Pune Hues: Torna Fort Trek

Torna Fort or Prachandgad is a large fort located in Pune district (at 1405 meters above sea-level , the tallest in the districy) in the state of Maharashtra , India. It is historically significant because it is first fort captured by Shivaji in 1643 , forming the nucleus of Maratha Empire. The name derives from Prachanda (Marathi for huge or massive) and gad (Marathi for fort).Its about 40 km southwest of Pune in the Sahyadri Mountain Range.

The Torna Trek is of medium difficulty but the rewards of the toil is really fulfilling! The narrow tracks on the way upleads to a beautiful landscape. Sinhagad can be seen at distance. After monsoons which is the best season for the Torna trek the entire way would be laden with wild flowers. With a few small seasonal waterfalls on the way the trek is truly enchanting. There are two two rock patches on the way up, a little slippery, not bad during ascending, but the descend would really prove tough. Once you enter the fort its a fairy land altogether - misty bed of flowers which no manicured garden can match in beauty.

Route :

If you are going for the trek from pune then you can also visit some other places like khadakwasla dam , pashet dam ,National Defence Academy campus , Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje which lie on the way to torna fort

Khadakwasla Dam is situated 20 km from the City of Pune , so while going to Torna Fort it lies in the mid way , so one can go to scenic places around the dam include Peacock Bay, Kudje village, and Neelkanteshwar, located near Bahuli village just past Kudje.

(Khadakwasla Dam)

To get to the Torna (Bini Darwaja ) , one has to first reach the base village called Velhe. From Swargate

bus station in Pune, take a state transport bus with route 'Swargate - Velhe - Ghisar'. This bus will drop you

at Velhe in around 1hr 45mins. It will be good to start in early morning for the fort. 6.30am bus will be very good option to reach early to the fort.

Once you reach the Velhe, ask for Torna fort way. Once you start climbing the fort, you should reach the fort within 2hr 30mins with an easy pace. There's no need to make a stay at the fort as the whole trek can be completed in one day provided you start early in the morning.

There are no hotels etc on the fort. At the base of the climb you could have something to eat at the local shop, but the type of food is limited, and it is best to bring your own food. The climb to the top can be tough for some people, so bringing along nutritious food is highly recommended.There is no source of drinking water on top of the fort, so it is strongly advisable to bring drinking water, energy drinks, glucose drinks to avoid fatigue.