Saturday, December 3, 2011

Tungi Kathingad near Pawana dam

तुंगी उर्फ कठीणगड(आपल नाव लौकिक जपणारा व नवा प्रमाणेच कठीण असणारा गड)
Tungi/Kathingad is the fort which perfectly matches its name.
Steep climbs through-ought associated with walking on the edge of mountain for almost all the trek adds to the difficulties for the trek but overcoming all the difficulties and reaching the top is rewarded with finest views of the Pawana valley and surroundings of the Maval region around Lonavla

Location:
Tungi fort is located in base village Tungwadi (तुंगवाडी ) almost 20 kms from Lonavla via INS Shivaji.
How to reach here
From Lonavla,take the road going towards Bushy dam and move further towards the Amby Valley road.After INS Shivaji,you will have road going uphill towards Amby Valley.From here approx 7 to 8 kms,before Village Peth Shahapur,take left turn towards Ghusalkhamb(घुसळखांब ) village this road goes further to Mulshi dam.
Tung Wadi is around 8 kms from here

Tungi fort is approx 400 meters climb from Tung wadi village

From Tungwadi village,you need to proceed left towards the Hanuman temple and from here,the trek starts through the dense trees .You will have steps starting within 10 minutes walking through dense trees.From here,the climb is very very steep and it is always on the edge of the mountain hence special precaution is to be taken while climbing.Each and every step you need to be walk carefully.
Within 30 minutes of climb,you will approach the first door and in around 15 minutes,you will approach the second door of the fort.You will reach the water tank and a small Ganesh temple.Take the way going left of the temple, and always keep left side.Dont go by right side.This route goes somewhere else but not on top of the fort.So keep left side of the ridge always.
This final climb is done is around 20 minutes and around 1.5 hours of hardwork,you reach the top.
The top is not very big .Just one watch point tower and a temple of Tungai devi.
Its height from Sea level is around 1100 meters but due to steep climb,it's difficulty rating is medium grade which means that newbie trekkers must take very very much precautions while climbing the fort.

During the period of Shivaji Maharaj and Peshwas,this fort served as a watch tower because this fort was at a strategic location which could keep watch on the Pawana valley,the Maval region of Lonavla and over the Mulshi region hence this fort was of very much strategic importance.Movements in the areas of Maval and Mulshi could be captured very easily while seeing from the top of this fort


How to reach there

Approach Lonavla from Pune and from there,around 10:30 am,there is an ST bus going Tung wadi and from here.There might be some ST from here to Lonavla in evening or else you might have to rely on jeeps till Lonavla hence try to come before 4:00 pm to the base village

Another option is to reach Kale Colony -> Pawana dam via Kamshet or Paud and take a boat which goes to other side of Pawana dam.From here,Tung wadi is a 1 hour walk through dense trees and from here,you can trek the fort in 1.5 hours and can come back










                                           Jaywant Sandeep Niranjan

                                                      Jitesh

                                                 Me and Niranjan
                                         

                                               Niranjan and Jitesh
                                                

                                                   Nitin
                                            

                                            First glimpse of Tungi
                                        
                               
                                         A broad view of Tungi while approaching Tungi village(हे दृश्य येथेत पहिल्यांदा  येणार्याची धडकी नक्कीच भरवतो. गड चढता येईल कि नाही इथ पासूनच विचार मनात सुरु होतात  )
                                          
                                       

                                                 At this place we spotted a Python.
                                         

   To see the Python,From my camera,it is not clear but if you want to see,please download this image and try to zoom out and find out in the upper side of photo.You will be able to see a yellowish-green slender body with Blackish spots on it.It is difficult to locate because due to dense trees,it cant be located.We were able to see it for just few seconds and this big snake vanished in dense bushes
                                         

                                    The team at Tung wadi village from Left to right                                            Sandeep->Nitin->Jitesh->Niranjan->Jayawant->Myself( The Photographer :) )

                                   तुंगी चे आकाशाला भिडलेले शिखर तुंगवाडी  गावातून घेतलेले  चित्र



                                     हुश्श!!! गडाचा पहिला दरवाजा  आला  पण ...... गड अजून बाकी आहे मित्रा 

                                                  Sandeep the Rockstar in our group
                                    
                    
                                        Near the second entrance door of fort
                                                 

                         गडावर हि एकमेव पाण्याची टाकी आहे पण हे पाणी पिण्या योग्य नाही 
                                     

                                       
                                           Getting ready for final climb
                                        
 
  

                                          Approaching the final climb
                                      
                                      
                                              Korigad near Amby valley from Tungi top

                                  Pawana dam and Lohagad Visapur fort seen beyond the dam



                                                    On the top

                                             View of Korigad and its surroundings

                                            Pawana dam from top of Tungi



                
                                        

                                                      We all on the top(Photographed by Nitin)
                                          
 
                                            The traverse way of Tungi
                                          
                                        Tungai devi temple on top(या मंदिराचा प्रदक्षिणा मार्ग फार अवघड आहे. जेमतेम वीत भर वाट आणि खाली खोल दरी अशी हि प्रदक्षिणेची वाट आहे. या मार्गावरून प्रदक्षिणा मारण्याची मजा काही औरच आहे पण कृपा करून उत्साहाच्या भरात हि प्रदक्षिणा मारू नये .नवख्यांसाठी तर नाहीच नाही  )

                                       
                                     

                  आहे कि नाही गम्मत प्रदक्षिणेच्या वाटेवर मंदिराच्या मागे खोल दरी आणि वीत भर वाटे मधून जाताना .या मार्गावरून प्रदक्षिणा घातल्या शिवाय हा ट्रेक पूर्णच होऊ नाही शकत
                                     

                                  प्रदक्षिणेच्या  वाटेवरून  (खोल दरी शिवाय काहीच दिसणार नाही )   
                                    
                    
                                       

                                    

                                   Tikona (तिकोना ) fort seen from top of Tungi overlooking Pavana dam
                                       




               We had lunch at this point while returning back on the narrow edge of the mountain where there is hardly some space to walk







Bye and see you sometime later.This was our message to this fort after coming back to Tung wadi village
                   
                                        







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