Rohida Fort

Rohida, also known as Vichitragad, is a fort about 10 km from Bhor in Pune district. It dates from the Yadava period, and an inscription on its third gate records repairs by Mohammed Adil Shah of Bijapur in May 1656. Shivaji ceded it to the Mughals under the Treaty of Purandar in 1665 and took it back on 24 June 1670. From the early 1700s it belonged to the Pant Sachivs of Bhor, who gave it the name Vichitragad and held it until 1947. A local committee has restored it with the forest department and villagers.

The wide, treeless path from Bajarwadi, 7 km from Bhor, takes about an hour. Three gates guard the approach: the first bears a Ganesh panel, the second has lion and sharabha figures beside a cistern with water all year, and the third, after 57 steps, shows elephant heads and Persian and Marathi inscriptions. On top are the Rohidamalla temple, where trekkers can stay the night, seven named bastions and a row of rock-cut cisterns.