Chavand Fort

Chavand is a hill fort rising to 1,036 metres in the Sahyadri range of Junnar taluka, Pune district, about 20 km from Junnar, with Chavandwadi village at its foot. Under Shivaji it was called Prasannagad. Some of its remains are more than 800 years old. Ahmad Nizam Shah, founder of Ahmednagar, took it after the break-up of the Bahmani kingdom, and a grandson of Bahadur Shah was imprisoned here in 1594. The Mughals gained it by treaty in 1636, and the British captured it on 1 May 1818 and wrecked it.

Chavand is popular with trekkers and forms the 'Famous 5' trek with Hadsar, Shivneri, Jivdhan and Naneghat. Its great stone gate, the Mahadarwaja, is still intact. On top are a Chamunda Devi temple, remains of a cannon and seven water tanks cut from one rock, with views of the Shivneri, Jivdhan and Hadsar forts, the Kukadi river and the Manikdoh dam. About twelve bird species can be seen around the foothills.