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RAIRESHWAR( The Beginning of Swaraj )

A prominent 8 Kilometer long plateau, lying south west of BHOR. A teen aged Shivaji vowed in a temple here to win back his lands and thereby establish Swarajya.

Grade :- Medium
Height :- 4589 feet

Getting here:-
Reach PUNE bus stands; catch a bus to RAIRI village at its base
A good track leads to the top.
Raireshwar is a place in Bhor Taluka, which has a temple famous for its historical importance. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of Swaraj in this temple at the age of 16 and then created history. Thus, Raireshwar can be considered as an important place in Maratha history.
The temple is very old and of stone structure. But it was later re-constructed in 18thcentury. It is situated in between various hills and forts. Especially , Kenjalgad or Mohangad looks beautiful from the temple place. The temple is on platue, which is full of smythial flowers in monsoon. It really looks beautiful. The hilly region and numerous other flowers on the Platue add spice to the beauty. Waghjai temple, Aswalkhind and Kenjalgadh are the other place that can be enjoyed Raireshwar. Ambawade and Korle village near Raireshwar are also very nice to visit. The Hanging Bridge , Nageshwar temple and the monument of 'Shri Shankaraji Narayan Sachiv' must be seen in these surrounding villages. Thus, Raireshwar temple, various natural beauties near the temple and nearby villages are really worth to see.
Route:
Reach Pune bus stands;catch a bus to Rairi village at its base. A well-worn track leads to the top. A temple surrounded by hills, surroundings covered by natural beauties, lots of places to see around the prime spot - briefly describes Raireshwar. Stone structured temple of the 16th century is the main attraction of Raireshwar. Historically very important as this is where a teen aged Shivaji vowed in thetemple here to win back his lands and thereby establish Swarajya. This is my one and only hike in the Pune region and my last one that year.... infect the last one till the time comes to hike those mountains again!
"Traversing through a Life Away From Life”

The Raireshwar to Mandhardeo Peak Ridge Expedition – 2006

Our trekking expedition route was Rairi village (Pune district, Bhor Taluka) -Raireshwar Plateau (fort Raireshwar) –Kenjalgad fort – Asre Khind (Pass) – Amobode Khind (Pass) – Mandhardeo Peak (Satara District, Wai Taluka), around 45 kms over the mountains.
We reached Bhor via Pune early 3rd morning and caught a connecting bus to village Rairi, our base village from where our climb to Raireshwar fort would begin.
We were lucky to experience a local Jatra – a fair, on our arrival. Locals from nearby villages come and set up stalls for the visitors. Stalls of sweets, toys, snacks etc are set up.
After a brief visit to the Jatra, our journey into the mountains began with a steep ascent from the northern side of the fort, which was known as the Sambardaycha Vat.
We had heavy rug sacks and the weight slowed down our climbing speed, along with the scorching sun. But our preparations were good enough to fight all hurdles. We made it to the top of Raireshwar plateau in 4 hours, to find quite a number of huts and the presence of electricity.
A villager welcomed us, by offering us buttermilk. Due to the increasing number of trekkers on this fort, the innocent villagers have now understood the scope for business and a new way of earning their livelihood apart from the seasonal farming.
They offer food and lodging for the trekkers and pilgrims visiting the ancient 16th century temple, for a paltry sum of money. We talked to villagers and gained a lot of information from them. The evening was spent surveying the massive fort.


CONTACT
Hanumant Chaundkar
Shri Siddheshwar Trekking Club
Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Mobile: 9881907177
Email: chaundkarhb@gmail.com