Ganpati Gadad Trek | गणपती गडद | How to reach #ganpatigadad #monsoontrekking #sahyadri

#ganpatigadad trek #ganpatigadadtrek ganpati gadad trek Blooming with greenery in monsoon, Ganpati Gadad trek is one of the most awaited treks in the Sahyadri. ‘Ganpati Gadad’ means the caves of Lord Shree Ganesha also called Ganesh Leni in Marathi (Leni is a holy shrine, mainly in a cave carved out of stone) These caves are formed in the mountain surrounded by mesmerizing waterfalls at 3000ft above sea level. Ganpati Gadad Caves, for being so isolated, has a rich history. It is also believed that Pandavas built these caves 2500 years ago. There are mentions of the Pandava's hiding period in the Mahabharata when they traveled to many unexplored places and had stayed there for a particular duration. Many archeologists believe that it is one of those caves Pandavas carved for their shelter purpose during that period. Therefore, Ganpati Gadad caves is the icon which summarizes Pandavas royal culture. Pandavas carved those caves in such a way that it gives filling of a real ancient house. They divided the whole cave into small partitions like small rooms and the Ganesha idol is situated between two rooms. Later, the caves were predominantly used by Monks and Traders who used to travel via the Naneghat route to reach the Deccan plateau. It is a little below the half-way mark (around 500 m) of a giant 1200 m tall portion of the Ghats which continues as Naneghat to the north. It was built in a convex arc within it, probably a natural cavity formed by an ancient cascade that exposed the bedrock – the igneous Deccan trap – which was then chiseled by hand. There are about seven caves, built side-by-side, at places one-upon-another, with a few water tanks and what appears to be granaries or storerooms. The main cave, known as ‘Sabha Mandapa‘ (Assembly Hall) which lies above the smaller caves, is the largest, containing two smaller rooms on each side. A door with minimalist artwork welcomes visitors. HOW TO REACH GANPATI GADAD Unfortunately, there is no direct bus to Sonavale or Palu which is the base village for Ganpati Gadad. But on the other blogs research and personal experience, I have found three ways to reach Ganpati Gadad 1)KALYAN – MURBAD – SONAVALE – GANPATI GADAD This is most convenient yet not popular route. Kalyan is always the starting point of this journey from where a number of State Transport(ST) buses ply towards Murbad. From Murbad ST stand, catch ‘Singapur’ village ST (refer above timetable) which directly drops you to the Sonavale village entry gate. From the entrance, you have to walk 20 minutes on a tar road which is later followed by the natural trail route of Ganpati Gadad. If you rely on public transport like ST buses then follow this route. Although public transport is pocket friendly, you also have to rely on and plan your journey according to the timing of the Singapur ST bus. Ganpati Gadad Trek Start Point Google map goo.gl/maps/yu5DRqfCVte85wxs9 2)KALYAN – MURBAD – DHASAI – SONAVALE – GANPATI GADAD 3)KALYAN – TOKAWADE – SONAVALE – GANPATI GADAD Since the Ganpati Gadad trek route is not prominent from starting to a certain point, so I advised you to take a local guide, or whenever you find local villagers throughout the trek, ask and confirm with them about the right direction. INSTAGRAM : banjaran_ravina ‪@banjaranraveena‬ ‪@raveenatravel‬ #GANPATIGADAD #harishchandra #kalsubaitrek #kalsubaipeak #taminighat #waterfalls #maharashtrawaterfalls #banjaranravina #ravinasolanki #top10waterfalls #kaluwaterfall #aadraijungletrek #nanemachiwaterfall