The Source of Godavari

Source of Godavari

The state of Maharashtra offers many treks to adventure lovers. Come monsoon and outdoor lovers gear up to explore the green trails of the Sahyadris. One such lovely trek is to Brahmagiri hills, the origin of the largest river in peninsular India, Godavari. Trimbakeshwar, is a very popular pilgrimage and is always full of people. It's a small 3 hour trek to the top and back but quite scenic.

History of Brahmagiri

Lord Shankar was pleased with Lord Brahma when he meditated here and said ” I shall be known by your name”. Hence it is called as Brahmagiri.

Five peaks of this mountain are called Sadyo-Jata, Vamdev, Aghora, Ishana and Tat-Purusha and are considered as five mouths of the Lord Shiva and they are worshipped.

The water flows in three directions on the Brahmagiri mountain. The one flowing towards east becomes Godavari river, one flowing towards the south is Vaitarna river and the one flowing towards the west is called the west-flowing Ganga and meets Godavari near Chakra Tirth. River Ahilya meets Godavari in front of the Trimbakeshwar temple. Childless families worship at the Ahilya sangam and it is believed that they do get a child.Many saints have supposed to done penance on this hill and as such this hill has a lot of religious value.

Brahmagiri is one of the tallest peaks of the Western Ghats with an altitude of 1298 metres above sea level. Situated in Nashik district, the hill also commands religious significance. Brahmagiri refers to the hill of lord Brahma, and is known as the abode of Lord Shiva. Since river Godavari is also known as Dakshin Ganga, the mythology around her origin at Brahmagiri, is very similar to the origin of Ganga at Gaumukh. It is said that Brahmagiri happened to be the home of Rishi Gautam and Ahilya, and it was because of his worship that (Dakshin) Ganga came down to flow on earth.

There is another fort on the other side of Brahmagiri known as Durga Bhandar or Bhandar Durg fort. Durga Bhandar / Bhandar Durg is not an independent fort, but a part of Brahmagiri.

Coordinates =  19.9151° N, 73.5237° E

Waterfalls seen from Brahmagiri

View of the mountain from base

                                             

History of Bhandardurg

1271-1311  :  King of Devgiri.

1553           :  Nijamshahi

1633-1636  :  Shahaji Raje controlled on behalf of Nizams

1670            :  Moropant Pingle brought it in Swarajya

1691            :  Mughals.

1752            :  Peshwa Trimbak Suryaji Prabhu established the Peshwa’s regime

1818            :  Mc Dowell led British forces captured it.

Gangadwar

The river comes out from the mouth of Nandi. The water for this Ganga first starts from the two temples, the water then vanishes into the mountain to reappear over here and then to vanish again to reappear at the Ram teerth mentioned below.

River Godavari arriving
from the mouth of Nandi

My experience at Brahmagiri

It was 2017's monsoon and just after 2-3 weeks of Anjaneri trek we planned a new adventure to Brahmagiri hill "The origin of Godavari". It is around 26 km away from my hometown Nashik. At around 5 O'clock in the morning we left the city and at 6 O'clock we reached our destination. At its base Trimbakeshwar Mahadev, the 7th jyotirlinga is situated. So people usually start the trek after taking blessings of Lord Rudra. So did we! And it was due to Lord Rudra's blessing that we felt enthusiastic even in the gloomy weather. We started our trek. While there were steps, we preferred following the trail which was used before the construction of steps. With a slow and steady pace we completed the phase one of our trek and reached, Gangadwar. And took a little break.

After break of around 15 minutes we resumed the trek, and after nearly 1 hour we reached the summit of the mountain. At the top on left side there is temple of Brahmagiri mata. When we entered the temple we were welcomed by a group of monkeys. After that we visited the temple of Godavari mata which is the origin of river Godavari. According to legends Lord Rudra appeared here and rammed his hair (Jata). Due to that Godavari appeared in the cracks of rock, which is its primary source and mysteriously it disappears in the mountain. Then it reappears from the mouth of Nandi(Nandi is the loyal servant of Lord Rudra) at Gangadwar(Pic Shown above) .  It again disappears and appears at Ram tirth. Then we visited the temple of Jata, "Jata mandir". Behind temple there is a  small trail which is hardly known by many. The trail leads us to fort called as Durga bhandar/ Bhandar durg.

The trail leads us to edge of mountain and then the hidden path is seen. It is an marvelous example of ancient architecture. And the steps to fort are carved within the mountain which literally looks like going down to the core of earth. But after the hard work steps lead us to the fort. After that we return to the base. Through the journey we always feel the presence of Lord Rudra. This feeling makes the journey unforgettable.  

Steps to Durga bhandar

Trail to fort

                           

Things to look out for on Brahmagiri include:

1. The two entrance doors & the rock cut stairs after the entrance
2. The Shiv jata Temple, The Origin of river Godavari, The Brahmagiri temple
3. The Rock cut cisterns
4. The view from the top overlooking the Fort Anjaneri on the East side and Fort Harihareshwar on the west.

When to visit

Monsoon (late June-early September) is the best time to visit Brahmagiri. During this time the entire landscape becomes verdant and there are many waterfalls on the route. There are strong winds on hill tops and some of these waterfalls turn upside down with the winds carrying the water droplets up in the air.

Attire

Loose cloths and sports shoes especially joggers and trekking shoes.

How to Visit

By Air: The nearest airport is at Nashik (50 kms). From here you can easily find a cab to Trimbak from where the trek begins.

By Rail: The nearest major rail-head is at Nashik(40 kms). Regular MSRTC buses run between the railway station and pilgrim centre at Trimbak.

By Road: If you are driving from Mumbai (180 kms), take NH 160 to Igatpuri. Take the diversion to Trimbak from Ghoti Budruk that goes through Vaitarna reservoir. If driving from Pune (250 kms) take NH 60 to Nashik, and then drive to Trimbak.

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