Kalsubai Ahmednagar

Kalsubai Peak is the highest peak (1646 meters) of the Sahyadris in Akole Taluka, of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. 'Kalsubai' temple is located at the topmost peak of Sahyadri mountain range of Maharastra. At the summit there is a plain ground with a small temple of Kalsubai, a local deity. A traditional prayer (pooja) service is held every Tuesday and Thursday by a local priest. Local villagers sell the pooja materials almost all year long, while sending their cows for grazing. On Navratri occasions many stalls are set up atop the summit for the pooja materials. During the Navratri period, for all nine days, special poojas are carried out and idol is fully decorated. Special Mela (fair) is organized for Navratri. Local guides often accompany climbers to the summit.

To reach the summit there are various trekking routes and animal tracks. The main route starts from the village of Bari which is about six km from Bhandardara. To reach Bari, one has to travel to Igatpuri on the Mumbai Nasik route. From Igatpuri take the early morning bus (at around 5.00 am from the Igatpuri Bus Stand) going towards Pune and alight at Bari. Those who want to reach from Mumbai,easily travel through local train in morning hours and get down at Kasara station. From Kasara one can get buses and share taxis to get down at Bari.In Navratri, period share taxis are their at 15 minute regular interval.

The main route to the temple is at small climbing slope . It usually takes three hours to reach the top from Bari. Soon after leaving Bari, a small stream is crossed followed soon after by a Hanuman temple. The route from behind this temple takes the hiker straight to the summit. There are three iron ladders along this route. There is a well near the last iron ladder as one approaches the top but the water is not potable during the summer. The rest of the route is without water, so it is best to fill water bottles in Bari. It is an easy hike, but parts of it are quite steep in places.