Birwadi Fort

Birwadi Fort rises above Birwadi village, in Roha taluka of Raigad district, 18 km from Roha towards the south-west, on a ridge set at right angles to the Western Ghats; from a distance it looks like a small hillock. Shivaji built it in 1648, together with Lingana fort, after taking Kalyan, to watch over the Kundalika river and check the Siddis. In British times the surrounding country was a shooting reserve for district officers.

Birwadi is about 3 km from Chanera on the Roha–Salav road, which has buses and rickshaws from Roha. The path starts behind the new Devi temple and takes about 45 minutes to the top. The four corner bastions and the main gate are in good condition, there are several rock-cut cisterns, and two of the fort's cannons now sit at the temple below. The summit looks out over rice fields and patches of dense jungle, and walkers can stay overnight in the village school or the temple.