A deep desire to experience this time-bound freshness-more so for Karvi-I undertook this trail to Kaas, to witness God’s magic.
Luke 12:27
Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
लूक - अध्याय 12: वचन २७
रानफुले कशी वाढतात याचा विचार करा. ते कष्ट करीत नाहीत व कातीत नाहीत. तरी मी तुम्हांला सांगतो शलमोनानेसुद्धा आपल्या सर्व वैभवात त्यांच्यातील एकासारखाही पोशाख घातला नव्हता.
My belongings for this Nature’s trail included-my nature loving colleagues, snacks, Dr. Shrotri’s reference manual on Kaas, and the winding route to Kaas.
ही वाट दूर जाते, स्वप्नामधील गावा
Enroute to our destination, Aaram hotel at Satara, provided us with tasty Maharashtrian thali. We, thus nurtured our taste buds before we could see the blooming flowers at Kaas.
We started very early from Nalasopara and after picking up all the participant, we finally got onto expressway. We started to introduce each other and our varied interests. It was really a good bunch of people from all different backgrounds. Time was difficult to pass, so little chit chat with everyone, enjoying variety of snacks and reading book by Dr. Shrotri on Kaas flowers. Then we came to a halt for lunch, We stopped at hotel Aaram before Satara. Tasty and Stomach filling Maharashtrain Thali was very refreshing.
Since it was time-consuming journey we directly went on visiting Thoseghar waterfall. Beautiful hill Karvi flowering was welcoming all the visitors at observation point near waterfall.
Rain has given us very short window to get the glimpses of the big waterfall. But before everyone from group can get their selfies and landscapes, fog followed by rain and ruined the magnificent view with complete whitewash.
UNESCO, (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) added Kaas Plateau of flowers (near Satara, in Maharashtra) in the list of World Natural Heritage sites. And since then nature experts started taking incentive efforts to preserve this. At the same time it started getting more and more popular. Many flowers and plants endemic to this plateau are rare and endangered now, some flowers have very interesting pollination methods, while others have unique shapes, while some are very colourful. People visiting should not just see the carpets of flowers, but gran every opportunity to see this diversity available at Kaas.
Insects and flies play major role in pollination of plants, Karvi is no exception. I guess some insects must be very joyful to see these flowers in their life time (some may not survive more than a month/year).
परागीभवन
We went to Chalkewadi from there. Windmills on mountain top were standing as guards and were playing hide and seek in the cloud covered mountains. |
सातारा चाळकेवाडी रस्ता
We were traveling on the zigzag road, witnessing nature at its best on both sides of the road. We were actually approaching towards those windmills, learning about their hugeness. At one stage when we reached on top, our bus was actually standing below one of the mills. We all trying to look out of bus window but couldn't even see it from bottom to top. Even wide lenses couldn't manage to capture that huge wind mill in one shot.
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पवनचक्की, चाळकेवाडी
टोपली कारवी, चाळकेवाडी
सज्जनगड, सातारा
Though rain was still following us I went up to this place and marked as visited in my diary. There is a small and simple trek involved to reach this place and one has to pass through the ashram to visit the place where raptors visit frequently.
मार्गावरील एका देवळाचा कळस
सज्जनगड प्रवेशद्वारावरील शिलालेख
This is truly beautiful place and worth visiting for raptors (except monsoon season, I guess). Sadly no raptor sightings for us. It was pitch dark while returning to the parking lot. Everyone was tired by the long journey, and few sight-seeings. On top of that continuous rain was not willing to spare us for a little dry feeling. There was canteen situated at the base of this trek. The importance of it can only be understood on backward journey, when we retuned tired. So everyone munched on गरमागरम पकोडा, वडापाव and चाय. Infact we hardly noticed this canteen when we started our trek but came in very handy on returning back.
सज्जनगडावरून दृश्य
Coming back in Satara for night stay and dinner, was a little relaxing though we were awake till midnight for little chitchat over what we saw and what to expect next day at Kaas plateau.
I woke up early in the morning, got out of bed, freshened up bags packed, and ready to leave. Other group members are still crawling out of bed, but I couldn't keep myself sitting at reception waiting for them. So I started exploring place around the hotel. Rain was hiding somewhere and my hopes were high. First I went up to the terrace and got the magnificent view of sky, (something that many of us really miss in the city life). Dark clouds were hiting of heavy rains ahead. Sun was playing hide and seek.
सूर्योदय
Then I went outside. Some flowers I noticed in the night were attracting me with its brilliant pink color.
रस्त्यावरील फुले
After admiring flower beauty, I started looking around for local birds like, Bulbuls, Sparrows, Munias, Tailor birds, Prinias, etc. Surprisingly pigeons and crows were little hard to find, good for me.
There was one activity that I noticed and couldn't stop myself, Scaly-breasted Munia was busy picking up and carrying a grass blade inside a small hiding created by climbers near an electric pole. Suddenly I realized, it's a breeding time for these Munias. And for this pair, the male bird was successful at his skills to make female bird attracted and chose for breeding this season.
खवलेधारी मुनिया (Scaly Breasted Munia)
Wow, that small size bird and its efforts to build the best, just amazing. (Though it can't outnumber the efforts of other birds like Baya weaver, but that's another story, another time). It made 3 to 4 rounds within a single minute, and within that minute chopping a grass blade with just beak and carrying it to the nest with utmost care and avoiding the attraction of predators or trouble making birds like crow. Avoiding any disturbance to nesting activity, I managed to keep a distance and avoided clicking any nesting pictures.
By now all the group members were set for the journey to explore the plateau of flowers at Kaas. So we left the busy Munias with their nesting activity, hoping to see their next generations growing and following similar activities next season.
It was very exciting journey towards Kaas, as both the sides of the road were dressed in beautiful flowers. The road was typical Ghat road turning all the time on either of sides.
कास पठाराकडे
We got see beautiful rainbow on the way to Kaas. It reminded me God's promise to His people from Bible.
इंद्रधनुष्य, देवाचे वचन
Genesis 9:16 "When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
View of the valley was beautiful, sunlight and small showers, sun playing hide and seek, it was just a visual poetry. As we were nearing the plateau sun hid behind dark clouds, rain by now accompanied us with its presence and there was nothing left dry in sight. The wind was at its peak speed welcoming us with its chillness.
We all got down at the registration point preparing ourselves for adventure in rain, wind and clouds. After completing all the formalities at registration point, our guide for this tour requested all the members to gather around him. Only then he started his presentation. He showed us photos of few emdemic flowers of Kaas. Emphasizing more on which plants are flowering at that time of season.
टोपली कारवी
Fortunately, one member who was moving ahead of the group found out that the locals who were coming up to plateau from other route were offering some home made food at the edge of the plateau for some quick money. They were carrying Nachani bhakari, tomato vegetable, and tikhat chatani, in authentic village style. All this without any plastic or paper dish and good thing is nothing to throw away after eating. Everyone got some of it which was the need of that time and energized by that food for further exploration. This was not a planned breakfast but what's better than homemade village food . Later we filled our ourselves with regular breakfast items at a small Dhaba near Kaas lake . This too was tastier than any city food.
कारवी
At Kaas plateau, everyone got to see mass blooming of (Topi) Karavi flowers (a treasure to keep in our memories for next 7-8 years). People couldn't stop from taking selfies with Karvi toplis in awesome background.
Personally, I didn't like it, even the digital age gadgets which keep us busy looking the nature through it, or a digitally created image on digital screen. In all of this awe for digital age, somewhere we forget to enjoy the real natural beauty and scenery through our own eyes. Instead we try to capture digital image displaying on some screen. I strongly feel it's good to have real memories (more than any HD resolution) to preserve and share. I am not against any mode of capturing images with any digital age gadget, but my point is how much we really observe and absorb the natural beauty, the natural way before capturing it digitally in memory cards and hard disks.
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Marathi name: हत्तीची सोंड, हळुंदा, रानपावटा
English name:
Scientific Name: Vighna Vexilata,
Family: Fabesi
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Ceropegia, कंदीलपुष्प
Marathi name: मोर खरचुडी, पांढरी खरचुडी, मेर्दा खरचुडी, हमना
English name: Cerepegia
Scientific Name: Ceropegia, Koni, Sahyadrika, Hirsuta, Mideea, Aqulata, Vincifolia
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मिकी किंवा डोनाल्ड?
Mickey Mouse, Smithia
Marathi name: कवला, लाजाळू कवला, मोठा कवला, बर्का
English name:
Scientific Name: Hirsuta, Sensitivha, Setulosa, Perpuriya
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Marathi name: पाण तेरडा, जांभळा तेरडा, लाल तेरडा
English name:
Scientific Name: Impatient Lavi
Family: Balsum
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सीतेची आसवे, Utrikyuleria
Marathi name: खर पापणी, सीतेची आसवे, निळी पापणी, पान पापणी, चिरे पापणी
English name:
Scientific Name: Graminifolia, Parpyurasense, Reticulata, Shelar is, Straitula
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इवले चेंडू
Marathi name: गेंद, पाण गेंद
English name: Eriocolan
Scientific Name: Sejviki, Tuberiferum
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Marathi name: दवबिंदू
English name: Drossera, Utrikyularia
Scientific Name: Drossera Indica, Drossera Burmani
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English name: Common con head, Hill con head, Pliocalls
Scientific Name: Karvai Calose, Nilgirianaths Reticulata,
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मंजिऱ्या
Marathi name: जांभळ्या मंजिऱ्या,
English name:
Scientific Name: Pogostimon Deccanensis
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सोनकी
Marathi name: सोनकाडी, सोनसळी, सोनसरी, सोनतारा, सोनटिकली, ताग, रानतूर, लाजवंती
English name:
Scientific Name: Senishio Bombayensis, Senishio grahami
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Marathi name: तुतारी
English name:
Scientific Name: Vramphikarpa logiflora
Family: Scrawfyulariasi
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कुमुद
Marathi name: कुमुदिनी
English name:
Scientific Name: Nimphoids indicam, Nimphoids hydrophaila
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वर्गमुळाचे झाड
Marathi name: दुधी
English name: square root plant
Scientific Name: Uforbiya lata
Uforbiacy
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