Bhimashankar Trail


That morning we broke into a mild argument. ‘There were two ways we could go’, the guide informed.

Either you could trek around the hills and go to several points from which you would get to see pristine sights of far away Mumbai.

Or, you could trek about 2 to 3 KMs through the jungle and go to Gupt Bhimashankar. The origin of the river Bhim.

Given the time that we had to see made it a ‘either – or’.

I preferred trekking around the hills and looking down into the valley and perhaps spotting a village or two en-route and that was a mouthwatering proposition.

The missus on the other hand, has a very delightfully frightening way of getting to the basics opined subtly, that ‘perhaps Gupt Bhimashankar would be a NICE idea’.

Matrimonial discord at Bhimashankar stared us in our face. We looked into each other’s eyes. The sun was beating down. But we stood our respective grounds. She determined to go to Gupt Bhimashankar. And I, in another direction.

‘We are not going to Gupt Bhimashankar’. I tried announcing that with a glory of a king at the coronation. I saw that it had the spectacularly awesome effect of contemptuous silence.

I immediately thought of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King and an array of others who stood their ground. I wasn’t going to give in.

Soon, we went to Gupt Bhimashankar. That the place is awesome is the point.

Gupt Bhimashankar is a wonderful hours trek through the forests of Bhimashankar. Thickly wooded and famous for the Shekru or the Giant squirrel. We did manage to hear the Shekru and spotted what was supposedly his nest. Seeing the White House is not the same as spotting the President, but you could still show it up on Facebook.



The nerve centre is a stream of water that jumps out between a clutch of rocks. Our guide politely corrected us that that ‘stream of water’ was indeed river Bhim. ‘At the source, everything is small’, he said. Right there is a small statue of Shiva. We dipped our legs into the water, and looked right up into the sky. Only to see the cover of green.


The place has oodles of charm and heaps of quiet. You could go there, dip your feet in flowing water and just sit there and get a polyannish high. Wishing everything else would freeze. We sat there for an endless amount of time. Most of it owing to the beauty of the place and some of it arising out of the thought of having to trek back.

Besides I was in the mood to reflect on the wins and losses of life and to bask in the happiness that I saw in ‘others’ !

But I must tell you, it’s a wonderful place. Gupt Bhimashankar can be the sole reason for a trip again to this part of the country. Again.

Ofcourse, the next time, I will make the decision and announce it with a flourish of a king who has just captured an impregnable fort : ‘Lets get to Gupt Bhimashankar’.

Hah !

8 thoughts on “Bhimashankar Trail

  1. Bhim was the physically stronger, work-out-crazy higher stamina person (who possibly loved payasam). Bhima was the mentally more powerful, path breaking , thoughtful, aware thinker, making her way through obstructive rocks, to emerge in enthusiasm amidst the green and the Gods.

    The river is BHIMA , not BHIM.

    Now you know why you went where you did.

    Great post, though. ….

  2. Insignia says:

    ‘At the source, everything is small’ what a defining statement this is. Awesome, glad you could get your way out choosing your trail. Doesnt happen all the time 😛

  3. radha says:

    The Missus is always right, whichever way you look at it. Lovely pics as usual.

  4. Aparna says:

    I see the better idea won! Never knew the existence of such a river. I like the idea of trekking through a forest, with only a few chosen one for company. Must have been very serene indeed.

  5. you could have gone without arguing but then again no brownie points for that one.. right?!

    🙂

  6. Beautiful pics! 🙂
    Interesting place to visit. 🙂

  7. Swatantra says:

    Awesome description.. Glad that you listened to her and made a best way.

  8. Jeevan says:

    I know bhimashanker but not this Gupt one, seeming different from the dense and nature at its best to sense. Interesting narration!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.