Lohagad Fort
The Lohagad Fort is a fortress on the Dekkan Plateau near the Western Ghats near the city of Lonavla in the Indian state of Maharashtra .
location
The Lohagad Fort is located near the village of Lohagadwadi about 10 km (driving distance) southwest of the city of Lonavla; from the small train station Manavli it is about 5 km by foot, which leads past the Buddhist cave monastery Bhaja .
history
The fortress, not far from an old trade route, has a long history that goes back to the time of the Shatavahana dynasty. The rulers of the Chalukya , Rashtrakuta and Seuna dynasties also left their mark. In Islamic times it belonged temporarily to the territory of the Bahmani Sultanate until the Marathi leader Shivaji (ruled approx. 1657–1680) conquered it, who in turn had to hand it over temporarily (1665–1670) to his greatest opponent, the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb . In 1818 the British took the neighboring Visapur Fort and shot at the lower Lohagad Fort from there. The building fabric visible today is likely to go back largely to the building activities of the Marathas, whose fortress architecture hardly differs from that of the Mughals .
architecture
The fort, which is about 200 m above the ground level of the village of Lohagadwadi , can be climbed via a flight of stairs built in the middle of the 20th century. The actual fort is located on a narrow hilltop at an altitude of 1032 m; upstream are several lower bulwarks and a total of 4 gates - one of which has two small lion reliefs. The close interplay of natural rock and man-made architecture is remarkable. The entire complex also includes the small tomb ( qubba ) of an unknown personality - possibly a commanding officer.
Surroundings
The larger, but less well-preserved Visapur Fort and the cave monasteries of Bedsa and Karli are in the vicinity .
Web links
- Lohagad - Photos and brief information (English)
Coordinates: 18 ° 42 ′ 31 ″ N , 73 ° 28 ′ 40 ″ E