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very interest explaination

Vhttps://youtu.be/tO1hs_ggE9w

Uses of word UP

One word in the English language that could be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep is *UP*.Read until the end... you'll laugh.

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is *'UP'*. It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].
It's easy to understand *UP*, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake *UP*?

At a meeting, why does a topic come *UP*? Why do we speak *UP*, and why are the officers *UP* for election (if there is a tie, it is a toss *UP*) and why is it *UP* to the secretary to write *UP* a report? We call *UP*our friends, brighten *UP* a room, polish *UP* the silver, warm *UP* the leftovers and clean *UP* the kitchen. We lock *UP* the house and fix *UP* the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir *UP* trouble, line UP for tickets, work *UP* an appetite, and think *UP* excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed *UP* is special.

And this *UP* is confusing: A drain must be opened *UP* because it is blocked *UP*.

We open *UP* a store in the morning but we close it *UP* at night. We seem to be pretty mixed *UP* about *UP*!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of *UP*, look *UP* the word *UP* in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes *UP* almost 1/4 of the page and can add *UP* to about thirty definitions.

If you are *UP* to it, you might try building *UP* a list of the many ways *UP* is used. It will take *UP* a lot of your time, but if you don't give *UP*, you may wind *UP* with ( *UP* to) a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding *UP*. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing *UP*. When it rains, it soaks *UP* the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry *UP*. One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it *UP*, for now...... my time is *UP*!

So, did this whole thing, crack you *UP*?

Whether to send to everyone you look *UP* in your address book... or not... it's *UP* to you.

Trip to Raigad

Raigad

19/08/17, Monday – Day 1

Started at about 7am from Pune by car. It was a homgenous group of four – Vijaya, Abhay , Avi and me.

We drove straight to Raigad Fort, taking short stop for breakfast midway. It was raining intermittently making the travel a pleasant experience among green paddy fields, hills carpeted with shining green grass with dark green trees and bushes. Nature was in full glory of manifold shades of green.and torrential rivers and sprightly rivulets and falls of all sizes.

 

  

We reached Baneshwar Temple at around 8:30 am. Baneshwar is a temple of Shiva located in the village of Nasarapur about 36 km southwest of Pune. It is a pleasant and calm place amidst a jungle. It was recently discovered and hence declared as a small bird sanctuaryhosting a decent amount of rare birds with many crowned hornbills seen.

 

Baneshwar temple architecture is from the medieval period. The temple was constructed in 1749 by Peshwa Nanasaheb, son of Peshwa Bajirao I.The total cost of construction was 11,426 Rupees, 8 Aane, 6 Paise. The temple hosts an important bell which was captured by Chimaji Appa after defeating the Portuguese in the battle of Bassien in 1739. The bell has the year 1683 and a Cross on it, which depicts that the bell belonged to a church and was transported as a token of victory. Same kind of Portuguese bells can be found at Bhimashankar Temple too.

                  

The Nandi statue was outside the main temple as usual. Just behind the Nandi there was holy pond replete with fish and small turtles.

We entered the sanctum sanctorum to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva. It was very unassuming. But in the wall at the back there was a small shiv linga seems to be ancient. Abhay could see the priest lifting up and underneath was a cavity and real SHIV Linga was below. I missed the sight.

After darshan and prasad we went out into a well manicured garden.

 

 it was a feast to the eye. Variety of flowers and vegetation was displayed in systematic manner. We were keen to visit the falls but consensus was to give it a miss. It involved an hour of walk both way and we had to keep the time at ropeway 0r Raigad Fort.

Falls which we missed:  

We left the temple and proceeded through Bhor town and traversed Bhor ghat.

 

 

Scenes around the ghat was excellent interspersed with small and big falls.

 

Bhor ghat in 1870                                            now in 2017

Bhor Ghat  is a mountain passage located between Palasdari and Khandala for railway and between Khopoli and Khandala on the road route in Maharashtra, India, situated on the crest of the Western Ghats.

The discovery of a route to make a motorable pass in Bor Ghat came after information was provided by a local Dhangar tribesman called Shigroba. Later, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway laid a railway line from Mumbaito Pune. The section through Bhor Ghat with 28 tunnels, and old bridges was opened in 1863.^[4] The Ghat opened Mumbai to the Deccan plains of Peninsular India

We took halt at a roadside dhaba and had hot sabudana khichdi.

Shivthar Ghal also known as Sundarmath, is a cave, about 34 km from Mahad, near Barasgaon, Maharashtra.. Samarth Ramdas dictated Dasbodh to Kalyan Swami. Samarth Ramdas lived here for about 22 years. It is believed that this is where the first meeting between Shivaji Maharaj and Samarth Ramdas took place.

The cave was discovered by Shri Shankarrao Deo of Dhule in 1930. The cave and surrounding area was renovated after Samarth Seva Mandal was formed in 1950. The campus includes the actual cave under the waterfall, Ramdas Swami temple, dining hall and accommodation. Between 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm, the visitors can have the prasad consisting of Moong Dal Khichadi and Shira. Shivthar Ghal Sundarmath Seva Samiti organizes various programs at this location. It was rediscovered by Shankar Shrikrishna Deo.

Shivthar Ghal is located in Varandha Ghat in the Sahyadris on the Bhor-Mahad road.

 

 

It was an impromptu visit and I thank Vijaya who insisted that we must visit this place. After this we hurried for Raigadh fort.2

 

It was raining heavily and was impossible to look out as rain drops were piercing the face. Rain gears could not help at all – quite an adventure it was. We waded through the water to the restaurant at the foot of Raigad while the porter took our luggage to the Resort. We were rain soaked and frantically wanted to get to our suites.

MTDC Resort : It is spread in the form of group 0f 4 suites and there are about  10/12 such group of suites . It was built in a style but the maintenance is very poor and hence the rooms have been degenerated.  We booked 2 adjoining suites and somehow made ourselves comfortable by changing into dry clothes and prepared hot tea. In the room. Thanks to Vijaya for getting tea making facility. It was evening by the time we settled down. To use the fast fading evening light we went out towards the fort, had a cursory glance at the fort. Usual rest and dinner put an end to the eventful day. The dinner comprising of bhakri and pithle was served at a restaurant of the resort.

20/08/2017, Tuesday - Day 2

We hired the services of the guide and he came  in the morning to take us to the fort.

High up on the hill of Raigad where the strong winds will buffet you and the valleys around will mesmerize you with their scenic splendour is the fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's, the great king of the Maratha Empire. This was the capital during his rule, also important for the fact that Chhat rapati Shivaji Maharaj's coronation took place here on June 6, 1674. It was also here that he breathed his last. The fort today is a favourite tourist destination, also high up on the popularity chart with avid trekkers because of its difficult terrain.  

Raigad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built this fort and made it his capital in 1674 when he was crowned as the King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire, eventually covering much of western and central India.

   

The fort rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above the sea level and is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1737 steps leading to the fort. The Raigad Ropeway, an aerial tramway exists to reach the top of the fort in 10 minutes. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British after it was captured in 1818.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized the fort in 1656, then known as the fort of Rairi from Chandrarrao More, a feudatory of the Sultan of Bijapur. Shivaji Maharaj renovated and expanded the fort of Rairi and renamed it as Raigad (King's Fort). It became the capital of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaja's maratha kingdom.

    

  Front                                                                                                 

The villages of Pachad and Raigadwadi are located at the base of the Raigad fort. These two villages were considered very important during the Maratha rule in Raigad. The actual climb to the top of the Raigad fort starts from Pachad. During Chhatrapati Shivaji's rule, A cavalry of 10,000 was always kept on standby in Pachad village.

After capturing Rairi from Chandrarao More, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also built another fort Lingana around 2 miles away from Raigad. The Lingana fort was used to keep prisoners.

In 1689, Zulfikhar Khan captured Raigad and Aurangzeb renamed it as Islamgad. In 1707, Siddi Fathekan captured the fort and held it until 1733.

In 1765, The fort of Raigad along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company, which considered it a pratical stronghold.

In 1818, the fort was bombarded and destroyed by cannons from the hill of Kalkai. And on 9 May 1818, as per the treaty, it was handed over to the British East India Company.

The Raigad Fort was built by "Chandrarao More" of Jawali and the chief architect/engineer was "Hiroji Indulkar". The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the base pillars remain. The main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. In addition, Ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds out of which only two remain as the third one was destroyed during a bombarding. The Raigad Fort also has ruins of a market which was accessible to riders sitting on horses. The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the Ganga Sagar Lake.

The only main pathway to the Fort passes through the "Maha Darwaja" (Huge Door). The Maha Darwaja has two huge bastions on both sides of the door which are approximately 65–70 feet in height. The top of the fort is 600 ft higher from the location of this door.

The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" (Hirkani Bastion) constructed over a huge steep cliff. The legend goes "that a woman by the name of Hirakani from a nearby village had come to sell milk to the people living at the fort. She happened to be inside the fort when the gates got closed and locked past sunset. Hearing the cries of her infant son back at the village echo after nightfall, The anxious mother couldn't wait till dawn and courageously climbed down the steep cliff in pitch dark all due to the love for her little one. She later repeated this extraordinary feat in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and was bravely rewarded for it." In appreciation of her courage and bravery, Shivaji Maharaj built the Hirkani Bastion over this cliff.

The King's Durbar inside the Raigad Fort has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance for the royal ladies of the fort that lead to the queen's quarters. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. To the right of Palkhi Darwaja, is a row of three dark and deep chambers. Historians believe that these were the granaries for the fort.^[4]

The Takmak Tok

From the fort, one can view the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This area has been fenced off.

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi and that of his loyal dog named Waghya. The Samadhi of Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, Shivaji's mother, can be seen at base village of Pachad.

The Samadhi of Jijabai

 

                                                Shiv temple in the fort

                       

Additional famous attractions of the fort include the Khubladha Buruj, Nane Darwaja and the Hatti Talav (Elephant Lake)

         

                                                               

 

                                    
  standing in front of Queens Quarters      Monument of a dog who jumped off the cliff on the death Of Shivaji              

               

Fort Market

 

Bazarpeth                                                      step mentions the fort – Hiroji Indulkar name of the architect of fort.

View from fort of the artificial lake and takmak tok

23/08/2017, Wedensday - Day 3

We checked out of the Resort and came down the Ropeway  and rode to Mahad. Avi had lots of childhood memories associated with Mahad. He visited his old house and met the family of his old family retainer, Gaza  who expired two years back . his son and hais family stayed there now.  We also passed through Ambedkar monument

Mahad Satyagraha or Chavdar Tale Satyagraha

 

        

Bronze sculpture depicting Mahad movement by B R Ambedkar

In 1927, Ambedkar decided to launch a satyagraha to assert their rights to use water in the public places^[3].^[ His Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha arranged a conference on Holi 19-20 March 1927 in Mahad, in which more than thousand people were gathered. At the end of the conference, they marched to the Chavdar Tale (tasty water lake), the main tank of the town and they drank water from the tank.

 

A riot broke out following a rumour that Ambedkar and his followers were planning to enter a Hindu temple in the town. And the caste Hindus purified the tank by performing puja, argued that untouchables polluted the tank by taking water from it.

Dr.Ambedkar decided to hold the second conference in Mahad on 26-27 December 1927. But caste Hindus filed a case against him that tank as a private property. He was not able to continue his satyagraha as the case was sub judice. On 25 December (Manusmriti Dahan Din), he burnt Manusmriti, a Hindu law book, as a protes.  In December 1937, the Bombay High Court ruled that untouchables have the right to use water from the tank.

 Thereon we took the road to another coast town, Karde via Dapoli, It was road ride of a out ...kms. We took lunch at Dapoli and moved on to Karde. It took some time to search it.

  Whistling Palm Beach Resort

 

With well furnished spacious rooms with balconies over looking the sea and amenities to ensure a comfortable stay and an in-house restaurant to dish out the best Konkani sea food prepared as per the traditional Konkani cuisine, the resort is well equipped to cater to all the needs of its guests.’ – reads the brochure. To our dismay except the location there wasn’t anything praiseworthy.

We enjoyed the beautiful views of the setting sun from the comforts of our room or walk on the soft white sands of the endless Karde.

           

We took a drive through the beach road. Looked for a spot and enjoyed playing in the water.

Glorious Sunset

 

         

Reflection of sky on wet sands.

    

After the dip in sea we took dinner at the restaurant just behind the sea where we were frolicking.

 

Bamboo roof on Gazebo

   

22/08/2017, Thursday – Day 4

We checked out of the resort and proceeded to Guaghar crossing the river through ferry. Ganapaty festival being close we saw many Ganesh idols accompanying us on the ferry.

           

The ferry ride was refreshing and invigorating.

We crossed through ferry and on disembarking we could see the chimneys of Enron in distance.

 

We took a ride around the establishment as it was a prohibited area.

. .

Famous light house was another spot suggested by the locals. Visiting time was long over but seeing our credentials and keenness authorities allowed us  to get into the facility.

Anjanvel Lighthouse

 

On the other side of Dabhol creek in the small village of Anjanvel is the Anjanvel light house. A nice place to visit specially in the evening this lighthouse was rebuilt in 1960s. The lighthouse though not very tall (30ft) affords a magnificent view as it is perched upon a steep hillock near the Gopalgad fort.

While waiting for the permission for the light house we visited an old  Anjanvel temple near by.

 

On way back we saw the sign  board of Gopalgad and took detour to visit it. There was nothing except the ancient broken wall that prompted us to return without visiting it.      

 

 

Gopalgad was built at the mouth of Dabhol (ancient name Dalbheshwar) creek to keep a check on the trade route on the river Vashishti, which runs till Chiplun. This was also known as the fort of Anjanvel which was a significant port during Maratha regime. This great fort today unfortunately is at the mercy of a privateer who is utilizing the fort for his own gains, due to which one can see locked gates to the fort entrances and private guards on the fort. A group of trekkers has been protesting against this from past 7 years.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj won the fort of Anjanvel from Adilshah in 1660 during the Dabhol campaign. There is no information as who built this fort. A dock was built here and the fort was named Gopalgad. In 1699, Siddi Khairatkhan captured the fort and it remained with the Siddis for next 46 years. The Siddis strengthened the fort. Tulaji Angre captured the fort in 1745; in 1756, it was captured by Ramji Mahadev Bivalkar for the Peshwas. After the third battle of Panipat, the person who faked as Sadashivrao Bhau stayed here for 6 months. The fort was with Marathas till 1818 when the British colonel Kennedy captured it.

On return we had fish based lunch at Guaghar and stayed in a lodge, We went  for swim in the sea in the evening had dinner and rested. It rained heavily though intermittently throughout our stay there.

23/08/2017, Friday - Day 5

Today was the day which Vijaya planned for us visiting Sunita’s – Deven’s wife – relatives. It was beautiful drive of 26 kms through green fields, coconut groves to reach Veleneshwar.

Located in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Velneshwar is a village south of the Guhagar town. Velneshwar is well known for the temple of Lord Shiva and it also has a beautiful crescent shaped beach which is clean and unspoilt and ideal for swimming. Velneshwar gets much limelight during the month of March, when the Maha Shivratri Festival is held here, as a tribute to the God Shankar or ShivaVelneshwar is an incredible destination which lies in the north of the Shastri River. The fresh green coconut trees and rock less sea water make the beach very alluring. Velneshwar is the perfect place for a weekend getaway for a quick escape into relaxation. But we had no time it being the last day to return to Pune. We vivited the relatives had darshan of Lord Ganapaty which they had at their house. Bidding goodbye we proceeded to the famed temple of Lord Shiva.

The temple: .The name 'Velanesswar' has one interesting origin. This God (Ishwar) instantly fulfils the wish expressed by his devotees. So the God who does not waste any time of his devotee [Not wasting any time('vel' in Marathi)] is known as Vel-n-ishwar. Velneshwar is family-deity (Kuldaivat) of Gokhales, Gadgils, Savarkars etc.

 The temple's area is 70 sq mtrs has 11mtrs high 'Deepmal" (lamps-post) in front. Two wells built in laterite stones and temples of Shri Ganesh, Shri Kalbhairav(village deity of Velneshwar village), Shri Rameshwar Nandi(sacerd bull of Shiva) are in the same compound. The early temple was built by Gadgils which was later renovated by Shri Trimbak Ravaji Gokhale.

On way back we alRaigad

19/08/17, Monday – Day 1

Started at about 7am from Pune by car. It was a homgenous group of four – Vijaya, Abhay , Avi and me.

We drove straight to Raigad Fort, taking short stop for breakfast midway. It was raining intermittently making the travel a pleasant experience among green paddy fields, hills carpeted with shining green grass with dark green trees and bushes. Nature was in full glory of manifold shades of green.and torrential rivers and sprightly riveulets and falls of all sizes.

 

  

We reached Baneshwar Temple at around 8:30 am. Baneshwar is a temple of Shiva located in the village of Nasarapur about 36 km southwest of Pune. It is a pleasant and calm place amidst a jungle. It was recently discovered and hence declared as a small bird sanctuaryhosting a decent amount of rare birds with many crowned hornbills seen.

 

Baneshwar temple architecture is from the medieval period. The temple was constructed in 1749 by Peshwa Nanasaheb, son of Peshwa Bajirao I.The total cost of construction was 11,426 Rupees, 8 Aane, 6 Paise. The temple hosts an important bell which was captured by Chimaji Appa after defeating the Portuguese in the battle of Bassien in 1739. The bell has the year 1683 and a Cross on it, which depicts that the bell belonged to a church and was transported as a token of victory. Same kind of Portuguese bells can be found at Bhimashankar Temple too.

                  

The Nandi statue was outside the main temple as usual. Just behind the Nandi there was holy pond replete with fish and small turtles.

We entered the sanctum sanctorum to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva. It was very unassuming. But in the wall at the back there was a small shiv linga seems to be ancient. Abhay could see the priest lifting up and underneath was a cavity and real SHIV Linga was below. I missed the sight.

After darshan and prasad we went out into a well manicured garden.

 

 it was a feast to the eye. Variety of flowers and vegetation was displayed in systematic manner. We were keen to visit the falls but consensus was to give it a miss. It involved an hour of walk both way and we had to keep the time at ropeway 0r Raigad Fort.

Falls which we missed:  

We left the temple and proceeded through Bhor town and traversed Bhor ghat.

 

 

Scenes around the ghat was excellent interspersed with small and big falls.

 

Bhor ghat in 1870                                            now in 2017

Bhor Ghat  is a mountain passage located between Palasdari and Khandala for railway and between Khopoli and Khandala on the road route in Maharashtra, India, situated on the crest of the Western Ghats.

The discovery of a route to make a motorable pass in Bor Ghat came after information was provided by a local Dhangar tribesman called Shigroba. Later, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway laid a railway line from Mumbaito Pune. The section through Bhor Ghat with 28 tunnels, and old bridges was opened in 1863.^[4] The Ghat opened Mumbai to the Deccan plains of Peninsular India

We took halt at a roadside dhaba and had hot sabudana khichdi.

Shivthar Ghal also known as Sundarmath, is a cave, about 34 km from Mahad, near Barasgaon, Maharashtra.. Samarth Ramdas dictated Dasbodh to Kalyan Swami. Samarth Ramdas lived here for about 22 years. It is believed that this is where the first meeting between Shivaji Maharaj and Samarth Ramdas took place.

The cave was discovered by Shri Shankarrao Deo of Dhule in 1930. The cave and surrounding area was renovated after Samarth Seva Mandal was formed in 1950. The campus includes the actual cave under the waterfall, Ramdas Swami temple, dining hall and accommodation. Between 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm, the visitors can have the prasad consisting of Moong Dal Khichadi and Shira. Shivthar Ghal Sundarmath Seva Samiti organizes various programs at this location. It was rediscovered by Shankar Shrikrishna Deo.

Shivthar Ghal is located in Varandha Ghat in the Sahyadris on the Bhor-Mahad road.

 

 

It was an impromptu visit and I thank Vijaya who insisted that we must visit this place. After this we hurried for Raigadh fort.2

 

It was raining heavily and was impossible to look out as rain drops were piercing the face. Rain gears could not help at all – quite an adventure it was. We waded through the water to the restaurant at the foot of Raigad while the porter took our luggage to the Resort. We were rain soaked and frantically wanted to get to our suites.

MTDC Resort : It is spread in the form of group 0f 4 suites and there are about  10/12 such group of suites . It was built in a style but the maintenance is very poor and hence the rooms have been degenerated.  We booked 2 adjoining suites and somehow made ourselves comfortable by changing into dry clothes and prepared hot tea. In the room. Thanks to Vijaya for getting tea making facility. It was evening by the time we settled down. To use the fast fading evening light we went out towards the fort, had a cursory glance at the fort. Usual rest and dinner put an end to the eventful day. The dinner comprising of bhakri and pithle was served at a restaurant of the resort.

20/08/2017, Tuesday - Day 2

We hired the services of the guide and he came  in the morning to take us to the fort.

High up on the hill of Raigad where the strong winds will buffet you and the valleys around will mesmerize you with their scenic splendour is the fort of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's, the great king of the Maratha Empire. This was the capital during his rule, also important for the fact that Chhat rapati Shivaji Maharaj's coronation took place here on June 6, 1674. It was also here that he breathed his last. The fort today is a favourite tourist destination, also high up on the popularity chart with avid trekkers because of its difficult terrain.  

Raigad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj built this fort and made it his capital in 1674 when he was crowned as the King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire, eventually covering much of western and central India.

   

The fort rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above the sea level and is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1737 steps leading to the fort. The Raigad Ropeway, an aerial tramway exists to reach the top of the fort in 10 minutes. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British after it was captured in 1818.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized the fort in 1656, then known as the fort of Rairi from Chandrarrao More, a feudatory of the Sultan of Bijapur. Shivaji Maharaj renovated and expanded the fort of Rairi and renamed it as Raigad (King's Fort). It became the capital of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaja's maratha kingdom.

    

  Front                                                                                                 

The villages of Pachad and Raigadwadi are located at the base of the Raigad fort. These two villages were considered very important during the Maratha rule in Raigad. The actual climb to the top of the Raigad fort starts from Pachad. During Chhatrapati Shivaji's rule, A cavalry of 10,000 was always kept on standby in Pachad village.

After capturing Rairi from Chandrarao More, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also built another fort Lingana around 2 miles away from Raigad. The Lingana fort was used to keep prisoners.

In 1689, Zulfikhar Khan captured Raigad and Aurangzeb renamed it as Islamgad. In 1707, Siddi Fathekan captured the fort and held it until 1733.

In 1765, The fort of Raigad along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company, which considered it a pratical stronghold.

In 1818, the fort was bombarded and destroyed by cannons from the hill of Kalkai. And on 9 May 1818, as per the treaty, it was handed over to the British East India Company.

The Raigad Fort was built by "Chandrarao More" of Jawali and the chief architect/engineer was "Hiroji Indulkar". The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the base pillars remain. The main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. In addition, Ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds out of which only two remain as the third one was destroyed during a bombarding. The Raigad Fort also has ruins of a market which was accessible to riders sitting on horses. The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the Ganga Sagar Lake.

The only main pathway to the Fort passes through the "Maha Darwaja" (Huge Door). The Maha Darwaja has two huge bastions on both sides of the door which are approximately 65–70 feet in height. The top of the fort is 600 ft higher from the location of this door.

The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" (Hirkani Bastion) constructed over a huge steep cliff. The legend goes "that a woman by the name of Hirakani from a nearby village had come to sell milk to the people living at the fort. She happened to be inside the fort when the gates got closed and locked past sunset. Hearing the cries of her infant son back at the village echo after nightfall, The anxious mother couldn't wait till dawn and courageously climbed down the steep cliff in pitch dark all due to the love for her little one. She later repeated this extraordinary feat in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and was bravely rewarded for it." In appreciation of her courage and bravery, Shivaji Maharaj built the Hirkani Bastion over this cliff.

The King's Durbar inside the Raigad Fort has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance for the royal ladies of the fort that lead to the queen's quarters. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. To the right of Palkhi Darwaja, is a row of three dark and deep chambers. Historians believe that these were the granaries for the fort.^[4]

The Takmak Tok

From the fort, one can view the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This area has been fenced off.

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi and that of his loyal dog named Waghya. The Samadhi of Jijabai Shahaji Bhosale, Shivaji's mother, can be seen at base village of Pachad.

The Samadhi of Jijabai

 

                                                Shiv temple in the fort

                       

Additional famous attractions of the fort include the Khubladha Buruj, Nane Darwaja and the Hatti Talav (Elephant Lake)

         

                                                               

 

                                    
  standing in front of Queens Quarters      Monument of a dog who jumped off the cliff on the death Of Shivaji              

               

Fort Market

 

Bazarpeth                                                      step mentions the fort – Hiroji Indulkar name of the architect of fort.

View from fort of the artificial lake and takmak tok

23/08/2017, Wedensday - Day 3

We checked out of the Resort and came down the Ropeway  and rode to Mahad. Avi had lots of childhood memories associated with Mahad. He visited his old house and met the family of his old family retainer, Gaza  who expired two years back . his son and hais family stayed there now.  We also passed through Ambedkar monument

Mahad Satyagraha or Chavdar Tale Satyagraha

 

        

Bronze sculpture depicting Mahad movement by B R Ambedkar

In 1927, Ambedkar decided to launch a satyagraha to assert their rights to use water in the public places^[3].^[ His Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha arranged a conference on Holi 19-20 March 1927 in Mahad, in which more than thousand people were gathered. At the end of the conference, they marched to the Chavdar Tale (tasty water lake), the main tank of the town and they drank water from the tank.

 

A riot broke out following a rumour that Ambedkar and his followers were planning to enter a Hindu temple in the town. And the caste Hindus purified the tank by performing puja, argued that untouchables polluted the tank by taking water from it.

Dr.Ambedkar decided to hold the second conference in Mahad on 26-27 December 1927. But caste Hindus filed a case against him that tank as a private property. He was not able to continue his satyagraha as the case was sub judice. On 25 December (Manusmriti Dahan Din), he burnt Manusmriti, a Hindu law book, as a protes.  In December 1937, the Bombay High Court ruled that untouchables have the right to use water from the tank.

 Thereon we took the road to another coast town, Karde via Dapoli, It was road ride of a out ...kms. We took lunch at Dapoli and moved on to Karde. It took some time to search it.

  Whistling Palm Beach Resort

 

With well furnished spacious rooms with balconies over looking the sea and amenities to ensure a comfortable stay and an in-house restaurant to dish out the best Konkani sea food prepared as per the traditional Konkani cuisine, the resort is well equipped to cater to all the needs of its guests.’ – reads the brochure. To our dismay except the location there wasn’t anything praiseworthy.

We enjoyed the beautiful views of the setting sun from the comforts of our room or walk on the soft white sands of the endless Karde.

           

We took a drive through the beach road. Looked for a spot and enjoyed playing in the water.

Glorious Sunset

 

         

Reflection of sky on wet sands.

    

After the dip in sea we took dinner at the restaurant just behind the sea where we were frolicking.

 

Bamboo roof on Gazebo

   

22/08/2017, Thursday – Day 4

We checked out of the resort and proceeded to Guaghar crossing the river through ferry. Ganapaty festival being close we saw many Ganesh idols accompanying us on the ferry.

           

The ferry ride was refreshing and invigorating.

We crossed through ferry and on disembarking we could see the chimneys of Enron in distance.

 

We took a ride around the establishment as it was a prohibited area.

. .

Famous light house was another spot suggested by the locals. Visiting time was long over but seeing our credentials and keenness authorities allowed us  to get into the facility.

Anjanvel Lighthouse

 

On the other side of Dabhol creek in the small village of Anjanvel is the Anjanvel light house. A nice place to visit specially in the evening this lighthouse was rebuilt in 1960s. The lighthouse though not very tall (30ft) affords a magnificent view as it is perched upon a steep hillock near the Gopalgad fort.

While waiting for the permission for the light house we visited an old  Anjanvel temple near by.

 

On way back we saw the sign  board of Gopalgad and took detour to visit it. There was nothing except the ancient broken wall that prompted us to return without visiting it.      

 

 

Gopalgad was built at the mouth of Dabhol (ancient name Dalbheshwar) creek to keep a check on the trade route on the river Vashishti, which runs till Chiplun. This was also known as the fort of Anjanvel which was a significant port during Maratha regime. This great fort today unfortunately is at the mercy of a privateer who is utilizing the fort for his own gains, due to which one can see locked gates to the fort entrances and private guards on the fort. A group of trekkers has been protesting against this from past 7 years.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj won the fort of Anjanvel from Adilshah in 1660 during the Dabhol campaign. There is no information as who built this fort. A dock was built here and the fort was named Gopalgad. In 1699, Siddi Khairatkhan captured the fort and it remained with the Siddis for next 46 years. The Siddis strengthened the fort. Tulaji Angre captured the fort in 1745; in 1756, it was captured by Ramji Mahadev Bivalkar for the Peshwas. After the third battle of Panipat, the person who faked as Sadashivrao Bhau stayed here for 6 months. The fort was with Marathas till 1818 when the British colonel Kennedy captured it.

On return we had fish based lunch at Guaghar and stayed in a lodge, We went  for swim in the sea in the evening had dinner and rested. It rained heavily though intermittently throughout our stay there.

23/08/2017, Friday - Day 5

Today was the day which Vijaya planned for us visiting Sunita’s – Deven’s wife – relatives. It was beautiful drive of 26 kms through green fields, coconut groves to reach Veleneshwar.

Located in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, Velneshwar is a village south of the Guhagar town. Velneshwar is well known for the temple of Lord Shiva and it also has a beautiful crescent shaped beach which is clean and unspoilt and ideal for swimming. Velneshwar gets much limelight during the month of March, when the Maha Shivratri Festival is held here, as a tribute to the God Shankar or ShivaVelneshwar is an incredible destination which lies in the north of the Shastri River. The fresh green coconut trees and rock less sea water make the beach very alluring. Velneshwar is the perfect place for a weekend getaway for a quick escape into relaxation. But we had no time it being the last day to return to Pune. We vivited the relatives had darshan of Lord Ganapaty which they had at their house. Bidding goodbye we proceeded to the famed temple of Lord Shiva.

The temple: .The name 'Velanesswar' has one interesting origin. This God (Ishwar) instantly fulfils the wish expressed by his devotees. So the God who does not waste any time of his devotee [Not wasting any time('vel' in Marathi)] is known as Vel-n-ishwar. Velneshwar is family-deity (Kuldaivat) of Gokhales, Gadgils, Savarkars etc.

 The temple's area is 70 sq mtrs has 11mtrs high 'Deepmal" (lamps-post) in front. Two wells built in laterite stones and temples of Shri Ganesh, Shri Kalbhairav(village deity of Velneshwar village), Shri Rameshwar Nandi(sacerd bull of Shiva) are in the same compound. The early temple was built by Gadgils which was later renovated by Shri Trimbak Ravaji Gokhale.

On way back we also visited Hedvi Ganapaty Dashbhuja (ten arms) ganapaty, the only one deity of this kind in  Maharashtra. This is an excellent temple. Name of this Ganesh is 'Dashbhuja Ganapati'. This 'Laxmi – Ganesh Temple' is not only ancient but also rare. This temple may have been erected in the period of Peshwas. The deity has been founded on the top of Mountain. The Ganesh idol has been carved in white stone. Such stones are found in Kashmir region. The specialty of the idol is that this is 3 feet high and it has 10 hands.  This majestic idol is on a seat of 2 feet.

   

Rocky Beach at Hedvi, Guaghar

Bamanghal Hedvi blowhole at  Guaghar

                      

        

                                      

We drove back to Pune after a very satisfying 5 days outing to Konkan coast,

 nvovnojso visited Hedvi Ganapaty Dashbhuja (ten arms) ganapaty, the only one deity of this kind in  Maharashtra. This is an excellent temple. Name of this Ganesh is 'Dashbhuja Ganapati'. This 'Laxmi – Ganesh Temple' is not only ancient but also rare. This temple may have been erected in the period of Peshwas. The deity has been founded on the top of Mountain. The Ganesh idol has been carved in white stone. Such stones are found in Kashmir region. The specialty of the idol is that this is 3 feet high and it has 10 hands.  This majestic idol is on a seat of 2 feet.

   

Rocky Beach at Hedvi, Guaghar

Bamanghal Hedvi blowhole at  Guaghar

                      

        

                                      

We drove back to Pune after a very satisfying 5 days outing to Konkan coast,