Western Ghat or Shayadri in Maharashtra is know for the extensive mountain range which runs parallel to 750 Kms vast coastline and Kalsubai peak is one of them.
What is the height of Kalsubai Peak?
Also known an the Mountain Everest of Maharashtra, the Kalsubai Peak is located in the Ahmednagar district in Akola taluka of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra has been blessed with some of the huge mountain ranges like Kalsubai Peak, Salher, Gawaldev, Ghanchakkar and Dhodap to name a few.
The height of Kalsubai Peak is 5400 ft or 1646 meters which makes Kalsubai the highest peak in Maharashtra.
On the summit of the Kalsubai peak, you would find a small temple dedicated to Goddess Kalsubai.
The story of Kalsubai Peak
The highest peak of Maharashtra has different stories attached to it. You might believe some of them while you may find some stories to be exaggerating.
There are two such stories that you would often hear from the locals residing in the nearby village.
1. After getting married, a young girl named Kalsubai came to this village. She was very much fond of medicinal plants. She used to cure lot of patients by giving medicines. After certain period of time, she died. As a sign of respect and memory, the locals named the mountain as the Kalsubai Shikar (Peak).
2. There was a girl named Kalsu which resided in the nearby Village. She used to work at Patla’s house. But before she accepted the work, she had kept a stipulation that she will never clean the utensils nor sweep the house. Her stipulation was accepted by the Patla. But one day she was made to do both which made her angry and In anger she went to the top of the peak and gave her life and since then the Peak is also called as Kalsubai.
If you travel to the villages in India, you would hear such stories from the locals.
Kalsubai Trek
Kalsubai Trek is the highest peak in Maharashtra and therefore reaching the top of the summit is the dream of every trekker.
It’s not just the height that attracts the trekkers but the walk between the lush green farms, the melodious sound of waterfalls, the mist and the dense fog which makes the journey to the top of the summit enriching.
How to reach Kalsubai Trek from Mumbai?
It is advised to start the trek from the base village early in the morning to avoid the extreme heat.
There are two ways you can reach Kalsubai from Mumbai –
- Take a train from Dadar Railway station. You can either get down at Kasara Railway Station and take a local taxi towards the Bari Village or you can get down at Igatpuri Railway Station and do the same.
You can also take a Igatpuri – Pune ST bus and get down at Bari Village. - By road – Follow this route : Mumbai – Kasara Ghat – Igatputi – Ghoti Budruk – Bari Village.
How to reach Kalsubai Trek from Pune?
The distance from Pune to the base Village of Kalsubai Trek is nearly 200 Kms. The best way to reach Kalsubai Trek from Pune is via the National Highway NH 60 and MH SH 21.
Route : Pune – Chakan – Peth – Alepphata – Bramhanwada – Kotul – Bandardara – Jahagardiwadi – Bari Village.
It will take at least 4 to 5 hours to reach the Bari village from Pune, therefore plan your trip accordingly.
How to reach the summit form the Base Village.
The base village for Kalsubai Trek is the Bari Village. Start walking towards the Kalsubai Temple which is 20 mins from the Bari Village.
Your trek towards the top of the summit actually starts from this Temple.
After taking the blessings of the Goddess, start your trek towords the summit. The route is well marked and if you still need someone to guide you towards the summit, there are local guides as well who will help you reach the summit.
The ascent to the top of the summit will take around 4 to 5 hrs depending on the breaks that you take en-route.
There are 4 main ladders that you need to climb to reach the summit. Once you climb the 4th and the last ladder, you would finally reach the top of the summit of the highest mountain in Maharashtra.
En-route you would find lot of trekkers, therefore there would be some waiting time to climb these ladders.
Kalsubai Trek Difficulty
Though it is the highest peak in the state of Maharashtra, the Kalsubai Trek difficulty is moderate. The trek gets slightly difficult during the monsoon season as you could experience crossing streams, passing clouds and dense fog dropping the visibility. In-spite of all these challenging situations the journey en-route to the top of the summit is just alluring.
On the top of the summit, there is small temple build in the memory of Goddess Kalsubai. The temple is so small that only 2-3 people can enter the temple at once.
Heavy Rain and strong crosswinds and the mist at the top of the summit will make you go euphoric!
Kalsubai Night Trek
Though Kalsubai Night Trek is very challenging and difficult, trekking under the moonlight, watching the Milkyway galaxy is once in a lifetime experience.
You can also have memorable camping experience at the top of the summit!
Imagine experiencing the most dramatic sunrise from the top of the highest mountain in Maharashtra!
There are many such adventurous treks in Maharashtra but conquering the highest peak of Maharashtra as a different experience all together.
“Each peak ascended teaches us something ” – Sir Martin Conway
Get your trekking kit ready and conquer the Mount Everest of Maharashtra because in the end you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office.
