Before we shifted to Dehradun in 2008, we spent 14 years intermittently living in Mumbai and Pune from 1990. During this period, we had a great deal of fun exploring the amazing Western Ghats. One of my favourite locations was the magical Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in north-western Maharashtra. Covering an area of approximately 131 sq km, this sanctuary has some amazing rain forests that are home to a variety of animals.
Bhimashankar can be approached from Mumbai as well as Pune, and if you are fond of trekking then you will come across some amazing trails. One of the most exciting treks to Bhimashankar is from the Karjat side. We took a train from Mumbai and hopped off at Karjat, from where we took a bus to the village of Khandas. From Khandas, a 12-km trail leads you through some amazing forests to Bhimashankar along the Ganesh Ghat trail. For the more adventurous, a shorter trail called the Sidi Ghat trail is more exciting. This involves climbing up two rickety iron ladders perched precariously on a rock face. A slip, and down you will plummet with your very survival at stake!
This area is famous for the Shri Kshetra Bhimashankar Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, which lies within the sanctuary area. The sanctuary is home to many sacred groves and the local communities that protect them belong to the Mahadeo Koli tribe. Bhimashankar can also be approached from Pune, wherein a bus will take you all the way to the temple area.
Bhimashankar brings back many fond memories. The first wildlife trip that we took with our son Yash was to Bhimashankar. Yash is now 19 years old, and is on his way to becoming a wildlife biologist himself, but on that first visit he was only three months old! We carried him in his halter and watched birds as he slept. I still recall telling my wife, Anchal “Don’t tell my parents that we trekked and bird watched with him at Bhimashankar!”
Another memory that comes tumbling out of the cobwebs is a trip that Anchal, a friend and I undertook to Bhimashankar during the monsoon. We decided to camp out at a location called Gupt Bhimashankar. This area consists of a lovely rocky ravine surrounded by tall trees. A torrential stream gushes by in monsoon.
We camped beside the stream and pitched a plastic sheet as a bivouac to protect us from the torrential rain. A few hours into the night, we realised that water was soaking into the ground, making it quite a damp place to sleep in. In the middle of the night, the plastic sheet gave way with the weight of the accumulated rainwater and drenched us completely. We spent the rest of the night cold, damp and soaking wet, cursing each other for the brilliant idea of camping out during the monsoon!
Gupt Bhimashankar always has puddles of water in rocky crevices and is a great place to watch birds, mammals and other creatures who come to drink water. Hang on tight as I take you on a wonderful journey and some amazing wildlife sightings at Bhimashankar over the next few weeks!
(Feedback and queries are welcome at sanjay.sondhi1@gmail.com)