Lohgad Fort alias Iron Fort (in Marathi), situated in
Lohagaon village, which is around 75.8 km away from Pune, is one of the
most important forts of Shivaji Maharaj (Maratha Empire). Shivaji
Maharaj captured the fort in the year 1648 but he was forced to surrender
it to the Mughals in 1665 under the Treaty of Purandar. In 1670 Shivaji
recaptured the fort and used it for keeping his treasury. Built on sahyadris
hills, on an altitude of 3450 ft high, the fort separates the basins of
Indrayani and Pawana River. One could climb 500 steps from its foot to
reach the fort. It is an ideal place for trekking and those who love trekking
can reach the fort by trekking through the slopes of the mountain. During
monsoon the fort remains almost wet and green, covered with mist and clouds.
So trekking will be mre easier in monsoon than summer season and the trekkers
can climb the hill by enjoying the picturesque scenery, verdant green
grass, pleasant climate and the cool air.
Lohgad fort is the finest example of Maratha architecture. Surrounded
by strong boundary walls, it consists of four large entrance gates namely
Narayan darwaza ,Ganesh darwaza, Mahadarwaza and Hanuman darwaza, which
are still intact. This 18th centuary fort houses numerous monuments, which
are believed to have been built by Nana Phadnis, in the later Peshwa period
(1742-1800 AD). Main attractions of the fort are Laxmi Kothi, a big cave
earlier used to store the treasures of Shivaji Maharaj ,which are now
used by trekkers to spend the night and the Vinchukata, the long and narrow
wall like fortified spur, which resembles scorpion’s tail, on the western
side of the Fort. There are numerous manmade lakes, which were used as
water reservoirs and Shiva temple are the other attractive monuments.
One can see the Visapur Fort on the eastern side and the Pawana Dam from
the backside of the fort.
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Maharashtra 
