Sudhagad fort, believed to have been in existence since 200BC, is at an altitude of around 2000 feet and was once one of Shivaji’s strongholds but is now mostly in ruins. Due to its distance from the city (123 kms from Pune) it promises a beautiful spot for a trek as few people travel the long distance for a rather taxing trek. Our plan was to reach the temple dedicated to Bhorai Devi, who has been worshipped in the region since 200BC, starting from Taila-Baila village and then descend down the other side of the valley towards Pachhapur village.
Our group of 50 TechMighties reached Sharada center at 6 in the morning on 2nd Dec all set to leave for Taila-Baila village, our starting point for the trek to conquer Sudhagad. Early morning enthusiasm manifested itself in the form of a lively session of Antakshari in the bus and time flew by as we reached the serpentine roads of the Western Ghats and finally completed the first phase of our travel with our arrival at the foothills of Sudhagad.
We started our trek armed with packs of parathas (the incentive to get to the top fast) and fruits. Warnings were sounded that the trek would be long, hard and punishing with no sources of water to be found along the path that we would cover over 10 hrs. And the bright, hot, sunny day didn’t make it any easier either.
The initial kick off was, as expected, quite energetic. Breathtaking views and pristine nature greeted us as we forged towards our destination. Golden fields of tall grass, cliffs, unspoilt and unending forest cover at every point along our path were a feast for the eyes (and our enthusiastic team of shutterbugs).
It all seemed deceptively easy in the initial part of the trek when we first walked through farmland and descended a gentle slope. But soon the slopes started to turn into cliffs and everybody was cautioned to watch their step in the descent towards a dried riverbed from which we planned to proceed. The first exciting bit came when the sheer drop on either side of the path we took made things a little too dangerous and our guide decided to deploy ropes for support along the most dangerous part. We did still have a few who seemed to feel safer sliding down the slopes rather then take the risk of slipping unintentionally!
And then after the not-so-simple descent, we didn’t find a path to take! Must admit it was fun getting lost away from all civilization. So we trudged along the riverbed hoping to find a path along the way while our guides scouted for a path ahead, eventually meeting success. By this time, water supplies were starting to run low and at a few points along the dry riverbed, running water, supposedly potable if our guide was to be believed, was spotted percolating through the rocky terrain. Bottles were refilled and we decided not to blame the canteenwallas for any health problems caused in the next week.
And then came the hard part of the trek. Already having gone several miles over some rather rough terrain, we now had a steep ascent to the top of the fort along what perhaps used to be a path centuries ago. We marched on one step at a time towards the top. Most of us were thoroughly exhausted by now taking regular breaks along the path on any rock or by small, ancient water filled caves along the rock face. And then, finally, we were there!
The Bhorai Devi temple was nothing spectacular but its environs offered peace and scenery like no other place. Packets of paranthas, pickle and fruit disappeared faster than wickets do when the Indian team bats. We indulged in some sightseeing around the place and discovered a few echo spots here and there and then prepared for the descent to Pachhapur where our bus awaited us.
The final descent wasn’t without its share of problems as part of the team almost sprinted its way to the bottom while another group plodded along while the sun set and darkness took over leading to a moon lit trek. But finally after having descended rocky patches, where even a mountain goat would have taken an LIC policy, without major injury to anyone, we all got to the bus which had had been visible to us from the mountain peak long before we came anywhere close to it, with scrapes and scars, twisted ankles, bleeding palms but most importantly a great sense of achievement.
On the way back, a roadside dhaba was chosen to be graced with our business. Fifty, very tired, hungry-as-wolves TechMighties dug into a very satisfying spread of Palak, Paneer butter masala, Dal tadka and Jeera rice.
The food worked its magic and after some energetic song and dance (within the bus!) we finally reached Sharada several hours beyond schedule at 00:30 hrs. But no one was complaining. Every minute of the trip was a memorable experience. Besides the physical exercise, fresh mountain air, serene and sylvan surroundings doing all of us-software-professionals a world of good health wise, it had also been a tremendous opportunity to network with people with all levels of experience from various Tech Mahindra locations across Pune.
Posted by Onkar Joshi 
