Trek To Torna

  TORNA : SHIVAJI MAHARAJ'S FIRST FORT

Maharashtra is famous for the legendary Shivaji Maharaj and his Impregnable Forts.They were the pillars on which his kingdom stood.These forts were situated in the Sahyadri Ranges and provided excellent vantage point for the observers and provide the much essential stability for the kingdom. Three Centuries later they serve as perfect challenges for trekkers to scale. We visited one such Fort "Torna" which is near Pune. On a side note, Torna is historically significant because it is the first fort captured by Shivaji in 1643, forming the nucleus of the Maratha empire

 There were 2 of us from Mumbai And one from Pune. We started late at night on 1.7.2013 at 9 pm. The Journey was eventful on the Bike (Pulsar 135cc)with lots of rain and travelling on the Mumbai Pune Expressway  (on which two wheeler are not allowed) . We reached the other companion Yashraj's House at around 12:30am. After freshening ourselves up we set out at 2:00am on a single bike to he base village of Torna called Velhe which is around 60 Km away.

Catching the Mumbai Bangalore Highway we worked our way up the Katraj ghat and onward towards Nasrapur from where we were to take a detour to Velhe. The journey was uncomfortable and me sandwiched between two of my buddies was really cramped up and to make it even more tough was the fact that we had 3 bags of luggage. By the time we reached Nasrapur we all were worked up and clammy from our journey. Still persisting on, we took the detour and journeyed towards Velhe which was 30 km away. On both sides the fog besotted plains sent a chill down our spine and even a hoot of an owl made our heartbeats shoot up. We wanted to get off the bike and stop to take rest but resting in this environment at 3:00 am in the night was not an option. Journeying on at snail's pace now on a potholed riddled road with a slight drizzle made us shiver. We felt glad of each others company and were trying to crack up jokes to lighten up the atmosphere. After an Arduous journey, We reached Velhe at around 5:00 and at that time whole village was shut up without a soul in sight. Since we could not climb Torna on an empty stomach we waited munching up Marie Biscuits. Trust me, They never tasted so heavenly at home . When the village opened up at around 7:30 we had a heavy breakfast Of Missal Paav and set out to scale the Tallest Fort in Maharashtra.

                                               

We were accompanied at the base of
the Mountain by 5 dogs who guided us our entire way and stayed with us throughout our Journey. They were an unusual pack with 2 elderly dogs, a very young pup and his mom but were loyal to us and made our tough journey enjoyable. We got on the wrong foot from the starting due to my miscalculation of choosing the wrong path. This was partly due to the fact i wanted to visit the waterfalls which were strewn across the countryside and was trying to find a middle way. Nevertheless, I navigated through them well and finally got us on the right track. We had not taken water as we knew there would be plenty of water falls on the way to quench out thirst and never felt any need to carry water bottles. After 1 1/2 hour of hiking steadily we took a break of 15 minutes and enjoyed the mesmerizing view in front of us. We gave Parle-G Biscuits to the Dogs and also ate some ourselves, bracing ourselves for a tough road ahead. The path now became more tougher to climb and the muddy soil made it difficult for shoes to get a firm grip. This compounded by the fact it had started to drizzle made our climb difficult than ever before. On one side lay the hill and on the other lay the beautiful valley and this trend continued till the end of the first part of our journey.
      Reaching on the top of one mountain we really saw we had achieved very little in our 2 hours of climbing and had just reached the Base of Torna Fort and this was were we would really start climbing the actual fort. Now,The road widened a bit and the valley was now on both sides of the road.  Panshet Dam was on our right while the village Velhe was on our left. The second part of the journey involved brazing the Rain swept winds and battling our way through the fog. Shivering,clammy with the cold we kept going on. The flora and fauna we found at this height was quite exotic and since not knowing the original names, We invented a few like the beetle plant , the violy, Green shoots and many others.
                   The third and final stage was the last dangerous part before we could actually enter the fort. It involved climbing 90 feet, 80 degrees oriented rock in complete fog and rain. Our hands were numb with cold , muscles stiff with continuous walking but break again was not an option due to the unpredictable nature of rain. The Dogs accompanying us swiftly climbed this patch and waited patiently till we mustered the will to climb this patch. Then came the part where we had a waterfall on one side and valley on the other and we had to cross to go over the other side. Taking God's name we crossed carefully over and saw the main gate in front of us some 15 feet away. Climbing with the help of security railings which were installed to prevent mishap, We reached Torna finally after a climb of over 5 hours at around 1:00pm.
                               The fort is barren except a few buildings out of which Mengai (local deity)temple is the only one which possess a roof. We entered through an entrance known as Bini Darwaza and first went towards the temple where we stashed our bags and went to explore the fort. We had brought with us maggi noodles and eggs to cook but lighting a fire felt impossible in the continuous rain which was lashing the fort. We tried Everything right from cutting and slashing the sticks to burning paper, oil and even deodorant in an effort to light the fire but it was just not to be. Finally at 3:00 pm, We ate the eggs raw and decided that we would have to get down before it gets dark else we will be screwed in this heavy rain which had just begun.

We found climbing down was more difficult as treacherous rocks had to be carefully negotiated in the heavy rain and an on pour of extra water which made us slip ! But, Despite being famished our determination drove us on and after 3 hours of careful climbing we were down from the danger zone. The remaining trek was uneventful as we were sapped of energy and were frequently taking breaks. We invented a new dish called Maggi Chivda :D which we devoured quickly. The dogs accompanying us in contrast were as cheerful as ever, Patiently waiting while we took breaks. They really were the driving force throughout our journey as their enthusiasm drove us on ! We reached Velhe at around 6:30 pm and had a humongous breakfast of Missal (Yea,we had to have it again due to its delicious taste ) and Vada paav with hot tea to sum it up. After this brief break we again drove back to Pune Via Nasrapur Triple seat again (Ouch ! It was painful).
                We stayed at Yashraj's place for the night and slept like logs through the night and came back to Mumbai The next day i.e 4.7.2013. Torna is really a beautiful fort to visit but it is treacherous in the rains so one should be careful while undertaking this trip. We really got what we came for in the thrill,fun, adventure and most important of all HAPPINESS !