On 18-19 Jan 2020, 31 participants from GGIM took part in Fort Vasota Jungle Trek. It was a memorable experience as the trekkers had a company of Giripremi‘s veteran mountaineer Ushaprabha Page and an avid History lover ABhijeet Belhekar. The group camped near Shivsagar lake at night. Next day they rode a boat to the base of the fort called Met Indavali. A gradual walk through the jungles took all of them to the top of the fort. Trek to Fort Vasota is a part of GGIM’s Nisarganaad initiative.
About Fort Vasota –
The fort is located near a village called Bamnoli in Satara district. It is near the backwaters of Koyna dam. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj renamed it as ‘Vyaghra Gad‘, because it resembled in a shape of a Tiger.
Abhijeet Belhekar described Historical and Geographical aspects of the fort. It is under the category of ‘Vana Durg‘. It was a watchtower fort and had facilities for imprisonment during Maratha Empire. The fort has remnants such as lime-crusher, Hanuman Temple etc.
It had natural defense for impregnability. On one side was a huge lake and on the other a steep vertical rock cliff.
Thus, Fort Vasota Jungle Trek is a must do adventure for beginner trekkers and wildlife, nature lovers.
Glimpses of Fort Vasota –
