Prachandagad trekking.
 During the monsoon of 1646, a 16 year old Shivaji had observed that a strategic hill-top fortress was left uninhabited during the monsoons. Shivaji and his band moved into the fortress and claimed it without bloodshed. He repaired it and launched what would be a long battle for freedom from the Mughals, Siddhis, & British.

Prachandagad, also called Torna Fort, is a fort situated near Pune, Maharashtra in India. The word "Prachanda" means "huge" and "gad" means fort in marathi, which undoubtedly means that this fort is vast and stretches on for many miles.

Life away from life plans to trek to this beautiful historic fort in the month of 27th Feb 2010

We will climb this historic fort and camp on the top most point in tents, watch the stars sipping cup of coffee..

 Life Away From Life weekend hikes & treks
The Plan
Proposed Itinerary

Trip date :27th Feb 2010

Excursion Cost : Ex Mumbai
To be mailed on request.

Cost includes
Travel from Mumbai to Pune and return, all meals during trekking ,tents & mats for sleeping ,transportation to the trekking points.

Cost not include
extra expenses like drinks,tips,medical and travel insurance, beverages etc.

There is no camera fee for this trek ( Still/Video)

Contact for participation
Prateek Deo
cell: 9869158351

email : prateek.lafl@gmail.com

A Life Away From Life venture.
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Trek to Torna fort- (4604ft) (ex Mumbai)
Please Note : The itinerary is tentative and subject to change.

Day 1 Leave mumbai early morning by SUV/bus
Day 1- Reach pune early morning - 4 to 5 hrs


Day 1Pune to Base village Velhe - 65kms./1.5 hrs
Reach base village Velhe.Trekking starts from here after breakfast.

Day 1 Base villageVelhe to Torna top - 4 to 5 hrs..
Moderate Trekking .
Spend the entire day exploring the magnificient fort.
Camp under the stars for the night in tents.


Day 2 Torna top to Base village Velhe- 3 to 4 hrs
After an early breakfast descend to Velhe and have lunch.Proceed to Pune.Catch an evening train/bus to Mumbai.Reach Mumbai by night.
Trip ends.

Please Note : The itinerary is tentative and subject to change.

About the Fort

The Torna is located at a very high altitude and it takes an average of three hours to get to the top from the foothills of the Sahyadri mountains on which the fort is situated. The Torna fort is considered to be built by followers of the Hindu Lord Shiva called the Shaiva Panth in the 1400s. A Menghai Devi temple, also known as Tornaji temple is situated near the entrance of the fort.

A bahamani ruler named Malik Ahmed conquered this fort during the reign of Al-a-uddin khilji during the late 1470s. Then, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj conquered the Torna Fort in 1643 when he was sixteen, and renamed it Prachandagad. Shivaji Maharaj, the most prominent rulers of the Maratha kingdom conquered this as one of his first forts. Shivaji Maharaj was born in 1627 AD. He was the son of Jijamata and Shahaji Raje,a regent at the court of Adilshah of Bijapur. During his rule, he constructed his palace, many monuments and towers in the fort and made renovations to it.

Also, many battles have been fought in this fort. In 1700s, Aurangzeb, a Mughal ruler, took control of Prachandagad by defeating Shivaji's son, Sambhaji in a war. Aurangzeb renamed this fort "Futulgaib" or "Divine victory" as this was the only fort he had ever won in a war against the Marathas. The powerful Marathas, however, quickly regained control with the treaty of Purandar.

Courtesy Wikimpedia