Lohgad

Lohgad is 5 km from Malavali station, and three kilometers from here to the Bhaje village by a rickshaw, the trek up to the fort starts. The trek up to 3450 ft has waterfalls, an ancient fort and caves to offer.

The fort was built with access through four gateways at the village base, the Narayan Darwaja, Ganesh Darwaja, Hanuman Darwaja and Maha Darwaja

Used by Chhatrapati Shivaji as a prison till 1564, the fort was well equipped for enemy attacks. The cannons behind the third gate were geared to strike the enemy standing at the first gate.

The remains of a guard’s post and a huge cave used as a granary during the monsoons, a tomb, a shivalinga, two tanks for water storage, a mosque, stone scripts and scorpion drawings etched on the walls are what you can look out for at the fort. Shivaji is believed to have stored the wealth he acquired from Surat at Lohgad.

Time permitting; a trek to Lohgad can be combined with a hike to Visapur Fort at 3550 ft just a kilometer away.