Glimpses of Kumbhalgarh fort

Kumbhalgarh is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, in the Rajsamand district near Udaipur of Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha, occupied until the late 19th century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. 

Kumbhalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittorgarh Fort

In 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Kumbhalgarh Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the group Hill Forts of Rajasthan.

The fort is among the largest fort complexes in the world, and the second largest fort in India after Chittor Fort.

Click on the link below to view a short clip of pictures that I had clicked during my road trip a decade back, of this magnificent fort.

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Jhansi - A tribute to Rani Lakshmi Bai

We reached Jhansi at around 11am on our way to Orchha. 

We visited the Jhansi fort which is very well maintained. It has a long and fascinating history that you can read here.

This fort was built in 1613 by Raja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha. It changed many hands before Rani Lakshmi Bai ruled Jhansi after the death of her husband and used the fort as her residence. 

Panch Mahal (Five storied palace of Rani Lakshmi Bai)

Inside the palace

Along the walls of the fort

A view of Jhansi city from the fort

A statue of Dhyan Chand (India's greatest hockey player) atop the hill

In 1858 she led forces against those of the British East India Company.  Jhansi was besieged by the forces of General Hugh Rose in March and April 1858; it was captured on 4 April 1858. Rani Lakshmi Bai was able to make a daring

escape from the fort and the city when a British victory was imminent by jumping over the walls of the fort astride her horse with her son.

There is the Kadak Bijli cannon used in the uprising of 1857. The Central India Campaign was one of the last series of actions in the Indian rebellion of 1857, (also known as the First Indian War of Independence or Indian Mutiny).  At Jhansi, British officers, civilians and dependents took shelter in the fort on 5 June. They emerged three days later and were murdered by the rebellious sepoys and irregulars. Rani Lakshmi Bai had no complicity in this act but was nevertheless blamed by the British (the rebels were then the only armed force in the city and no British forces were there to oppose them).

How to reach Jhansi:

By train: Jhansi is well linked by Indian railways. Jhansi is an important railway junction in the Delhi-Mumbai route. Jhansi is connected to all major cities in India by rail.

By air: Nearest airport to Jhansi is Gwalior airport. Gwalior airport is 103 km away from the heart of the city.

By road: State public transport buses connect Jhansi with all major cities around Jhansi. Regular bus services are provided between Gwalior and Jhansi (103 km) and between Khajuraho and Jhansi (175 km). Deluxe private buses also ply between these cities.

Alibag, Korlai and Kankeshwar

Visited Alibag last weekend and realised there is much more to Alibag than its filthy beach! Filthy because in the morning you find guys crapping all along the shore and to think that people go for a splash in the same waters! Hence even if you go for a walk you have to walk gingerly sidestepping the turds.

The next best thing to do is just visit all the other wonderful places nearby like the Korlai Fort and lighthouse and the Kankeshwar temple. Both require a bit of climbing to be done but are well worth the effort.

The Korlai Fort is at a distance of 24kms from Alibag on the road to Murud.

The last few kilometres of the road is more of a path. Once you reach there you can visit the

Korlai lighthouse first and then the Fort, the steps for which begin right behind the Lighthouse.

The Fort was built by the Portugese in the 16th century. The fort served as an important surveillance point.

The Lighthouse Tower was built in 1955 and a DA gas light was installed on it and lit on 25th December 1955. Optical equipment with electrical flasher operating on batteries to be charged by DC gensets was installed in 1960 and the new light became operational on 28th January 1961.The optic (500 mm) and light was improved in 1998 and an electronic flasher (JLWL) was introduced in April 1999.

The flashing equipment and drum optic system was replaced by the Revolving equipment GRB-48-II supplied by M/s Ana Nav Aids, Ltd, New Delhi, and put in operation on 31st August 2003. The light flashes every 3seconds and has a range of 18 nautical miles. For an unofficial charge of `10/- per head and `20/- per camera for photography you can get a guided tour of the Lighthouse.

The entrance to the Lighthouse

The stairway to leading to the top of the Lighthouse.

The narrow ladder at the top

The view of the road leading to the lighthouse.

Korlai Fort (also called Morro or Castle Curlew) is a Portuguese fortification in the town of Korlai, Maharashtra, India. It was built on an island (Morro de Chaul) which guards the way to the Revdanda Creek. It was meant as a companion to the fort at Chaul.

At this strategic position the Portuguese could use it to defend their province which stretched from Korlai to Vasai.

The fort is 2828 feet long, and its average breadth is eighty-nine feet. The enclosing wall is 5' 3" high and has 305 battlements for guns.

The area within the fort walls is divided into three enclosures by two lines of bastioned fortifications.

Each of the seven bastions bears the name of a saint. The two westward bastions are named São Diego(after Didacus of Alcalá) and São Francisco (after Francis of Assisi).The others are São Pedro, São Inácio, and São Filipe.

It has a large rain-water cistern with three mouths, each one foot wide, and the ruins of a church.

The church was built in 1630 for the use of the army and was functional until 1728.

There are three Portuguese inscriptions.

One, over a doorway in the centre and highest part of the fort, reads as follows:

This castle was commanded to be built by the Viceroy of India Dom Filipe Mascarenhas in November of the year 1646 and Fernão Miranda Henriques being Captain of Chaul, and was finished in May 1680, Cristóvão de Abreu de Azevedo being Captain of this fort.

The inscription is surmounted by a cross with a coat of arms having the Portuguese stars in the centre and surrounded by seven castles. Other inscriptions over the main entrance and over an altar in the chapel are worn out and undecipherable.

During the brief Maratha rule, some of the names of the bastions were changed but now the

only indication of their presence is some dismantled shrines.

Thirteen kilometers from Alibag on the way to Rewas is a beautiful Shiva temple at Kankeshwar.

It is on top of a hill and there are well paved 700 steps to reach up there. Actually it is a complex

of temples beginning with a Hanuman temple and a Ganesh temple and many other small Shiva temples. It is a very popular temple and gets very crowded during Shivratri festival. They have a Dharamshala if devotees wish to stay over and the cost is very reasonable upto Rs.150/- for the accomodation.

Spent a lovely evening in Alibag watching a glorious sunset.

On our return dropped by at the Alibag observatory. The Alibag Magnetic Observatory, established in 1904, has provided an uninterrupted record of geomagnetic observations for over a century and it has since been serving as one of the primary magnetic observatories that form a global network. Unfortunately we did not have permission that has to be obtained from their Panvel office to enter and view how it works.

Raigad Fort

When Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj calls, you just get up and go. And that is exactly what we did last Sunday! On the dot at 0540, we set out from Bandra, onto the Mumbai Goa highway NH17. It was dark and chilly. The excitement at visiting a place that I had been trying to visit for the past twelve years, but somehow had never managed to do so, for a variety of reasons, was palpable. The drive, all through until Mahad on the highway was smooth. At Mahad, we took a left to reach Pachad, which is at the base of the famous fort Raigad. This road was a two-laned road that at times narrowed down to a single lane. It also had an exciting batch of about a dozen hairpin bends. Due to paucity of time and stamina, had decided to take the cable car which operates from the point where the motorable road ends and lifts you upto the fort in a matter of just four minutes. Reached the Ropeway starting point at 0915hrs, having covered a distance of 191kms.The Ropeway traverses a diagonal length of 760 metres and a steep ascent of 420 metres – a distance which would have otherwise taken us around 3 hours over 1450 steps! They charge you Rs.140/- per head for the journey up and down in addition to the services of a guide to take you around the fort. We had a typical Maharashtrian breakfast of Kanda-pohey in the café run by the Ropeway operators, purchased the tickets for the ride to the fort and bided our time in the waiting area for our turn. The Ropeway seemed more like elevators going up and down! Within minutes, it was our turn to get into the cable car and I readied my camera to get some pictures. Got some and before I could catch my breath it was time to disembark at the Mena Darwaza – the alighting point for the Ropeway travellers. There we were met by Mr. Gaikwad, our guide on ‘Raigad’, who took us to a waiting group for further action. Once he had assembled about thirty of us, he started his spiel. The starting point of our tour was the Mena Darwaza – the entrance through which the ladies of the Fort would enter. Fort Raigad was the capital of the most illustrious Maratha sovereign, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. European historians have described it as 'The Gibraltar of the East'. The sheer vertical rock face soaring into the sky above appears defiant and insurmountable. As he took us along through the various points on the Fort, he explained everything beautifully and with a great amount of passion that was heartening to note. Innumerable tales of Shivaji’s strategies and valor were narrated as reasons towards his many wives. Apparently, he married princesses from various places to ensure that he would not be attacked by the rulers of those states! We counted eight living quarters specifically meant for his queens. He was so organized that he had a full-fledged ‘Secretariat’, the remnants of which can still be seen. To ensure that his entourage and their families who lived with him on the Fort were comfortable, there was a ‘Bazaar Peth’ that was headed by one Nagappa Seth. Trading of daily consumables was carried out here for the convenience of the Fort residents. However, nowhere on the Fort was anyone allowed to display their name on any property and Nagappa wanted to feature somewhere somehow. Since he was not allowed to display his name anywhere, he displayed a ‘Naag’ or snake on the wall of his shop to symbolize his presence! We were then shown the ‘TakMak’ point, which is the edge of a sheer cliff from where traitors would be thrown off as punishment. This particular point also has a curious tale of steadfast devotion and obedience. Chhatrapati Shivaji used to visit the place often and would always be accompanied by a ‘Chhatri’ or an Umbrella bearer. On one of these visits, due to strong winds, the Chhatri bearer who was under orders not to leave the Chhatri under any circumstances, was blown off the cliff but miraculously parachuted down to a village named Nizampur. Chhatrapati Shivaji then announced that the village would henceforth be called ChhatriNizampur! The most amazing place was where he held court or Durbar. Right from the doorway to his throne, anywhere in the court, if anyone even whispered, it could be heard very clearly at the throne. Our guide proved it to us by asking us to wait near the throne and he stood near the doorway and whispered ‘Shivaji Maharaj ki’, to which all of us promptly responded with a ‘Jai Ho’! And this is no covered auditorium! Amazing architecture indeed! The architect has also carved his guarantee on the door leading to the Jagdishwar temple, which Shivaji visited daily, stating that it will stand the test of time and shall remain forever! Adjacent to this temple is the Samadhi of Chhatrapati Shivaji, behind which one can see the statue of a dog on a pedestal. This, we are told, was Shivaji’s faithful dog ‘Waghya’ who committed suicide on learning about the death of his beloved master! Hence, he was immortalized next to his master. The overall area over which the Fort is built is huge and it would take at least a couple of days or more for a thorough absorption of the history therein. So, with a promise to return yet another day and spend a couple of days in the peaceful environs, we start on our way back. Lunch at ‘Kulkarni’s Suyash’ restaurant near Mangaon on our return trip is memorable for a couple of reasons. The first of course is the delicious food in a natural ambience and second is the crows that descend on the tables at every opportunity to peck at the leftovers. This inspite of the catapult bearers who keep taking potshots at the intruders. It seems like a regular game between the birds and boys! Fun to watch. Post lunch it was a straight drive back home with a feeling of day well spent. Getting there: By Road From Pune: Chandni Chowk - Paud Road - Mulshi – Adarwadi - Nizampur - Mangaon - Mumbai-Goa Highway - Mahad - Raigad Distance from Pune to Raigad is 150 Km. From Mumbai: Mumbai to Panvel by Goa highway towards Goa up to Mahad-Raigad. Distance from Mumbai to Raigad is 190 Km. For details regarding the Ropeway, visit their website at www.raigadropeway.com Accommodation: MTDC has cottages on top and reservations can be made at www.maharashtratourism.gov.in The Ropeway organisation also has accommodation details of which can be obtained at http://www.raigadropeway.com/Raigad%20Ropeway.htm Restaurants/cafes are run by MTDC and the Ropeway organisation at the Fort. You will also find locals selling typical Maharashtrian food and buttermilk at the Fort. The locals do not have any stalls but carry the food in baskets on their heads.