Grade : Sankshi (Easy), Karnala (Medium)
Height : 2800 feet
Route: Panvel -> Sankshi (By an Auto) -> Karnala (By an Tempo)
Team : 23 people.
I started the trek alone this year, read Ahupeghat trek post to know more.. and now some of my friends started to accompany me. This dual trek is being arranged by a trek group named "vRangers". The plan is to do an early morning trek to Sankshi and then off to Karnala trek
This time, I along with 5 of my friends (Pradeep reddy, vinay agarwal, Dilip, Sural Damani & Eniyan) started our journey from Andheri to Panvel by a direct harbour line train. We reached panvel at around 11 pm on 28th June and joined the Vrangers group. We totaled to 23
Sankshi Trek
We started the Trek Travel by an Auto journey to Sankshi base village, The atmosphere is filled with rains and cool breeze. We had a quick intro session at the base, before moving to a Durga which is around 2 hrs travel and nearer to Sankshi fort. Exactly at 2 am we reached the durga and rested there till morning 4:30 am. Somehow i managed to get up at 5 am, got ready, and had some bhel before the trek.The name Sankshi is said to have been derived from a chief named Sank who is traditionally believed to have been the lord of the fort. From the tomb or dargah the way to the fort runs, for about 300 yards along the eastern face of the hill. It then turns sharp to the right or south when the ascent begins through what must be the site of an old town. One can see eight cisterns in the fort.
A fourth large is irregular cistern dry and about twelve feet deep. Above this cistern is a niche cut in the wall with an image locally worshipped as Vajrai or Jagmata, believed to be the daughter of Raja Sank, the founder of the fort, who is said to have killed herself on this spot when her father was engaged in a battle with the chief of Karnala fort, eight miles to the north.
In 1540, Sahksi fort was taken from a Gujarat garrison by a body of Ahmadnagar troops. The Gujarat commanders came to Bassein and asked the Portuguese to help them in gaining it back. The Portuguese sent 300 Europeans and a party of native troops, and on their approach the Ahmadnagar garrison abandoned the place. The fort was restored to Gujarat and Portuguese garrison was left in it.
In December 1827 Sanksi was the scene of an action between a detachment of the 4th Rifles and a band of Ramosi dacoits, in which three men of the 4th Rifles were killed. Sankshi continued to give its name to a sub-division of 198 villages till in 1866 the headquarters were moved to Pen.
Read more about Sankshi Fort....
As we already climbed 2000 feet during the night, it was just an easy climb for us to reach the top. The view from there was nice and awesome, we also had a chance to view other peaks including our next trek spot- Karnala. After 30 mins we started to descend and reached the durga, later proceeded further to the Sankshi Base.
Karnala Trek
Karnala fort(also called Funnel Hill) is a hill fort in Raigad district about 10 km from Panvel town. Currently it is a protected place lying within the Karnala Bird Sanctuary. It was a fort of strategic importance as it overlooked the Bor pass which connected the Konkan coast to the interior of Maharashtra(Vidharba) and was the main trade route between these areas.
Its exact date of formation is not known but likely it predates 1400 CE as under the Devagiri Yadavs(1248- 1318) and under the Tughlaq rulers(1318-1347), Karnala was the capital of the north Konkan districts of their respective empires. It later fell under the command of the Gujarat Sultanate but in 1540 was taken over by Nizam Shah of Ahmednagar. The fort was left in charge of the Gujarat Sultanate but with Portuguese garrisons.
The loss of Karnala enraged the Nizam Shah and he took back the fort and the surrounding countryside by sending 5,000 of his men. The Gujarat sultans fled to Vasai in panic and gave up any claims of the fort to the Portuguese.
Shivaji conquered it from the Portuguese in 1670 by building breastworks as he advanced. After his death in 1680 it was taken over by Aurangzeb. After this the Mughals occupied it for some time after which it in 1740 with the rise of the Peshwas of Pune it went to them. It remained under the command of killedar(garrison commander) Anantrao until a colonel Prother won the fort and established the rule of the British East India Company there in 1818.
Read more about Karnala fort...
From the Sankshi base highway, an tempo was arranged to transport 23 people to Karnala base point. It was 30 minutes journey from Sankshi to Karnala. Karnala is actually an bird sanctuary along with the fort. It is being regulated by government and entry pass costs around Rs. 10 per head.
Poori Bhaji was served as breakfast. The path to the fort was slippery due to train and it is difficult for few people. Suraj, decided to stay at the base due to an injury. As per the information given by vRangers, there are two paths leading to the fort, an easier one and a difficult one. We chose a difficult path during forward journey and the other one while descending.
I reached the fort in 2.30 hrs and had an nice time at the top. One will reach a plain, before having a good look at the fort. The fort stood massive and still intact. From the plain, it will take another 30 min to reach the fort. After spending 30 min roaming i settled for lunch. I had one of the best ever lunch, with many varieties of food, namkin, snacks, chips etc etc... After gorging myself with as much as food possible, started the return journey and clicked a group pic on the way. It took another 2 hr to reach the base, had tea and some snack before engaging myself into the feedback session. My return journey is accompanied by rain and fog, sometimes i felt i lost myself in the cloud.
From the base, we took a similar tempo and reached the panvel station in 30 mins time. To my fortunate, I immediately got a direct Andheri train which i caught at the last minute. Finally reached borivali at around 11pm and settled down.
Final words
This is my first trek with vRangers and i really enjoyed every moment of it. Although it was very tiresome dual trek (Experienced the pain in my thigh and calf muscles for next two days), but all worth it.
If anyone wishes to go for a one day trek, i would suggest to visit Karnala rather than Sankshi, as Karnala offers more natural amenites and beauties. Also the fort is one of the best i have ever seen and still in great shape.
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