Exploring History and Heritage on trek to Ancient Fort
dating back to almost 2000 years old. These forts may have been building during
the Satavahana reign. These forts were ruled or controlled by different kings
and dynasties over the period of centuries. The last to rule it was British…
Fort Name: Visapur Fort and Bhaja Caves
Altitude: 3567 feet above mean sea level.
Difficulty Grade: Moderate (2 hours and 30 minutes to climb
and 2 hours 30 minutes to descend; around 2 hours to explore the fort).
Location:
It is located in Pune district, 9 to 10 km from Malavli
Railway station out of which 5 km is steep road. It has an elevation of 1084
meters above sea level. It is built on the same plateau as Lohagad.
Nearest Railway Station/ Bus Stand: Malavli (You can reach
here by local train from Pune or Lonavala).
Budget for the One Day Trek:
Get in touch with us for budget (Budget Treks; Deluxe Treks
or VIP / Luxury Treks with Nature Knights).
Contact for Inquiries and Booking:
9619182010 / 9619182098 / info@natureknights.net
Planned Schedule:
Pickup Points (Ex. Mumbai)
6:00 am Andheri S. V. Road, Near Merwan's Bakery
6:15 am Bislery Western Express Highway, Andheri East
6:15 am Santacruz East, Vakola, Western Express Highway, below
bridge and after signal
6:20 am Bandra, Kalanagar Junction bus stop; Exit of Sky
Walk; off Western Express Highway
6:30 am Sion Station
6:40 am Chembur, after Diamond Garden Signal
7:00 am Vashi (Junction of Station Road and Highway; below
bridge)
7:20 am Belapur Juction
7:35 / 8 am Mc Donald, at entrance of Mumbai - Pune Express
Highway
A Little Bit of Visapur Fort History..
Visapur fort is located next to Lohgad fort. Both these
forts may have been built during the period of Satavahana reign. These two
forts are separated by a small khind called Gaimukh. After being under the
control of Nizamshah and Adilshah, the forts were then conquered by Chatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj, Later in a treaty signed by Shivaji with Mirza Raje Jaisingh,
he handed over twenty three forts to Aurangzeb. Subsequently he recaptured
these forts; after his death the forts came under the rule of Mughals before
Kanoji Angre won it back. During the time of the Peshwas these forts were used
quite a lot.
Visapur fort could have been built with the purpose of
protecting the Lohagad. So if the enemies attack the Lohagad, Visapur can
attack the enemies to guard the Lohagad. The British invaded Visapur and Lohgad
forts, as a strategy the Britishers decided to attack the Visapur fort first
and hence conquer the strategic strength of the Lohagad. On 4th March 1818 800
native soldiers, 380 European soldiers and artillery from Chakan and two other
British battalions attacked Visapur Fort and took it in their control. Visapur
is higher in elevation than Lohagad, hence the Britishers installed their
cannons facing Lohagad and bombarded Lohagad and made Marathas run away. So
under the command of a Colonel Prother both the forts were conquered by the
Britishers. The last rulers of the fort were British.
There are a lot of Hanuman Carving on the fort which
suggests it is the patron deity of the Visapur fort.
Trekking Routes to Visapur Fort
Trekking to Visapur fort is one of the best experiences to
cherish for. The Trekking trails are amazing, and the unique part is you get to
trek through waterfall trails here which in other areas you usually don’t find.
There are three routes for Visapur Trekking- Bhaje Village, Patan Village and
Gaimukh Khind.
1) Bhaje Village
Route
We follow the route which takes us to the stairs leading to
Bhaja Caves; after climbing few steps you then take diversion to your left
(Taking the left turn, follow the markings till you reach a landmark of stone
with an orange colored horse painted on it.) where a small trail climbs above
the Bhaja Caves hill to takes you to
a small plateau. From this plateau you
can see the fort very clearly. You maintain your progress keep to the left hand
side of the hill as you climb up along the walls till you come across a small
waterfall this is dry during non-monsoon season. and then from here a small
trail leads you the start of stairs leading to the entrance of fort which has a
Maruti Temple just few steps short of the entrance.
2) Patan Village Route
In this route keeping the Patan village to the left side,
you need to take the guide from local people and follow the route till you
reach the waterfall. Climb through the steps within the waterfall for 20
minutes and take a right for the Visapur route. Following the road signs keep
climbing for another 40 minutes till you reach the broken staircase which marks
the entrance of the Fort.
3) Gaimukh Khind route
Take the route of Malavali to Lohagad, and on reaching Viraj
Farms, turn left and continue walking till you get the forking of roads in left
and right. Take the left turn and keep moving till Visapur kade board is
displayed. Take the route and cross jungles and waterfalls on the way to reach
the fort.
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