SHIKHAR VEDH :: 1 day trek to ANKAI – TANKAI Forts on Sunday 8 Feb 2015

Hey there Friends,

We @ शिखर वेध, have decided to head to the relatively unheard of and small but beautiful twin forts of  Ankai - Tankai near Manmad on Sunday 8th February 2015.

Here is some Info about the forts:

Type: Hill Fort
Height: 961mtr / 3152 Feet above MSL(Approx)
Grade: Easy
District: Nashik
Region: Manmad / Chandvad Range
Base Village: Ankai

Ankai : Ankai-Tankai is a twin fort located in Nasik-Manmad region in Chandwad range and just 8km away from Manmad.
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A flight of steps lead to ancient Buddhist caves situated at the base of the Tankai fort. Beautiful sculptures on the wall, carving on pillars and roof, a duplex cave with gallery, a temple in the cave is worth looking and a boon for photography enthusiasts. Regular steps leads to a number of fortified entrances, caves with some sculptures and finally to the top where a domed building is located.
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On the top one can see 5 caves, 7 water tanks, an arched enclosure at the end of the fort with a huge pond, Dargah etc. A huge cave below the summit is now an Ashram or a temple of Agatsya, the sage who is credited with the first crossing of Vindhya Mountains. The Fortification walls and entrance are still in a good condition.
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From the top, one can have a beautiful view of surroundings, a pinnacle called Hadbi chi shendi, Gorakshnath, Tankai Fort and Chandvad range if weather is clear.

Tankai : After a first common entrance, the route forks into two directions. One goes to Fort Ankai and the other to Fort Tankai. Steps lead to the damaged entrance of Fort Tankai. Fort Tankai is a huge plateau with a lake and Mahadev Mandir, ruins of the construction and a bastion. Visible from the top are, Ankai Fort, Hadbi chi Shendi etc.
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These were said to be the strongest hill forts captured by the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1635. They command a wide view of Khandesh and Godavari valleys.
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The itinerary for the Trek is as given below:

Saturday 7 February 2015
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Rendezvous:  @ 22:00 Hrs Sharp @ Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Tilaknagar station
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Note: The train that we will take is 13202- Rajendra Nagar Patna Express starting at LTT @ 22:15 Hrs & halting at Kalyan @ 23 :00 Hrs on Saturday 7th Feb 2015. Please keep in mind that missing this train would mean missing out on the trek!
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There are still 12 seats vacant for sleeper class … For comfortable journey please book yourself in advance … Even last minute u will get RAC tkt in SL class

Saturday 7th February 2015

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22:15Hrs: Departure from LTT 13202- Rajendra Nagar Patna Express
23:00 Hrs: @ Kalyan
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We will reach mumbai arnd 22:00 Hrs.

Here is a link for some pics for Ankai -tankai forts done recently by our group in monsoon

http://picasaweb.google.com/vishal.is.clear/AnkaiTankai?feat=directlink#

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The cost of this trek would be Rs.1100/- per head only and would include:

>Travel from Mumbai to Mumbai by mentioned train journey & private jeeps
> Breakfast, Lunch and SV Charges
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For registration, Rs. 600/- (Non-Refundable) per head as advance payment for train booking & vehicle charges is a must …

Deposit the amount on following account.
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Name: JAGADISH GOVIND PATIL ICICI Bank A/c No.: – 026801521464
Vartak Nagar Branch, Thane (W)
IFSC code : ICIC0000268
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Maximum 25 seats …
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Things To Carry:-

A Water Bottle (~3 Ltrs) (a must)
1 torch (a must) with spare batteries
Camera, Cell Phone, Binoculars (Optional) 
Pls avoid wearing Gold and other ornaments
Some ready to eat food. Plum cakes, biscuits etc.
Good trekking shoes, do carry a extra pair as well
Personal basic medical kit
A haversack to put all these things

If interested please do contact on
Dipak Kumkar (Leader) ::  9920206292
Jagadish Patil (Organizer) : 09869369836 / 09702121373
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Also join us @
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Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/shikharvedh/
Website: http://shikharvedh.org/