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The Sahyadri mountain range and surrounding Maratha forts make Pune an ideal destination for the adventurous and history buff alike. There are multiple professional trekking groups [available on facebook ] that organise day trips, treks and weekend getaways from Pune. They charge nominal rates and arrange both pick up & drop which I think is an excellent deal.
Previous blog post- Sinhagad trek and fort exploration from Pune
This time Rani would accompany me on a weekend exploration trip to Tikona fort. "Thank you for coming," I told her as we took our seats in the 2x2 mini van. It was a relief to have someone along this time... Not that we lacked company. A few more eager youngsters joined us enroute, before the van swerved past Chandni chowk circle. For the next hour, we drove through the ghat section till Tikona peth.
đź’ˇTikona fort trek info
Altitude - 3633 ft asl
Level - Easy to Medium
Trek distance - 1½ to 2 hrs
Base village - Tikona peth (Gavhande), Trail start point- parking lot
Vithangad, popularly known as Tikona fort, gets its name due to its triangular shaped fortifications.
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| Triangular shaped fort- TIKONA, Maharashtra |
Thrilling Tikona !
The trail start point is the village parking lot. "How difficult is the trek?" I asked our trekking guide straight away. "Oh! it's a piece of cake," he replied "even my 9 year old nephew does this trek with ease!" His reassuring voice sounded like music to my ears. Rani who was attempting her first trek was just as overjoyed!
The initial trail was an upward climb along stone steps that went on for a while. Keeping an eye on a few loose ones here and there, we climbed with ease. I could breathe in the fresh air and hear the birds chirping as we went higher.
History of Tikona fort
Tikona is one among the cluster of forts in the Pavana Maval region that had been under the control of Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I (r. 1480- 1509 CE), the first Nizam of Ahmednagar Sultanate; The other forts being- Karnala, Lohagad, Mahuli, Visapur, Songad and Tala.
When Shivaji Maharaj later gained control of the Konkan and Maval region from the Ahmednagar Sultanate, all these forts became part of Maratha possessions. On 12 June 1665, following a major Mughal victory and as per the terms of the Treaty of Purandar, as many as 23 forts including Tikona were handed over to the Mughals. Eventually in the years to follow Shivaji Maharaj got into an advantageous position and recovered his losses once again.
We now reached a levelled part of the fort which had a shrine of Chapetdan Maruti (Hanumanji) at one end.
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| Chapetdan Maruti (Hanumanji), Tikona |
Yet another interesting thing is a chunna chakki (stone mortar for grinding lime). Lime being an important ingredient for the fort construction, this mortar could be in use by Maratha soldiers stationed here. The mortar is big, hence oxen were used to grind the stones.
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| chunna chakki atop Tikona fort |
The Challenging part
The fort itself is pitched on a hillock. And between the hillock and the main mountain is a curved cliff spiralling all the way up. One wrong step and you can slip down into the valley below, into what seems like a dense forest ~ and that my friends is the scary part of the trail Maybe not for many, but for those who suffer from a fear of heights- Yes!
đź’ˇThe cliff edge is almost 4ft so there should be no issues walking carefully along the cliff. Don't look down if you suffer from 'fear of heights'. Every weekend 100s of trekking enthusiasts walk past without any problems.
Beyond the cliff is a second entrance. Here we were greeted by locals dressed as Maval guards in Maratha period outfits. Maratha forts, it is said, were guarded and managed by the local community and these locals were keeping the tradition alive.
Reaching the fort
Another flight of steps leads to the main fort entrance. Watching people climb these high stone steps cautiously seemed like a new challenge, especially for those with joint problems.
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| High steps stairway to main entrance of Tikona (Vithangad) fort |
My first thought on reaching the top was; 'so why even call this a fort'. Tikona is no comparison to the likes of Sinhagad or Raigad, but is more of a well-built watch post. Being centrally located, it was strategic for safeguarding the surrounding cluster of forts. "The best time to come here is after the monsoons, when the forest is emerald green and bursting with life." said our guide as we proceeded to take in the views of the landscape below.
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| A hazy view of the landscape from Tikona fort- Pavana lake (dam), Tung fort (pointed structure), Visapur and Lohagad. |
It was afternoon; the landscape was hazy and my camera couldn't do half the justice to this stunning view. A few more weekenders had joined us by now adding to unnecessary commotion. Oh! how we longed for some peace ☮️.
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| Stairs leading to Ballekilla of Tikona fort |
Yet another flight of steps leads up to the Ballekilla, ie. topmost viewpoint of the fort, from where one can get an uninterrupted 360° view. After resting awhile and some refreshments, we began our descent.
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. Do drop in a comment to let me know what you think. Bye for now 🙏
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