Tringalwadi Fort Trek

Tringalwadi Fort

So we are back with a new treklog after a long break. Some previous ones are also pending which I will be sharing later this month. This trek was to the beautiful hills hosting the ruins of Tringalwadi Fort. It is considered to be a 10th century fort built to monitor trade routes to present day Nashik. In terms natural beauty it was outstanding, specially because of the rainy weather and all the cloudy atmosphere. From the perspective of difficulty level the trek was very easy, though made a little bit dangerous because of rain.

Breakfast en route

We did this trek with trekking group Travel Buffs. This was our third trek with this group and we enjoyed every bit like last two times. The trek started by everyone assembling at Kasara station around 9:30 am. from there we took two jeeps to base village of Talawadi. We had breakfast on the way to Talawadi.

Tringalwadi Lake

Half of the distance to the base village is via a highway so it was pretty smooth ride. Remaining half of the distance is also decent, with roads getting rocky as we neared the base village. En route to the base village you will come across a beautiful lake also known as Tringalwadi Lake. You will also find a small dam which is used a lot by Indian Railways.

Jain Temple from inside

At base village we assembled and started out trek around 12:00 noon. After walking a short distance towards Tringalwadi we came across the ruins of a temple made by Jain monks in 10th century. There was still a mutilated idol which is still worshiped by Local villagers. We did intro round for the group members at the temple.

Halfway to the peak

Moving forwards from the temple, we climbed our way to the first semi-hill top. There was a flag there looking like a milestone. On both sides there was steep drop. The wind was so nice at this spot. The view of the valley was also mesmerizing. We stopped there for some time and took a lot of photos of ourselves as well as the nature. I tried to take in as much of pure fresh air as was possible in the short break. On the way up here we were able to lee a lot of small crabs skittering on the ground.

The final destination

From this milestone, we were also able to see the next climb ahead of us which was the highest peak of the entire trek. The way to the top was pretty easy. We just had to be cautious because the ground was a little slippery due to sporadic rains. We were constantly moving in the rain clouds. But, so far it had not rained hard enough to soak us wet. The rain also kept our bodies cool and tiredness away. 

Group pic at fort ruins

We climbed to the top. As we reached top we were able to see remaining ruins of the fort on top. As explained by the group leader, there were two parts to the fort - one for official purposes and one for living quarters. We took a decent break near at the fort ruins and took a lot of group photos also.

Dew laden spider web

From here we moved to the last climb to the top which was just a short distance away. This was the steepest climb of the entire trek but was pretty easy. We just had to be careful as the trail was slippery because of rain and mud. On top there was a tree of wild fruit which we used as a point for photo session. I also clicked some nice mushroom and dew laden spider web photos. 

Shiva Temple

This was the top most point in the entire trek. From here we moved on to descent. Every now and then we could see other groups of people either ascending or descending the hill. After a short descent we reached a Shiva Temple on top of Tringalwadi. This marked the completion of one side of the trek.

Scary Staircase

We spent some time resting there and also eating snacks. From there we went round the hill we just climbed and reached a small cave which is often used by the trekkers for camping. From there we moved ahead and reached a mini tunnel like opening where a Hanuman idol was carved out on wall. In front of the idol was a long flight of stairs to get down. All these landscapes were on the other side of the hill we had just climbed before. We had out lunch there and then we descended the stairs.

          Form there it was a fairly easy descent. During descent weather turned cloudy and we finally got completely soaked in rain. It was fun to get down from the hill to the base village in rain. By the time we reached back the base village the rain had almost stopped down to slight drizzling. When we reached one of our jeeps was already waiting and after some time the other one also came to pick us up.

          We took the same route to go back to the Kasara station, stopping at Igatpuri market for everyone to get some tea or coffee. 

          Overall it was a scenic, beautiful, fun-filled and enjoyable trek. As usual Travel Buffs did not disappoint at all and we got to see marveling natural beauty. For us this was a trek after a long time and as a warm up trek it was the best. This trek completely recharged my mind and soul and looking forwards to more monsoon treks.

Entire Trekking Group

Till next trek... Toodles...

Hill-Skippers

hill.skippers@gmail.com

P.S. Do not litter. Keep Nature Clean