great sageChangdev(one who created the epicTatvasaar), used to meditate here in the 14th century. The caves are from the same period. The various constructions on the fort and those existing in the surrounding region point to the existence of diverse cultures here. The carvings on the temples of Nageshwar (in Khireshwar village), in the Harishchandreshwar temple, and in the cave of Kedareshwar indicate that the fort belongs to themedieval periodsince it is related to Mahadeva as a totem of tribesMahadev Koli. They were controlling the fort beforeMoguls. Later the fort was under the control of Moguls. The Marathas captured it in 1747.

A panoramic view from the basem*nt

Notable Places of Interest

Saptatirtha Pushkarni

To the east of the temple is a well-built lake called “Saptatirtha”. On its bank are temple-like constructions in which there are idols of Lord Vishnu. Recently these idols have been shifted to the caves near the temple of Harishchandreshwar. These days many trekkers have been responsible for the sad plight of this place, as they throw plastic waste and other things in the pond. 7years back the water waspotable, and now it isn't suitable even to swim. (However, this water is so cold in summer that you can actually feel like you are standing in a refrigeration unit.)

Kedareshwar Cave

Towards the right of Harishchandreshwar temple, there is the huge cave of Kedareshwar, in which there is a bigShiva Linga, which is completely surrounded by water. Its height from the base is five feet, and the water is waist-deep. It is quite difficult to reach the Shiva Linga because the water is ice-cold. There are sculptures carved out in the cave. In the monsoon, it is not possible to reach this cave, as a huge stream flows across the way. Actually, this is the origin of River Mangalganga.

As can be seen from the picture, there is a huge rock above the Shiva Linga. There were four pillars built around the Shiva Linga to support the cave.

Another interesting thing about this place is that water seeps into this temple from the four walls on an everyday basis. And owing to the water being very cold, it's difficult to reach inside too. The water continues to seep in during all the seasons during the year, except during the rainy season, and surprisingly, it is also said that there is absolutely no water during the rainy season.

Kokankada

Kokan Kada (कोकण कडा)

This cliff faces west and looks down upon the Konkan. It provides views of the surrounding region. The cliff has an overhang but has been climbed many times. Sometimes a circular rainbow (theBrocken specterphenomenon) can be seen from this point. It can be seen only when there is a bit of mist in the valley, and the sun is right behind the person facing the valley. One phenomenon that can be observed at this place is the vertical cloud burst, in which the clouds nearing the cliff get sucked into the pitfall area below and are thrown vertically into the sky reaching more than 50 feet (15m), creating the impression of a wall that is rising straight from the edge of the cliff without entering the landmass area.

Taramati peak

Also known as Taramanchi. This is the topmost point on the fort (1429meters).Leopardsare seen in the forests beyond this peak. From here we can have a glimpse of the whole range ofNaneghatand the forts nearMurbad. From this Taramati point, we can have a glimpse of forts till Siddhagad near Bhimashankar in the south and Napa twin peaks, Ghodishep (865meters), Ajoba (1375meters), Kulang fort (1471meters) in the north near the Kasara region.

A panoramic view from the peak

Caves on Harishchandragad

These caves are spread out all over the fort. Many of these are situated at the foot of Taramati peak and are the place of accommodation. A few are near the temple, whereas some are near the citadel, and some are far away in the forests. A 30 feet (9.1m) deep natural cave is on the northwestern side of the fort, to the right of Kokan Kada. Many other caves are still said to remain undiscovered.

Nageshwar temple near Khireshwar

This is a great antique construction, and diverse artistic works are seen on this. On the ceiling of the temple are carvings. The main attraction of the carvings here is the 1.5m long sculpture of Lord Vishnu in the sleeping posture, popularly known as "Sheshshayi Vishnu" in Marathi. It is rare and hence holds a lot of importance. There are a lot of legends told about this sculpture. There are caves near the temple.

Temple of Harishchandreshwar

Temple of Harishchandreshwar

Ganapati, Harishchandreshwar Temple

This temple is a marvelous example of the fine art of carving sculptures out of stones that prevailed in ancient India. It is about 16m high from its base. Around this temple, there are a few caves & ancient water tanks. The river Mangal Ganga is said to originate from one of the tanks located close to the temple. The top of the temple resembles the construction of the north-Indian temples. A similar temple is situated in Buddha-Gaya. Here we can see many tombs, in which a typical construction is seen. These are built by well-finished arranging stones one on top of the other. There are three main caves near the temple. The cisterns near the temple provide drinking water. A short distance away, another temple called Kash*tirtha is located. The fascinating thing about this temple is that it has been carved out from a single huge rock. There are entrances from all four sides. On the main entrance, there are sculptures of faces. These are the faces of the guards of the temple. On the left side of the entrance is a Devsnagsri inscription, which is about saint Changdev.

Batches:

March:1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30
April: 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27.

Event Fees:

Mumbai (Kasara): Rs 1799/-
Base Village: 999/-

Harishchandragad Kokankada Trek & Camping | Trekhievers (2024)