Pratapgad Fort, Satara, Maharashtra
We often read the history of Shivaji Maharaj’s feats and achievements at Pratapgad or listen to the stories from historians. The songs and historical ballads of his bravery still gives us goose bumps. The stories of his adventures still remind and rewind us to history.
Pratapgad is a hill fort in Satara district. It is built in the dense forests of the Jawali valley in the Sahyadri range. Dense forests and the plateau of Mahabaleshwar lie on the east side of Pratapgad and the “Paar” ghat and Konkan on the west. Pratapgad is situated in the vicinity of Mahabaleshwar-Poladpur road, around 21 KM from Mahabaleshwar. State highway 72 leads us to Pratapgad. This fort has been built on the mount between in Paar and Kineshwar villages. The fort is not much difficult to climb, and one can take their vehicle till the base. A state transport bus from Mahabaleshwar to Poladpur drops us at Kumbharoshi near Wada village from where one can move towards Pratapgad. If you have your own vehicle, you can reach up to the base of the fort. There are parking and other arrangements there. The Paar and Kumbharoshi villages have pathways to lead to the fort and there are other secret paths apart from these too.
| Location |
Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar Road, Dist. Satara, Maharashtra. |
| Type of fort |
Giridurg (Hill/ Mountain Fort) |
| Height of the fort |
1084 meters above sea level |
| Other names of the fort are |
Bhorpyacha Dongar |
| Important Historical Records of Pratapgad |
Built by Shivaji Maharaj. 10th November 1659 – Battle of Pratapgad – Afzalkhan’s death. |
| Map |
Click here |
History
The mountain of Pratapgad was formerly called the mountain of bhorpe. After winning the Jawali area from Chandrarao More in 1657-58, Shivaji Maharaj had conquered some forts in the area too. Then in 1657, under the supervision of Moropant Pingale, Maharaj ordered to commence the construction work of Pratapgad. Shivaji Maharaj was very particular and specific about the construction of this fort. Protection of the river regions, and controlling the trade happening in the “ghats” was the main objective of building this fort. The construction was completed around 1656-58. Pratapgad witnessed the historical meeting between Shivajiraje and Afzal Khan on 10th November 1659 at its foot where in Afzal Khan was killed by Shivaji Maharaj. This made his name reach every nook and corner of India. Many a books and historians have given us a detailed account of Afzal Khan’s killing.
Places to Visit On The Fort :
Mahadarwaja : From the parking lot at the base of the fort, as we move towards the south a small trailway leads us towards the Mahadarwaja from the watch tower.
Following the traditions from Shivaji’s era, the Mahadarwaja closes at the sunset and is opened at sunrise. As one enters the fort from the Mahadarwaja, one can see a fortified bastion towards the right. There are steps from this bastion that lead to the “bhavani temple” on the fort.
Bhavani Devi Temple : The foremost attraction of the fort is the goddess bhavani’s temple that is built in stone right in the centre of the fort. The temple was built and the idol of goddess Bhavani was instituted in it in the year 1661 after Afzal Khan’s killing. Shivaji Maharaj ordered special shaligram stone from Nepal to carve the idol of Bhavani in it. The temple also showcases a crystal made shivalinga used in the daily rituals by Shivaji Maharaj and his chief general Hambirrao Mohite’s sword that is kept right next to the goddess’s idol. As we start walking towards the citadel from the temple, on the right hand side, we come across Lord Hanuman’s statue, which was established by Samarth Ramdas. Crossing the entrance of the citadel, we reach the Kedareshwar temple.
The Kedareshwar Temple and The Citadel (Balekilla) : As we enter the citadel, the Kedareshwar temple is right in the front. Ruins and remains of Rajmata Jijabai's palace can be seen in the citadel’s premises on the back side of the temple. A statue of Shivaji Maharaj on his horse adorns the garden area around this place. This statue is one of the main attractions on this fort. This statue marks the exact place where in the earlier times, the citadel hosted Shivaji Maharaj’s residence- his wada. This statue on Pratapgad was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The government now has a rest house near the statue of Shivaji Maharaj. There are two ponds on the northeast side of the Citadel. The river basin of Koyana amongst the valleys and nature’s bounty is a beautiful sight from here.
Watch Tower : From the base of the fort, as we move towards Mahadarwaja, a small trailway leads to the watch tower. The scenic beauty of the Jawali valley can be seen from this watch tower. A 'saffron flag' waves high on this tower and can be clearly seen from a distance too.
If you see Pratapgad from an airplane or helicopter, its shape looks like a winged butterfly. Amongst all the other forts in Maharashtra, Pratapgad can boast of a strong fortificaton that is in good condition even today. Apart from the Mahadarwaja, Pratapgad also has a secret door that has a picture of Iguana (ghorpad) on it. This door is also known as the door of “royal vigil”. The redka, yashwant and surya buruj (bastions) are located nearby. There is also a place or point on the fort from where, to serve the sentence to death, the accused convicts used to be thrown off the cliff. (kadelot). If the skies and winds are clear, one can easily see Raigad on the west and Makrandgad on the south. Winters however, block the view on the account of dense fog because of low temperature. But winter itself is the right season for fort-lovers and travellers to visit this fort. The hotels on the fort offer a culinary treat to the tourists. The famous jhunka-bhakari and other such rural delicacies are specially available here.
