We the Trekking Paltan Pune members visited the fort on 31st Jan 2021
Mangrulgad fort is a small fort near Talgaon MIDC. It is about 50 km from Pune. The fort is not well known. From Talgaon MIDC take left turn on Ambi-Ambale road and stop at Golewadi stop. There is a worker's colony on the right side of the road. Go there and park your vehicle around. The fort is visible from the road.
The parking is free in an open space.
The parking area is full of plastic litter
The trek is small and simple. 20-30 mins are sufficient to reach on the top. The hike is quite exhausting. The trail is very clear. There are steps initially.
Once you reach the top, you can see a water tank there
There is a spectacular view from right side Baston like structure
There are a few structures on the left side.
We found a lot of plastic waste on the fort. So myself and my co-trekker Dnyaneshwar Aarne collected the plastic.
Kalyangad fort trek is a small trek near Satara. Good for kids and family. It is also known as Nandgiri fort. The main attraction is dark cave of Maharaj Nandgiri. Carry torch to see the cave properly. There is a Samadhi of Kalyanswami on the fort.
Trekking Paltan Pune : from left Sandeep Chaudhari, Akshay Sapkal, Amol Gore, Dnyaneshwar Aarne and Dr. Suresh Isave Date -07.03.2021
How to Reach : It is about 120 km and approx. 3 hours journey from Pune city. The fort is rightly located on Google Map.
Pune-Satara highway- Shirwal- Surur - Joshi Vihir -Bhuinj - take left from highway - take Karkhana (factory) road - Shivthar- Jarandeshwar Chauk - take left - go straight - cross river bridge -Dhumal wadi is the base village.
Parking : Parking is Free in the open space.
Food and Water : No Food and water available on the trek. So carry food with you.
About the Trek : Minimum 5 hours sufficient for the parking to fort return. There are two routes for the trek. See the video for the trek. you can take a motorable road. The road condition was not good when we visited. We did hike to get on the fort. It took 40 mins to reach on the top. 30/40 min are enough to explore the fort.
Trek route
Parking in open space
Trek starts with steps behind the houses in the village.
Simple trek
Caves
There are historical caves on the trail before reach on the fort.
Maha Darawaja (Main Entrance)
After Maha Darwaja you can see a small temple for Lord Shiva at the left side.
These steps are taking you in to the iconic caves of lord Nandgiri
at the entrance of the Nandgiri Maharaj caves
Inside the Caves
There is dark around. Carry a torch to see the cave. The cave is full of cold water. The height of the cave is uneven so be careful about head. Bend down and walk carefully. There are sharp edges rocks around. Even there are sharps stones in the water too and because it is a holy place you need to take out your footwear outside, these stones may hurt you.
Video - inside Caves
There is temple at the end of the cave.
After the caves go the right side, there are some temples and monuments on the top. take a round. It will take about 30-40 min.
It was upsetting to see the ashes on the fort which was the consequences of fire burnt by some people.
The Ashes
Be Aware. Make Aware
View form the fort
Lunch of Trekking Paltan
Best season to visit the fort is Monsoon and winter. In summer there could be lot of heat.
