Torna Fort for Adventure Seekers and Those Who Are Keen About History
The Torna fort has a special place in Maratha history. This is the first fort that was captured by Shivaji – he was just 16 years old at the time. Locally, the fort is known as Prachandagad, because of its huge size (Prachanda means “massive” in Marathi). The fort spans for more than a mile on the Sahyadri hills. It is located very close to Pune. You should be able to reach the base village from the Swargate bus stand in less than an hour. It is a trek from there. Standing at an altitude of 1,403 meters above the sea level, Torna is the highest fort in the district.
The name Torna comes from the temple of Tornaji that is located close to the fort entrance. It is believed that the fort was constructed by Shaiva Panth followers during the 13th century. Shivaji captured it in 1643 and renamed it Torna. He soon went on a construction spree and came up with several towers and monuments within the walls. The Mighals captured the fort by assassinating Sambhaji, the son of Shivaji and renamed the fort Futulgaib to remember the strong defense they had to face. The Treaty of Purandar later returned the fort to the Marathas.
Torna Fort Trekking
The Torna fort trek could be a nice adventure. It is a medium difficulty trek. You will have to start from the base village of Velhe and follow the track. Most trekkers should be able to reach the top in about 2 hours and 30 minutes at an easy pace. Be careful if you want to climb up during the monsoons, as the loose earth and rocks can get quite slippery. Bring along ropes to stay safe. At least one person in the trek team should have basic knowledge of using ropes for climbing safely.
There are no hotels or eateries at the base village. So it is best that you bring along your own food, water, glucose and energy drinks. You can rest inside the Mengai temple within the fort. It can easily house about 10-15 trekkers. There is no need to spend the night here, as you can get up and climb down in the same day (remember, it will take you 2.5-3 hours max, one way). There are some campers however who like to spend the night inside the Torna fort.
On your climb and inside the fort, you should see the Budhla Machi, Zunjar Machi, Kothi Darwaja, Kokan darwaja, Bini Darwaja, sadar, the temples of Tornaji and Menghai Goddess.
