ROHIDA a.k.a VICHITRAGAD

Living in Mumbai, I have covered most of the nearby trekking spots over years. So when a chance came to spend a weekend in Pune, I was glad to have new options to consider. Rohida fort is not too far away from Pune and I had heard it was an easy trek so it made good sense to go there (though it being a Sunday I was afraid of crowds of trekkers).

Rohida fort seen from temple at base village Bazaarwadi.

I set out with my cousin and my uncle on Sunday morning at 6.30 towards the small town of Bhor, about one hour away from south Pune where we were based. The weather was cool and cloudy and the roads were empty. We even gave an old grandfather a ride when we stopped to ask him for directions. From Bhor we had to reach the base village of Bazaarwadi.

The village lies at the foot of the fort, surrounded by mountains. The fort itself seemed quite close though the citadel was high and lost in clouds. Near the village school there is a water tank from where the trek starts. One has to climb along a grassy ridge till a point where the stone markers appear. The villagers have clearly demarcated the path so it’s difficult to get lost.

The route steeply ascends and grass gives way to bushes. We could now make out two bastions at the two ends of the fort. Eventually the route reaches the first gate and then one enters a series of gates with intact fortifications. The last gate has two carved elephant heads on each side. The fort was initially shrouded in mist but a map at the top was a helpful indicator.

Rohida is also known as Vichitragad, though the reasons for that name seemed unclear. There is a temple of Rohideshwar at the summit; this is a lovely spot with tanks nearby. In fact the whole fort though not very big has been impressively maintained by villagers and an organisation. They have demarcated the routes, cleared the rubbish and planted trees. I was impressed and wished that others could take a hint from here. They had made most changes without spoiling the inherent beauty of the place.

After leisurely exploring the fort, taking in the views (which were fantastic as the clouds lifted away) and having food, we were ready to descend. As we descended it started raining and the wind was very strong. I had heard about strong winds on this fort and though I have experienced worse, I could imagine the force on a very rainy day.

By twelve we were comfortably back (we started at nine) and we even got home in time for lunch; surely one of the shortest treks I have had!

Water tank on top of Rohida Fort

Photos at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115394767952469723630/RohidaFort