Tikona Fort, Lonavala, Maharashtra

      Tikona also known as Vitandgad) is the dominant hill fort in Maval in western India. It is located near Kamshet around 60 km from Pune. The village nearest to the fort is called Tikona-Peth. The 3500 ft high hill is pyramidal in shape and the name Tikona means "triangular". The fort is a trekking destination noted for the large doors, the temple of 'Trimbakeshwar Mahadev', a water tanks (seven water tanks) and some Satvahan caves. Trek organisers also commend the views of Pawna dam and the nearby forts of Tung, Lohagad and Visapur. There is good view of Pawana lake from the summit.

Location	Tikona Peth, Tikona hiking Trail, near Pawna Dam, Lonavala, Maharashtra
Type of fort	Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort)
Height of the fort	3580ft
Map	Click here

History

      Little is known about the origins of this fort. There is a vihara on the fort datable to circa seventh-eight centuries A.D. Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I of the Nizam Shahi dynasty conquered the fort in 1585 and annexed it to the Nizam territory. In 1657, Shivaji Maharaj brought the whole of Konkan, which had been Nizam territory, under his control when he conquered Tikona along with the forts of Karnala, Lohgad, Mahuli, Songad, Tala, and Visapur. This fort was a strategic nexus: the centre of control for the entire Pawana Mawal region. In 1660, Dhamale family, the Deshmukhs from Maval region were charged with ensuring the security of fort Tikona.It was under the Dhamale Deshmukh family for long time. Jaysingh invaded the region in 1665 and attacked the local villages but the forts held out. Tikona fort was surrendered to the Mughal warrior Kubadkhan, who had attacked the region together with Halal Khan and others, according to the Treaty of Purandar signed on 12 June 1665. Kubad Khan took over the fort on 18 June but it was later recaptured by the Marathas. In 1682 King Sambhaji met Aurangzeb's son Akbar. After the meeting the Akbar was offered to stay on Tikona fort, however he was shifted to Jaitapur as the climate didn't suit him. A small battle was fought by Maratha army with British in 1818, before it was captured by the latter.

Pandavkada Waterfalls, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai

      Monsoon in Mumbai is not always about waterlogging, flood and traffic jams. Places near Mumbai have some of the marvelous spots with green hills, lush forests, flowing springs and glinting waterfalls making for the best experience. Sahyadri ranges have some of the best monsoons getaways that make for amazing destinations near Mumbai.

Location	Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Best time to visit	Monsoon
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      The Pandavkada Falls is the most famous waterfall near Navi Mumbai and is just an hour’s drive away from the city. Located amidst the lush Pandavkada hills, this is a popular spot for all Mumbai dwellers to rejuvenate themselves with the goodness of nature, especially during monsoon. If you’re looking for the nearest waterfall from Mumbai, Pandavkada is worth considering.

Shivneri Fort, Junnar, Pune, Maharashtra

      We often read the history of Shivaji Maharaj’s feats and achievements at Shivneri or listen to the stories from historians. The songs and historical ballads of his bravery still gives us goose bumps. The stories of his adventures still remind and rewind us to history.

      The trade route of Naneghat was very famous in the olden times. Many trades and traders depended on this route for business. Most of the rulers of that time then built fortresses around this route to track it and hold power. Shivneri was also one of them. This fort was first ruled by the Shakas and later by the Satavahanas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas. Junnar village was a good market for trade on this route of Naneghat and since Shivneri was located near Junnar, it also had unique significance. It was during the reign of the Yadavas that Shivneri attained the glory of becoming a huge fort.

      Regular buses are available from the Shivajinagar bus station in Pune to Junnar. On the Pune-Nasik route, one can reach Shivneri near Junnar, via Narayangaon. Enroute from Mumbai, Malshej Ghat offers another track to reach Junnar. From the village of Junnar again, there are two ways to reach the actual fort.

Shivneri Fort

Mahadarwaja (Main Gate)

Ganesh Gate

Hatti Darwaja

Pir Gate

Pir Gate

Location	Junnar, Dist. Pune, Maharashtra
Type of fort	Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort)
Height of the fort	1067 meters above sea level
Important Historical Records of Shivneri	Shivaji Maharaj was born here on 19th February 1630 Shivaji Maharaj was born on the fort of Shivneri but never ruled it. It was during the reign of Shahu Maharaj in 1733, that the Marathas had gained power over this fort.
Map	Click here

History

      In 1595, when this fort was under the Nizam's territory, Maloji Raje Bhosale was rewarded and conferred with the Shivneri fort and Junnar area in recognition of his loyalty. Shahjiraje and Jijabai's eldest son Sambhaji was married to the daughter of Sidhojirao Vishwasrao, the commander in chief of Shivneri. Later, when Shahjiraje’s wife Jijabai was in her pregnancy, she was sent to Shivneri for safety by him. The Shivneri fort hosts a temple of goddess Shivaai Devi. Jijabai had taken a vow to keep a fast in respect of Bhavani Shivaai Devi. She also vowed that in case she gives birth to a son, she will to name him after the revered goddess.

      In due time, Jijabai gave birth to a son and, according to her oath, the child was named Shivaji. This child later became Shivaji Maharaj who not only became a figure of great esteem and respect in Maharashtra but across the entire nation as well. Being Shivaji Maharaj's birth place, Shivjayanti – his birth festival is celebrated here with great fanfare, both as per English and Hindu calendars.

      Places to Visit On The Fort :

      The Seven-Gate Route : If one takes the path on the left side of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in village of Junnar one can reach the foothills of the Shivneri fort. The route is good enough for vehicle and transport too. One needs to pass through the “seven doors” to reach the fort. First, comes the main door (Maha Darwaaza), second the Peer Darwaaza, third the permit door, fourth the elephant door (Haathi Darwaaza) , fifth is the Sepoy door (Sipahi Darwaaza), sixth the gate door and lastly seventh the Kulaabkar door. As one walks ahead on the fort, one can easily see the Lenyadri Mountain and caves towards the north. These are spread over the Junnar region. Some of them are considered to be the bastions of Lord Ganesh. Lenyadri is one of the eight holy places of Ashtavinayak and thus has regular visitors here throughout the year.

      The Chain Route : From the village, a small trail leads you to the wall of the foothills of the fort. With the help of wall-mounted chains, one can reach to the top using the small steps carved in the wall itself. This path is difficult, but it leads to Shivaji Maharaj's birth place directly.

      Tourism Arrangements on the Fort : The forest department’s planning and efforts of maintaining cleanliness and green forestry in the fort area is commendable. In particular, the park built on the fort is a great tourist attraction. Electricity and water too are well provided on the fort.

      Temple of Goddess Shivaai : While passing through the seven doors mentioned earlier, as soon as one crosses the Sipaahi Darwza, the temple of 'Shivaai Devi' is seen on the right side, deviating from the main road. An idol of Goddess Shivaai adorns the temple. Some caves can also be seen in the premises at the back side. Currently, the renovation work of the temple is underway and the premises have been beautified.

Shivkunj

Shivkunj

Amberkhana

Amberkhana

Badami Lake

Badami Lake

Execution Point(Kadelot Tok)

      Ambarkhaana (Grain Store) : As soon as one crosses the seven doors to reach the fort, one immediately can see the Ambarkhaana in front. This place was earlier used to stock grains, when the fort was the inhabited with people. However, today it stands in a much dilapidated state and the remains of the same are the living testimony of it.

      Koli Chauthara (The Fisherman's Stand) : Moving ahead from Ambarkhaana, there are two ways to go to the fort, one of which leads towards the front-facing mound. A platform or a stand is built on this mound. After defeating the Nizams, the attention of Adil Shahi and the Mughals had swayed from their border areas. Taking advantage of this, the fishermen of the Mahadev tribe tried to reclaim the area. The Mughals captured Shivneri attacking the fishermen in response. The newborn army of the Fishermen clan immediately could not hold stand in front of the mighty Mughals. The Mughals oppressed them terribly. The Fishermen were killed brutally. It is to this genocide that the place owes its name. The place was named "Koli Chauthara" i.e. the fishermen's stand. Over the time, a tomb was erected here with two Persian inscriptions on it, to mark this ruthless event of history.

      Shivakunj : The other way out of Ambarkhaana leads to Shivkunj. Multiple water tanks charcterize this route, the famous Ganga Jamuna tank also being one of them. The statue of Jijamata and Baal Shivaji made in Panchdhaatu (alloy of 5 metals) – an initiative of the Maharashtra Government, stands here and is worth a watch. There is a mosque nearby, with an underground tank. Moving ahead, one witnesses the Hamamkhaana (The Royal Bath Blocks). Shivaji Maharaj’s actual birthplace is closely situated in the north direction too.

      Shiva Janmasthal (Shivaji’s Birth Place) : Shivaji was born in a room built on the lower floor of a two-storeyed building made of stone. His statue stands tall here. The village of Junnar and its surrounding area can easily be seen from the second floor of this building.

      Badami Taaki (The Almond Tank) : Going further from Shivaji’s birthplace towards the execution point(Kadelot Tok), a spherical water tank built completely in stone can be seen. This is the Badami Taaki.

      Execution Point(Kadelot Tok) : This spot built on the north side of the fort, was the place where criminals were pushed off the cliff from the fort as a punishment or execution. The Lenyadri mountains appear to be very close from here.

      The tales of bravery of the Hindavi Swarjaj founder Shivaji Maharaj are associated with the mountains and valleys of Maharashtra. Most of the mountain forts that witnessed this great history, still stand tall with pride. These forts helped a great deal in the establishment of Swaraj. A stroll on Shivneri to reminisce Shivaji Maharaj’s memories and to witness the architecture here is an unforgettable experience in itself.

Pratapgad Fort, Satara, Maharashtra

      We often read the history of Shivaji Maharaj’s feats and achievements at Pratapgad or listen to the stories from historians. The songs and historical ballads of his bravery still gives us goose bumps. The stories of his adventures still remind and rewind us to history.

      Pratapgad is a hill fort in Satara district. It is built in the dense forests of the Jawali valley in the Sahyadri range. Dense forests and the plateau of Mahabaleshwar lie on the east side of Pratapgad and the “Paar” ghat and Konkan on the west. Pratapgad is situated in the vicinity of Mahabaleshwar-Poladpur road, around 21 KM from Mahabaleshwar. State highway 72 leads us to Pratapgad. This fort has been built on the mount between in Paar and Kineshwar villages. The fort is not much difficult to climb, and one can take their vehicle till the base. A state transport bus from Mahabaleshwar to Poladpur drops us at Kumbharoshi near Wada village from where one can move towards Pratapgad. If you have your own vehicle, you can reach up to the base of the fort. There are parking and other arrangements there. The Paar and Kumbharoshi villages have pathways to lead to the fort and there are other secret paths apart from these too.

Location	Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar Road, Dist. Satara, Maharashtra.
Type of fort	Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort)
Height of the fort	1084 meters above sea level
Other names of the fort are	Bhorpyacha Dongar
Important Historical Records of Pratapgad	Built by Shivaji Maharaj. 10th November 1659 – Battle of Pratapgad – Afzalkhan’s death.
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History

Lohagad Fort, Pune Maharashtra

      As we speak of Lohagad, one starts visualizing lush green terrain – especially that of "Vinchu Kata". Lohagad is forever shadowed by a dense fog, be it the rainy season or the winters and the aesthetic beauty of the Sahyadri mountain range that one gets to see here cannot be just described in words. A hill fort situated near Lonavala on the Pune-Mumbai highway, Lohagad stands guard to the Borghat" in Pawana valley of Maval region and is a beautiful tourist destination. Lohagad has a number of fort lovers from Pune and Mumbai visiting it during vacations. The forts of Visapur, Tung and Tikona are also located in the vicinity. The famous "Bhaje" and "Bedse" caves, famous from the times of Lord Buddha can also be seen in this area. One can take a local train to Malavali and head towards the fort from there. It is possible to drive a vehicle up to the foothills of Lohagad. On the way from Malavali to Lohagad, one can see the “Gaaymukh” valley. Lohagad is on its right and Visapur is on the left. The path further leads to the village of Lohagadwadi and there are stairs made from here to go up to the fort. As one starts climbing these steps, one sees the much enhancing natural beauty of the province and surroundings of Lohagad.

Location	Mumbai-Pune Highway , Malavali, Dist. Pune, Maharashtra
Type of fort	Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort)
Height of the fort	1036 meters above sea level
Important Historical Records of Lohagad	Burhan Shah the second, was kept in imprisonment at Lohagad in 1464. Shivaji Maharaj won the fort of Lohagad in 1648.
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History

Torna Fort, Pune Maharashtra

      Torna Fort, also known as Prachandagad, is a large fort located in Pune district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is historically significant because it was the first fort captured by Shivaji in 1646, at the age of 16, forming the nucleus of the Maratha empire.

Location	Velhe, Dist. Pune, Maharashtra
Type of fort	Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort)
Height of the fort	1400 meters above sea level
Other names of the fort are	Prachandgad, Nabishahgad, FutuhAlGhaib (Meaning : Divine Victory), The Eagle’s Nest
Important Historical Records of Torna	Shivaji Maharaj won the Torna in 1646. Later, on 10 March 1704, the Mughals conquered the fort under the leadership of Amanatullah Khan and renamed it to 'FutuhAlGhaib' which means the divine victory.
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History

      In the seventeenth century, normally, the one who possessed the fort would also rule the province around. Owing to this fact, Shivaji Maharaj restored many a forts in his territory and built a few new ones too. Torna too was restored by Shivaji and was renamed “Prachandgad”.

      History records Fort Torna as nothing less than a shining ‘knight’ in Shivaji Maharaj's ‘Swarajya’. All the fortresses of Maharashtra have such a special history to themselves. Torna has its own too. At the tender age of sixteen, when Shivaji Maharaj pledged to establish Swarajya, Torna - which was then in the possession of the “AdilShah of Vijapur” was the first fort that he sieged. It was here that he took the oath of “Swarajya” or in other words the “Swarajya” was festooned(Toran in Marathi) here and hence the name Torna as per some historians. A few others believe that a kind of flower known as the toran bloomed here in abundance and hence the name Torna. After capturing the fort, as Shivaji Mahraj was inspecting it, the vast stretch of it made him name it as “Prachandgad” (the huge fort)

      As one moves along the Pune-Bangalore national highway towards Bangalore, one can exit at Nasrapur to reach the Velhe village. Velhe is a Taluka place in Pune district. Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation offers bus service to Velhe from Swargate in Pune. There is another route on the way to Khanapur village from the Khadakwasla dam via Pabeghat. It is an excellent route to experience the nature’s beauty in the Shayadris if one is travelling in a private car.

      History holds no proof as to when was Torna built and by whom? But the dilapidated remains of the temples located on the fort have certain tales to tell. During the Bahamani rule from 1470 to 1486, Malik Ahmed had won the fort for it. Later, the fort was under control of Nizamshahi and Adilshahi. Shivaji Maharaj conquered the Torna fort at the age of sixteen and festooned his Swarajya. A treasure was discovered near the “kothi darwaza” of Torna while it was being repaired and restored. A part of it was used to build “Rajgad” on the Murumbdev hill and a part of it was also used in the restoration of Torna itself. This very Rajgad served as the capital of Shivaji Maharaj’s Swarajya for years to come.

      Similar to the three maachis on Rajgad– the Padmavati, Sanjivani and Suvala, Torna has two maachis called as Zunzar and Budhala too. The Zunzar maachi though smaller in expanse is very difficult to climb. Budhala is stretched in between Rajgad and Torna.

      Torna (Prachandgad ) is the tallest fort in Pune district. The fortification of the fort still stands strong. Torna is characterised by the river basins of “kanad” river on the north side and the “veldandi” in the south with the kanad ravine on the west and “baman and khareev” on the east. The first door on our way up to the fort is called as the “binni darwaza” which further leads us to the “kothi darwaaza”.

      Toranjai Devi Temple (Kothi Darwaaza) and Mengai Devi Temple : There is a small temple in the ashlar stoned wall near the Kothi darwaaza. It hosts the statue of goddess Toranjai. Historical records speak of an episode of Shivaji’s Mavalas finding pots full of “Moharas”(currency of that time) in the excavation here. Further on the fort one comes across the “Toran” and “Khokad” water tanks. Close to it is a temple of goddess Mengai devi. Visitors and fort lovers camp here in case of overnight stays. The villagers of “Velhe” village celebrate the festival on the fort during “Navaratri”.

      Jhunjar Machi : As we proceed from the Mengai Devi temple towards the “Hanuman Buruj”, we can climb down the bastion wall and use the “dindi darwaaza” to go to “Jhunjar Maachi”. The route to the same is not an easy one and proves much dangerous during the monsoons. Tourists coming towards the “Maachi” thus need to be alert and careful. While the monsoons fog the “Maachi, summers offer a beautiful sight of the vast expanse of the area.

      The Mahadev Temple Of Torneshwar : The area surrounding the Mengai Devi Temple shows the remains and the ruins of the architecture that once adorned the fort. The route towards “Budhala Maachi” from the “Mengai Devi” Temple has another temple – the “Torneshwar Mahadev Temple”. This area too is fogged in monsoons but the summers allow a clear exhibit of “Rajgad”, “Kenjalgad”, “Rohida”, “Sinhagad”, “Purandar”, “Vajragad” and other areas in the vicinity of Torna.

      Budhala Maachi : This maachi is on the west side of the fort. There is a “Cheetah darwaaza” at the end of it. As we move back to the fort from the “Budhala Maachi”, we come across the “Konkan Darwaaza”, the “Takmak Buruj”, and the “Shivganga” and “Patalganga” water tanks. One way from here leads to the “Bhagat Darwaaza” and the other to the “Ghodjin Tok”. “Bhagat Darwaaza” opens a pathway to “Rajgad” which is dangerous in monsoons as the route gets difficult and steep as we move forward.

      BaleKilla (The Citadel) : This is the highest point of the Torna fort. As we return back towards the “Mengai Devi” temple after watching the breathtaking beauty of sahyadris from the “Budhla Maachi” , the remains of the citadel appear evident. The citadel offers a clear view of the vast expanse of the Torna fort. It is because of this vast expanse that Shivaji Maharaj thought of naming the fort as “Prachandgad”

      The Fort Torna witnesses a surge of visitors during the holidays from Pune and the vicinity. These tourists, whilst appreciating the beauty of nature from this eagle’s nide situated in the Sahyadri Mountain Range, should also be focussing on one’s own security and not being overly enthusiastic and adventurous. This fort is a much difficult climb in comparison to the other forts in Pune district.