...continued from Fort Machigad part-2.
In the earlier parts i.e. part-1 & part-2, I've covered about coming to Machigad, meeting my host Kalmeshwar, ascending the hill and the tour of the fort covering several key spots like the Mahadwara, Hanuman shrine, Mata Mandir, Raamteerth view points, a rock-cut water tank, turret at the highest point of this fort. Raamteerth is an ancient shrine on the neighboring hill. Now we are on the western side of the fort trying to find the way forward through the ruins & vegetation. Kalmeshwar surveys the scene and says we have to turn back and retrace our way for a short distance.
We had to clamber up a few rocks pretty close to a drop and then tread over some more rocks and descend to the dirt level. We walked along the wall to a small doorway on the southeastern side. Kalmeshwar called this as a Chota Darwaza or the small door. There's a way to Raamteerth from here. The path goes through the jungle, only a person familiar with the route will be able to find the way.
This is the exterior view of Chota Darwaza. The doorway is designed in such a way that it remains hidden. It would be recognizable only from close quarters, that too in one direction. Back then, this doorway would be closely guarded day & night. Coming to the jungle, I'm wondering if Machigad was surrounded in forest during its heydays. The jungle could be a layer of defense or camouflage for enemy soldiers. We did not venture away from this doorway but we back inside to continue with the tour of the fort.
Kalmeshwar wouldn't say what came next, the element of suspense was a good idea. We came to this clearing, it slopes down, a nice mat of grass. It was easier to walk here.
The clearance as seen from the other end. Kalmeshwar spotted a tortoise. For me it was a big surprise... tortoises on a hill!? The shell was covered in dark green muck which was still damp. He picked a stick and prodded it gently hoping that the tortoise would stick its head out. No way. We decided to leave it alone and move on. There has to be water source close by. Yes, it was a stone's throw away.
The clearance was arc shaped in elevation. At the lower end was the second rock-cut water tank. This was slightly smaller than the one seen earlier. Also this tank was filled with grass, surely there would be mud at the bottom of the tank. Also, there's a natural pond besides the rock-cut tank... that's what Kalmeshwar is peering into.
The tortoise must've ventured out of this dark murky water. It must be a good climber to have ascended that slope on the right. I asked why would a tortoise come out of water other than to soak in heat from sunlight. He said food. I asked if the water had fishes. No. Tortoises com out to feed - that was new to me. They might feed on insects, snails and may be some plants too. This waterhole was the end of the trail.
On the way back, we took the same route except the last bit where we had taken a slight deviation to see Raamteerth view point. We found these quills stuck in the ground, five or six of them. Possibly a porcupine had fired off its quills in self defense, a few might have hit the target and a few hit the ground. I asked Kalmeshwar if I could take a few. He was okay with it. I looked around, found a PET water bottle. Pulled out three quills and dropped them into the bottle and capped it. This would be a nice souvenir. A thought occurs- a porcupine left a few quills which will decay and mix with dirt, no traces left. On the other hand, humans had littered the place with pet bottles and plastic bags which will stay as is for centuries if not millennium.
The descent was faster than ascent, naturally. I loved this part of the trail. A little further I saw this flower on a small tree, very few leaves and fewer flowers. From a distance Kalmeshwar had mistaken the flower for some new kind of bird. I'm sure he's seen some rare and beautiful birds here.
I was tired after the 8 km trek to Raamteerth and then Machigad climb. I was looking forward to sitting in my car but I still had a small thing to complete. We went towards Kalmeshwar's home where we met his father Rajaram Hanabar and another gentleman named Rajaram Shinde. I thanked Shri Shinde for appointing Kalmeshwar as my guide. If not for Kalmeshwar, I wouldn't seen machigad the way I saw it. Mr. Shinde left.
It was a well spent morning, plenty of physical activity for my legs. I headed towards Halasi where I would be seeing the Kadamba temples, the chief one being Bhu-Varaha Devastana. I had to eat lunch as well, thankfully food & water was in the car, I had to find a peaceful spot.
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