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PLACES
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CHAUK
Cauk (Khalapur peta; 18° 50' N, 73° 10' E; p. 860; RS. Karjat, 6 m.) twelve miles south-east of Panvel on the Bombay-Poona road, has a travellers' bungalow built in about 1820 at a cost of Rs. 2,067, and still well looked after by Government. Cauk lying on the Panvel-Poona road was the starting point for Matheran before the railway ran to Neral. On March 16, 1781, Cauk was the scene of a severe skirmish between a body of British troops under Captain Mackay and a large force of Marathas under Parasuram Bhau [Grant Duff's Marathas, 444.]. The importance of the place lies in its being the birth place of Netaji Palkar, one of the close associates of Chatrapati Sivaji. There are two temples of Maruti, which the residents regard as the only memory of that great warrior. It is said that Netaji used to carry his intrigues by making these temples as his headquarters.
At a distance of about three miles from Cauk is the village of Vadgahv where Netaji is supposed to have fought with Vyahkoji Vagh, a robber who had terrorised the villagers of the surrounding areas and killed him. This Vyahkoji Vagh had stolen the golden image of Ganapati venerated by the Moraya Gosavi of Cincavad.
Cauk lies at the foot of the side hills of Matheran and is surrounded by hills all around. Beyond the Matheran range, from Cauk, one gets an excellent view of Prabalgad, one of the difficult forts of Chatrapati Sivaji. Cauk has a police out-post, a library-cum-panchayat office, a veterinary dispensary, a maternity home, a primary school and a Samaj Mandir and a middle school.
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