Rajgad Fort - King of all forts

Rajgad (meaning Royal Fort or King of all Forts) is situated in Pune district, Maharashtra, India. Legend says that it was the capital of the Maratha Empire ruled by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for almost 26 years, after which he moved to Raigad fort and made that his capital.

We started off our journey from Mumbai on 28th November at around 11.00 pm towards Gunjavne (Base Village of Rajgad).  At around 5 am we reached the base village. We had breakfast  in the early morning and started our trek at around 6.30 am. 

There are 3 ways to trek to Rajgad. One is from Gunjavane village which leads to  Padmavati machee. This trek route is mainly known as Chor Darwaza (Secret Doorway).  Second route is also from Gunjavane village but it leads to Suvela Machee.  Third route is via Pali base village which leads to Pali Darwaza. Our route was through Chor Darwaza. 

The sun was rising slowly and steadily. The sky blazes above hills with a mix of orange and red colour and staining the horizon.  All of us were busy capturing this beautiful scenary.

After a few hours of trek , we entered the lush green part and now the fort was right there in front of us, full covered in green.  The fort can be divided into four different parts. There are  three sub-plateaus (Machee) namely Padmavati Machee, Suvela Machee and Sanjevani Machee, and at the center- Ballekilla (meaning "small fort").

Moving ahead , the trail starts getting steeper and steeper and then it is a vertical climb. There are railings on the steep slopes to help the trekkers reach the chor darwaza.

On reaching the summit, we get a  beautiful view of the surroundings covered with greenery.

After crossing the main entrance to the fort, we reached Padmavati machi. Near  the entrance of the fort, we get to see a beautifully constructed lake right in front- Padmavati Lake.

The walls of the lake are intact even today. An arch has been constructed from the continuation of the same wall to mark an entry to the lake.

After a few steps, we were near to Padmavati temple and had a wonderful breakfast of poha and tea in front of a small house near Padmavati Temple. Padmavati temple is in a fairly good state today due to renovation done recently.

The next check point was at the top of Balekilla – the top most point of the fort.  Balekilla is straight up in front of  Padmavati machi. The track splits into three parts, the straight one going up to Balekilla, the left one going towards Suvela machi and the right going to  Sanjeevani machi.

 

Due to time constraints, we skipped Suvela Machi. Facing east, Suvela Machi has lots of secret routes, doorways , nedha (Mountain hole). We continued our walk towards Balekilla.

The route to Balekilla was again very steep and for each of us having big bags at our backs, it seemed a bit tiring. The route to the top is somewhat slippery too but with the support of railings put along, the task was comparatively easier.

After climbing the difficult section, we reached the Maha Darwaja of Balekilla . It has a unique triangular structure and a single point access.

The fort in Rajgad stands as a silent reminder of Maharashtra's glorious past though the sound of trumpets or the clang of clashing swords and shields are heard no more at this historic monument.

This highest part of the fort  has remains of palaces, water lakes and water towers. One can view the whole fort and the vast surrounding expanse.

Below is the excellent look of Fort Torna from Balekilla of Rajgad. The snap also shows the route to Torna from Rajgad.

It offers an enchanting view of Padmavati, Sanjeevani and Suvela machi.

Below is the view of Padmavati machi from Balekilla.

There are a couple of temples, and a small crescent shaped lake called Chandratale on the Balekilla. The shape of this lake is similar to that of the moon decrescent. That is why this is called 'Chandratale' (The moon lake).

These are the ruins of the palace of Shivaji Maharaj on Balekilla.

Below is the view of Sanjeevani machi from the  top of Balekilla. The fort continues to charm and mesmerize  generations.

After entering Balekilla from the Mahadarvaja, you need to climb a few steps to go to Bramheshar Temple.

As we move from Padmavati machi keeping the Balekilla to our left, we approach Sanjivani machi.  This machi is enjoined with Budhala machi on Torna by a range of hills between the two huge forts.

Sanjivani machi is a huge, beautiful and royally constructed  machi, faces west and has 3 layered fortifications making it extremely difficult to conquer. Each layer has a depth of 20 feet and just 2 feet wide which looks like a scary narrow well. This type of construction was to aide guerilla warfare.

The Sanjeevani Machi of the fort has dual fortification. The dual fortification has made the fort more robust.

After exploring  the fort and  having  lunch, we started our descend by about 2 pm.

Soon we reached the base village. After having evening refreshment at the base village, we started  our return journey and reached Mumbai at around 10 pm .

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Daulatabad Fort : The lost kingdom of Aurangabad

On our way back from Ellora caves, we stopped at Daulatabad Fort, which is also known as the Hill of Gods or Hill of Lord Shiva (Devagiri). This 14th centuary Fort was first built and used as a fortification by the Yadava dynasty.

The fort stands on a high conical hill having stood the test of time and harsh weather and is surrounded by big moat and steep hills on all the sides. There are three concentric lines of fortification between the outer wall and the citadel. The entrace has a series of gateways.

One of the interesting features of the Fort is that it has only one gate for entry and exit, which is quite unlikely for a fort. As you enter, you can see a big door and clever architecture built to prevent enemies from attacking the fort.

Daulatabad Fort Gate

A large number of cannons were found at Daulatabad Fort, some in their original places like bastions on fort walls and circular towers while others were collected from various locations and displayed in the courtyard near the entrance gate.

Also lying nearby is the big tank. It  used to be part of the water supply system of the fort.

The next gateway is protected by strong towers. Next up is Chand Minar, a replica of Qutab Minar of Delhi which was constructed by Hasan Goangu Bahmani. It is said that he employed Iranian architects to built the Minar who used Lapis Lazuli & Red Ochre for coloring.

Chand Minar

To the right of the third gate, is the Chini Mahal, a VIP prison built by Aurangzeb . In it, he kept Abdul Hasan Tana Shah of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty of Hyderabad.

Chini Mahal

The third wall is much higher and an entrance with a trench below and a bridge over it. 

The only entrance to the citadel is through a devious tunnel, which in times of siege was rendered impassable by an ingenious contrivance. This sub- terrain passage is indeed mysterious and in spite of several  attempts, all the mystries are not known.

The long ascending tunnel rises rapidly and tortously by a flight of steps, which are uneven in width and height, difficult to climb in the absence of light.The labyrinthine passage coupled with the darkness confuse the enemy army to kill themself along a tunnel containing numourous chambers cut out of solid rock which were used in the olden times as guard rooms and store houses. 

I also learnt that the turns and twists lead to a window, now covered with grills, but was originally a trap set for enemy intruders, who on entering would tumble down the slope to meet a watery grave  in the moat below. The tunnel was impassable when  great obstacles come in the form of darkness, caltrops, barrier of smoke and a splash of hot oil or ater from above.

The steps in the courtyard are newly constructed in 1952 for the convenience of tourists. It is a hard climb up to the top of the fort. It is from this spot that you will get a long view of the fort.  There was a structure from where you can have  a beautiful view of the surroundings.

Daulatabad fort was surrounded  by a moat filled with water in ancient times. Crocodiles were said to have been kept in the moat for protection from enemy attack.

From the top you will get a good view—you’ll be faced with a great vista to the day.   At the  top, there is a pentagonal citadel with a canon.

I ended my trip by walking on the never-ending wall fortifications. I tried to imagine how this place would have been a few centuries ago - during the kindom of Yadava dynasty and later a secondary capital of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

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Flower Trek to Tikona Fort

Tikona also known as Vitandgad,  is a dominant hill fort in Maval, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. To reach the place, head towards  Lonavala and then to Kamshet and then drive towards Gavhande village which is also called Tikona Peth.  Once you reach the village, there is a temple and vehicles can be parked near the temple. After a small introduction session, we started our walk towards the base of the fort.

A walk about 1.5 km will take you to the starting point of the fort. The trek starts from here. The 3500 feet high hill is pyramidal in shape and the name Tikona means "triangle".

Then the trek goes up and turns 180 degree towards the fort. Once you go up the initial slope and turn towards the fort, you are on an edge with valleys on either side.

While going up, the views of Pawna dam and the surrounding areas are absolutely mesmerising.

Some wildflowers were also seen on the way. Then we reached the main and most guarded entry to the  Fort.

After crossing the main entrance and a few minutes walk, we reached another entrance.

Then the trek goes through a vast area.

On the way we saw a temple of Lord Hanuman.

Cool weather and a walk through the woods was memorable. After a few minute walk we reached the temple named Lord Tuljadevi Mandir. There is small lake in front of the temple.

Soon we reached a 'V' shaped junction . A sign board was placed there to help visitors . We continued our climb  through the left side.

There is a massive stone wheel located within the fort. This big stone wheel was operated with the help of bulls.  From this point, the final ascent to the top begins.

The stairs are steep and each step is much bigger than a regular step. A rope with bolts is fixed which gives you support while climbing.

Guarded by watchtowers and water tanks, this entry is a small duct carved in stone with big steps and so is a tough path to climb.

At the end of  the steps, we saw a very beautiful bastion fortification and caves on the right side. This is also known as Bale-Killa.

After crossing this, we reached a vast area with compound wall all around.  We took a small break to capture the wonderful scenery around us.  Then we moved to the top of the fort. The final stretch was through steps with  hand railings.

There is a temple of  Tryambakeshwar on the top of the fort.

Once you reach the top of the plateau, the view is amazing. This fort has the highest number of water reservoirs which are still good and holds water even now.

Standing on the top, you get a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding area. From the top, you get an excellent view of Tung Fort, Pawna dam, Lohagad and Visapur forts. Orange Maratha Empire Flag with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj riding on Horse stands tall on the top of the fort.

We had some snacks which we had carried with us and after some sight seeing we started our descend from the fort. On the way,  greenery, plants and flowers of different  kinds on either sides of the path inspired me to click.

Overall,  it's a nice one day trek which I would recommend , especially during  the monsoons . 

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