Tung is the steep little cone you see sticking up out of Pawna Lake, and it’s the best short climb near Lonavala if you want a big view for an hour’s work. The locals call it Kathingad, “the difficult fort”. It isn’t long, but it is steep, with a narrow path along the edge. Go on a clear winter morning and you get water on three sides and four forts on the horizon.
Why Tung matters
Tung was built before 1600 and later taken by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It’s a small fort, never meant to hold more than about 200 troops. Its job was to watch the Pawna valley and give the big forts nearby, Lohagad and Visapur, time to prepare if an army came through. Since the Pawna dam was built, the lake has wrapped around it on three sides, which is why it looks so dramatic today.
How to reach Tung
- By road from Lonavala: about 24 km via Bhushi Dam and Peth Shahpur to Tungwadi. The road is rough in stretches.
- From Pune: about 67 km. From Mumbai: about 121 km.
- By boat: a local ferry crosses Pawna Lake to Tungi, the village at the foot of the fort.
- Parking: most people park near the Hanuman temple in the village.
The climb
From Tungwadi it’s a climb of about 300 m and takes about an hour at an easy pace. You start on rocky steps and gain height fast. Higher up, the path runs along the edge of the hill, which is where the “difficult” in Kathingad comes from. The top is a short walk on from there, with the flag at the summit.
What to see on Tung
- The view. Pawna Lake below you on three sides, with Tikona, Lohagad, Visapur and Korigad all in sight.
- A rock-cut water cistern reached by a rocky staircase.
- The ramparts and bastions of a small fort that doesn’t take long to see.
My tips
- Go early on a clear day. The whole point is the view, and haze kills it by midday.
- Take the edge path slowly, especially when it’s wet, and keep children close.
- Wear shoes with grip. Sandals are a bad idea here.
- Carry water. There’s nothing on top.
Places near Tung
- Tikona Fort, the triangular fort across Pawna Lake.
- Korigad Fort, south towards Aamby Valley.
- Lohagad Fort and Visapur Fort, the twin forts above Malavli.
- All of them in my list of forts near Pune.
