A tryst with Mightiness.......Chandrakhani Pass

Started with an intention of writing a single one went into becoming a series. A long story served in bits and pieces …

MUMBAI-CHANDIGARH- BASE CAMP SEOBAGH part 1)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/86990240506/a-tryst-with-the-mightiness-part-1-the-planning-and

SEOBAGH BASECAMP-NAGGAR part 2)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/87026673936/a-tryst-with-mightiness-part-2-dealing-with-anxieties

SEOBAGH BASE CAMP-KULLU TIBETAN MARKET part 3)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/87557994361/a-tryst-with-the-mightiness-part-3-getting-oriented

SEOBAGH-YOSGO-MALANA VILLAGE-BEHALI     part 4)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/87617025206/a-tryst-with-mightiness-the-trek-begins

BEHALI-WACHING  part5)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/87880047691/a-tryst-with-the-mightines-watching-waching

WACHING-NAGRONI part 6)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/87882650841/a-tryst-with-the-mightiness-celebrating-happiness

NAGRONI-CHANDRAKHANI PASS-NAUYA TAPRU part 7)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/88192063391/a-tryst-with-the-mightiness-snow-white-and-the-43

NAUYA TAPRU-RUMSU VILLAGEpart 8)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/89175561841/a-tryst-with-mightiness-nearing-the-end-last-camp

RUMSU-NAGGAR-BASECAMP SEOBAGHpart 9)http://smile4shre.tumblr.com/post/89254102336/a-tryst-with-mightiness-royal-bites-a-trout-story

Here they are, compiled together……..so some day in future we can take a stroll in the memory lane, alone yet together…

 Reblog

A tryst with mightiness: the planning and the beginning.

 Dreams to visit the wonderful mighty Himalayas were carved in my heart since a long time now. Stories of my friends added more colours to my dream. I wondered if I would ever have a story to tell about these mighty mountains. 

   

!!Snowy dreams 

One fine day dreams came true. Posts about Chanderkhani trek 2014, YHAI kept coming on groups of whatsapp. Many of my friends were planning to go. I first looked at it with a wishful sigh, knowing it wouldn't be possible for me. But when the mountains call they make sure you come and this time I literally felt the call of the mountains. I knew deep down this would somehow work for me. Two close friends of mine agreed to join me. One doubtful and other confirmed I ended up booking two seats for the trek. But Alas! both friends couldn't make it. In fact the friend who confirmed with me actually got engaged on the next day we left for the trek.

       Then came the turn of train and bus bookings. That was another remarkable feat in itself. A friend who booked the seats on IRCTC was happy to see 16 seats empty at sharp 8.00am on the first day of booking as he paid for them. Alas! to add to our surprise we had one confirmed and 4RACs. Gosh!! now the wait of confirmation and the fear of separation. I remember checking my PNR status every morning as if it were my morning prayers. The tickets did get confirmed soon, but where will we all be seated??????? 

    The preparations started almost 2 months in advance. We had a BBM group formed that actually played a very important role to help me prepare for the trek. 73 trek essential stuffs were listed (this better not cross 5kgs) and we started collecting them accordingly. The lengthiest discussion we had was about a food item Kurmura, which was to be our train companion and we spent a lot of time hunting for it.

!! the famous wheat kurmura, our topic for phd in trek essentials :D 

For the real trek stuffs we hunted all possible outdoor gear outlets we knew and also purchased a few things online. i got my stuffs mainly from 

1) AVI Industries 

13, Shriji Sadan, Plot No. 352, Chandawarkar Marg, Matunga East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400019
022 6577 9787

2) Mountain Sports Academy,

B/22, Shubham, Plot No.151, Gorai Part II, Gorai., 4000 091.          Phone 9892042704 / 9029042704 / 02265642704  Email nandu@mtsportsacademy.com             Website http://www.mtsportsacademy.co

3)Decathlon Thane, Big Shopping Center,
Ghodbunder Road, Kasarvadawali Gaon,
Thane West - Thane 400615
(Landmark: Hypercity)

Mobile: +91 096 1929 7688
Email: crm.thane@decathlon.in

!! trek essentials< the list does not end 

Till the last moment, our shopping continued. In fact the shopping extended till the day before we left for the higher camps.

       After a long wait and daily countdowns, finally the day to board the train arrived. On 10th may 2014 we all boarded the train Pascim Express for chandigarh from Bandra. As Luck would have it, all we friends had our seats in the same compartment. So the journey began with chit chats, teases, ghost stories and food after food. One fun thing that we tried to do was to read the names of the river that passes by. I was slow at it, but it was something that was fun. Some of these rivers were just too big and beautiful  with their banks inviting you to just rest for a while by its side. It was on this train journey that I met Reem, who then appeared quiet and reserved. I realized only later how chirpy, happy, innocent 16 yr old kid she was and she had expected to see someone like Ranbeer Kapoor on the trip. 

     !! The first selfie of the trip before the train starts  (pic courtesy: Nanabhai Sir)

!! All in one (compartment) (pic courtesy: Ajay Pradhan)

  The next day we reached Chandigarh. We had a friend, Jeewan who came specially to meet us there and show us around chandigarh. He traveled 200km on his scooty just to come and meet us. We had a good time in Chandigarh, we visited the rock garden and the sukhna Lake. our day ended with a yummy pizza and soon we boarded our bus for kullu. Here we met Manjusha Ma'am and the rest of the CMPiets 

!! enjoying yummy mango shake. we had cherries on top of it, thanks to Jeewan who saved us from coconut shavings as garnish. That is used most of the times (pic courtesy: Jeewan Singh)

!!rock stars of rock garden (pic courtesy: Jeewan Singh)

       After a sleepless bus ride from Chandigarh to kullu with only an halt at a beautiful Hotel and cold chocolate drink at CCD we reached seobagh base camp by a local bus from kullu. The cold had set in, we had finally left the mumbai heat behind now for 10-12 days.

Our entry into the camp was marked by applause, only catch was that it was for the batch all set to start their trek to chanderkhani. We joined in, cheering up the enthusiastic trekkers.

      Soon after all the formalities we got our tents. Mine was tent no 17. and our group was CP-17 . But before entering the tent I had an embarrassing moment lying in wait for me. In my hurry to go to the washroom, I rushed into the gents washroom with Ojasvi, (who I didn't know then) screaming "Aunty wait! Aunty wait!" from behind. I obviously paid no heed to the word aunty and rushed in only to rush out like daffy duck of looney tunes. Ojasvi chose not to forget this and reminded me time and again about this episode. Ojasvi, this is for you. never call me aunty again :P:P 

(by the end of the trip we saw a huge SHE and HE board pasted outside respective loos)

    Soon we began settling in the tent, only to rush out for the first breakfast.

CP-17 were now headed together for a journey of their life time........... 

Haunted by the Devil's Tree

               Walking down the lazy streets, full of people too busy to look up at the sky or trees, a strong heady fragrance made me stop on my way. With every breadth I took the fragrance wrapped around me and made me instinctively look up. The moment I turned my head up to look at what was the source of this beautiful smell, I felt tiny little white flowers fall on top of me. It felt like some scene from a movie. You walk down and flowers shower on you. Taking a deep breath in I saw above my head was a tree, glowing with the bloom of white flowers and below my feet was a carpet of  white and all around was the fragrance wrapping me with delight. All this in the middle of the same old road I take to go back home. All this in the jungle of concrete.

A quest soon started to find out which is this tree. I was wondering how on earth am I going to find out about a tree with my sentimental descriptions. As luck would have it, the tree I was searching for was right outside my house, tall and strong as if waiting since ages for me to cast a look at it. Only the buds of the flower was visible so I wasn't really sure if it was the same tree that had captured my heart. Some days later the whole tree was in full bloom and the beautiful fragrance filled my room. This was enough a proof that it was the same tree. I knew that the fruits of this tree were like long beans as I had observed that earlier. Now with the description of fruits the search became easier and arrived at a blog that described my tree perfectly well.

http://riverineparks.blogspot.in/2012/04/alstonia-scholaris.html

A few Details 

This beautiful tree is named Devil's tree or Shaitan ka Jhad as tribals of Western ghats believed that devils lived there and so were reluctant to pass underneath. As suggested by one of my Sirs, this was a brilliant way to save the tree from being cut..

It is also called blackboard tree as its timber was traditionally used to make slates and compass boxes for school children. The name Scholaris also comes from here. Thus its Botanical name is Alstonia Scholaris. Alstonia to commemorate a well known Botanist  Prof. C. Alston of Edinburgh.

In Sanskrit It is called the Saptaparna which literally means that which has seven leaves in a whorl. 

I don't know if devils really stay here or not, but I am truly haunted by its fragrance of this Devil's tree. 

The Diary of a young Butterfly: the story of transformation

Day 1:
Date: 3/9/13                        

1pm: I find two young caterpillars, both different to look at, on the Asopalav tree near my place. Just few days before I had seen one caterpillar that resembled one of them. That I knew was the caterpillar of a butterfly called Tailed Jay.  Excited I am to find these two. excitement leads to temptation to take one home. I am in a dilemma whether to take or not. It would be wonderful to observe its life cycle. One of them is really young just about a 1.5cm in size the other has just finished moulting. I pick this one up. At the back of my mind words of my friends resound "murder, intruder, don't disturb nature", however I have succumbed to the temptation and have consoled my mind saying that, Sir thinks it's ok as long as I can feed it with leaves, I will get to observe it close at hand and I have also saved it from becoming a feast to the birds. I am planning to call Sir soon, but I am apprehensive that this one may die.

Asopavla Tree on which i found the caterpillars.

Caterpillar of  Tailed Jay which I had found few days before. 

 The moment I pluck the leaf on which the caterpillar is, it feels threatened and shoots out its osmeterium. In this case it's lemon yellow in colour. I bring it home with few more leaves to feed it.


Back home I search for a suitable container to keep my treasure. Finding one, I decide to keep it close to the window so it feels at home. Just a poor solace for my aching heart that separated him from his mother tree.

Just after moulting

Side view of the above caterpillar

3.00pm: I had left it undisturbed till now. I get some more fresh leaves and place them in. I find that the caterpillar has eaten up its moulted skin and a little bit of the leaves too. But otherwise there hasn't been much of activity. I place the fresh leaves in the box. These leaves are from a different asopalav tree. I am apprehensive again whether they will be accepted. I can only wait and watch.(By placing different leaves I just wanted to see if they eat leaves of the same species but different tree, I had time to replace them if they don't.)

10.30pm: I return home and rush to my box. I had informed my mom not to throw it away., she is Ok with it so long as its not on her tree. I see that the caterpillar has eaten the leaves of the new tree. It seems to prefer young leaves rather than the old ones. However I don't have more fresh leaves for the night. Lets see what happens next morning.

Day 2:
Date: 4/9/13

6.00am I have hardly slept and get up wondering how my caterpillar is faring, I rush to the Container and was shocked to see the fellow all shrivelled up.

 This scares me and I rush down to get few fresh leaves from the mother tree and also some young leaves. As I was picking up the leaves and examining the tree I find these beautiful pearl like structures on the tip of one of the leaves of Asopalava tree. They should be the eggs of the Tailed Jay I think.  I don't know

Unknown Pearls

New leaves,caterpillars like young leaves to feast on.

7.30am Back home I now decide to change the container as this particular one doesn't give the feel of leaves hanging, so I use this strainer I have at home and tuck leaves through its holes and keep it inverted over another bowl. Now I have my own caterpillar pot. like a fish pot.

Fake home resembling Fish Bowl.

It's tough for me to have this fellow home. I have to do all those things I don't like doing, like I have to pluck the leaves and keep the caterpillar caged. I don't know if the caterpillar will survive. It's horrifying and I am feeling like a murderer, to take it away from its home. But now it's done. Only hope is it eats and grows healthy. I don't want to see it suffer. Oh God!! what if it is suffering right now!!

1,30pm I have tried my best to divert my mind. Later I just have a peep in the afternoon, its eating what I got. Good

I have decided I will tell Sir only after this fellow grows a little

10.00pm As I return home from work, on my way I pluck  leaves again. God this ordeal is killing me already. OH! When will it pupate!!

Well it has eaten only the young leaves and not touched the mature leaves of the mother plant. It feeds only on the soft young leaves. And Oh my God the box is full of caterpillar crap, they are like pepper balls, a bit smaller although.  It must be eating well, I convince myself.

Oh Shit!!

Lets see what tomorrow brings.

Day 3:
Date: 5/9/13

5.30am I am up early again today and the first thing I do is have a look at them. Wow it has grown. thank god, the shrivelled appearance has gone, Its looking fresh green and is about 2.5cm long. I decide to take a picture.

Yesterday I couldn't get myself to photograph it. Today it is looking good.

*about 2.5cm, Fresh green 

I have assumed it is a caterpillar of the Tailed Jay Butterfly.
I compare my pictures with the one I saw in a blog on butterflies. Surprisingly it doen't look like the caterpillar shown here. The other two I had seen on the tree resembles the blog pictures but this one is really different. It does have a forked tail, but instead of the horn like structures it has something that looks like an eye on its head. I am assuming it to be a gender difference. Maybe the male and female caterpillar are different. This mystery will be solved only once it emerges from the pupa.

I have decided to keep this a secret. I will tell only sir and two friend to whom I had already told. That's it. They have already started teasing me. They says add salt and masala to your leaves so that the caterpillars eat. :P

Meanwhile I am following a schedule for my caterpillar. morning breakfast-7.30am, afternoon lunch-1.30pm and finally night dinner-10.30pm, No interference in between and then one picture during the day, I am saying all this after interfering majorly already.

7.00am: I go down to get more leaves and also check On the pearl eggs. no changes as of now.

12.30pm: I have to get more young leaves, the lemon yellow and brown ones, The mother host plant has no young leaves, I get it from other Asopalav trees. The eggs I had seen yesterday have not hatched, they don't even resemble the eggs of a tailed jay, and unlike the single eggs of the tailed jay, they are laid in groups.

Back home, the caterpillar is on the walls of the strainer. again I panic. oh oh its gentle legs!!. I had picked up my dead mormon caterpillar last year, so I know they are very soft. the holes of the strainer must be too sharp..OMG what an emotional torture all this is. I can't bear this sight, All weird thoughts enter my head, about it must be feeling caged, no food, starvation. What have I done!! I feel like just bursting out All this somewhere. But where?? writing is a good solace.

I have no choice, I just pack the pot with leaves and hope the caterpillar finds its way to them. After an hour I check, it is now on a leaf, what a relief. I can go to work peacefully.

 Plucking leaves is bad, but the worst is plucking them at night. I feel as if I am killing someone when they are asleep. I have told sorry a million times now to this tree. What's the point!. Doesn't make me less a devil...

Leaves in hand, I walk home like a thief. But I stole it for my caterpillar, I explain myself. and maybe so does a thief who loots for his children. With all these thoughts I return home

Good boy!! It has eaten well. I place the new leaves, remove the old.In a day it eats only around one and a half leaf. I wonder if that's good!

Tomorrow I will tell Sir about my caterpillar


Day 4: 
6th sep 2013

Up again and a quick peep into the pot. All is looking fine, I go down to get the leaves and watch the eggs too. Eggs haven't hatched. I am curious to know what they have,

While replacing the leaves carefully, I see my caterpillar is hanging on an old stale leaf. Not a pretty site, I even see it eating the stale leaf. oh dear!! I wonder why can't it just have the fresh ones. how to tell him to eat fresh ones??

Its just 4 days I really hope it pupates soon

*About 2.7 to 3cm. *Rings prominent and *the green colour deepens

Afternoon feeding time also goes fine. Its looking healthy for a change. I don't know why I don't like taking his pictures again and again. I feel like I am intruding in his privacy. I feel I am scaring it but I have already interfered so much that clicking pictures is nothing in front of it.

I  called sir and told him about this little one. He can't come, I can't go, so all we do is wait for the pupation

The horrible night time is here again. I have to pluck leaves again. There are some guys standing around my tree, what a sad luck.. Shoooo!!! I wish to do. I suppose the trees are shooing me away too.
I search for another tree, but don't manage to collect enough fresh leaves,

Dear caterpillar, this is all I have and you will have to put up with it,

Day 5: 
7th sep 2013

7.00am :Time to get fresh leaves, but first a quick peep. Wow!! my caterpillar has grown really long. lalalala Pupation is closer that means. now it measures around 3cm. I really admire the endurance of this little fellow. The changes it has been through and the way it's growing strong.

I go to collect leaves. Eggs haven't hatched yet. I have decided to put this on project Noah for Id. I try but somehow it's not working. The picture is beautiful and I end up putting it on instagram.

Instagram picture encourages a comment of  "provide the fodder" from a friend and my guilty mind begins to wonder how in the world was  my secret out. The next that followed was volcano eruption. First I erupted all that I wanted to say from so long. the blunder, the guilt mixed with excitement and joy, spiced with curiosity and fear all came out in one go. The moment this friend realized I had picked it off its host plant another volcano erupted. I agreed to all the censure yet the after thought made me think on a topic too profound to discuss here.

Coming back to my caterpillars and somehow feeling better after both the eruptions and now just accepting that I have to bear the results of what I have done and REALISE that whatever justification I have for my act, certain things pinch your heart and their lies no joy in  doing it then. The intention of picking this fellow was just a temptation to observe and is definitely not a strong reason to support the act. Lets see if I think differently at the end of all this.

Now I have filled the pot again with leaves, the caterpillar looks fine. let see what tomorrow brings. hoping for  Pupation


Day 5: 
8th sep 2013.

Now a days the first thing I do as soon as I get up is to check on the caterpillar. To my dismay there is no pupation and to add to this the caterpillar has climbed on the walls leaving the leaves. I am tired of feeding these leaves as it never seems to like what I like. I get fresh new leaves and it continues to eat the old stale ones.Now to add to this mischief it has climbed on the vessel wall and is looking shorter that yesterday. All I can do now is adjust the leaves next to it with the hope that it will climb on them soon.

After about two hours I check again. Relieved I am to see that it has climbed on the leaves and is now resting. best time to take pictures is when it is resting. It seems to follow a very simple routing. eat-sleep-eat sleep- eat-sleep. Well if by just eating and sleeping it gets transformed into a butterfly I am ready to follow the same plan too..

At 9.30am

By Afternoon the caterpillar looks shorter than yesterday. its about 2.5cm now and it has become paler than yesterday and almost has a yellow tinge to it. It has also developed spots on the sides of its body. It is moving less and eating less than usual. My only assurance is that it is looking healthy.

I take few pictures. Get new leaves and keep it in my container. The eggs those pearl ones that I keep checking on when I go to get leaves have still not hatched. Some of them have darkened in colour. Looks translucent as if containing some liquid. I am hoping they will hatch tomorrow. These are a real mystery.

At night I check on it and find it as lazy as ever. Plucking leaves has started getting on my nerves now.

Day 6: 
9th september 2013.

Today the caterpillar looks even shorter and paler than yesterday. It seems to be shrinking in size. I wonder If this is because of its poor diet.

about 2.5cm

Shrunken caterpillar, paler and inactive

This not eating business has really worried me. I decide that enough is enough I am going to get leaves from the mother plant today. I wonder why its not eating and behaving so weirdly. May be fresh leaves from mother plant will do the trick. I am scared of the watchman in that building where the mother plant is. He eyes at me suspiciously as if I am stealing mangoes. Yet he doesn't ask what I am doing. I would have been more glad to explain all and take than having him stare at me like that. I get a good branch this time.

Back home the caterpillar is at its irritating best. I don't know why I feel as if I can see mild convulsions running down its body. It has stopped defecating also. Every time like an elephant it raises his head but continues to be where he is. He has chosen the stalest of all leaves I keep the fresh ones next to it and decide to take pictures. But suddenly as if I have woken him up from sleep, he starts moving and climbs the new branch I have got. Thank god for that. I presume its hungry and wait with the leaf in my hand. Its moving very rapidly so I can't even place the Leaf down. There are about 7 to 8 leaves on this branch. To my surprise it moves on each and every leaf without eating them as if its testing which is the best leaf. It keeps on moving his head up and then finally comes to rest on one leaf. I am surprised that it comes and just goes back to sleep here. I was sure it was going to eat. but it simply stays 

On the Move

Day 7
10th September 2013 

Well, all through last night the caterpillar was in the same place.Today morning brought a pleasant surprise. My caterpillar had taken up a pre-puatory position. The silk threads that support it are in position. I am really happy that I don't have to feed him with new leaves anymore. Hoping to catch it pupate

The pre-pupatory stage: the silk threads easily seen here. Pupa yet to form 

10.30am:  This time when I come to watch it, I know its going to pupate anytime. I see the mild convulsions set in and looks like the upper skin is going to tear off. The part which was its mouth is trying to slip over the entire body. I wait and I wait but nothing more than this is happening. I had to leave that time. When i come back after about an hour the final moulting for Pupation has happened. The moult skin lies on the floor and a beautiful green Pupa lies in its place.

The pupation has happened. What a relief.

The Green Pupa hanging strong

The Moulted  skin

Day 8-11th sep 2013 to  Day 17: 20th sep 2013

This was the duration between pupation and emergence of the butterfly. I couldn't take much pictures of the changes that the pupa went through due to some unavoidable circumstances. However I could manage a few pictures here and there. Luckily for me i didn't miss the butterfly. I however missed the process of emergence which I so badly wanted to see.

on 13th sep 2013: not much changes 

Emergence: 10.04am

emergence: 10.04am

The Beautiful COMMON JAY..............:):)

For more information ..
http://butterflycircle.blogspot.in/2011/06/life-history-of-common-jay.html

A Time Machine called Kondana Caves

             Forts, caves, ancient temples and monuments play the role of time machine for us today. Taking us back with them to their glorious age. If they were alive they surely would have a lot to tell us, of all the battles they saw, of the great kings and warriors and their valor, of the peaceful monks and their ways of worship. However now all this is but a riddle. From all that remains we try to guess and construct a story that might have happened and build that age in our imaginations again.

           So on 1/9/2013 we aimed to see the caves of Kondana come to life again. A trek to Kondana caves was planned by nayka nature lovers. We all were suppose to meet on Dadar middle bridge and then board the train bound to Karjat at 6.30am. Most of us had reached except two and all of us were busy making guesses if they would or would not be able to take the 6.30 train. Luckily they did make it just on time.

          Train journey was as usual a round of general chit-chat where jokes and stories did their best to kill time. I seemed to be getting paroxysm of goosebumps all through this journey. May be because conversations just flowed with new friends who gelled instantly or was it just the cold??

        My head had started screaming for tea already, I had no tea in the morning and now the only hope to cure this headache was a tea tonic. So the Wada pav and the tea were a welcome start at Karjat railway station. However I longed for my mug full of tea. This tea tonic didn't do me any good. I had no option but to walk in the company of my screaming head and act oblivious to it. We walked till Shriram bridge to the tum tum stand. I never knew it was a bridge nor did I realise it was over river Ulhas and I wonder where I was lost to not even notice the Shiva temple over there. All this I read later on a friend's blog and made a mental note to see it next time. We all got into the tumtum. 2O of us divided in two tumtums. Tumtum dropped us to Kondivade village and from here we moved on crossing a farm which was suppose to have Emus. I had never seen one and wished to see, however none could be seen. We crossed a few Village houses with kids staring at us as we look at animals in a zoo. Soon we reached a shack selling water and other eatables. This was at the base of the caves. From here the journey started up towards the caves.

         The clouds seemed bored of pouring rain that day and had parted away.The sun took full advantage of this and shone brightly, dehydrating us as we trekked up. I couldn't but help remember that Advertisement where the sun draws up water from a kid with a straw. We thanked our luck that this was a small trek and continued the climb.

On the way we kept peeping here and there hoping to see some interesting forest's inmates. Luckily for us we found a pair of Calotis. The male wearing a mask of orange, was luring a female (looked more like scaring to me) and many of us got down to take personal nat geo pictures of the pair. Another interesting encounter was with a slug moth caterpillar on our way back. Its bright green colours saved it from coming under the feet of one of our friends. It was a real beauty. Dressed in green, decorated with shiny brownish spots on its back and covered with green hair. It was the spotting of the day. one brave friend(completely unaware of his bravery) picked it up with a leaf and kept it aside oblivious to the fact that its sting could leave him with pain and blemish to never forget the caterpillar for a lifetime. Luckily nothing happened. Thank the caterpillar for that.

Searching for treasure 

Slug Moth Caterpillar

            Small streams of waterfall were a blessing on the way as they cooled us. We had a humpty dumpty among us who had her small falls. Luckily she wasn't hurt. Soon we reached the 20 odd steps leading us to the caves. The fist glimpse of the caves was seen from here through a window of trees leading into the past. I stood and stared imagining what it would be in those days when the buddhist monks actually lived here. The surrounding forest would be thicker than it is now. In the monsoons the caves would be wrapped in a veil of waterfalls. The monks clad either in white or maroon robes would live and pray here. Silence of the jungles matching the silence within them and thus they would feel the oneness with their surrounding. For the only way to be a part of something is to be silent with it. Once you are silent somehow you don't feel separated from nature. You blend in. You hear more and see more. Silence is comfortable. Silence is soothing.

thought at first sight

The steps took us up to the caves. One of our friends had moved on to explore the Rajmachi fort on his own. We marvelled at his guts to conquer the fort in that heat. 

We were now going to have a history class about the caves and with the words of the teacher we would sail the oceans of the past. Our teacher first brought us to the Chaitya, the prayer hall, I would call. Pointing to its roof he made us realise it was like the back of an elephant. Right at the end was the Stupa known to hold the remains of Buddhist saints and hence considered very holy. It was however badly broken down and so were the rows of pillars flanked on both the sides of the hall which were actually not the original pillars but concrete pillars made in the name of preserving what is left. They stood out like artificial prosthesis supporting a lame man. The caves probably became this lame after the earthquakes in 1900s and unfortunately for them they are not in one of the best hands(we, the people ) who can mend and maintain them.

Chaitya

Stupa

The replica of the stupa is present on one of the pillars, helping our imaginations on what it would be like. One more 3d model is present in the other caves, the Viharas. We explored this Chaitya and walked around the stupa trying hard to get the feel of holiness once there, but I failed miserably at it. At the cave's facade are few carved idols of the donors and the kings. The entrance is  in the shape of the leaf of peepal tree (sacred Fig). One of the sculpture was a lady with a beautiful hair-do but the wrath of time had knocked her face off. Next to it was probably her name written in pali languague. Sadly there are many things scribbled on these ancient walls by our generation standing out like a blemish on a beautiful face.

The viharas next to it were the dining hall, resting hall and an entertainment hall of the buddhist monks. the ceiling was an Architectural wonder with square design made in such a way that the cave doesn't cave in. This has stood the test of time and even the earthquake couldn't challenge it. The pillars have broken down, the floor is no longer flat and there is a lot of water seeping in. However the olden drainage system still functions trying hard to cope with the time. Viharas have a number of small rooms with so called rock beds. The view from here is of the beautiful bhor ghats.

Viharas in view

After the journey into the past it was the time for some present fun in the waterfalls. I chose to be the spectator for these falls as my friends enjoyed the feel of the falls. 

All this fun had made us hungry. So out came the dabbas and in went the cameras. We had a wonderful round of theplas and chuttney followed by a lovely sweet laddoo thanks to one of our friend's sweet efforts to wake up so early and get food nearly for all. Her box of peppermint was our delight. 

With our stomach, mind and soul now full we started our return journey. Admiring the flora fauna on the way. I realised one thing that things look more beautiful when you pay attention to it. The beauty of the surroundings is always present and it reveals it self to the one who chooses to stand and stare.

Hiring the tum tum we reached shriram bridge. The heat had taken a toll on us and I longed for a icecream candy however had to satisfy myself with fruity.  We got into the trains to get back home. I feel this every time on a return journey that these trains actually take us from one world into another. From a world of chaos into the world of serenity and then back to chaos again. What a striking difference.

Seeking directions to reach the time machine of kondana??How to reach?? Don't ask me, unless you don't mind getting lost and making a cave of your own.  have a look at http://acewings.tumblr.com/post/60103007712/blast-from-the-past-visit-to-kondana-caves for proper directions.