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Heritage walks to start at Bombay High Court

You can soon take a walking tour of the HC on weekends. However, visitors must maintain discipline inside the premises.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Have you ever wondered what the Bombay High court (HC) looks like on the inside? It sure is an imposing and photograph-worthy structure, but what is it like to be inside the building that delivers judgments and is the ultimate symbol for law in the city?

You’ll soon have a chance to find out.

After the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), it is the turn of the Bombay HC to be opened to the general public for general viewing via a heritage walk. After efforts on the part of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), the Bombay HC will be open to heritage walks on weekends, barring working Saturdays for the court.

Says Dr Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, MTDC, “It is our great privilege to have the opportunity of organising the heritage walk at the High Court. The beautiful building premises are indeed a rare sight for visitors and not many get the opportunity to visit it. The HC is a monument of great significance, history and heritage. We are thankful to the Honourable Chief Justice Mohit Shah for granting us permission to arrange heritage walks at the High Court.”

Entry to the building is otherwise restricted, understandably, but it will soon be thrown open for viewing on the weekends. The guidelines for the walking tours, as well as ticket pricing and group timings, are still being worked out. “The walk will be faciliated by the ToGA (Tour Guides Association) on days when the HC is not working,” Dr Patil says. The walk is to be conducted in the presence of police personnel and the Court Keeper between 8 am to 10.30 am on Saturdays and Sundays every month.

“However, the visitors will have to be disciplined and adhere by the High Court’s guidelines,” Dr Patil says. “They will have to move around in small batches (15 to 20 members at a time). Photography of the interiors of the court rooms or High Court building will be prohibited, and visitors will have to be cautious about not disturbing anybody in the court rooms and other departments of the HC,” Dr Patil says.

(Picture courtesy wikipedia.org)

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The mother of all bicycle rides

Gurpreet Bilkhu cycled from Manali to Khardung La, and learnt that in the mountains, it’s a ride, not a race.

It was mid-July when my friends and I were planning a cycling expedition somewhere outside Mumbai. As a member of several cycling groups on Facebook, spotting one was not difficult. A friend commented on an upcoming tour from Manali to Khardung La – the world’s highest motorable pass. After going through the tour details, as I flipped my table calendar to look at the dates, the picture for the month of August was that of Pangong Lake. For me this was a sign and I knew then that I was hooked!

From the many who started planning, only four of us tentatively confirmed, of which two were most certain to undertake it. I started my preparations with a friend. I must admit that I am just a leisurely rider. I’ve done long weekend trips of over 150 km but these are more like picnics where we ride at a normal pace. Now, planning a 570-odd km ride over 11 days appeared next to impossible (i.e. about 50-60 km of riding daily on an average). We had only about three to four weeks to work on our fitness and endurance levels, fix our bikes, prepare for the trip in terms of getting the right clothes, gear, equipment, etc. and this was along with working full time!

The biggest challenge was riding at such a high altitude because the environment could not be replicated in a city. We had no clue on how our bodies would react to the daily strenuous uphill climbs that too in a rarefied atmosphere where oxygen was a luxury. Preparing ourselves mentally was the most essential preparation because we would have to face not only the inconceivable but also the inevitable.

As the days drew nearer things got tougher. I met with an accident on one of my practice rides. My friend also met with an accident and was advised three months of rest and two others also dropped out eventually. I undertook the trip anyway. I took a train to Delhi and then a bus to Manali. The bike was packed in a box in a semi-dismantled condition.

The ride:

Day 0 – A ride around Manali upto Solang; about 35 km.

Day 1 – Manali to Marhi; 35-odd km, elevation gain 1,250 m

Day 2 – Marhi to Sissu via Rohtang Pass; 55-60 km; elevation gain 1,600 m

Day 3- Sissu to Jispa; 65-70 km; elevation gain 600 m

Day 4 – Jispa to Patseo; 35 km; elevation gain 500 m

Day 5 – Patseo to Sarchu via Zing Zing Bar and Baralacha La; 60-70 km; elevation gain 1,400 m

Day 6 – Sarchu to Pang via Gata Loops, Nakee La and Lachalung La; 90-95 km; elevation gain 1,200 kms (the toughest and longest)

Day 7 – Pang to Tso Kar via Morey Plains; 60-65 km; elevation gain 400 m

Day 8 – Tso Kar to Rumptse via Taglang La, the world’s second highest motorable pass; 80-85 km; elevation gain 900 m

Day 9 – Rumptse to Leh; 90-95 km; elevation gain 450 m

Day 10 – The big climb to Khardung La; 80-85 kms; elevation gain 2,100 m

We encountered mixed terrain all along. We found ourselves riding through flower-filled valleys, cedar and fir forests, passing through numerous villages at Manali and then moving to road jams with traffic at Rohtang Pass due to the slush. We experienced off-road terrains on our way to Baralach La. The toughest were the 21 hair pin bends called Gata Loops. Morey Plains is the waterless, high altitude desert of the Tibetan Plateau, and riding through it, after all those climbs, felt like an aircraft taking off on a runway! The most scenic route was between Rumptse and Leh. We passed the picturesque Miru village and mountains that were maroon in colour!

Do remember this is a ride and therefore never try to race. Go at a pace you can sustain for long, even if you are the last one riding. Never get carried away by adventure, the mountains can be unpredictable. If you push yourself too far too soon, you may probably impair your ability to ride the next day. Try and start as early as possible in the mornings so that you can finish your rides by 3.30-4 pm every day. This will give your body the time to relax and recuperate for the next day’s ride.

Never camp next to river sides! The temperatures tend to dip to sub-zero levels during the night. Though most tour operators would carry tents and sleeping bags, prefer to sleep in places that are constructed by the locals. These are warmer and far more comfortable than your sleeping bags. Since you ascend gradually, you acclimatise automatically. You may or may not experience mountain sickness. Never ever think how much is left to complete, only look at how much you have covered already. This will motivate you to go on. There will be times when you will feel like giving up (unless you are at a discomfort), don’t give in to the temptation. Take a break instead.

The ride to Khardung La has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life, which I will never forget. The tan, the pain, the bruises are all temporary and will fade away in sometime. What’s permanent is the achievement that will last forever. In Economics, my professors taught me that money was the only exception to the law of Diminishing Marginal Utility but I just discovered one more – adventure. The more you have it, the more you want to have it more!

Gurpreet Bilkhu is a Worli resident and bicycle ride enthusiast. She spoke to Salil Jayakar.

(Pictures courtesy Gurpreet Bilkhu)

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The man without a plan

Don’t go to Ganapatipule with a to-do list. Instead, walk on the beach, sample the local cuisine and just be.
by Salil Jayakar

On a sunny Saturday morning, my friends and I headed out of Mumbai to what was to be a fun-filled road trip to Ganapatipule, a small town on the Konkan coast of Maharashtra. Approximately 380 km from Mumbai, Ganapatipule in Ratnagiri district is most famous for its beachside swayambhu (not carved by human hands) Ganapati idol temple.

Ganapatipule, as the rest of the Konkan coast, is home to one of the most scenic beaches in India, still relatively untouched by commercialisation. Ideally, make Ganapatipule your base and visit nearby areas which take about half a day of travelling.

A good way to begin your stay in Ganapatipule is to visit the Ganapati temple that houses the deity’s idol, believed to be over four centuries old. As we stood in line for darshan, I couldn’t but think: “Pehle dev darshan, phir ang pradarshan…” Loosely translated, this means: first worship God, then display your body. For the uninitiated, it might interest you to know that the temple is literally on the beach.

There’s not much to do in Ganapatipule itself, except for a few water sports at certain points along the beach. If you’d like a flavour of old Konkan, do visit the Pracheen Konkan museum. The local girl/ woman guides are a cheerful lot as they run you through a rather poorly put together make-believe world. For food lovers, Ganapatipule’s numerous eateries serve up a delectable fare – chicken, fish and prawns – of Malvani cuisine.

Drive down towards Malgund four km away and enjoy breathtaking views of the Konkan coast. Further north, about 35 km away, a must-see is the Jaigad Fort that sits majestically on a cliff along the Arabian Sea. While the fort itself is in ruins, its walls still stand and you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the countryside.

A trip to Ganapatipule should include a day trip to Ratnagiri city, the district capital which is about 25 km away. The drive down south to Ratnagiri will take you through sleepy coastal villages and a truly breathtaking seascape. At two points along the drive, the cliff-side suddenly breaks to give you stunning views of the Konkan coast – clear blue waters and sandy beaches lined with palm and mango trees. Stop awhile; enjoy kokum sherbet and bhel made by locals on the cliff-top shacks and take in the sound of waves gently rolling in.

Ratnagiri is the birthplace of Keshav (Lokmanya) Balgangadhar Tilak, who demanded swaraj (self-rule) from British colonial rule. Tilak’s two-storied, tiled-roof home stands in a quiet by-lane near the main market. It is now a museum. Thibaw Palace, home of Thibaw Min, the last king of Burma (modern day Myanmar) who lived in exile here is a sad remnant of what was once a flourishing dynasty. Incidentally, just two days before our visit, on December 22, 2012, Myanmar President Thein Sein visited Thibaw Palace and the King’s tomb. In doing so, he became the first Myanmar leader to visit the tomb of his country’s last King, who was exiled to India from Burma more than a century ago.

Just off the main road from Thibaw Palace, opposite Gandhi petrol pump is Amantran, a local restaurant that serves authentic Malvani cuisine. For seafood lovers like me, the prawns and the pomfret fry is a must-have. Go for one of their thali options and you’re in for a treat! Amantran also bottles their own aamras, so make sure to buy a bottle or two.

The highlight of the drive down to Ratnagiri is most likely to be a visit to the Ratnadurga Fort, shaped like a horseshoe and surrounded by the Arabian Sea on three sides. Built by the Bahamani kings, it was captured first by Adil Shah of Bijapur and then Shivaji, in 1670. It is here that Sambhaji went into hiding after escaping from Aurangzeb. The fort has a lighthouse that guided ships as far as 15 km away from the coast and gave a strategic advantage over any attacks from pirates and other enemies. Today, the crumbling remains of this majestic fort are a poignant reminder of a rich historical past. While at the fort, don’t forget to pay obeisance to goddess Bhagwati whose temple is here.

As you head back to Mumbai, take a small detour through narrow village lanes at Sangameshwar and head to the Karneshwar temple, a beautiful stone carved temple dedicated to Shiva. Over 1,600 years old, built by Karma of Kolhapur, it almost transports you to another era.

Ganapatipule will give you some much needed tranquillity from the hustle-bustle of city life. Don’t come here with an agenda or a to-do list. Sleep late, enjoy lazy walks along the beach or find your favourite cliff-top vantage point and take in some breathtaking views. And through it all, don’t forget your sunscreen.

(Pictures courtesy Salil Jayakar)

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An ancient ecosystem locked in time

The fossil-rich Manjra Valley near Latur is one of three regions in India which shows human presence 50,000 years ago.
by Dr Vijay Sathe

A 10 minutes’ drive from the city of Latur on the Latur–Ambajogai state highway takes us to the Manjra valley, the one and only record of fossils in a primary context in peninsular India, comparable in richness of skeletal and species diversity to the Siwaliks of the North West and Central Narmada Valley in Central India. The miracles of fossil preservation within a stretch of a couple of hundred metres, the fossil bone bed on the left bank of the Manjra river, unfold an unbelievable story of the palaeo-environment of the region which was dramatically different from the drought-stricken landscape that it is today. The Valley is an ancient ecosystem locked in time, since in the present scenario it is inconceivable that such animals inhabited this landscape.

Today’s dry river bed, with pits dug into it to draw water for irrigation and drinking purposes, belies the existence of a wide variety of past fauna, indicated by the fossilised remains of animals ranging from large ones like elephants, rhinos and hippos to smaller ones like tortoise and even the large cats, which probably enjoyed supremacy in the prehistoric jungles!

After I discovered this remarkable fossil-rich horizon in the year 2003, I led several expeditions of the Deccan College team to explore and study the fascinating faunal remains. The only thing missing from it was the evidence of human presence. And then, in 2009 came the startling discovery of Acheulian artefacts  right next door in the ossiferous gravels, barely a 100 meters away from the prehistoric tomb of large mammals, confirming that human being shared this habitat with the animals as far back as 50,000 years ago!

This finally completed the circle, confirming that the region was throbbing with ancient human activities and these animals must have played the pivotal role of a rich source of sustenance.

The region captures an interesting moment in the history of life in this part of Maharashtra. Fossilised remains show that tiger, rhinoceros, horse, elephant, hippos, cattle, buffalo, spotted deer, swamp deer, sambar, black buck, tortoise and hundreds of gastropods (mollusca) lived and perished along the stagnant water bodies that were the ‘aquatic dens’ to amphibians like hippos along the course of the river Manjra.

There has been no displacement of these bones from their actual place of burial, indicating that life, death, burial and fossilisation of these skeletal remains were confined to the Valley. Even though the region is semi-arid today, the presence of the hippo, an amphibian, shows that the region once had a wet climate. Even elephants, rhinos and deer could feed adequately on the sheets of grasslands and vegetation in the galleria forests along the banks of the meandering course of the Manjra. The presence of tiger completes the pyramid!

However, today when we walk along the fossil bed, we are woken up to the rude shock of the sudden disappearance of this treasure trove of natural history. Severe water scarcity leaves the crops, livestock, people in villages as well as surrounding towns high and dry for decades together. A series of small dams on the river Manjra  following the recent monsoons, became active bunds a year ago and finally swallowed one of the richest fossil beds of peninsular India permanently. The dams have  been a major respite for the local farmer and his livestock. But the price the heritage has paid is enormous!

The river basins of Western Maharashtra yield vital clues for understanding patterns of cultural evolution of prehistoric man and his biological landscape, especially with respect to contemporary animal diversity as a rich source of subsistence. The stone tools found among the fossils fall into the time bracket between 25,000 and 1.2 million years ago. The fossilised remains of prehistoric animals like carnivores, horses, rodents, elephants, hippopotamus, cattle, buffalo, etc. found embedded in ancient gravels in the Godavari-Pravara basin, Mula-Mutha, Ghod and Bhima river valleys suggest a   picture of adequate vegetation cover interspersed with swamps and perennial water bodies along the drainage systems. It is hardly surprising that prehistoric man found the landscape congenial for the exploitation of natural resources, including the raw material available in close proximity for making a variety of artefacts like handaxes, cleavers, scrapers etc.

Manjra Valley is the only site in peninsular India that has yielded near-complete skeletons of a wide diversity of animals. It is a model site because the fossils and stone tools here are undisturbed in their original context and not a product of erosion and reburial. Hence it is of critical importance in the reconstruction of the paleo-environment of the region.

Dr Vijay Sathe is a researcher in vertebrate palaeontology, palaeoecology, and prehistoric rock art and teaches at  the Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, Pune. 

 

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Neolithic rock art sites found in Maharashtra

And there are many more waiting to be found, says Satish Lalit, who found over 60 petroglyphs in Sindhudurg alone.
by Vrushali Lad | vrushali@themetrognome.in

Two hitherto undiscovered sites for rock art – technically known as ‘petroglyphs’ – have been found and documented by 52-year-old trekker and rock art enthusiast Satish Lalit. In 2002, Satish and his team discovered over 60 petroglyphs in two villages of Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra. Though it is impossible to put a date to the carvings’ origins, it is estimated that they may date back to 4,000 BC.

Satish LalitBut the findings were made public on a major platform only this month. “When we found the first site, there was a bit of local publicity,” Satish says. “But now we plan to publicise these sites in a big way.”

In 2002, Satish decided to check out images carved in stone in Hiwali village, in Kudal (Sindhudurg). A friend had told him of “some images carved by the Pandavas on a plateau in his village. So I went to Hiwale village with my brother, Dr Balkrishna Lalit. This was the first site of petroglyphs we found in the district.”

The discovery

Satish’s day job makes him shuttle between the Mantralaya and the Chief Minister’s residence Varsha – he is Chief PRO to CM Prithviraj Chavan – and when he takes a break, he goes trekking or does the rounds of Maharashtra’s forts. “I had heard of rock arts, but I first saw an example of it in Usgalimal, South Goa in 1996,” he remembers. “But we discovered the first such site in Maharashtra in 2002.”

The other site was found in Kudopi in Malvan, with a team of local youth. “There are more than 60 petroglyphs  at Kudopi. My team and I wandered for two days before we found the site.”

But the search was worth the wandering around, because the find was truly stunning. “All of them were amazing, especially the second site, but of special interest to us was the petroglyph of a mother with her child. The ‘V’ carved on the body signifies femininity as per international symbology,” Satish says. Other petroglyphs include those of a bird, animals, circular patterns, fish and even human figures.

Pandava pictures

“The petroglyphs are may be carved by our ancestors in the Neolithic Age, that is 7000-4000 BC. It is very hard to determine the exact period, but these petroglyphs are carved using metal tools, so that is one way of determining the period (of origin). The locals had only heard about these images; I asked so many people in these villages about them, but nobody knew the location as nobody had visited the site. They call them Pandava chitra (pictures) and only knew from their elders that there were some such images on the hill,” Satish explains.

Many more to be found

He is on the lookout for more such sites in Maharashtra, and is confident of finding them. He says that petroglyphs are to be found at Virdi (on the Maharashtra-Goa border), Khanavli (Rajapur) and Niwli (Ratnagiri), and there is a chance of a common lineage between these sites. “To find a site, we ask people in villages if there are any caves on the hills. We take a local guide and look for the sites; sometimes we find what we’re looking for, at other times, there’s nothing,” he says, adding that there are several more petroglyphs waiting to be discovered in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts. “It is difficult to find them, because they are always located in remote areas, and nobody goes there. Since the terrain is rocky, there is no vegetation, so humans don’t go there. That could explain why there is such less information about existing petroglyph sites,” he reasons.

He recently presented his findings at the Rock Art Soceity of India’s 17th Annual Congress at Badami, Karnataka. “I urged that since this was the first time that such a large site of ancient petroglyphs had been found anywhere in the country, wide publicity should be given to these sites so that Sindhudurg’s rock art would be known all over the world. I am now going to contact the Archaeology Survey of India and inform them of my findings. Also, I will request them to declare the sites as protected ones,” Satish says. A book on his experiences with Maharashtra’s petroglyphs is also on the anvil.

 Have you found a petroglyph in Maharashtra? Write to Satish Lalit at satishlalit@gmail.com.

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When I nearly lost my life

A student trekked to Torna and found her life flashing before her eyes between a rock and a rough place. But the rest of her trek was great.
by Bhagirathi N

Amazing, superb, challenging, tiring, fun – all of these adjectives together fail to express how the my recent trek to Rajgad was.

According to our itinerary, we started from Borivali on November 31 2012 at 7 am and reached Gunjawne village at 1 pm. From there, we started our actual trek. The instructions to us were brief and strict – there were no toilets, so you could defecate in the open if you wished, you couldn’t wear sandals, slippers, or any fancy footwear, you had to carry at least two litres of drinking water, mobiles, cameras and other expensive equipment was to be carried individually, no stinking socks, no talking while trekking.

We also carried caps, carry mats to sleep on, bedsheets or pullovers, warm clothes, torches, and haversacks. The plan was to stop at a temple near Rajgad fort and stay there overnight for the first day. There was also a rescue team accompanying us; these were regular trekkers carrying a lot of equipment. One of them, named Richard, is not only a regular trekker but an experienced climber, too. Mangesh Karandikar, one of our professors, had planned this entire trek for us. He was leading the team. While, the rescue team was supposed to ensure that none of us was left behind.

We reached the temple, crossing rough, rocky patches, and entered Rajgad through the Chor Darwaza around 4 or 5 pm. The temperature was below 20 degree Celsius. A little later, we chanced upon a dirty pond that held drinking water, and a dirtier pond next to it for washing purposes. There came a woman with a bottle of chhaas – which was the only drink we could afford at that point of time.

We lost half of our number who decided to climb down from Rajgad because they didn’t think they were fit enough to trek further to Torna. The rest of us went to bed at about 10 pm near a camp fire. Rising at 5 am the next day, we started our trek two hours later, after filling our water bottles. There are no water bodies on the route to Torna, and even the one-and-half litre bottle I was carrying was not enough.

That second day posed the greatest challenge to my endurance. We walked, walked, and walked. It was fun trekking through rocky terrain, slippery ridges, and small unprotected forests. We took small breaks after every hour. I was the slowest trekker on Day 2.

We crossed several mountains. The next was my favourite part of the trek – over 4,000 feet high, the temperate was 18 degrees  Celsius. We were completely exhausted, and then a steep ascent faced us. I climbed up, which was easy, but was taken aback to see two huge rocks with narrow lanes to walk along, joined by a single ridge which could hardly accommodate one of your feet at one time. Richard offered to help, and all I had to do was follow his footsteps and balance my body and my huge bag. Miss a step, and you could die.

I climbed down the first rock holding Richard’s hand; he was standing on the second rock welcoming me. As soon as I climbed up the second rock and let go of his hand, I realised I was losing my balance. My life flashed before me, and so did glimpses of silly ads for Mountain Dew and Thums Up. Frightened, I called out “Richardddd…” and tried my best to balance myself. And before Richard could reach me, I swiftly reached level land.

After an hour, around 3 pm, we reached Torna and desperately looked for water and found it soon. About 45 minutes later, we started the descent from Torna. This time, I was accompanied all the way by by Ninad, a fellow trekker.

I’ve brought home a snake skin which one of my friends had found during the trek. My only regret is that I wasn’t carrying a good camera on the trek.

Bhagirathi N is a first year student of Masters in Communication and Journalism.

(Pictures courtesy Bibin Alexander)

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