Lonavala is a hill station in Maharashtra. It is nearly 82 Kms from Mumbai. Lonavala and Khandala are two hill stations that are situated on the western slopes of the Sahyadri hills. Lonavala is located at an altitude of 625 meters while Khandala is located slightly lower. Lonavala was discovered as a hill station in 1811 by Sir Mountstuart Elphinstone. It is famous throughout India for the hard candy sweet known as chikki. Maharashtra has a rich number of caves, tunnels, and forts. Yet another amazing place of Lonavala Maharashtra (India) is the lohagad Fort.
In Marathi, Lohagad means Iron fort. Lohagad fort is placed at an altitude of more than 1050 meters. This fort is situated on the Sahyadri ranges and divides the Pavna basin and Indrayani basin. There are 4 doors to Lohagad: ‘Ganesh Darwaja’ , ‘Narayan Darwaja’ , ‘Hanuman Darwaja’ and ‘Maha Darwaja’. Lohagad fort history over a long period of time confirms that several hereditary rulers have been here such as Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Yadavas, Bahamas, Nizamshahis, Mughals and Marathas.It is said that Shivaji Raje did have Lohagad his capital for a short time before Raigad and Rajmachi.
Lohagad presents a peek into the glorious past, and are surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna. Under heavy monsoon rain, the upland on the fort becomes hazy and it’s cold. Lush green carpet and small wildflowers along the route welcome you. The fort has a number of water tanks, it is said that in one such water there is spring of freshwater. Also one can find a few scattered cannons. A Mahadev temple is also there on this fort.
Lohagad is one of the best forts to visit during any time of the year. This fort is a multi-access . One can do a day as well as night trek to Lohagad. It’s a simple and easy trek for all age groups. It is also recommended to start your trek early in the morning.This fort is connected with another fort named as vilaspur. The Lohagad fort is a fine destination for tourist with interests in architecture, archeology, and history.
Karla Caves is just 22 kms away from Lohagad Fort. There are so many other attractions in Lonavala tourism.