Tikona Fort

Tikona, also called Vitandgad, is a pyramid-shaped hill fort in the Maval area near Kamshet, about 60 km from Pune; its name means 'triangular'. Little is known of its origins, but a vihara on the fort dates to around the 7th or 8th century. Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah took it in 1585, Shivaji captured it in 1657, and it was handed to the Mughals under the Treaty of Purandar in 1665 before the Marathas won it back. The Mughal prince Akbar briefly stayed here in 1682, and the British took it after a small battle in 1818.

The climb starts near the base village of Tikona Peth and takes about an hour to the gate, ending in steep, narrow steps that allow only one person at a time. On top are large doors, a Trimbakeshwar Mahadev temple, seven water tanks and caves from the Satavahana era. There is little space at the summit, which looks out over the Pawna lake to Tung, Lohagad and Visapur.