Kalavantin (कलावंतीण)

This particular trek was on my mind for quite some time now. The Kalavantin Dug (कलावंतीण दुर्ग) or Kalavantinicha Buruj (कलावंतीणीचा बुरुज) was described as tough and dangerous by quite a few. But then, even Torna rockpatches were mentioned as tough by many. So I was skeptical, yet, I had seen the pics of the Buruj, supposedly taken from the top of Prabalgad, and it did appear as a challeging climb. I wanted to see and experience it in person.

With a long leave approaching, I decided Feb end is near about the end of trekking season as well, owing to the hot weather that prevails this part of the world, post February. So an impromptu plan was drafted for Junnar area, and a one-off trek to Kalavantin. All were planned on working days, to avoid any crowd. Mountains are always peaceful on a working day.

So on Monday, 25-Feb, I took off on my bike, with camera gear, binocular and miscelleneous stuff on the back.


How To Get There

From pune the route is along NH4:

Pune - Dehu Road bifurcation - Kamshet - Lonavala - Khandala - Khopoli Exit on the expressway section - Khopoli - Shedung === diversion ===> Belavali - Thakurwadi

Distance: ~120kms from Chandani Chowk, Pune

At Shedung bifurcation (शेडुंग फाटा), there are 4 roads, one that joins the expressway, one that comes from expressway, one that comes from Khopoli, and the fourth one - a small one - is the one that goes to Belavali. Better to ask at the junction if confused.

Thakurwadi is about 5km from Shedung bifurcation. The road to Belavali and on to Thakurwadi is good and smooth overall, with an occasional rough patch. Prabalgad and Kalvantin are visible almost throughout the ride to Thakurwadi, though, in the morning, sun rises behind the mountain, and all you can see is a silhouette of the two, rather than any details.

Thakurwadi is the base village for Prabalgad (प्रबळगड) and Kalavantin. Lonely, eerie and haunted. Near Thakurwadi, where one finds 4 roads going in different direction, there stands a Banyan tree, and the road that's in front of the Banyan tree, going directly towards the mountain, is the road to Prabal Machee (प्रबळ माची).

The road is motorable to a certain extent, and I decided to take my bike till the point I can. And it saved me almost a couple kms of walking. The road was broken in the middle, over what seemed like a water pipeline. I parked the bike there on the roadside, and started walking onwards.


Prabal Machee (प्रबळ माची)

It's plain walk for about an hour and half till Prabal machee. The road goes winding around the mountain, and Kalavantin stays hidden behind the imposing wall of Prabal Machee, for most part of the walk.

Plain Prinia (?)

Common Cuckoo

Dead silence with bird chirpings is the sole pleasure of this trail. I sighted a Common Cuckoo along the way. It was a little fidgety and would let me come close. So all I could manage was a record shot. It was a lifer for me. Hadn't seen a cuckoo before.

The Machee is typical of a lot of forts in the region. Large densely wooded plain lifted off the mainland to a great height, and then he pinnacles and forts rise above this machee. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that not only are there people inhabiting this remote place, but there is even a well-built school(!!) up there. Kudos!


Kalavantin

Route to the top of Kalavantin, is from the V-shaped col (खिंड) between Kalavantin and Prabalgad. At Prabal Machee, I asked for direction towards the col and was told to just keep going up in the direction. As usual I lost the way somewhere, and then had to do a hanging traverse to get into the col. The rock traverse was pleasant, though I had this anxiety that it might end up on a super exposed rock face rather than getting into the col, and then I would have to traverse back again clinging to the same rock. Fortunately, I ended up dropping on the proper route to the col, and eventually got to the point where Kalavantin route, in its full glory, starts.

I was told the route starts from the col, but looking around I could hardly see any stairs that lead up. Looking closely I realised, the first few feet are, as if, blasted off, and the real stairs start after that. You have to make do with whatever holds you can manage in those first 5-10 feet.

The stairs are couple feet high and nearly vertical. The climb indeed has it's own flavour of fear factor. The exposure is pretty high, and some patches are made of all gravel. Rock is easy to hold onto and negotiate, but gravel is where I always get nervous. I just dont trust it.

The route goes winding up, through patches of stairs and gravel. It's not difficult, but it's definitely not for begginers. The menacing vertical-drop rock-face (कातळकडा) of Prabalgad is visible all the time while you go up. It's massive and majestic.


Eventually I reached within the final 20-25ft of the summit. This rockpatch of last 20 odd feet of Kalavantin, is a proper (easy grade) rock climb. In my opinion, it should be tried only if one has done some basic rock climbing, and is aware of holds, balances, is flexible enough, and most importantly has enough pulling power in the arms and biceps. If the technique and climbing experience is there, it's quite an easy climb, and then it's all about managing the fear factor. There is almost a 500-600ft exposure on the left, climbing, side; and you should, in advance, think about how you are going to get down without ropes. Free climbing without ropes is comparatively easy and manageable. Getting down is altogether a different story.


I dropped my sack at the base of the rockpatch, and started climbing. There is a very helpful crack on the left, and then some pinch holds on the right. The rock is pretty sturdy, and some of the very good I have seen in Sahyadri so far. So those holds are quite trustable. I was on top in about a couple mins. It was exhilerating to be on top, and at the same time, the precarious looking edge, from where I climbed, kept making me anxious about eventual climb-down.

The view from top are great. I could identity Karnala fort due to it's unique pinnacle, even though it was quite a long distance from there. Peb and Irsalgad are also said to be visible from there, but I  couldn't identify which is which; though I did notice two peaks with strange rockfaces on top.

Getting down from there comes with a lot of anxiety. You lose your balance for one instance, and you are hurtling down the rockface in the next. So all moves have to come with absolute conviction. Slow, steady and perfectly balanced all the time, is the key.

Once I was down at the base of the rockface, there was the next set of challenge - the gravel and vertical steps of Kalavantin. Going up was easier. Getting down, looking straight down the vertical slope, was a little nerve-wrecking. Especially due to the reality that no one would even know if I fell.

It took me almost an hour to make it down to the col. I was dead slow in the gravel part. The rocky stairs were comparatively manageable since there are a few jug holds created in the rock, apart from some natural pinch holds. It's easier to get down either backwards or sideways since that way your centre-of-gravity remains very close to the rock and you can use your hands to hang on to the rock.

Once I got back into the col, it was all about walkin to the machee, and then onwards towards my bike on the semi motorable road. The route from col to the machee, is still a little steep, but not at all dangerous. It's probably a water-stream route going by it's characteristics, but it takes one directly to the habitation on the machee.


Way Back Home

By the time I made it back to the bike, it was late afternoon and everything I touched, burned my hands. Including my bike.

Eventually I made it to Shedung and NH4, had my lunch at a dhaba, and reached Pune in next couple of hours, by 6:30pm. The only section where I really enjoyed racing was the Khopoli ghat section which joins with the expressway. It's a super twisty-turvy ghat, with absolutely plain heavenly roads, scarce traffic, and brilliant banking with lot of scope for adrenaline inducing cornering. Racing up these slopes is to a biker what a superbly well made Puranpoli (पुरणपोळी) is to a foodie.


Some Tips For Those Attempting Kalavantin

Based on my experience, here are some tips which, I felt, might come handy to those planning or attempting Kalavantin -

1. If you haven't done a lot of trekking and a basic amount of climbing before, don't attempt this on your own. Get someone experienced along. This is not for begginers.

1.1 Don't do this alone unless you are sure of your feet and hands and navigation, and have prior trekking/climbing experience.

2. Carry a lot of water. After Prabal Machee, there are no sources of water anywhere. At least I couldnt find any. And you will need a lot of it.

3. Try to make it to the col as early in the morning as possible. If you get late, you will get your hands burnt while coming down. The rock heats up like it's on fire, and you dont have an option but to catch hold of it while coming down.

4. Stay close to the rock while on stairs.

5. Make sure you are not stepping on loose gravel. Be very careful on the gravel patches.

6. If you don't have prior climbing experience, I would advise against free-climbing the last rockface without ropes. It's not tough, but it does need some delicate movements and balancing. And it's exposed.

7. While climbing down the stairs, grab hold of the rock any which way, and climb down backwards or sideways. Dont sit down for finding the next step below. One - you might lose your balance looking down, and two - your backpack might hit the step above and spoil your balance. It's too exposed out there to take these kinds of risks. Be safe.

8. It ain't over till it ain't over. Don't lose your guard until you are safely back into the col.


Approximate Timings:

Thakurwadi to Prabal Machee: 1-1.5hrs
Prabal Machee to the col: 0.5hrs
Kalavantin climb up: 30-45mins
Climb down to the col: 1-1.5hrs