Rajmachi

The Rajmachi fort is only a little distance away from the Lonavala, yet offers a holiday destination in the lap of nature away from all the crowds and the chaos. The climb up to the fort is extremely easy but the distance from Lonavla to the base of the fort makes for an ideal trek. The road which has gentle slops runs along a river and is a great hiking route with jungle on one side. Rajmachi point is 6.5kms from Lonavla. The distance from Rajmachi point to the fort is 15kms. It takes about 5-6 hours. A trip to rajmachi should ideally be stretched over two days. It takes most part of the day to reach the base village of Udhewadi. One can find accommodation facilities with locals along with decent meals. It will be best to spend night resting and climb the actual fort the next morning.

Rajmachi is not itself a fort. It’s the name given to a fortification which connects the twin forts of Shrivardhan and Manoranjan. A half an hour’s climb takes one to the Rajmachi plateau that connects the two forts. A small temple with the idols of Kalbhairaw and Jogeshwari can be seen on the plateau. One can also see a big canon placed on the fort.  A 15-minute walk from either side of the plateau leads to the two forts. The Shrivardhan fort has the elevation of 900 meter.  This fort was mainly used as a watchtower for the Sahyadri region. The fort gate is semi circular in shape with an image of lord Ganesha on it. The only other construction on the fort are two huge water tanks which remain inundated with water throughout the year and caves belonging to the Buddhist period and a temple of Bhairavanth. This fort also offers the panoramic views of surrounding hills, greenery and some other forts like Lohagad, Tungi, Korigarh and Visapur.

The Manoranjan fort belongs to the Yadav period. There is a square shaped lake divided by a straight rock. One can go to Manoranjan from Shrivardhan via Bhawani mandir. This fort also offers panaromic views and houses some ruins as well.