Chavand Fort

 Chavand Fort is situated on the top of a hill in Junnar taluka in the district of Pune in Maharashtra state. It is located in the Sahyadris mountain Range and is almost 30 km from the present Naryangoan town in Junnar taluka. The fortification was built at an elevation of 3400 feet (1036 m) above sea level. The Chavandwadi village is located at the base of the hill fort.

From the western side of the Chavand Fort, there is a way to go to the top of the fort along with the school of the village. The time required to reach the entrance of the door is about 45 minutes from the western side of the Chavand Fort. From here stairs will take us to the plains of the fort on which remnants of many constructions can be seen.

The base village of the fort is called Chavandwadi and any bus/vehicle going towards Aptale can drop you at Chavandwadi. Once you start the trek from Chavandwadi, you reach rock steps which were destroyed by the British Army. After a short while you will see a huge stone door built in the Gomukhi style architecture. This door is called the Mahadarwaja. From the Mahadarwaja the route splits into two, the left one takes you to the fort walls and the right one takes you to the top of the fort.

On the top of the fort the path further splits into two, the left one takes you to a dilapidated temple and the Seven tanks, while the right one takes you to the Chamunda devi temple.

Belapur Fort

 Belapur Fort is an ancient hill fort that is located in Belapur Township in Navi Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra. The structure has an elevation of almost 89 ft (27 m). It was built in 1560 by the Siddis of Janjira. Later it was occupied by the Portuguese and then by the army of Maratha Empire. Eventually the structure was conquered by the British East India Company during the early 19th century. The strategic significance of Belapur Fort reduced to a great extent after the East India Company achieved political supremacy in the region and also after the development of the Bombay Presidency.

History of Belapur Fort

The construction of Belapur Fort began in the year 1560 and ended in 1570. It was built by the Siddis of Janjira after they seized control of the region from the Portuguese. It is located near the mouth of the Panvel Creek. Later the Portuguese forces again occupied the fort in 1682. However in 1733, the forces of the Maratha Empire, under the leadership of Chimnaji Appa, took over the fort and the region by defeating the Portuguese. He had made a vow that if it was successfully recaptured from the Portuguese, he would place a garland of beli leaves in the Amruthaishwar temple. After the victory the fort was christened as Belapur Fort. The Maratha Empire reigned over the region of Belapur till June 1817. Afterwards, the territory and the fort were occupied by the army of the British East India Company, under the command of Captain Charles Gray. The British forces dismantled and demolished the structure to some extent because of their military policy of destroying any Maratha stronghold. The British partially destroyed the fort. A tunnel is also supposed to exist, which according to locals, connects it to Gharapuri Island, the site of the Elephanta Caves.