Siddhagad Fort Trek | Borwadi Jambhurde Detailed route | सिद्धगड | बोरवाडी जांभुर्डे | Ahupe ghat

Contact number of Guide from Borwadi :
Raghunath: [phone]
स्वातंत्र्य पूर्व काळात सिद्धगड च्या पायथ्याशी हुतात्मा भाई कोतवाल आणि हुतात्मा हिराजी पाटील यांना वीर मरण आले होते. (video मध्ये चुकून हुतात्मा हिराजी नाईक असा उल्लेख झाला आहे.)
Siddhagad fort stands near Murbad in Thane district. The fort is about 100 km from Mumbai and 150 km from Pune. As Siddhagad is the fort with the highest altitude gain, it is difficult to climb. Its height is about 3250 feet.
There are two ways to get to the fort. One way goes through Narivali. The second route goes through Borwadi near Jambhurde. The Siddhagad trek has to be done in two stages. The first stage is to Siddhagad Machi and the second stage is from Siddhagad Machi to Balekilla. The route coming from both Narivali and Borwadi comes up in Siddhagad Machi itself. The route from Narivali takes you to Siddhagad Machi in 3 hours.
We started the trek from Borwadi around 8 p.m and reached Siddhagad Machi in 1.5 to 2 hours. Borwadi is 5-6 kms by the dirt road passing through Jambhurde dam. There is a forest check post near the dam on this road. The road from Borwadi to Machi is steep. Tricky rock patches at 2-3 places have to be climbed and descent with a little care. But these rock patches are not that difficult. This route can be a bit difficult in the rainy season.
After climbing the steep patches, we reach the plateau of Machi. After walking for 10 minutes from here, we reach the houses on Siddhagad Machi. The Nariwali route comes to Siddhagad machi from opposite direction of Borwadi route. The route goes to Balekilla near by these houses.
Siddhagad fort is part of Bhimashankar forest. Therefore, the houses on Siddhagad Machi will be displaced. In ancient times, Gorakhgad and Siddhagad forts were used to guard the Kalyan - Ahupe Ghat - Junnar route.
In the pre-independence period, Hutatma Bhai Kotwal and Hutatma Hiraji Patil were martyr at the foot of Siddhagad. Siddhagad was captured by Chatrapati Shivaji maharaj in 1657-58 Konkan invasion. When the Marathas invaded the fort of Vasai in 1734, it is recorded that soldiers were stationed at Siddhagad for some time. In 1818, the fort was heavily damaged by the British with artillery fire from the Damdamya hill.
We took a 15-20 minute break in Siddhagad Machi and started climbing the Balekilla. As there are chances to get lost on the way to Machi and on the way to Balekilla, so we took a guide from Borwadi. After climbing Balekilla for a while, you come across a cave. A little further on, another small cave appears. The road to Balekilla is narrow in some places. In some places, small steps have been dug in the rock, which helps in climbing.
The heavy steep climb of Balekilla exhaust you. As we started to climb Balekilla, the grueling form of Siddhagad kept coming in front of us. Avoid this narrow path of Balekilla in rainy season. It took us about 2 hours to reach Balekilla from Siddhagad Machi. After reaching the top of the fort, Shivpindi and Nandi were seen in front. There are water tanks on the side. A short descent to the east leads to a bastion. Here is a small door.
To the west there are the remains of wada. After going down a little to the left, there is a water tank. Water here is suitable for drinking. There was water here even in February. From the fort, Bhimashankar range, Padargad, Gorakhgad, Machhindragad, Ahupe Ghat, Damdamya hill, Jambhurde Dam can be seen. After stopping at the fort for an hour, we started descending the balekilla.
We started the trek from Borwadi at 8 am. At 9:45 we reached near Siddhagad Machi. We started climbing Balekilla at 10 am and reached Balekilla at about 12 o'clock. Balekilla began to descend at 1 p.m. We took a 10-15 minute break and reached Machi at 2:30 pm. After resting for a while, we started descending from Machi to Borwadi at around 3.30 pm. By 5 o'clock we reached Borwadi.
Overall, Siddhagad is a very challenging and demanding trek in one day, so it is convenient to stay overnight in Siddhagad Machi and visit Balekilla the next morning.
#siddhagad #सिद्धगड #borwadi #jambhurde