Whispers of my heart...: Romancing with nature

View from the car

Everywhere around the world, a downpour is the time when people rush for a cover; but in and around Pune, India, people head towards the Sahaydri Hills to savor the splendid natural beauty that starts to unfold on these hills right after the first shower.

After various exhausting trekking trips, I decided to go, with my group, on a pure fun trip to Shivthar Ghal, a place about 100 kms away from Pune. ‘Ghal’ in Marathi means a cavern. It was the dwelling place of Shri Ramdas Swami, the guru of the Maratha King Shivaji. He scripted ‘Dasbodh’- meaning advice to the disciple- a 17th century spiritual text, here.

Ajay (behind) and Amit

We had hired a car and started pretty early, fetching every member from their home, on the cloudy Saturday morning. By the time we reached the outskirts of Pune, it had started pouring heavily and we decided it was the perfect time and weather for a hot tea and snacks. We pulled over to a road-side hotel on the highway and enjoyed steaming cups of tea, watching the thunderous showers as they washed away the dust from roads, trees and houses.

Red river... due to eroded soil

We were in no hurry to reach our destination as the curvaceous hilly roads, the waterfalls along the way, and swiftly flowing streams had caught our attention. We wanted to spend as much time possible with nature, so took frequent breaks and captured some amazing moments. The river we spotted on our way was red due to eroded soil and simple villagers walked briskly covering themselves and their animals with hand-made rain-covers, the monkeys balanced themselves on the moss covered rocks… Everything we clicked was special due to its simplistic beauty.

Even our goats need cover...aww so cute

The earth covered with lush green carpet looked so inviting that we were not bothered about the heavy rainfall; and when we crossed a broad and swift flowing stream, we decided to spend time there. The stream lead into a beautiful wild patch and all of us wadded through the knee-deep water, balancing carefully on the smooth, slippery stones, hand in hand. Some of us, who were apprehensive about taking all this trouble to reach the other side, were blissfully delighted to see the small waterfall underneath a dense canopy of trees. The pictures I clicked of the scene make beautiful wallpaper for my home laptopJ

Eroded plains

Though we had decided not to take any halt till we reach our destination, we couldn't stop ourselves from stopping once again to witness the might of nature. About 70 feet below, from where we stood, was a vast stretch of land, completely eroded and devastated by the forceful current of the seasonal river. The water that brought the hills to life, scrapped away all signs of beauty from the usually green plains!!

In our journey ahead we were able to stick to our resolution of ‘not stopping’ for pictures and reached Shivthar Ghal at noon. After parking our vehicle in the so-called parking lot by the country roadside, we proceeded towards the small shanty that served as the food court in that area. The orders have to be placed in advance for the ‘restaurant’ owner to prepare the food. The menu was fixed and we needed to inform only the quantity we would require. After placing our order we started walking towards the ghal or cave which was located at some height.

The cave

What would have been a secluded spot, apt for a poet’s concentration and a saint’s meditation, is a bustling temple now. Most of the visitors here are the pilgrims and followers of Shri Ramdas Swami. They gather in the various rooms, which have the belongings of Swamiji and meditate. The other visitors are like us; they visit the small cave where the enlightened soul once resided, check out the premises, look mesmerized at the huge waterfall next to cave and spend time posing and clicking more photographs everywhere. The only tip for the travelers to this spot is to have lots of time on hand, else you will feel sorry for not having enough time to gaze at the splendid vistas.

The group

By the time we reached the ‘restaurant’ all of us were totally soaked due to incessant rain. Piping hot food, in cold dripping clothes tasted even betterJ. We left the place at around 4 PM and in spite of all the running, jumping and drenching we indulged in throughout the day, my enthusiastic trip mates totally rocked our journey back with more laughter and Kodak moments.