Pisol

Start your trek at the base temple (look for vermillion stones!). 10 mins in, you'll pass two rock-carved water tanks and a saffron flag on the left. Head back to the unpaved road for a 45-minute ascent to the first (ruined) fort entrance. **Key Feature:** The 4-layered parallel fortification wall offers strong defense. A bastion remains standing to the left of the first entrance. Continue to the upper side: * **Second Doorway:** Also in ruins. * **Third Doorway:** Found by making a U-turn from the fortified wall on the right. * **Right Edge Caves:** Two rock-carved caves here; one is suitable for an overnight stay, the other has water. A path leads from here toward **Dermal Fort**.Return to the third doorway and move left: * **Deep Caves:** Find three more very deep, bat-infested caves (one has water).Continue the ascent past a U-turn path to the **Fourth Doorway** (flanked by two bastions). * **Left Edge Caves:** Three caves with potable water. Spot the **Nandi sculpture** in front of the middle cave. The **Shiva Linga** is underwater.Another 5 minutes of ascent through the cleft brings you to the **Summit**. The fort is surrounded by a plateau on three sides. **Summit Highlights (Move Left):** * **Water Tanks:** Two rock-carved tanks (after 4-5 steps). * **Mansion Remnants:** An arched wall (upper right) of a past mansion features lotus carvings. The interior is dense with shrubs. * **Masjid/Mosque:** To the left of the mansion; houses a difficult-to-identify stone idol. A path behind the mosque leads to the fort edge, where you'll find remnants of ancient houses, mansions, and water tanks.**Descent/Opposite Entrance:** Descend past idols of **Lord Ganesh and Hanuman**. Opposite the main fort entrance, there's a separate cleft with ruined fortification walls and a doorway (unusable route). **Right Plateau Walk (3 hours total to visit):** Walk toward the plateau on the right (group of trees). You'll pass a large dried-up pond. Look for carved stones and a **Shiv Ling**. * **Shrine:** On the pond's edge, featuring carvings of two peacocks, lotus, and a shiv linga. * **End Point (5 mins):** Reach the end bastion with a watch-keeping window.**Defense Cleft:** A huge, man-made gap between the fort and the opposite hill was created to prohibit enemy attacks. Platforms and potholes for watch-keepers are visible on the opposite hill. **Views:** Clearly see **Mangi-Tungi** and **Dermal’s Bhairavkada** from here.