Harishchandragad - Thrilling and Exciting 

                   Harishchandragad is a fort that will make you fall in love. Konkankada, Rainbow(Indradhwaj) from Konkankada, Taramati peak, mesmerising view of Sahyadri range from Taramati peak and many more. Harishchandragad is a biggest fort/hill situated in Malshej Ghat in Ahmednagar district. And Taramati peak is the highest peak in the district.

 The history of Harishchandragad is truly admirable and that is why fort lovers have always been curious about this fort as its history and geography is truly amazing.

 

History of Harishchandragad

Like many other forts, this fort belonged to the tribal community but later the history of Marathas and Mughals was also recorded on this fort. Some locals also claim that this fort is mentioned in Matsya Purana and Agni Purana. After the Mughals took possession of the fort from the tribal Koli community, the Marathas conquered it from the Mughals in about 1747. Krishnaji Shinde was the fort keeper at that time.

How to reach Harishchandragad.

As we mentioned that Harishchandragad is very big, it should take 1-2 days to complete. There are also many ways to get here.

 1. Via Khireshwar

 Since the road from Pune district to Khireshwar is easy, most of the trekkers use this route. The road Mumbai Junnar passes through Malshej Ghat, you have to go to Khubi Phata. If you are traveling from pune, you can go from Alephata and from Kalyan, via  Murbad-Malshej, you can go to Khubi Phata. khireshwar village is 5 km from khubi phata, you have to walk upon a dam. On the way to Harishchandragad, there is an old lord Shiva temple in Khireshwar village which is said to be in the eleventh century. The sabhamandap(Auditorium) outside the temple is very nicely made, there are beautiful carvings of lord Vishnu and his family on the door of the inner temple and many such carvings like Narvahan Kuberkuberi, Makarvahan Makarrati, Mushakvahan Ganesha are found on the stone. From this village, you will see two routes towards top. one of it takes about 3 hours to reach the fort from Tolarkhindi. The other way leads to the rajdaravaja, this way was very famous (prevalent) before, if you want to go in today’s time; you should go with local guide. Don't forget to take water with you.

2. Via Pachanai

The easiest way to reach Harishchandragad is from Pachanai. Get off at Ghoti village on Mumbai-Nashik road. From there, go to Rajur village. You can reach the fort from Rajur in two ways. You have to go to Pachnai from Rajur, you can go up to pachani by bus from rajur. Pachanai is the starting point of Harishchandragad. It takes 2.30 to 3.00 hours. The temple from Pachanai to Harishchandreshwar is about 4-5 km.

3. Nalichi vaat

This is the most difficult route to Harishchandragad. To reach by nalichi vaat, one has to go to the village of name Belpada at the foothills of Konkankada. This route should be taken only if you are pro rock climber, otherwise not recommended. It takes about 10-12 hours to trek this way.

Places to visit on Harishchandragad

1. Temple of Harishchandreshwar

The temple of Harishchandreshwar is the centrepiece of this fort. The average height of this temple should be around 15-16 meters. In front of this temple is a stone bridge under which the river flows. This river flows from the top of Taramati. The locals call it the origin of Mangalganga. The same river flows through the village. There are many caves around the temple. Some of these caves have water in them. This water tastes very sweet and the water is very cold.

 

2. Cave of Kedareshwar

Another place worth visiting on Harishchandragad is Kedareshwar Cave. There is a big Shivling in this cave. And this cave stands on four pillars, out of which three pillars have fallen and only one pillar is intact. It is said that these four pillars are the four era, i.e. Satyug, Tretayug, Dvaparayug and Kaliyug. Three eras have passed so those three pillars have fallen, when the fourth pillar falls, the Kali Yuga will also end. This cave has waist-deep water, and this water is very cold.

 

3. Konkankada

The biggest attraction on Harishchandragad is Konkankada. The Konkankada is about half a km in circumference and semi-circular. This whole beauty can only be experienced by sleeping on the edge (and most importantly by taking care of yourself). The height of the konkankada is about 4500 feet from the base. The highest Konkankada in Maharashtra captivates everyone. You can also see the rainbow(Indradhwaj) from this. You can see the beauty of nature from this konkankada.

 

4. Taramati peak

Taramati Peak is the highest peak in the fort, with an elevation of about 4800 to 4900 feet. There are seven caves in this peak. In one of the caves, there is a beautiful and magnificent idol of Lord Ganesha which is about 8 to 8.50 feet high. From here onwards you can go to Taramati peak. From Taramati peak you can see Naneghat, Jeevdhan, Ratangad, Kalsubai, Ajoba Parvat, Hudsar, Bhairavgad. There are also 2-3 Shivlings on the top of Taramati.

More information about Harishchandragad

Level of Harishchandragad trek

 Region - Malshej

Time to reach the top - 4 hours via Khireshwar, 3 hours via Pachnai, 8-12 hours via nalichi vaat

Duration – 2 days

Harishchandragad height - about 4000-4500 feet

Nearest railway station - Kasara

 

Conclusion

In Harishchandragad Trekking Blog we have made a small effort to provide as much information as possible about Harishchandragad, we hope you enjoyed this blog. If you have any comments or any other information, you can write in the comment box or let us know in the mail id below.

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