Narayangad

Narayangad is a hill fort on a detached hill about 8 km from Narayangaon, 5 km from Khodad village and 80 km from Pune, with the small village of Gadachiwadi at its foot. The hill rises steeply from the plain on three sides, and the town of Narayangaon takes its name from the fort. It dates back to the Satavahana period, when it watched over the route between Junnar and Paithan. The first Peshwa, Balaji Vishvanath, is said to have rebuilt it and granted it to Sayaji Povar, and it reportedly surrendered to the British in 1818.

The walk from base to summit is an easy twenty minutes. Ponds named Narayan Take and Chambar Take lie on top, the goddess Hastamata has a temple at the highest point with a Mukai temple below it, and a stone doorway carries Ganpati and two attendant tigers on its lintel. The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, 10 km away, has drawn more trekkers here in recent years.