Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary

(Visited from 25^th to 28^th October 2014)

Bhimashankar was on our Getaway wishlist since long but we had to  scrap the plan twice for various reasons. Finally it happened during Diwali holidays of Oct 2014. We both had complete faith in our JACOBIN (Royal Enfield 500cc) that he will take us places- safely, smoothly and in style. Which it did and is still doing it. We were supposed to leave on the morning of 25th October but since the previous day the weather conditions were not at all favorable due to Nilofer Cyclone. We decided to give it a go come what may. After all, it was a much needed break   and Chhavi totally deserved it. We started a little late than what we had planned (Approx.  by 9 am). We had to halt our journey a couple of times as it had started drizzling. And also stopped as and when we saw some birds. Cannot help it!!!

We reached at our destination by 4.30pm thoroughly enjoying the ride, the hills, the valleys, the beautiful vistas. But in our excitement of vacationing away from the city we completely overlooked the fact that we may need some warm clothing. And it was very windy all three days that we stayed there. Well somehow we managed but one should always carry a jacket when in hills. We decided to rest that day as we had traveled almost seven hours on bike. We strolled around the resort, had early dinner and called it a day. Next morning we got up early but it was cloudy and windy. We started for the temple and trails after 10 am when we felt it was alright to go out. Here is some information about the Bhimashankar Temple (along with some photos we clicked) and the Sanctuary:

The Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was declared by the govt. of Maharashtra on 10th Oct 1985 as a reserve forest for the Malabar Giant Squirrel and a huge number of other animals and birds. It covers 130.78 sq. km of forest. The Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary is positioned at an altitude of 2100 feet to 3800 feet, and is located in the Ambegaon taluka of Pune District, Maharashtra, infarct it is spread over Pune, Raigad and Thane districts of the north-western part of Maharashtra. There is a shrine in the forest of the wildlife sanctuary, which is one of the twelve Jyotiralinga temples of Lord Shiva.

Some images of the temple:

 Note: Photography of the main shrine is not allowed.

The valley found beyond this temple is a wonderful combination of shrubs, magical herbs and plant life and serves as the catchment area for the Bhima, Ghod and Arala rivers, which empty into the Krishna. It receives heavy monsoon rainfall of approx. 6000 mm annually.

This is one of the best habitats in the Western Ghats for the malabar giant squirrel (Shekroo in Mararthi, State animal of Maharashtra) and there are confirmed sightings of tigers.

Trails:

There are several trails in the sanctuary; some of the well defined trails are as follows:

1)      Gupt Bhimashankar  Trail (1.5 kms long):

Gupt Bhimashankar Trail

After darshan in the temple we started for the Gupt Bhimashankar Trail. This trail descends from besides of the Ram temple and ascends from the fork to the left through a dense forest with high canopy trees. One of the best trails to see the Malabar Giant squirrels as we were informed but could not see it. The trail seems to penetrate deep into the forest but actually it keeps you very close to the temple. The dense shrubbery hides many birds and makes them difficult to spot. We saw 3-4 species but could not identify due the dense foliage and bad light (courtesy Nilofer cyclone). The trail brings you parallel to the steps of the temple towards the exit. There is a temple “Sakshi Vinayak” at the end, from where the trail drops down towards a stream. Here there is a Shiv lingam which is called “Gupt Bhimashankar”.  This trail further leads to Bhorgiri caves down the valley as I have heard but we did not go down.

Sakshi Vinayak Temple

After the first trail we stopped at MTDC resort (Warning: do not expect anything resort-like) to inquire for their room fares. Anyway, we then started looking for our next trail.

2)      Machaan Trail (1/2  km  from adjacent to MTDC resort and straight, easy walk): The trail has two entries. One is open and begins from behind the MTDC guest house and the other one is hidden or to be exact does not appear to be an entry.  This trail traverses from near the MTDC resort and the terrain is more or less open with good visibility.

There is a machaan (watch post) erected by the Forest Department near a small Dam and a small temple dedicated to “Bhagadevi” (pronounced Bhakhdevi), the forest Goddess of Bhimashankar. We did not see many birds on this trail either but did climb the machaan and sat near the water body enjoying the magical sounds of the jungle. We both felt it was a perfect place for camping. We will have to check with forest department if camping is allowed here. We also heard  barking deer but did not see it. 

The Machaan  (L) and the Bhagadevi Temple (R)

3) Forest Rest House Trail (Behind Bus Stand Opp. MTDC with steep, but easy climb):  We spotted a Malabar Whistling Thrush as we entered the trail but could not take a picture as it jogged away quickly. We also spotted some green birds but could not view it properly hence no IDs. The trail passes through high canopy forest and ends at the Forest Rest House near the top.

To be very honest, we saw only 5-6 birds on these 3 trails of which this is the one we clicked:

Orange Headed Thrush

  and the other one, Malabar whistling thrush got away. 

Motor Trails

Bhimashankar WLS has a unique feature of motor trails. There are numerous villages scattered across the territory. The roads are mud roads, non-metalled and metalled ones and lined with light, medium and thick forests on both sides. Since we were on a two-wheeler, we cut into many motorable roads. It is here that you will come across various birds like Minivets, Sunbirds, and Raptors etc.

We both enjoyed the much needed break to the core. And favourable weather condition or not, we will cherish the time we spent in Bhimashankar hills. We have also pledged to come back here in spring season for some more colourful moments and even more colourful birds. I am giving the list of birds that we managed to spot during three days. I know the number is not high as I have read other blogs where people have sighted 200+ birds during their visits here. But we are very happy nevertheless.

Our bird list comprises of:

1.      Red whiskered bulbul

2.      Red vented bulbul

3.      Long tailed shrike

4.      Malabar lark

5.      Jacobin cuckoo

6.      Crested bunting

7.      Pied bushchat

8.      Common stonechat

9.      Jungle babbler

10.  Green bee-eater

11.  Wire tailed swallow

12.  Rosy starling

13.  Oriental turtle dove

14.  Black drongo 

15.  Orange headed thrush

16.  Red wattled lapwing

17.  Common hoopoe

18.  White throated kingfisher

19.  Southerm coucal

20.  Thick billed flower pecker

21.  Common kestrel

22.  Purple sunbird

23.  Scaly breasted munia

24.  Laughing dove

25.  Paddyfield pipit

26.  Common hawk cuckoo

27.  Asian koel

28.  Eurasian cuckoo

29.  Malabar whistling thrush

30.  Common myna

31.  House sparrow

32.  Dusky crag martin

33.  Tawny pipit

34.  Blyth’s pipit

35.  Rufous treepie

36.  Lesser whitethroat

37.  Montagu’s harrier

38.  Eurasian roller

39.  Black shouldered kite

40.  Baya waever

41.  Jungle crow

Accommodation: Small restaurants cum basic rooms for the devotees near the temple (ranging from Rs.300/- onwards, Dormitories ranging from Rs.100/person onwards)

Blue Mormon resort (about 9 kms before the Temple), Price 1900/- per room on twin sharing basis

1500 per head for couple sharing a room (Includes Room, Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, Dinner)

Ratva Resor t- 1200 per room

MTDC- 800 per room

Few more hotels and eateries are spread all along the highway to the temple.

The mobile range is only limited to BSNL as of now, but one can get range of other mobile services from the various high points.

Medical Facilities: The nearest hospital is approx. 47 kms in the town of Ghodegaon.

Permissions: There is an active forest dept. office very near to the start of the temple steps. Toll for 4-wheelers.  Avoid venturing in the forest after dusk.

Cherish the happy moments...

Do not leave your litter behind...

Have a safe journey...

Take care…