Overview:
| Type: | Hill Fort |
| Location: | 8 km south of the Roha town on Roha-Bhalgaon-Murud road. |
| District: | Raigad |
Avchitgad Fort and Ghosalgad Fort are located close to the city of Roha. Ghosalgad Fort is located 8 km south of the Roha town on Roha-Bhalgaon-Murud road. This fort is in form of a narrow strip 20mt in width. This fort has a small hill with a narrow spur guarded by fortification. This fort served to keep watch on the enemy and the trade route from Maval to the sea ports around
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj caught this fort and renamed it as “Veergad”. Shivaji Maharaj captured 12 forts under his rule of which Ghosalgad was one of them. Along these lines one can get the value of this fort.
History:
It is not known about who built this fort. In the 16th century this fort was under the control of Adilshah of Bijapur. King Shivaji won this fort in 1648. In 1659, Siddhi attempted to catch Ghosalgad, however when he heard the news of Afzal Khan’s death by Shivaji Maharaj, he withdrew his armed force. Later this fort was under the supervision of Siddhi, Angre, and Marathas. Finally Col. Prother captured this fort in 1818.
Places to Visit on Fort:
From Ghosale village one can see the fortification. Once we enter the fort, on the left side, there is a water cistern. Near the water cistern, there is a Chor Darwaja (a secret doorway) which can be used to descend the fortification. From the fortification, before entering the fort, one can view the ruins of the main entrance. There are Sharabh carvings on two stones. Once we reach the top, we directly go the Machi of Ghosalgad (The English word for ‘Machi’ is ‘Summit’ or ‘a plateau kind’. This Machi still has an intact Bastion. At the end point of the Bastion one gets a breath taking view of the castle.
The main path to reach the fort is from the back side. On the left side there are Water Cisterns. The water in these cisterns can be used for drinking purpose. From this side it is possible to go around the fort. On this route towards the right, there is a water Cistern. Keeping the fortification on the left, one moves towards the caves. From here, one has to go further down towards the valley to view water cistern. There is a cannon at the backside of the fort. From the fort, one can get a panoramic view of the whole area.
How to reach:
From Mumbai, reach Roha. Route is Roha-Bhalgaon-Murud. On this route, Ghosale which is the base village is 10 kms from Roha.
Related Video (Ghosalgad Fort):
Best time to visit:
Any time you can visit the Ghosalgad fort.
