Dhodap Fort

Rising to roughly 1,472 metres above sea level on the Satmala ridgeline in the Chandwad taluka of Nashik district, Dhodap Fort is one of the tallest hill-forts in Maharashtra and is widely reckoned the second-highest in the Sahyadris after Salher.

• Its silhouette is unmistakable from the plains: a broad, table-like summit plateau set beside the sheer cliff-and-pinnacle on its eastern face known locally as the Ikhara, which gives the massif its distinctive twin-crested outline and is a noted objective for rock climbers.
• From the top the Chandwad plains unfurl in every direction, and on clear post-monsoon mornings the horizon is stacked with the silhouettes of neighbouring Satmala forts.
• The fort's history is layered rather than singular.
• It changed hands among the powers that contested the northern Deccan, and its commanding height made it a natural watch-post over the trade and pilgrim routes threading the range.
• Its best-documented moment came in 1768, when Peshwa Madhavrao I defeated the forces of his uncle Raghunathrao - Raghobadada - near Dhodap, after which Raghunathrao took refuge in the fort itself during the Maratha confederacy's internal struggles.
• Today the defences survive in fragments that reward a slow walk: bastions, a Mahadarwaja gateway, rock-cut steps and cisterns that hold water through much of the year, a rock-cut cave or two that once sheltered the garrison, and stretches of stepped fortification hugging the natural cliffs.
• A small shrine and a plateau broad enough to pitch tents make the summit a favoured overnight halt for prepared, self-sufficient climbers.
• The usual base is Hatti village at the fort's foot, with Dhodambe the other common start, reached by road from Chandwad on the Mumbai–Agra highway.
• The climb is moderately demanding and takes a few hours each way through scrub, seasonal streams and rock-cut steps, with a final exposed patch that many walkers negotiate with fixed ropes.
• The pinnacle itself is a different proposition: it is a technical rock climb needing ropes and climbing gear, and is for equipped climbers only, not for trekkers.
• Go in the cooler, greener months, carry your own water and a wind layer for the exposed summit, wear proper shoes, and start early to be off the open sections before the midday heat.
• It is a place for walkers, photographers and lovers of quiet high country rather than casual sightseers.
• Eating options on the mountain itself are non-existent, so most trekkers carry packed vegetarian food - theplas, poha, khakhra, dry snacks, fruit and plenty of water.
• For a cooked meal, the small pure-vegetarian and Jain-friendly eateries, thali kitchens and highway dhabas in Chandwad town along the Mumbai–Agra road (NH-60) serve simple thalis, bhakri and pithla, poha, misal, sabudana khichdi and hot chai; ask for the pure-veg or Jain option and confirm the kitchen is pure-veg before ordering.
• Many Nashik-bound travellers instead break their journey in Panchavati, where a wide choice of pure-vegetarian restaurants awaits.