Bhaja Caves to Lohagad Fort Trek

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In the second post of the series, we move further on our Lohagad Fort trek. If you’re interested to know about how to get to Bhaja Caves you should read my Bhaja Caves Lonavala post.

We took a halt of around 40 to 50 minutes at the Bhaja Caves Lonavala. However, we realized that we were behind our actual schedule. We decided to move quickly and take the shortest route down. It would be easy to take the steps, but that would delay us by 20 minutes. In an attempt to make up for the lost time we climbed the mountain the wrong way.

Since we didn’t want to go back to the steps, we climbed down through a broken fence and found this trail in between the mountains. It was certainly a thrilling experience for all of us because we had to be extra cautious.

One wrong step could send us tumbling down. We were scared, nervous, but excited at the same time. We were quite confident as well because there were many people that were treading down the same rocky path.

While the slope was not too steep, some areas were complicated to step on. At one point in time, I decided to stop photographing our climb downwards because it was getting riskier. My shoes were unable to get the grip on the soft mildly moist mud on the rocks.

Also, I didn’t want me and my camera tumbling down the mountain and hit one of the rocks. After climbing down the mountain slope, we finally hit the road that leads to Lohagad Fort trek. It was safe for me to click more pictures of the area.

The picture above is of the Bhaja Caves from the road on the opposite hill. The picture below offers a more zoomed in angle.

While we stuck to the serpentine road that would lead us to the base of the fort, we at times decided to take short-cuts. This would allow us to shorten our trek time. Some of the short routes have steep climb and you have to be careful about those on your Lohagad Fort trek.

We did saw small wildflowers and butterflies fluttering around when we took routes that would pass through plants and trees. It was providing us with small bursts of energy and excitement that we really needed on our long way up the mountains. This also made our Lohagad Fort trek experience memorable in many small ways.

After trekking for an hour and more, we decided to take a halt where other trekkers had been resting before us. There were students and families taking a break on their Lohagad Fort trek. The view from above was encouraging and that kept us going further.

After taking in some refreshments and water, it was time for us to move on before the laziness creeps in. So, we decided to keep moving before we run short of time. Thankfully for us, the road was in good condition. Small talks kept us busy throughout our Lohagad Fort trek.

We also saw some cows grazing on the opposite side of the hill. They were really high up on the hills, so I had to zoom in to get a decent shot.

Well, as we walked further up, we came across this shack. I call it – The Shack of Hope. Don’t go by the looks of it because the store owner had a lot of stuff for the tourists. Chips, chocolates, chewing-gums, bottled water and even Coca-Cola and Pepsi. However, if you’re exhausted the most important thing it provides is – Hope. When you see this shack, you get hopeful, that you won’t die of exhaustion, at least not today. We bought four bottles of mineral water to keep us going for the time being.

After a few minutes break at the Shack of Hope, we decided to continue on our Lohagad Fort trek, but as you can see – it’s a long way to cover.

A few steps ahead we came across these cows who were busy grazing around and enjoying their day in their own community.

While I and Sarah got busy clicking pictures with cows and the scenery around, my colleagues moved ahead. In the picture below, you see the Visapur Fort, while four of my colleagues walk ahead.

Hidden among the bushes and plants were these wildflowers that caught my attention. They were spurting out from the mountain rocks and not from the ground soil, but they still look pretty. The one below is called Wild Turmeric flower also known as Curcuma Aromatica or Junglee Haldi.

By this time, we were almost at the base of the Visapur Fort which is right opposite to the Lohagad Fort that we were trekking. The fort is built on the same plateau as the Lohagad Fort in 1713 (took 7 years to complete). Hence, it was ready by 1720. The first Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath built the fort.

However, it came under attack from the British (East India Company) troops in 1818 and was eventually captured. The British then used the fort as the vantage point to attack the Lohagad Fort which was also captured in the same year.

Compared to Lohagad, Visapur Fort is larger in size and at a higher elevation. The walls of the fort are still intact and are 3 feet thick.

Just when we were busy looking around and appreciating the beauty all around, we saw this. Initially, we thought it was a piece of blanket wrapped around, as the goat was just sitting still, but later we realized that we were wrong.

The picture below is the point where the Lohagad Fort trek road splits into two. A left turn here leads to the Visapur Fort, while the road ahead takes you to the base of the Lohagad Fort.

For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The mighty Visapur Fort in all its glory was looking spectacular. I wonder how people and armies in the earlier days would live here.

Well, after all the posing and walking, we finally reached the base of the fort. The road ahead had many trees and plants indicating that we were at the foot of the mountain.

Finally, we saw this small cannon on the side, as if no one really cared about it for ages. Too heavy to lift around, waiting for someone to put it in a proper place. However, in its time, it was a killing machine built to decimate the courage of the enemy and the enemy himself.

The second part of the series ends here. If you enjoyed the post share your comments and experience below. Have you ever been to Bhaja Caves or Lohagad Fort trek before?

Also, do read the third part that focuses on the Lohagad Fort trek and the real experiences we had.