I screeched to a halt, thank God there were no cars behind me it being a Sunday. I reversed my car towards this beautiful structure, standing on the side of the road. I have driven this road maybe a hundred times, but had never known that this structure existed, or to be frank I never cared. But not on this day, I had to see this monument lying unnoticed and uncared for. As I was walking towards this monument I realized how beautiful the monument was, but lying in a neglected condition, with algae and paan stains all around. This is one of the many Pyaaus in the city lying neglected, the Madhavdas Laxmidas Kothari Pyaau, located on the edge of Azad Maidan, opposite Fashion Street in Mumbai was built in 1913 by M.L Kothari in the loving memory of his parents, and was made for the use of giving water to Horses and Cattle. The structure has two symmetrical square fountains with a low basin in between to feed water to animals. The central portion has a projecting jharokha and top is a steep pyramid, and has oil lamp holders all around. The good news is that finally the city is doing something to resurrect this Pyaau among others, and will be undertaken by the Lala Ghoda Association. The Muljee Fountain is another structure that has been lying neglected for a long time, but again thanks to the Kala Ghada association restoration will be starting soon. It stands at the intersection of Mint Road and P D’Mello Road, Fort and is a Grade 1 Heritage structure, made by Ruttonsee Muljee in memory of his son Dharamsee, whose statue crowns the structure. It was made in 1892-1893 and was presented to the Corporation of the city in 1894! The architect’s name F.W Stevens, who even designed the Victoria Terminus, and is in Indo-Saracenic style (also known as Indo-Gothic, Hindoo or Hindu-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) which was an architectural style movement by British architects in the late 19th century in British India. It drew elements from native Indo-Islamic and Indian architecture, and combined it with the Gothic revival and Neo-Classical styles favored in Victorian Britain. The fountain has a large pool that was used as a drinking trough for animals, and has red Aberdeen granite pillars supporting its dome, it is of three tiers and reaches forty feet. There are jets in the form of elephants and lions all around. Just hoping that the restoration begins soon on these beautiful structures and does not fall into any problems or controversies, or gets delayed due to lack of funds.
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It is really appalling to see the dilapidated condition of this "Grade 1" fort.
Once an important base during the time of the British Raj, the Mahim fort is today in amidst slums, garbage & faeces. The slums are made within the fort, so you can only see the outside. In short it is completely encroached and the unfortunate part it is supposed to be a Grade 1 heritage. An elderly man who has been staying here since 1976, shared with me his woos while being taken through garbage, and faeces (thankfully I was very cautious to not step into any). He mentioned it has deteriorated more in the last 10-12 years, and the fort is falling apart, and people living inside are in danger. Moving is not possible as they do not have any other place to stay. On reaching one point, you refrain from going further as there are people defecating. He went on to mention with me that Manohar Joshi, some good years back, wanted them to relocate, but without giving them any other option of staying, so they have continued staying here. He also shared that they receive only 2 hours of water everyday and that is a big concern for the thousands staying there. It is unfortunate to see the condition people are staying, Who is to blame? These people or the government or both. And sometimes we do ask ourselves, Are we a developing country or far from it? History: The Mahim fort is in fact a fortress from the times of the British Raj, built in the year 1669 by the then Governor of Bombay, Gerard Aungier,in order to strengthen the British defense. Sir Thomas Grantham strengthened the fort rampants in 1684. Sir Thomas Grantham (bap. 1641 – 1718[1]) was an English tobacco trader and naval officer, commander of the naval fleet of the British East India Company. In 1684 he was sent to Bombay (now Mumbai) by the King of England to put down an insurrection led by the Company, who had set up a parallel government and assumed wide authority on the British people. After he landed in November 1684, he assumed control over the situation from Commander Keigwin and thus ending the standoff. In the year 1772, 111 years after Bombay was taken from them, the Portuguese attempted to attack this fort. The British replied with cannonballs, and the Bandra church had also to bear the brunt of this. After having visited a few Buddhist caves in and around Mumbai, I had to visit the Pandav Caves in Nashik, and got the opportunity to see the stunning architecture last year in May. Having checked in the hotel at around 930 am, I was standing at the base of the Tirashmi mountains by 11, looked up at my walk to the top of the mountain, even though I knew it was not a lot, but with the sweltering heat at 40 degrees Celsius, I was dreading the half hour ascend. My ascends usually starts early in the mornings, but due to lack of time, it started almost close to mid-day. While having taken the necessary precaution before the ascend; had put on light clothes, had a lot of water before leaving my hotel, and even stopped a couple of times during the ascend, it was definitely exhausting. The walk through the wooded hillside, would have been spectacular if it was winters and especially during the rains. I paid Rs.10 to enter the complex. I was out of breath when I entered the complex but what I saw took my breath away, I stood there for a moment to The 24 caves are absolutely beautiful and the carvings in stone are intricate. I took my time visiting each cave; of which a few were empty. Definitely the most intriguing part is that these caves were started by Jains, and then converted into Buddhist centres. History of the Caves: The caves were called originally Pundru which in Pali language means "yellow ochre color". This is because the caves were the residence of Buddhist monks who wore "the chivara or the yellow robes". Later on, the word Pundru changed to Pandu Caves (as per Ancient Monuments Act 26 May 1909). Decades later people started calling it Pandav Caves - a misnomer which is used for every cave in India. It is a group of 24 Hinayana Buddhist Caves, which date back to 1st century BC (this is the time when they started) and were built gradually in time! Most of the caves are Viharas, except for the There are a lot of different dates as to till when they kept on shaping the caves, some say till 3 A.D, which was when sculptures and Carvings of Lord Buddha were put in. Some experts also say that active shaping even went on till the 12th century. These rock-cut temples initially were started by Jains and later turned into rather significant centre of Buddhism. The caves have idols of Buddha, Jain Teerthankara Vrishabhdeo, and the icons of Bodhisatva, Veer Manibhadraji and Ambikadevi. The various inscriptions confirm that Nashik in that period was ruled by 3 dynasties – the Western Kshatrapas, the Satavahanas and the Abhiras. The inscriptions also confirm that apart from the kings, local merchants, landlords too supported and donated huge sums for the development of these caves Cave No 1: This is a cave that is not captured very often. Even though there is not a lot to see in this cave, you do see carvings at the entrance above the pillars, and inside is a flight of stairs with a small Stupa (shrine) At the right of the flight of stairs, it does seem to me that there was once a figure carved (maybe lord Buddha), but which has now been destroyed! Cave No. 2 Cave No 3 also called 'Gautamiputra cave': This is the largest Vihara and is absolutely beautifully carved. I was just in awe seeing the amazing details. History of Cave No.3: This cave was built by Gautamiputra Satkarni for his mother Gautami Balsari. The inscription found in the caves record that the work was started during his reign and was completed in the 19th year of his son, Vasishtiputra Pulumavi Gautamiputra Satakarni was a ruler of the Satavahana Empire in present-day Deccan region of India. He ruled in the 2nd century CE, although his exact period uncertain. His reign is dated variously: 86-110 CE, c. 103-127 CE, or 106-130 CE. Based on the Nashik inscription of his mother, it appears that Gautamiputra revived the Satavahana power. (Wiki) Construction: In front of the main hall there is a big Verandah with 6 stambha’s which are chiseled beautifully. On the top of each of the Stambha’s are animals carved out. You enter the main through a main door, frame of which is decorated in the form of a torana, and you see figures of ganas, amorous figures and nayikas,and two Dwarapalas guard the entrance. Cave No: 4 Not much has been said about this cave! It is an empty Vihara! But, It has 4 stambhas in the verandah, and on top of each are elephants carved with figures of men and women riding them! Absolutely stunning! Cave No:5 Cave No. 6, 7, 8 & 9 Cave No 10 ( Naphana Cave); This is the second largest Vihara here! One of the most amazing thing apart from inscriptions , a Sphinx carved on the inner side of one of the pillars, with a Bull and a Lion on the outer side of the pillars. Why is it here, I have yet to find out? But this indicates influence of Greek architecture. History of this cave: The inscriptions in this particular cave reveals that in 105-106 BC the Kshatrapas defeated the Satavahnas and this cave was the gift of Saka Ushabhadata and his wife Dakshamitra,who was the daughter of King Nahapana of the Kshaharata family to the monks, they had infact donated 3000 gold coins for this cave. Nahapana (r. 119–124 CE) was an important ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India. According to one of his coins, he was the son of Bhumaka. (Wiki) Inscriptions of this family can be seen on the walls of the Verandah and left wall of the court, The inscriptions tell us about donations done by Ushadatta sometimes around 120 AD. Cave No. 11 Cave No 12 & 13 Cave No. 15 'Sri Yajna Vihar' inscription mentions about Sri Yajna Satkarni, the last powerful Satvahana King who ruled over the western Maharashtra, similar inscription in cave 3 at Kanheri. This indicated the cave was carved during the beginning of the 3rd century AD Cave No 17, 18, 19 & 20 in one shot Cave No 17 This contains fascinating inscriptions stating that some Greek "Yavana" with Indragnidatta and his son Dharmarakshit excavated this vihara with a shrine and the cisterns. Cave No: 18- Chaityagriha This is the oldest and the most important cave of all, it being the only Chaitya. It is 21 feet wide and 38 feet deep, the chaitya measures 5 feet 6 inches in diameter and 6 feet 6 inches in height. According to the inscriptions which are engraved on the 5th and 6th pillars, this cave was excavated by Bhattapalika, wife of the Royal officer Aghetyana and daughter of Royal officer Arahatya. Another inscription under the horse shoe arch of the entrance records the gift of a village by the inhabitants of the Nashik for the upkeep of the chaitya (Wiki) Cave No 20 This cave was started by an Ascetic name Bhopaki and was completed by Vasu, the wife of Mahasenapati Bhavagopa in the 7th year of the Satvahan King Gautamiputra Yajnashri Satkarni (Circa 166-198 A.D.) It is the largest Vihara measuring 44 feet wide and 61 feet deep, a 9 feet Bodhisatva with Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side are also housed in the shrine. The cave also witnessed later period additions in the form of cells, a shrine, enlargement of hall during 6th - 7th centuries A.D. Padmapani and Vajrapani are Bodhisattvas; In Mahayana Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is one who has an essence of enlightenment. They are bound to enlightenment and refers to those who wish to attain buddhahood for the benefit of others. Padmapani ( Holder of the Lotus) is the Sanskrit name for Avalokitesvara. Cave No 23 Cave No 24 A lot of figures including the Maha-parinirvana of Lord Buddha (lying down) Parinirvana refer to nirvana-after-death, which occurs upon the death of the body of someone who has attained nirvana during his or her lifetime. Murial of Lord Hanuman & Ganesha This is one of the most surprising thing to see at the Caves, this is not inside the caves but at a lower level, and most of the people just miss this! Was told this is also from the same era as that of the caves! My quest to visit as many monuments and structures in and around Mumbai makes me do research online regularly, and through my research I came to know about a fort in Kalyan, the Durgadi fort, which was about 40kms, roughly a 2 hour drive from my place. I also make it a point that when I am travelling a little away from home, I try to visit more than one place, and on further research I came to know about the famous Khidkaleshwar Temple, which was on the way back home. So finally on a Sunday morning in January of last year, I drove down to Kalyan, and reached the Durgadi Fort sometime after 8. I was expecting to see a great big massive fort, but was surprised to find myself staring at a small fort, which was made during Shivaji’s era to honor the Hindu goddess, Maa Durga. You are greeted by an entrance gate, which is colored grey, while the top of the gate is colored orange, to commemorate the orange used in the flag during Shivaji’s regime. A small road leads to the top of the hillock. The first thing I noticed was a police van parked inside the fort. As you walk the small road, to the left is one of the bastion of the fort while the stairs takes you the Durga Mandir. Before I took the stairs to the temple, I walked up to the police van, to see a barricade and 3-4 cops sitting there. And then I saw what they were guarding, the Eidgah. Eidgah ( Eid- festival, Gah- place of prayer) is an open air gathering area where mass prayers are offered by Muslims on occasions of festivals. It is important to note that an Eidgah is never used as a mosque. Next to the Eidgah is the second Bastion , but I was not allowed past the barricade, but I did manage to take a few shots from the barricade. A short conversation with one of the cops and the reason for this barricade, at a holy place for both the Hindus and Muslims was divulged. In 2002, riots had broken out between Hindus & Muslims in Kalyan leading to 5 deaths, and since then there has been a permanent posting of cops outside the small path leading towards the Eidgah. I was told that since then the 2 communities had made amends, but they still guarded the place. As both, the Hindu and the Muslim community use the fort, part of the structure is painted orange and white, while the bastion on the western end is painted green, matching the Eidgah. I then made to the Durga temple, being early, there were only a couple of people for prayers. Before the entrance of the temple is a square altar (Vedi), for performing Yajna’s (sacrifice, devotion, offering), used to perform mantras (prayers) in front of a fire. The temple itself is a small structure with a dome, and like the rest of the fort, colored orange at parts of the entrance and the dome. As soon as you enter you see 2 idols of Mata Durga, the new idol (1974) and the one which was replaced in the 19th century (see History). At the entrance on the right is a drum, supposedly from Shivaji’s era, which is still played during the Aarti. The new idol is kept as the main idol, which has four armed and is resting on a lion, while the replaced one is draped in a cloth. History of the Fort: Kalyan has always been famous for trading activities, and went from the hands of the Yadavas to the Nizamshahi, who were then defeated by the Adishah of Vizapur & the Mughals of Delhi. It is said that in the 17th century, during the Mughal reign, the fort wall was built which had 4 gates & 11 towers. The main gate was at the north end and was called the Delhi Darwaza, they also built an Eidgah( prayer wall) sixty-four feet long, thirteen high and seven thick, which is now in a dilapidated condition. Then, under the Marathas in the 18th century, another gate (present one) was built to the south, which was 150 feet in height. The Marathas also built a small wooden Durga temple, and called the fort Durgadi,( Durga + Gaad, gaad is fort in Marathi) In 1876, the original Durga idol from the temple was stolen, and another idol was placed a few years later. The present fort and the the Durga temple was renovated in 1974, and a new idol made out of 5 sacred metals – called panchadhatu, was installed by Shri Gajanan Maharaj and Shri Annasaheb Pattekar of Thane. The temple is flooded during Navratri and Diwali with devotees who come from far away to seek blessings from the goddess. Behind the fort runs the Ulhas river, I walked to the bridge to see hundreds of seagulls huddled together. I had to click a few shots of these beautiful birds. It was already 1030 by the time I left the fort, to proceed to Dombivili to visit the Khidkaleshwar Shiva temple. The sun was shining brightly by then, the temperature had risen. For a moment I thought of heading back home and come back on a later day, early in the morning, but somehow I decided to go. It was a calling by Lord Shiva. The temple is situated on the Kalyan-Shil road in Dombivili, and not knowing the temple was situated on the main road, I shot past it by half a kilometer, and had to make a U-turn to enter the gate to the temple. I was greeted by a line of food stalls, and stalls selling Veneration plates (Pooja ki Thali). I parked my car right next to the small playground, which have swings for children to play. As I walked towards the temple, I could feel the temperature change, become cooler. It is located on the banks of the Khidkali lake, a natural lake, and you are suddenly transferred into a peaceful surrounding, and you forget that it is located on the side of a very crowded main road. I entered the temple to a Nandi and Muriels of Lord Ganesha and Hanuman on either side across the Nandi. I saw a lot of carvings on the walls of the temple; unfortunately most of them were in a dilapidated state. At the far end of the temple, down a couple of stairs is the beautiful Swayambhu Shiva Linga. The calming feeling came over me as soon I entered the room. I was there for only a few minutes, praying and talking to God, when a family of 5 entered, including 2 kids. I saw all of them carrying milk, each a pack of 500 gms. They proceeded to the Shiv linga, and to my disappointment, I saw them one after another pour the milk on the Linga. I understand the faith that we all have in God, but this my personal view is not the way to please God. I waited for them to finish their prayers, and as they walked out, I could not stop myself to ask, ‘Why do you pour so much milk?”. The man smiled at me and his reply just made me shake my head in disbelief, he said, “This is the process we follow,” and walked out with the others. I stood there for a couple of minutes more staring at the Linga, and wondering how many of them out there pour milk and honey on the Linga, without really knowing the reason for it. It is just a process, and we are just doing it because our ancestors were doing it. Just outside the temple are placed a pair of sandals, and upon asking was told they belonged to the eldest Pandava, Yudhistra. The temple also holds a small fair during Maha Shivratri. Within the premises just across the temple are large rooms where I could see Havan (homa) and even Mundan (Tonsuring) of a child taking place. There are some small temples, including Lord Hanuman and Dattatreya which have been constructed near the Khidkaleshwar Mandir. I saw a number of artists sitting on the banks of the lake, across the temple, painting it. History:
The present structure was built only in the 17th century AD, at around the same time as the Durgadi Fort while the original temple is supposed to have been built by the Pandavas. Inside the main temple there are other ancient idols of Lord Ganesa, Hanuman. According to a legend, this temple was built by Pandavas when they visited this place during their Aranyavasam. The eldest brother of Pandavas, Yudhishthira wanted to worship Lord Shiva and so the Pandavas built this temple to make a place for worship. I sat there for an hour talking to one of the artists, while enjoying the beauty of the temple and thanking God for the pleasant weather. One of the many forgotten structures is 'Parsi Lying in Hospital' in Fort. It is a hospital which was started in 1895 as a maternity hospital, and is a 2-b heritage structure, although it is lying vacant and in ruins for the past 25 years. A couple of years back there was a brief moment of happiness when a report came in that the dispute between Bombay Parsi Punchayet and the managing committee of south Mumbai's Parsi Lying-In hospital (PLIH) has finally come to an end, and the hospital will be restored and converted into a new super specialty hospital at an estimated cost of over Rs 100 crore, but unfortunately the latest report that has come in that the redevelopment will have to wait a little more longer. You would pass this as just another building in Mumbai. but it is a 2-b heritage structure. The Fort Gratuitous Dispensary was started in 1852 .The government store provided medicine gratis to this dispensary Many dispensaries were opened in Bombay in 1850’s and were managed by Indian Doctors, which brought in more patients. Small pox vaccinations, minor surgical procedures and post mortems were carried out in these dispensaries. A Dr. Burjorji Dorabji, was a popular doctor during that time at this dispensary. Most of these dispensaries were run on private endowments, this being one of them A walk behind the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, and you will come across the Bowen Memorial Methodist Church. A heritage structure that has been forgotten by most! I doubt it if anyone knows it exists! It is a small church, unfortunately I could not enter as mass was going on! Constructed in 1889, it is one of the oldest churches in South Mumbai, in fact it is one of the first three Methodist churches built in Mumbai, and was dedicated to Rev George Bowen. It was a prominent structure due to its height, but after the Taj and other skyscrapers came into picture it got hidden from everyone and got lost. George H. Bowen (30 April 1816 at Middlebury, Vermont – 5 February 1888 at Bombay, India) was an American missionary, newspaper man, linguist, and translator in India. He was known as "The White Saint of India" for his resemblance in manner and dress to the Hindu holy men (wiki) My road trip to Gujarat & Rajasthan in Dec 2015, included a 2 days stay at Mount Abu, and I had the opportunity to see the cave where Swami Vivekananda stayed and meditated for a few weeks. It seems like a ‘discovery’ to me, because I have not met anyone who has said that they knew about it, even though I did find a couple of articles which mentions it. The surprising part is that it is midway to Toad Rock, a very famous tourist spot near Nikki Lake. It was a pleasant day, on a Sunday afternoon, and Nikki Lake was absolutely packed, I decided against boating but decided to visit the Toad rock instead, and even though I was exhausted having walked up and down 400 steps to the Gaumukh Temple I still wanted to see it just out of curiosity. I started my short ascend to the rock, but stopped midway when I saw a small Hanuman temple and a cave with a board just across it, which said “Swami Vivekananda meditated for some weeks in this cave from April 1891.” I was intrigued and surprised, that no one and I mean dozens of people, who were passing by, stopped to even take a glance, not even when I was sitting there, and even while I was taking photographs of what I clearly believed to be one of the most interesting places. After exploring this little cave, which I had nothing, I noticed a small area under the cave, which seemed to me like a man made platform with the photographs of Lord Shiva, and Swami Vivekananda. I did not realize at that instance why they had kept those out of sight of the public, but after reaching my hotel room, I did a little research which mentioned that it was here that Swami Vivekananda did his penance and also slept here. This was the bed of Swami Vivekananda. After exploring this little cave, which had nothing, I noticed a small area under the cave, which seemed to me like a man made platform with the photographs of Lord Shiva, and Swami Vivekananda. I did not realize at that instance why they had kept those out of sight of the public, but after reaching my hotel room, I did a little research which mentioned that it was here that Swami Vivekananda did his penance and also slept here. This was the bed of Swami Vivekananda. History says that; After the death of his guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa, due to throat cancer, Narendra and a few other disciples made a decision to renounce everything and become saints, and with that travelled a lot. During that time, Narendra was invited as chief guest of Maharaja Ajit Singh in Mount Abu, at his residence Khetri house, now Sophia High School, and it was then that he stayed in Champaa Gufa for a month to meditate. An overnight decision in February of 2015, took me to Nighoj, a village some 200 kms from Mumbai, and 90 kms from Pune, to see the Kund (Potholes). My original decision was to leave by 4am and reach by 730-0800, but unfortunately I could not leave before 530 and by the time I reached Nighoj, it was already after 11, because of a stopover a few kms before the Kund. The drive throughout, including through the villages was surprisingly good. When almost at the village, I took a wrong turn, a 12-15 kms longer route, but that was one of the best mistakes I made, as I got to see some forgotten monuments on that route. I was intrigued to see these stunning dome shaped monuments and a newly built Shiv temple next to it. At first I decided to just take a few pictures from the road, as I was getting late, but somehow the inquisitiveness inside me was so great that I drove half a kilometer and turned back. Before exploring further these beautiful monuments, I had to know something about them, and fortunately for me an old Pandit was sitting in the temple, I would say he was at least 80 and was hard of hearing; and he had some information about the monuments, and what he told me surprised me; The 2 structures lying in ruins dated back to the 1600’s, and were built during Sambhaji’s time, the eldest son of Shivaji Maharaj. The structures had stairs leading to inside them and even though I found the stairs a little unsafe, I had to see what was inside. One of the monuments is a Shiv-Temple. It has a Shivling and a destroyed Nandi near the entrance. The other monument had sculptures of 3 figures, and what I gathered from the Pandit, they were figures of kings from that era. (I would appreciate if someone could throw some light on this) But what appalled me was the dilapidated condition of these beautiful monuments, ugly writings on the walls inside and outside, and as soon as you enter the monuments you are hit with the smell of urine, with paan stains, and bird droppings. A little away from these monuments was another small structure with a broken down figure. I could not figure out who it was. To know more about it, I headed back to the temple, but by the time I reached the panditji had left, leaving me in wonder about this structure and sculpture. After spending a little time there, I continued my drive towards the Kund, and a few minutes later, a board led me to it. Nighoj Kund A short walk through the stalls selling Veneration plates (Pooja ki Thali) for the Malganga goddess Temple(the main temple is around 5 kms from here), which I could see from a distance I reached the Kund. At first I was not sure of what I was looking at, but as I walked closer, I saw this beautiful and stunning landscape, and behold the potholes appeared in front of me. I have to say, even though I had seen a lot of photographs of the Kund, I was simply blown away. It was a sight just out of the Nasa shots I had seen of the moon craters (Lunar Craters). Every single pothole had a different shape, and some big enough to have an adult fit in. A bridge has been constructed which connects the two sides of the river Kukadi, and anthe temple of the odes on the other side. History: Nighoj Kund is one of the largest naturally created Potholes. Carved out by the Kukadi river, the riverbed here is of Basalt Rock which is eroded over thousands of years, and they are spread over 2-3 kms. Experts from all over the world come here every year to study the phenomenon of their formation. Geologists have indicated that formerly there was greater rainfall in this area and that the Kukadi river flowed out from the highlands with such force that the scouring of the bedrock took place and resulted in the formation of these potholes and the gorge. In fact the depth of the potholes has increased in time. A call on a Sunday in April, from a good friend, another avid traveler, was to let me know about the submerged temples in the Godavari river, near Nashik, that had risen after 34 years, due to less rainfall in the area, and if I was interested to accompany him and a couple of his friends to visit it. But due to prior committments I had to decline. But, that information of course raised curiosity in me, I quickly researched the village, and knew then and there that I had to visit it before the rains started. And finally on a very hot summer morning in May 2016, I drove down to Nashik. After reaching Nashik @930 and checking in the hotel, I first visited the Pandav Caves. By that time it was a scorching 39 degrees C, and after spending a good 2 hours there, I reached back exhausted, to have a quick lunch and rest for a while. I casually asked the waiter, Pawar, who had bought in my room service, about the Chandori temples, and was pleasantly surprised to know that he was from a village just before Chandori, in fact he also mentioned that he owned some land in Chandori. He was kind enough to tell me, that he would show me the way, and we decided to leave after his duty got over at 3, and that I would follow his bike. The drive to Chandori was approximately 25 kms from my hotel After reaching his village and thanking him, I drove a further 6 kms to reach Chandori. I entered the dirt road leading to the village and after half a km drive on a very bad road, through the village, reached a clearing. I did not see anything at first, but driving a little ahead I saw the temples appear in front of me. It was just after 4, and thankfully the weather had improved and there was a nice breeze flowing. I immediately saw where the village gets its name, because it is here that the Godavari makes a moon crescent shape (Chandrakor) I parked my car a little away from the temples, and walked towards the bridge. I was hoping the river to be completely dry, but there was some water in the Godavari. And what I saw was a typical village scene, with a lot of people on the bank of the river, while most of the men and children were enjoying a dip; the women were washing clothes and utensils. I stopped for a moment to peer over the bridge, on the opposite side of the temples, to find a sculpture of Hanuman lying on the river bed. I had the urge to retrieve it, when an old man passed me by. I asked him about it and he said they were going to get it out to be placed with the other sculptures, retrieved from the river. I thought I saw 6 temples from where I was standing, not able to see the 7th, which was directly behind the temple at the far end. I got acquainted with the same gentleman I had spoken to, Mr. Laxman Wagh, a 60+ year old man, who had a hair salon in the village. He was kind enough to give me company while I was there; in fact he stayed around for a good 3 hours, and even introduced me to some other villagers. Before I had even started to enjoy the beauty of the temples, I witnessed a drunk being thrashed at the hands of an elderly man. I was later told by Mr. Wagh that this had become a common sight, and that the drunk was told time and again not to wade into the water while he was in an intoxicated state, but he would never listen, and this was his punishment, and that the man thrashing him was his father. All the temples are Shivlings, with sculptures of few other Gods, including Lord Ganapati in three of the temples, and the most famous is definitely the idol of the God, which to me was obvious that it was Lord Vishnu in a sleeping posture(Temple 6), but I was surprised when I was told that the villagers thought that this was in fact Lord Indra. I was also informed that the entire river bed was full of Shivlingas, and if I could return back a couple of weeks later, I would be able to see them. Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to return back to the village. But I did manage to see and capture a linga peeping out of the water. History of the Temples: The temples are supposedly from the 13th century, but there is no strong evidence to prove that, though I have read that these are Hemtadpanthi style of architecture, named after the prime Minister Hemadpant from the court of Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri (850-1334), whose kingdom stretched from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh. Temples like the Shiv Mandir from Ambarnath, Gondeshwar Temple and Aundha Nagnath temple fall into this architectural type. These temples had submerged in 1907 after the Nandur Madhyameshwar dam was built, since then the temples have resurfaced only twice, in 1982 and now in 2016. Temple 1 Temple 2 Temple 3 Temple 4 Temple 5 Temple 6: with Lord Vishnu in a sleping posture, or that I thought who it was, but I was a bit surprised when I was told that it is Lord Indra. I had to wade through the water, literally hugging the temple wall to be able to enter this particular temple, due to the fact a deep point being just next to the temple Temple 7 The most astonishing part is of course that the temples are still intact, even though they are always submerged, and the Godavari has had flood like situations almost every year. What makes these structures withstand even the strongest of nature’s wrath, but still seem to stand strong? The answer from experts; the quality of the material used in the construction, experts also talk about the science and mathematics, which includes the shape of the structures, used in constructing these beautiful monuments and structures. There are still many structures across the globe which still baffles experts and geologists. Another view from a different set of people is of the unexplained; that they had the help from ‘people’ from a different galaxy. Well, aliens have and will always be a point of interest for many out there. I stayed for a good 4 hours, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the village. Another reason to stay there was in the hope to capture the sunset, but dark clouds suddenly appeared from nowhere, obstructing my view. I left the village content and happy, to be able to see these wonders of architecture, while having also made a few friends, with whom I am still in touch with. Uncle Wagh, as I call him now, keeps sharing with me photos of the village, including the time a few weeks back when the whole village was submerged due to the heavy downpour, and everyone had to be evacuated. It is so unfortunate that several historical sites have been destroyed or demolished either in the name of development; the exact words used are “we want to give way to expansion of the city.” Or there is no attention given by the government to restore them. It clearly implies that we do not care and give no importance to our history, our heritage. Many Forts, temples, caves having historical importance are lying abandoned. I am sharing one of my trips from Thane, near Mumbai. I came across an article about a fort which has already faced destruction in the name of both, development and no attention, the Nagla Bunder Fort in Thane, a fort I had no knowledge even existed, so I decided to give it a visit. The article mentioned about another fort, the Gaimukh Fort. It said that the Gaimukh Fort does not exist today and in its place is a church, while the Nagla Bunder is in a dilapidating condition. Dilapidating was a wrong word I realized when I was there. It also stated that the Nagla Bunder Fort has fallen victim to the quarrying activities, having had no interest ever by the government to safeguard this piece of history. In fact there is no mention of either of these forts in the ASI list of monuments. There was once a hill here, but today with sand extraction, they have almost destroyed and with it the fort. I was about to see that destruction. So on a cold morning on 28th of December 2015, I drove down to see the fort or what remained of it, after reaching Ghodbunder Road, I started asking around about it, but none knew about it. I drove a little ahead to see an elderly man sitting outside a stall and reading a newspaper, thankfully he knew about the church, and directed me to it. I entered the lane towards the village, and asked another local who pointed it out to me. I parked my car in front of a tea stall and a few houses surrounding it. It was just after 7, I had a quick tea and a few meters away was greeted by a flight of stairs with a large board which read, “Our Lady of Hope Church”, which was leading to the top of a small hillock I walked the 100 odd steps in under 15 minutes to reach a quaint church. Being a cold day it was really pleasant, unfortunately the church was shut. A Muslim grave is right outside the church gate, and I was greeted by a bark from the dog, sleeping on the grave, who must have woken up hearing my footsteps. I guess it knew that I was not here to be a bother, and went back to sleep. Just across the church, I saw a kid playing outside a small cabin, and walked towards it, to see a lady cooking inside. She told me they were the caretakers, but the husband was not in, he would come later. Sadly he did not come while I was there, and I did not get the opportunity to see the inside of the church. I, of course, did not find any evidence that any fort ever existed here, and after some research online found out that; The original church was built before 1630, and it was almost destroyed by the Marathas when they took over Thane in 1737. The ruins of the original church was there till a few years ago, but sometime in 2009 the church was completely renovated (sadly not restored) After spending sometime there enjoying the cool breeze, and watching the sun rise, I continued to look for the Nagla Bunder Fort, and continues walking down a dirt path away from the church and down the hillock, unfortunately at one point I took a wrong turn and came to a dead end, well in fact I got lost. I somehow managed to find the right path, passed a few houses and found myself on the banks of the Ulhas river, which immediately transformed to a different place. I was there for a good 45 minutes enjoying the picture some view and because it was a cold morning, it added to the beautiful view. I proceeded then to look for the remains of the fort, after walking for some time I reached the place where the quarrying was going on, huge monster trucks and machineries which belonged to Relcon Infrastructure (a blacklisted company) were all over. Most of the people living around were construction workers from UP and Bihar and had no idea about the fort Finally after asking at least a dozen of them, I was finally directed by someone that he had seen the walls and maybe that is what I was looking for. He directed me towards a short but steep climb through dried grass, shrubs and thorns. I was not made aware that there was another easier way to reach; I realized that only after reaching the remains. I squeezed past through the shrubs and thorns, at one point slipping, and reached an opening, where I was hoping to see a few walls and maybe some good remains of the fort. But what I found appalled me; stones and heaps of sand were lying all around and all that remained of the fort was a wall with 2 arched entrances, completely covered with shrubs and thorns, and a few feet away, on the opposite side, was another broken and worn down thick wall. On further waking towards it, saw that it was a small room. I managed to pass through the shrubs and thorns to take a closer look at the arched entrances and captured a couple of quick shots, while the thorns were pricking my legs. I stood there awhile wondering what these walls could have been, and felt both sad and angry that for money, they have been given the go ahead to destroy a fort with a great history;
The fort was originally built by the Portuguese, and was taken over by the Marathas in 1737. A reference to this fort suggests that some 250 Portuguese were killed and 7 ships were captured by the Marathas. It was during this time that Nagla Bunder, Ghodbunder and Dharavi were captured. While lost in thought I heard a rustle a little away from me on the left, at first I thought that it could be some animal, maybe a dog, but out emerged a man with a small vessel (emerging out after nature’s call). I continued my walk down the path away from the walls, hoping to find some other remains, but the path lead me to the same road I had made my way towards the fort. Walking away from there I felt ashamed and sad that this is how we treat our history, our heritage. I will be honest a couple of years back, I would not have felt for these forts or caves, as I was never interested or bothered about them. But today it does matter. I was glad though that I had the opportunity to see the last remains of this historical fort, and I feel that there is a huge possibility that the walls might have been destroyed since I visited last year, and there must be nothing today that would suggest that there once was a fort here. |
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