Mt. Elbrus Expedition, Russia [5642 m]

Dates: 19th July to 30th July 2019 (Summit day: 26th July, 2019)

Mt. Elbrus is a dormant volcanic peak geographically located on the continental plates bordering Europe and Russia. Mountaineering community and geography experts consider Mt. Elbrus as one of the seven summits (highest mountain in Europe/Russia). The mountain has two summits, west summit (the highest, 5642 m) and the east summit (5621 m) separated by a col.

Mt. Elbrus west (5642m) and east (5621m) summits

I don't remember a clear reason to why I chose Mt. Elbrus over several other Himalayan peaks or Alps, but whatever it was, was a good challenge ;) The pre-expedition planning started with basic web search for arranging my own- food, transport, equipment, lodging, people etc. overlooking the language barrier. A thorough scan through several websites, including Russian websites, helped me find information about relevant people, mountain guide, arranging local transport, local permits, arranging a Visa, renting equipment, special medical insurance etc. The overall pre-expedition planning took nearly three months. Visa application procedure took 2 weeks for me in total, thanks to the good India-Russia ties :)

Start: Mineralyne Vody or MinVody in short, which literally translates to 'Mineral water' in English, is the nearest Airport for Elbrus. Although it can be accessed by train from Moscow (19 to 24 hrs) it is wise to take a flight (2 to 3 hrs from Moscow). From MinVody, regular taxis ply from the airport to Terskol (2100 m) and Azau (2350 m), the villages from where the climb to Elbrus begins. The place is popular for mountain springs, skiing during winter and for hiking and mountaineering during the summer season. I had arranged my lodging in Terskol, where I pent two days for acclimatization (upto 3100 m and descend for night).

A cafe in terskol

Acclimatization hikes: Terskol (2100 m) and Azau (2350 m) offer many options for acclimatization upto 3800 m. Mt Cheget (3100m), waterfall trail (Водопад Девичьи косы) (2800 m) are popular for hiking. The Baskan valley has even more secluded and scenic trails, some along the Baskan river and some deep in the forest. The treeline is visible until 2500 m altitude. I had packed moderately for my acclimatization training and gradually built-up the intensity. People on acclimatization hikes with a 10 L mini-packs was also a common sight (I do not recommend that- gradual building up the training is a must. Always start with 45 to 50 L back-pack).

Border Georgia-Russia

Equipment required: Mountaineering boots with crampons, alpine or climbing harness, sling/chord for twin-self anchor (Y-chord), carabiners (3 for self use, additional for safety), down jacket, down mittons, sleeping bag (-25 rated or -5, depending on your camping options), gaiters, walking poles, UV sun-glasses, head-lamp. The villages have many options for renting equipment. I rented the C2 Grivel crampons and B2 mountaineering boots, ice-axe and a good pair of down gloves and a down jacket for up to -25 C. I used my own sport-climbing gear for the rest- the self-anchor with 2 biners, seat harness and extra set of slings for additional measures. Ice-axe and crampons are required (and knowledge of how to use them) as some sections of the climb have steep slopes and require walking on ice for the final 200 to 300 m climb. Self-arrest techniques, experience of walking on glaciers, snow, ice are essential for climbing Elbrus. I saw 3 people slide ~50 m down the slope, live before my eyes, which would have been averted had they known how to use their ice-axe.

Note: Mountaineering equipment is required, yes. But most important is to know how to use it and get used-to with how everything works.


My mountain guide, Maxime, introduced me other people who would be climbing Elbrus. Apart from our group, there were many people (ranging from experienced mountaineers to amateurs). To give an idea, I met 3 mountaineers from a French and Indian team who had climbed Mt. Everest in the 2019 climbing season and had planned-out seven summits for the 2019-2021 calendar year. On the other hand, I also met some people who did not have practical knowledge of how to fix crampons on their boots, or how to tie knots, and were completely dependent on their guides.

A clear segregation of weather; stormy at higher elevations, sunny at base

Base camp: Base camp of Elbrus is known by the name of Garabashi or Barrel huts (3800 m)  and can be reached by a ski-lift or by trekking on foot. The huts are literally made from empty barrels, housing 6 people in one barrel equipped with basic amenities. No shower facilities or tap water; water from nearby stream is used for drinking and cooking purposes. Base camp also has a ski-resort, which charges 100 EUR (8000 ₹) for a heated toilet, per use.

From base camp (3800 m)

The summit of Elbrus was always hidden in clouds since day-1. On the fourth and fifth day we climbed up to an altitude of 4600 m and descended to 3800 m for sleeping. The snow and winds continued for these days.Acclimatization treks from base camp had to be altered due to bad weather. A 4800 m elevation day was cut down to 4500 m and so on. The weather forecast predicted rains for the whole week and snowfall at base camp with the possibility of snowstorms, high-speed winds at higher elevation. The weather forecast also predicted the first summit-gap would open for 26th July (which was hopefully within my backup summit days).

 As per the forecast, weather for 26th July showed strong winds (30 to 45 kmph) and less snow. The good part was that the mountain which was hidden amidst the clouds was now visible for the first time in these four days. Along with our team, many teams were gearing up for the summit attempt for the 25th night - 26th morning. In any expedition, this one specific day is 'inconveniently long and tiring'. On 25th night, we had dinner at 7 PM, at 12.00 AM (midnight) we had our breakfast and we started the climb at 1 AM. The snowfall had stopped, but the strong winds made the snow to enter into the face-masks, jackets and every opening possible. The wind chill made the temperature -22 C (real feel) from -10 C. You can see the photo below, 2 teams are walking close to each other trying to reduce the effect of winds. 

Battling strong winds, one step at a time...

We reached the Elbrus saddle (5400 m) at 6.30 AM. The west summit is roughly 250 m climb from the saddle. This climb is on ice, and sure-footedness is required. Many people gave-up at the saddle itself. I personally feel it is mandatory to know the use of ice-axe especially at these altitudes and in these situations. Fixed lines are setup from the saddle. They might be hidden due to snow and winds. The gradient and hard-snow makes walking with caution a necessity. We reached the top at 7.45 AM. To avoid traffic jams at the summit, two separate lines, one for climbing and another for descending were set. The wind speed was receding gradually as we descended and tiredness and fatigue had taken over (resulting in a zombie-like behavior with shaky legs). Our team reached the basecamp at 4.00 PM. 

Written by Deovrat Dilip Phal. My expedition planning is available as a document. Drop me a comment if you are planning for Mt. Elbrus or if you simply want to glance through my plan, expenditure, tips etc. A shout-out to my colleagues, Timofei Volkov and Benjamin Ezepu, who helped me with translating the Russian websites to English, planning the flight tickets, and cross-checking every bookings I made in Russia.

With my Guide, Maxime

Hero-stones of Western ghats (सह्याद्रीतील वीरगळी)

भग्न असे मंदिर हे

पडलेले जीर्ण चिरे

शोधसि का राशित त्या

ज्यास न अस्तित्व उरे !

ही शोधकथा हे श्रम रे

होतिल जर सनयन रे

पलिकडच्या माळावर

उठतील प्रासाद नवे !

- कुसुमाग्रज

The powerful words from a visionary writer/poet, highlighting current status of our history which is on verge of being cleared out from the archaeological chapters of India. The stone sculptures, carvings, structures are silent witnesses of past which help us bridge the missing links in our history. This post is about one such silent witness- Hero-stones, commonly referred to as Veergal वीरगळ in Marathi or Veerbrahm वीरब्रह्म in Hindi or Veerakallu ವೀರಗಲ್ಲು in Kannada.

Popular during 3rd century BC up until 18th century AD, they are a form of stone carvings, adopted as a standardization to commemorate death of a Hero (woman/man) involving valour, chivalry and self sacrifice. The size, shape, complexity of carving depends on the designation of the warrior/person who died. Reason for the death could be anything from a battle, religious and non-religious sacrifices (more details provided below, in Lower-frame description). Hero stones are found all over India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, with a large concentration found along the southern states, especially near a mountain fortress or near a major temple complex. Based on some limited sources we have on this topic, along with some photos we managed to collect so far, from our trekking and exploration in the Western ghats, Sahyadris, Goa, North Karnataka, we have tried to make a genuine effort to revive the significance of Hero-stones.

Types of hero-stones- Now readers will ask, why are Hero-stones mentioned as a form of 'standardization' ? Answer can be extrapolated from several examples we have, which has been cross-referenced with few other research papers (provided at the end). As per the findings so far, following types of stones are found- a singlet-hero stone, a hero-stone (full version). A full-version stone has following subtypes- वीरगळ, धेनुगळ Cattle-stone गोरक्षक, सतीशिळा sacrifice stone and गधेगळ (type of a Curse-stone). Full version hero-stones are found in large numbers as compared to others. The examples of each will follow.

A single-frame hero-stone, Avchitgad fort (Roha)

A singlet stone or a single-frame hero-stone has a single frame, which shows hero with his/her sword and shield, sometimes mounted on a horse. A full-version hero-stone usually has three to four frames, depending on the reason for the death of the hero. Some events just require more frames to put down the story behind heros death.

Top frame

Top frame– depicts the subject worshiping a deity, mostly a Shiva lingam and a Nandi bull, with or without an attendant/priest. Some frames have two round carvings depicting the Sun and the Moon, that suggests the eternal glory of the martyr. Kalasha on the top, is considered as the symbol of heaven by some, and a sign of royalty by others. Sometimes we see a face of a devil- कीर्तिमुख, which is an indicator of ancient Indian temples and Buddhist architecture (its significance is described in detail in Skanda Purana)

Middle frame

Middle frame– Usually depicts the cause of death. The reason of death could be anything from a battle, battle-games (sword fight, equestrian, archery, elephants etc.), fighting a wild animal (usually protecting a village or cattle from wild animals), other religious and non-religious sacrifices (sati, suicides etc. expecting good-luck and well-being in return for upcoming future).

Bottom frame

Bottom frame– This frame shows a hero, lying dead on the ground or on a death-bed, surrounded by different things/people depending the reason behind his/her death. They could be surrounded by villagers, (his) wife (wives),  cattle stock or simply a pyre.

Hero-stones of Karnataka

Mirjan fort, 16th century, Kumta (Karnataka)

The carvings here are still are in good condition as compared to others. They have used a different kind of stone for the carving purpose. The clarity of the figures, the complexity of designs and detailing is just insane.

A Lion carving can be seen seated in front of the Goddess (similar to how a Nandi-bull in front of a Shiva Lingam). The intricacy of carvings shows us the glory of those prosperous times.

Ramnath temple complex, Karwar (Karnataka)

As you cross Goa-Karnataka border post on the Panvel-Edapally highway (NH66), a small road diverges into a coastline of Ramnath temple complex.

Two Elephants are sculpted pouring water on goddess Gajalakshmi who is (usually) mounted on a lotus. Kirtimukham is also visible at the top. Elephants are the vehicle of goddess Gajalakshmi.

Hero-stones of 21st century (Karnataka)

A village near Badami (Karnataka) has a modern day hero-stone which has been aptly installed to pin-down the contribution of a hero-Shivabasaiah- who laid down his life in the 1999 Kargil war. The design was made by the students of Kannada University, Lalitakala (Badami branch).

Maharashtra

Ajinkyatara fort, Satara

Couple of hero-stones can be found near Mangalai devi temple. The upper frame looks like having a carved holy Kalasha. The left stone has a kalasha on the top but lower frame (which mentions reason for death) is missing. You can see that while closely analyzing the right carving which shows clearly the three frames.

First frame, hero offering prayers to Shiva Lingam in presence of a priest. Middle frame, hero lifted into the heavens by two angels. Third frame, fighting in a battle (enemy troops are more in numbers) also reason for death. The fourth frame is missing. 

Avchitgad, Roha

A few carvings can be found enroute Avchitgad fort, a couple hundred meters before the main entrance. The frames can be seen broken, but individual depictions are visible. Separate single frames are scattered across the fort, some near the water tanks and some hidden in the bushes.

Inside the fort premises, near the water tanks lies a singlet-hero stone. Hero is seen holding a sword and shield.

Baanganga temple complex, Mumbai

This place is a group of temples some of which are Balaji, Walkeshwar, Radha-Krishna, Parshurama etc.

Some of the stones have lost their identity. The place belongs to Prabhu Pathare ज्ञाती but the locality is dominated by the settlers from Rajasthan (especially people from Marwad). It is reflected widely in the idols of deities and hero stones found here. A special kind of hero stone having a big and long mustache covering half of the face is found here.

One corner of the temple has more than fifty tombs. Horse riders and a standing hero structure (while resting his hands on his waist) are the most common figures here.

Gorakhgad, Murbad

A small temple, about 500 meter descend from main plateau of Gorakhgad, showcases these medieval piece of work. This temple is obscured by thick treeline at the beginning of the forest, which confluences with the main Sahyadri ridge. One of the rare Sati-stones are found here.

सतीशिळा (A sacrifice stone)- These were raised to commemorate courage of a wife who offered her sacrifice with their husband. Today we have a basic understanding of right and wrong, and we know that these sacrifices were wrong. But these were still found to be prevalent back then. Rightmost stone- Top frame has 5 wives, their husband and a priest worshiping a Shiva lingam. Second frame has the hands of those 5 wives. In the third frame, the wives are going to heaven on a horse. The last frame shows the wives with the dead-body of their husband lying on the death-bed (चिता) with the flames from pyre. Left stone- Kalasha is visible. A husband, his wife and a priest are offering their prayers to a Shiva Lingam and a Nandi bull. Second frame shows the sati-hand.

The stone above depicts an equestrian (horsemen fighting). The hero was apparently killed in the battle-game. The lower frame is missing.

Harishchandragad, Ahmadnagar

Harishchandragad has a lot of potential to unlock many mysteries about our history. Many old stone carvings, temples, caves still exists here in comparatively less ruins (Kirtimukha, Shiva-Parvati, Nageshwara).

Left: Sati hand, Center: Kirtimukha (devil face), Right: broken pieces of hero-stones

The temple wall seems to be build-up with different stone frames (those frames don't belong there. They could have been part of another carving/structure). Best example is of a sati-hand which is seen on the Ganesha temple wall. Usually, a sati-frame is never found on a temple wall. It might have been used while re-construction of the temple.

धेनुगळ Cattle-stone (गोरक्षक)-  Another Veergal is found enroute Harishchandragad via Junnar Darwaza trail, a rarely used route to the fort. In past, cattle was considered as wealth by the villagers, and were often stolen by armed robbers, oppressive officers, raiders/invaders/enemies. On these hero-stones, a hero is shown protecting the village cattle stock, and eventually dies fighting them. Sometimes a hero is also seen protecting cattle/villagers from other wild animal.

Kalsubai, Ahmednagar

The temple at first plateau of Kalsubai has another version of carving, hero is fighting a wild tiger/lion with his/her bare hands. This carving is placed in front of the temple, underneath a tree. (Right side, below the flag).

Nalasopara, Mumbai

Nalasopara and Virar are considered as lake-towns as they were surrounded by lakes in the past. The ruins had been acquired from Chakreshwar lake just opposite to the Chakreshwar Mahadev temple in Nalasopara. The place has plenty of carvings, with some rare stone-carvings of Hindu deities like Bramha, Varaha, Yama. Experts claim that these carvings belong to 200 B.C. They argue that the fear of invaders was a prime reason for the early settlers to hide away the carvings into the lake, and there could be many more inside !

Hero is a Sage

Scholars think that if a Veergal has multiple copies in form of mirror image, could be an indication of the subjects belonging to the same family. A male and female figure could be an indicator of husband and wife. Sopara village was among the major international ports during the reign of King Ashoka and many sculpted remains confirming to Buddhism were excavated. Till date, unfortunately, the stone slab with King Ashoka inscription is being used for washing clothes by the lakeside settlers.

Rajmachi fort (Manoranjan and Shreevardhan fort), Lonavala

Rajmachi is an easily accessible twin-fort a mountain ghat along the Karjat-Lonavala route. Rajmachi has some idols of Hindu Gods with some carvings of local deities and some tombs. The water tanks present on forts might have enough potential of having different kinds of historical artifacts. 

Ratangad, Ahmadnagar

The Shiva temple at Ratanwadi village (अमृतेश्वर मंदिर) is heaven of hero stones. The inner and outer premises of the temple are full of variety of Hero-stones and Shaiva-Vaishnava idols. The hero-stones here could belong to warriors, priests and other local saviors who nourished and saved the temple till death. Some of the stone-slabs has worn-out inscriptions on them.

गधेगळ (donkey stone)- A unique form of stone is found here. The donkey stone was a means to tell the public that people who misused the Kings wealth would be cursed/punished. The curse is shown as a donkey forced to mate with a women. These were known to be installed as a reminder for common public to not break Kings orders (which kings? Invaders or local Kings, is still unknown). In recent times, settlers have thrown these stones into water bodies given that they signify vulgarity, but some stones are blindly being worshiped.

A donkey stone- someone has offered them a flower (?)

Villagers of Ratanwadi has done an incredible job of restoring these artifacts. In fact, we were surprised to see many non-trekkers taking interest in these carvings.

Sagargad, Alibaug

The condition of these hero-stones is deteriorating, with some of them laden with heavy, shiny oil paints leaving the stones beyond identification.

Sajjangad, Satara

Sajjangad has housed some of the oldest temples. It has one Arabic inscription on the main entrance of the fort. The lake in front of library building has a hero stone where horse riders could be seen in the lower frame.

Salher fort, Nashik

Salher, Salota, Mulher are forts in the remote areas of baglaan region (Nashik). On the way to Mulher fort from Salher, a hero is seen standing with his/her sword and a shield in hand.

Sarasgad, Pali

Stones are located in the premises of a Shiva temple near the lakeside at top of the Sarasgad. These are examples of the hero-stones in form of pillars, highlighting different forms and shapes of hero-stones (flowers, leaves and different artistic design).

Another stone lies in a broken condition, only top frame visible; middle and lower frame(s) are missing, probably inside the lake.

Shivtharghal, Mahad

A couple of Hero-stones are found to be carved-out in form of a cuboid. The stones look scattered in the nearby open fields. Some of the stones were located inside the villagers private property.

Tung fort, Lonavala

In the premises of the temple from where one starts the actual climb a hero stone is present. Half of the part may have got buried inside the land.  The stone depicts two persons, one having a sword and another in typical heroic posture (a Superman posture) and could have been the indication of a couple.  

Vimaleshwar temple, Devgad

Vimaleshwar is a cave temple of Lord Shiva in Konkan region. This place has some special kind of hero stones where the figures are almost identical, repeated and sometimes exact replicas of each other. Some stones depict the war scenes and most of the subjects are shown occupied with the prayers. It may be the case where they have included the figures of priests who had been there for their entire lives. These may also represent mass killings by invaders. 

Visapur fort, Pune

Visapur fort has an interesting figure of a hero holding a shield and sword and is in a ready/attacking position. Usually these kinds of figures have a mustache on subjects face and could be easily misunderstood with the figure of  Lord Hanuman. Unfortunately, the face looks to be destroyed. 

In conclusion- 

It was clearly seen that most of the hero-stones had a frame dedicated to worshiping of Lord Shiva. The stones were erected in order to motivate the future generations of the villagers/clans/kingdom to fight for their future, so that the sacrifices of the dead didn't go in vain. Based on what we know now, should we worship all the stones? We have a basic understanding of right and wrong, and we know that self-sacrifices were wrong. So, is a sacrifice-stone (sati-stone) or a donkey-stone a positive energy source or negative energy source? Are people unhappy or unsatisfied in their lives because they worship the negative energy sources? Is it that people find it hard to differentiate between right and wrong?

Which animal is this? coming soon....

History is not a rigid subject and it changes every time you uncover new evidences. The hero-stones are all around us- on mountains, forts, temples, in forests, hidden in some bushes, behind a temple, submerged in lakes, thrown away on the outskirts, or some lucky ones in the Museum. These sculpted carvings are losing their identity due multiple reasons- weather, erosion, over-worshiping (using oil, paint etc) and especially negligence. This article is an attempt to spread awareness about them and I hope it will serve its purpose :) This post was possible due to the analysis provided by Aaditya Gurav who helped extensively in connecting the dots. A shout out to Parikshith Batni from Mysore for helping decode Kannada to English. All the photos were captured while we were trekking/travelling/exploring the western ghats and parts of Karnataka. We still have a lot more to share and more stories to tell. Looking forward for the reader's comments and suggestion.