Situated in the hills of the rugged Sahyadri Mountains you find the Rajmachi Fort, or ‘Killa’. This fort consists of Manaranjan and Shriwardhan, twin fortresses. There is a wide plateau surrounding this. A small village named Udhewadi is situated on this plateau. This has only 60 households.
This fort is around 15km from Khandala and Lonavala, 82 kms from Pune and Mumbai. This is famous as a trekking spot for tourists. The fort is 2710 ft in altitude and the Rajmachi fort was a strategic fort for controlling Borg hat (between Khandala and Khopoli on the Mumbai Pune route.) This complex was constructed by the Satvahanas.
Maharaj shivaji captured this fort from Bijapur, the the Adilshahi ruler, in the year 1657 CE. Aurangzed, the Mughal ruler captured this fort from the Marathas in1704 CE. It was in 1818 CE that the British managed to take over this fort due to the downfall of the Marathas.
On the west of Rajmachi plateau, you find the Kondhane caves; these are the ancient Buddhist caves, carved during 200 BC. You find around 8 caves of the Hinayana Buddhist tradition. These Kondhane caves enclose vihara, sculptures and also stupas of the Buddhist architecture. The Chaitya was intact, but most of the floor, front entrance and the stupas were damaged by an earthquake.
How to Reach Rajmachi Fort
The Rajmachi Fort is in the middle of Mumbai- Pune highway. This is connected by rail and road network. Here are some of the best accessible routes.
By Bus: (by bike, by car) (From Mumbai, Lonavala ad Pune)
You have 2 road routes from Mumbai to the Rajmachi fort. You can either drive to the Kondhane side and trek for around 3 to 4 hours or you can choose the route from the Pune or Lonavala. You drive to the base village of Udhewadi and trek a short distance for only 30 to 40 minutes. These are little rough roads and can be hazardous during the monsoons.
By Trains: (from Mumbai, Lonavala or Pune)
You can take a local train from Mumbai and disembark at Karjat. You need to hire an auto from the Shree Ram Bridge to reach the village of Kondana. This is the base of the trek to Rajmachi. You reach the summit after trekking for 3 to 4 hours.
You have the choice of taking the Udayan Express leaving Dadar at around 8.10am. You reach Lonavala at 9.30. You can hire a rickshaw toTungarli Dam. This is around 4km from the railway station of Lonavala. You will have to walk 16 km to reach the Udhewadi base.
By Air: (From Mumbai or Pune)
The Mumbai International airport is the nearest airport to Rajmachi.. As known, this airport is connected to most of the major cities not only in India but also aroad. You can then plan on taking a train or bust to Lonavala or probably, Karjat. You also find regular flights to Pune. This is around 173 km from Rajmachi.
The next time you plan on visiting Maharashtra, ensure you have listed these caves in your itenary.
