Location: Pune, Maharashtra 

Maximum Height: 3696 ft.

Region: Karjat

Difficulty: Medium

Best time to Visit: Monsoon & Winters

WHAT TO SEE DURING TREK?

Bhimashankar: The Bhimashankara temple is a composite of old and the new structures in the Nagara style of architecture. It shows the Excellency of the skills achieved by ancient Vishwakarma sculptors. It is a modest yet graceful temple and it dates back to 13th century and the sabhamandap developed in 18th century by Nana Phadnavis. The shikhara was built by Nana Phadnavis. The great Maratha ruler Shivaji is said to have made endowments to this temple to facilitate worship services. As with other Shiva temples in this area, the sanctum is at a lower level.

There are Buddha style carvings of Amba-Ambika, Bhootling and Bhimashankar in the hills of Manmaad near Bhimashankar at a height of 1034 metres. A big bell in Hemadpanthi structure built by Nana Phadanavis is a feature of Bhimashankar. Places that can be visited in are Hanuman Lake, Gupt Bhimashankar, Origin of River Bhima, Nag Phani, Bombay Point, Sakshi Vinayak and a lot more. Bhimashankar is a reserved forest area of 130.78 sq.Km was declared as wildlife sanctuary in 1985.This sanctuary is a part of Western Ghat, so it is rich in floral and faunal diversity. A variety of birds, animals, insects, plants can be seen. A rare animal Malabar Giant squirrel locally called as “Shekaru" can be found in deep woods. Bhimashankar is worth visiting for jungle lovers and trekkers as well as for pilgrims. This temple is very famous in Pune and people from all around the world come to visit this temple.

Bhimashankar is approximately 127 km from Pune and 107 km from Mumbai.

Tungi: Tungi is situated on the long ridge dropping from Bhimashankar and it has a prominent round top. An enjoyable cross-country hike in the monsoon.

Tungi is a prominent twin-pinnacled peak with plateau in between, located near Tahrabad about 125 km from Nasik, Maharashtra, India. Mangi, 4,343 ft. (1,324 m) high above sea level, is the western pinnacle and Tungi, 4,366 ft. (1,331 m) high, the eastern.

The Tungi Pinnacle is taller than Mangi. Like Mangi, one can also go round the Tungi pinnacle. There are 3 caves on the way. There is a temple of Tungigiri in one of these caves and there are carvings Chandraprabhu, Munisuvrat Nath, Bhaubali Tirthankar and Ram, Hanuman in these caves.

The route from the archway, going to the right, goes to the Tungi pinnacle. On the plateau between the Mangi-Tungi pinnacles is a very beautiful marble temple of Krishna which is in dilapidated stage. The road from here mostly is plain till the huge steep flight of steps. Both the peaks appear grand.

The route from the archway, leading to the left, takes us towards the Mangi Pinnacle. There are several caves at the base of the Mangi Pinnacle with carvings of Mahavir, Adinath, Parshvanath, Hanuman, Vali, Sugreeva, etc.

There are some engravings too in some of the caves. There is also a temple of Mangigiri here. The freely roaming eagles in vast expanse of blue and dotted villages in green patches make you forget the tedious climb.

Padargad: In the wilderness and the wideness of Bhimashankar range, lies the Padargad. This fort is unique in itself, a challenge to trekkers and offers a lot of opportunities to rock climbers. Padargad is adjoined to Bhimashankar on its one side’s end. From the Nagphani peak of Bhimashankar, one can see the mesmerizing view of the valley below and the semi-circular cliff connecting to Padargad.

Peth: This is a small hill with a large cave at the base. It is detached from the main range. It has an interesting fortification at the top in the shape of a funnel with a rocky staircase carved in the middle.

Peth is a general term, in the Marathi language, for a locality in the Indian city of Pune. Up to seventeen peths are located in central Pune, and were mostly established during Maratha and Peshwa rule in the 17th-19th century AD