Lohagad Fort - Trek to the Iron Fort

I am writing this article because a real story needs to be discussed and told to everyone who is just sitting at home and feeling proud for our ancient history. It is important to share that there were people who used to think and work, more than 300 years ago, towards the comfort and independence we experience today. I had a thought to go back and check out the glory and throw light on the rich architectural skills of the ancient period. Fort Lohagad is named after the spiritual leader, Lomesh. This fort belongs to the Satwaahan Period. The fort was built to observe the activities of Andhra , Nane and Korbaarse Maval. Many powerful rulers, like Mirza Raja Jaysingh and Kutubuddin tried to capture this fort but in 1670 finally Chatrapatti Shivaji captured it from Nizam. For those of you uninitiated souls, here is a quick overview of what and where exactly is Lohagad fort located, without requiring a detailed Lohagad map!

Lohagad - The Iron Fort

Region/ Location: Malavali, Pune
Height: 3200ft
Difficulty: Medium
Approximate time to reach top: 3 to 4 hours
Best Season to visit: Anytime, although monsoon will be the best
Water availability: Plenty of drinking water is available on fort as there are two lakes of drinking water on the top of the fort.
Transport: There are many ways to reach Lohagad from Pune; there is the Pune - Lonavala local up to Malavali station or one can even take a bus via expressway

We (Abhijit, Shashank and Me) decided the place a week before our actual trek. Trekking was our plan but as we were not having much time, we decided for a one day trek to Lohagad fort. With the venue decided, our actual hunting began for other people who wished to join us for the trek. But unfortunately, nobody joined us like our last trip to Kashid beach or Dajipur, a perfect weekend getaway for trekkers, we finalized on only three of us going. Lohagad fort is situated near lonavala 10 km from Malavali station, in Maharashtra, India. Route was planned, from Pune we were supposed to take a local train at 6:30 am. We reached station well within time and got the train. We reached Malavali Station at 9.30am, had breakfast there and headed towards the fort. We were going through a jungle and it was raining heavily. It was truly a heavenly experience, after covering around 8 kms of distance, we reached the center of the jungle from where we chose a road which was going to Lohagad. For the people who are going to visit the place for first time, it is confusing to differentiate between Lohagad and Visapur.

Exploring Maharashtra is a fascinating experience in itself. This was proven when one of the few things we got to see on the fort included Ganesh Darwaaja. We also got to know that the construction of the fort was initiated and done by Dhondopant under Nana Phadnis (as it was written over there on a big stone!). One thing I noticed the most is, though the fort is having a history of so many years, most of its construction is still as it was 200 - 300 years back. There is an old Dargah and towards the right of it, there is small a temple of Lord Shiva. We also saw a lake with the shape of a polygon, with 16 sides said to be constructed by Nana Phadanis. Now the most important part, my personal intention of visiting the fort, The "Vinchu Kata", a separation of mountain which holds the fort Lohagad. Imagine a 1500m long and 30m wide part of a mountain, which feels like the actual Armor of the fort! Viewing this portion from the fort resembles the scorpion's sting and hence, it is called 'Vinchu Kata'. It was used to keep a watch on enemies and activities happening in the nearby region. After getting inspired by Vinchu Kata, now I feel the need to Visit Rajgad to see 'Sanjeevni Machi'.

We completed this trek in almost 5hrs 45min from base to the top and back. It surely made its mark as no one from our team will forget the heavenly experience on Lohagad Fort Trek. The best time to visit the fort is in monsoon. I would suggest that people who are new and have less stamina can start early in the morning and finish it by evening. As per my information, our next venture will be Rajgad fort Trek (also known as King of the Forts). I am going crazy thinking, that time is very less and places that figure in every India travel guide are more than we can imagine! However, I will ensure that we finish visiting most popular forts in the history of Maharashtra this monsoon itself. I know this is my enthusiasm speaking but I'm sure, that it is this enthusiasm will show us the way to the top. This is because only we know how it feels to be on the top a fort like Lohagad.