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| Lohgad fort, Lonavala, MH, main gate. Alamy.com |
Lohagad Fort is one of the fairly preserved forts in the state of Maharahstra, befitting its location and sturdy structure it is referred to as an Iron Fort. Invariably, the past rulers, using various innovative methods carried out the fortification work in a a way as to protect the kingdom from the invaders, particularly from the north and Southwest. Location of them on the hills is an additional advantage. Such rulers glorify the forts as they form the main defensive structure Lohagad Fort has a chequered history and with respect to its earlier history, it was under the control of various dynasties spanning several centuries. Earliest rulers included Rashtrakutas, Nizamshahis, Yadavas, and Chalukyas. Later Mughals, Bahamanis and Satavahanas managed the fort.
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| Lonavala, MH. location map. savaari.com |
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Lonavala,-Mumbai Hwy, MH. 2hr drive. savaari.com
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Built by
Guru Govind Singh to serve as a prison, the history of this old fort is intertwined with the most prominent Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji. . Located on a plateau - part of the Deccan about 624 meter from MSL, accessing the fort on the hill by the invaders is a tough job as their movement could be easily watched by the defensive forces at a higher elevation. The hill is part of the Western Ghat chain and unlike the Ghat areas of Kerala, Tamil Nadu etc., this place is made of dark basaltic rocks (extrusive igneous rocks formed by volcanoes). Dividing the basins of the Pavana and the Indrayani rivers, the Lohagad fort overlooks Pavana on the south of the mountain range. The buttressed spur formed by the extending mountain is called Vinchukata.
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Lohagad fort, Lonavala, MH, Holidaytravel.com
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Lohagad fort, Ganesh Darwaza (gate), wikipedia.
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| Western Ghat mountains near Lonavala, MH, credit: wikipedia. |
This fort with multiple entry, is an important tourist destination because of its location, quiet luxuriant greenery, fine meadows, cascading water falls, misty hills offering a fine vista of scenic beauty. One can see small hills in the surrounding areas. This fort and the surrounding places are quite famous for casual hiking in a clean atmosphere, free from urban chaos and noise. The best time to visit this historical fort is during the months of September and March, Monsoon season is not the right choice as it rains a lot during that period starting from June to August. However, many tourists prefer this particular season. The fort can be reached from any of its four entrances―Hanuman Darwaja, Ganesh Darwaja, Maha Darwaja and Naray. The Maratha rulers controlled this fort for long period, however this fort came under the Moguls for a short period- about 5 years.
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| Lohagad fort, Lonavala, MH.tour my India com. |
.As lots of working people visit this place from near by cities of Pune and Mumbai, to have fun and relaxation, it is crowded on the week ends. Situated at Lonavala, it is about 60 km from the city Pune 96 km from Mumbai and there is another fort near-by called Visapur fort. It is just 11 km from Malavali railway station. One of the main attractions in Lonavala is an old dam - Bhushi Dam, built uin the late 1860s.
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