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The Fall of the Base Village

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Photo by Abhay Singh Palaha It was a cool Saturday in the month of February, 2010 when I first visited the impressive fort of Lohagad. The tranquil base village of Bhaje with its caves and the friendly locals, were welcoming. I was so impressed by it, that I made a trip with different folks another six times, during the same year. In the winters, it wore a brown coat of dried grass and a strong wind blew all over the massive plateau. In the monsoons, it was as close to heaven as one can get. The peak was almost never visible from the base - Bhaje Gaon, always shrouded in mist it seemed so inviting each time I landed up at Bhaje. I made a trip again in 2011 and was slightly perturbed at the number of people who had started visiting the fort and the caves at the base. These weren't the usual band of trekkers that you encounter at popular trekking destinations such as Kothaligad, Rajmachi or even Kalsubai, these were tourists that you want to avoid at all places, especi