I visited three component parts in August 2025: 1) Panhala Fort, 2) Vijaydurg Fort and 3) Lohagad and Visapur fort complex.

Just a short introduction: all forts are liked with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj… The only problem with this inscription is that the forts are located in pretty remote areas and it takes time to get there using public transportation, but it is not impossible. Panhala and Vijaydur were kind of natural choices because I was coming from the south, from Belur and Halebidu – there’s at least two buses daily (check and book on https://www.redbus.in) going all the way from Mysore to Pune calling at Banavara (30 km from Halebidu) and at Kolhapur located just 20 km from Panhala. Kolhapur is also a good starting point to tick Western Ghats with a half day visit to Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary (only part of the reserve was open to public during the rainy season).

To get to Panhala fort I took a rickshaw, but it is possible to take a bus from the bus station (the first one is at 7:30). Today Panhala looks rather like a village then the fort – there are house, hotels, shops around the central part of the fort. To appreciate its strategic location and the military architecture you have to follow the path connecting the “points of interest” as marked on the old map placed on the board close to the main round point on the main street. And these points of interest are (as I visited them): Teen Darwaja, the double gateway, very elegant, with arcades and carved motifs on the inner gate; Andhar Bavadi, the hidden well; Ambarkhana, the granary, with the balcony and plasterwork similar to the Bijapur style; the lake and the horse stables (be careful here ’cos part of the area belongs to the Space Research Centre and it is forbidden to take pictures there – at least officially); Pusati Buruj, the westernmost bastion from where the views should be amazing if there’s no rain, no clouds, no fog; Wagh Darwaja with the a small relief of Ganesh and a very small courtyard; Ware buruj; Saja Kothi, the viewing pavilion with elegant plasterwork and balcony over the ramparts, Kalvanticha Mahal, the remains of residential palace; and of course the walls surrounding the fort. I stayed there for 3 hours and I think I could stay longer and have enjoyed my visit more, but… August is one of the wetter months in the part of Maharashtra, and it was raining, raining, and raining… Sorry, it stopped raining when I was about to leave the place…

All historical buildings are open for free. No visitor’s information centre yet, no official guides, no UNESCO plaque yet and no tourists. But there are hotels, ugly playground, some stores and the local teacher (I met him at Saja Kothi, he lives in one of the small houses close by) who was more than happy to explain me the significance of the fort for local people. The construction of this fort started at the end of the 12th century to get its final form in the 17th, when the hero Chhatrapati Shivaji took Panhala from Bijapur!

From Kolhapur I went by bus to Vijaydurg, a small village by the sea, dominate by the fort, a very big fort. Although it is only 160 km from Kolhapur to there, the ride took 6 hours (with one 30-minute stop) – I do not have to add that during rainy season everything goes slower. I was sitting in the very first seat, the one by the driver, so I could enjoy (I mean: see through the front and the side windows) the landscape with all its pros and cons. 6 hours is enough to become friends with the driver and the conductor – when we arrived to the final destination they found a hotel for me, took me for the dinner, told me (I think so) about the fort and how to get out of Vijaydurg next day. And sure, they spoke local Marathi language, and I spoke English, but I switched to Polish at certain point – knowledge of languages helps to communicates but sometimes is not necessary!

Now about the fort. Open 24 hours. No fees. No UNESCO plaque yet. No path/route to follow. Beautiful views from the fort. Beautiful views on the fort from the beach and from the village. Very massive and solid construction with only one gate leading to it. No tourists at all. Good information boards inside the fort giving a brief explanation of what you are looking at.

This is the oldest sea fort on Sindhudurg coast – its construction started in 12th century. And extended during Chhatrapati’s time. It is full of remains of different buildings from different periods. In some articles you can read it is called Eastern Gibraltar, but I would rather call Gibraltar as Western Vijaydurg – with the difference that this Indian fort was built at the sea level. I started visiting the fort around 7 am and it was a very good decision because it was not raining all morning until… 10 am. After entering the fort through the sophisticated (and only) eastern gate I took the path on the external walls. And you walk, walk and walk – the sea to your right, the walls and some ruins to your left. The board map at the entrance to the fort is not ideal, so forget about it and just continue your walk on the bastions… And when you reach your starting point, see the assembly hall, underground prison, watchout towers, water tank, small temple, and granary (on the upper floor we can see the modern toilet, because the fort for used as the camping spot for students and – out of record now – group of Soviet young Pioneers). After leaving the premises of the fort, it is time to see the beach: sandy, clean, empty, some fishermen’s boats, and nice 360 views. And at 10:05 it started raining…

Surprise, surprise! There are many buses going in many directions from this little village. I chose the one going towards Ratnagiri to get out in Adivare and see the Konkan geoglyphs of Rundhe and Devihasol – it was not planned; I just followed the call of the rainy moment.

Few days later: Malavli train station, somewhere between Pune and Mumbai; very small train station, only local trains stop here, only 5 trains a day from Pune to Lonavla, from Lonavla to Pune; no direct trains/bus to/from Mumbai. This is the best place to start your visit Lohagad and its neighbouring Visapur forts – both are located few kilometres away from the station. You can take a rickshaw, or you can walk to them, if you like to walk, and make a stop at the Bhaja Buddhist caves dating back to the 2nd century BC. Then you’ll see the Visapur on your left and Lohagad on your right – both look very impressive. I tried to reach the summit of Visapur fort, but finding a path in the forest was very difficult and some streams running down make the crossing impossible. At 9 am they open the Lohagad, the main fort, that used to be the treasury of Chhatrapati Shivaji. By the ticket office (300 rupees for foreigners) there is a provisional board with paper poster stating “Lohgad Fort World Heritage Site”. You pay and you can climb the stairs to the first, and then second, and then third gates – the most interesting elements of architecture. Behind the last gate, Maga Darwaja, you can see a map with two trails to follow (according to it the longer one takes only one hour). When you reach the top, you can a bit surprised ‘cos there’s not much to see there – remains of walls, a mausoleum, a temple, a big water tank, Jain caves. I counted on seeing and walking on the Vinchukada (scorpion’s sting/tail), a long and narrow fortified wall extending from the fort into a valley. I was not lucky enough: due to heavy rains the “sting” was closed. And no views because of the clouds and fogs… But, and it was a very big surprise, there were a lot of Indian tourists, younger and older, visiting the fort despite the rainy, windy, cold and unpleasant weather.

And I understand that – the weather can't stop you from visiting UNESCO sites!