DADIMAA AND PANCHPEER

Date: 12th August 2007

Long before the monsoons, myself and Praveen had attempted trekking to these two points. They are located very near to Haji Malang or Malang-gad. However we were able to reach only up to the point where the path diverges, with one leading to the Dadi maa and Panch Peer Peaks and the other to Malang-gad. I came to know later that we had hardly covered a quarter of the actual distance. We were ill-prepared in the sense that we had not taken anything for lunch and these two points were less frequented. Moreover the heat was unbearable then.

I had therefore resolved to trek to the top. So on Saturday night after leaving my work-place I made for my friend's place at Kalyan for an over-night stay. Early next morning I left Raju's house by 6:50 a.m. It was 7:10 when I reached the Kalyan Bus stand. The bus arrived in 2 minutes time. It was 7:15 when the bus departed. It was around 7:40 when I got down at Kasauli. After getting down at the bus-stop one has to take the road on the left side leading to the village. There was mist all around the mountains and the village was very picturesque. On the right side of the path I took after passing Kasauli village were three waterfalls at different spots while there was one on the left. The one on the right side looked quite near. I was making my way towards it when a women coming from behind told me that there was no proper path leading to the water-falls. A little bit disheartened I trudged back to the path I had taken earlier. As I was admiring the beautiful streams which were crossing the path I was on, I was completely unaware that a herd of cattle was advancing behind me. I let them pass by. The cattle made the path even more difficult to walk upon. The herd was making puddles large enough so as to add to my woes.

It was 9 a.m. when I saw a drop water-fall at a close distance. And by around 9:25 a.m., I reached the open area where there is a diversion of paths. This was the same place where I and Praveen had returned back from. It was 11'o clock when I sighted a 'Dharamshala'. Here I encountered a difficult stretch where I literally crawled my way so as to avoid sliding down the waterfall. On reaching the ‘Dharamshaala’ I enquired with a chap how far the peaks were. He said it was some 30-35 minutes from here. It was around 11:30 a.m. when I reached the point where there was a board which indicated that Daadi maa was to the left and Panch Peer to the right. On the other side of the mountain I could see Badlapur town. I made my way towards Daadi maa. However strong winds and rains made me take cover behind a rock near the board. I though that it was better to get down to the 'Dharamshala' as the path ahead had no supports and the winds had no intention to stop. I returned back near the Dharamshala. I saw some 4 boys having lunch inside the Dharamshala. I recognized Chand whom myself and Praveen had met last time. Chand invited me inside to have lunch. I had a hearty meal of Dal and Rice.

After lunch we had herbal tea. Chand informed me that they (Himself and his wife
Reshma) had to some times make 2-3 trips up and down the mountain to get basic necessities like grocery milk etc. Money was difficult to come. People trekking these ranges would drop by and share the food that they had brought along. If it was raw vegetables and rice they had been bringing Chand and his wife would cook the same at that very place. I came to know that the 4 lads were also getting down the mountain so I decided to go along with them.

It was 12:30 p.m. when we took leave of Chand. While getting down, I enquired with the youngsters what their names were and what they did. I came to know that Sonu used to sell Kachoris at Ulhasnagar. Then Ganesh was into repairing clocks and watches. The other two Pradeep and Datta were into machine repairing. They said that they used to trek the peaks regularly. In fact they had intentions to come back the next week. It was around 3 p.m. when we reached the village. However we had to wait for an hour before we could get a bus to Kalyan. I was at Raju's house by 5p.m. Although I didn't reach the Mazhaar I was glad to have reached the top.

Getting There:
Fare up to Kasauli from Kalyan - 9 Rs.

When to Visit:
These peaks can be visited all year around although it is very pleasant in the monsoons. Carry a stick around so as to avoid slipping.

Important Points: One can stay overnight at the Dharamshalas atop. Panch Peer involves some 5 or more Mazhaars so staying overnight is a good option.

Rest of the photos are uploaded at : http://picasaweb.google.com/n.ramaswamy/DadimaaAndPanchpeer