Weekend trip to Prati Balaji, Sajjangad and Thoseghar waterfall from Pune

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Weekend trip to Prati Balaji, Sajjangad and Thoseghar waterfall from Pune

Prati Balaji (Narayanpur):
  • Distance from Pune: 69km (approx)
  • Parking: Free.
  • Experience: There is well organised place to put your footwears and mobile/camera. We reached little bit late (11:45am) so it was not much crowded so got darshan in 10mins. We also had free lunch here (Prasad).


Sajjangad: It's the place where great Indian saint Samartha Ramdas lived long time ago.
  • Distance from Pune: 170km (approx)
  • Toll: paid toll at two places 90 and 60 respectively.
  • Parking charge: very high parking charges.
    • - 60rs for 8 hrs
    • - 120rs for 12 hrs
    • - 175rs for 24hrs
  • Visiting time: 5am - 9pm (all days). Entry and exit beyond these hours is restricted as fort gates are closed between 9pm to 5am. 
  • How to reach at top: Car can reach till base. From base you will need to walk for 100+ stairs(35-40min). The fort can be climbed easily as there are less steps. You can also get doli (palki) by paying additional charge.
  • Accommodation: Ashram  provides FREE accommodation (hot water for bath and common toilets, however its basic but clean) on the fort. there are 70+ rooms each in two Bhakt Nivas. You can get the room to stay easily but advance booking is recommended, for that visit Sajjangad website. 
  • Food: Free delicious food (tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner) is also served for visitors. 
    • 6-6:30am - Tea
    • 8-8:30am - Breakfast
    • 12- 1:30pm - Lunch (Mahaprasad)
    • 9pm - Dinner

  • Places to see on Sajjangad fort:
    • - Samarth Ramdas Swami Math
    • - Shriram Mandir, 
    • - Sant Ramdas Swami Samadhi.  
    • - Dhabyacha Maruti Mandir, 
    • - Shri Angai Devi Temple,
    • - Shri Kalyan Swami Udi Smarak.
    • - Urmodi Dam view point
    • - Thoseghar ghat view point
    • - Chalkevadi windmill view point


  • Experience: 

    • We reached at top in 30mins at 5:30pm.  On the way 11 Hanuman statues are there which was made in 11 different aces by Ramdas swami ji. We also crossed 4 gates(Shri Chatrapati Shivaji Mahadwar, Shri Samarth Mahadwar and two more). Great preserved fort. When we reach top, our tiredness vanished. After register entry we got the room keys from Karyalaya (Shri Samarth Seva Mandal). It was a basic  10'*10'feet room having 1single bed, 2chairs, 1stool, 5 bedsheets and chatai. After freshening up we went to Shri Ram Mandir at 6pm. After darshan we joined satsang and felt very holy , spiritual , positive and energetic. After this we went to Dhabyacha Maruti Mandir by using recently constructed walkway and enjoyed scenic view of the mountain, sky and river. 
    • We had dinner at 9pm in ashram. Food was rice and pulse.  In rainy season it get cold in night and early morning so please bring some light warm cloths with you.
    • We woke up early at 5:30am and got ready and had morning tea.  We went at the back side of bhakt nivas. Very good view on back side. This place was fascinating and mesmerizing so we clicked few pics. We enjoyed morning breakfast(Sabudana khichadi) at 8am. We were hungry and kids couldn't eat spicy khichadi so we had some snacks at outside store. Then we visited Shri Angai Devi Temple and Dhabyacha Maruti Mandir. The view is awesome from the top. Though facilities are free, people tend to pay generous donations without any compulsion. We deposited room keys and made little donation to the trust for one day meal and headed down at 11:35am. There are lot of books and toy stores. There was a photographer standing outside Shri Samarth Mahadwar with king costumes. We got my son's picture clicked in Shivaji look in 70rs. We enjoyed mouthwatering buttermilk and sweet corn on the way. After reaching to the ground we headed to our next stop Thoseghar waterfall.

    This is a MUST visit place. It looks beautiful in Rainy season and gives peace of mind.  

    Samarth Shrushti:
    • Entry ticket is 40rs per person. 
    • Parking: Free.
    • Time required: 45min to 1 hr
    • Experience: We visited Samarth shrushti which is below fort. A very big Hanuman statue outside it is very noticeable. There is a visual representation of Swami Ramdas's life by statues and movie. Language used is Marathi but on request people over there can tell you story in Hindi.


    Thoseghar waterfalls:
    • Distance from Sajjangad: Around 18km,  20-30min).
    • Parking charge: 20rs per.
    • Entry ticket: 20rs per person.
    • Best time to visit: This is seasonal waterfall. It can be visited from June end to October depending on rainfall. 
    • Experience: There are two waterfalls. Small and big wattlerfall. Both the waterfalls are beautiful. The walkway towards the waterfall viewing area was really clean and maintained. There is a small room for free documentary and Small hotel for hot tea and kanda-bhaji.
     Enjoyed, must visit place especially in Monsoon. Entire stretch from Satara is covered with Windmills which add so much scenic beauty to the way.























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