Prabalgad Fort

Overview:

Located in the mountain ranges of Sahyadris, the Prabalgad Fort is an offbeat trekking experience, near from both Matheran and Panvel. Situated in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, the fort is built on the height of 2300ft above sea level on a plateau.

Prabalgad consists of a sister fort which is named Irshalgad Fort. It is situated in the vicinity of the main fort and is comparatively smaller in area. However there are numerous water reservoirs that were cut from rock.

History:

The Prabalgad Fort was built by the Bahmani Sultanate to keep an eye on the Panvel Fort and the Kalyan Fort in the North Konkan area. Around 1458 A.D, “Malik Ahmad” the prime minister of the kingdom of Ahmednagar, took over the fort during his conquest of Konkan. After disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate, the fort remained with the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.

During the collapse of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Shahaji led a helping hand against the separate forces of the Mughal Empire and the Adil Shahi dynasty. After the collapse of the Sultanate, he moved to Muranjan along with his wife Jijabai and son Shivaji for a brief period of time.

However, following Shahaji’s defeat and the agreement of Mahuli, North Konkan along with the fort, was ceded to Mughals who granted ruling authority of the area to Adilshah of Bijapur.

In the 1657 AD, the great Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj won this region with a great battle with the Mughals and took over this fort. At the time of the attack the fort was governed by Kesar Singh, a Mughal sardar, and was the only fort to put up a strong resistance. On seeing the signs of defeat the women in the fort performed Jauhar, a tradition of self-immolation to ensure an honorable and respectful death. Kesar Singh died during the battle in October 1657, Shivaji in an act of kindness allowed Kesar Singh’s mother and her grandchild a safe passage out.

Soon after the decline of the Maratha Kingdom and the advent of British rule made many Indian to revolt against the British. As such one of the first men who protested against the British was Umaji Naik Khomane. He is belied to occupy this palace and was residing here mostly as a hideout place from 1826 AD to 1832 AD.

Places to Visit on Fort:

This fort is built of granite stones cut from the same hills. The bonding materials used here is the commonly used lime stone. It has got thick and strong walls, which are still not weathered off. The fort contains a temple to Ganesh and some stone ruins. On the inner part, there are many small and medium complexes found here. It does have watch towers on its top.
From the top of the fort one can see Peb, Chanderi, Karnala and Irshalgad forts. The City of Mumbai is also visible and catching a bird’s eye view of the surrounding makes one wonder how people must have built such a marvelous structure with simple tools.

How to reach:

Air: The nearest airport is situated at Mumbai at a distance of about 50 km. Taxis are available at the airport and these are the easiest way to reach the city of Prabalgad.

Rail: Panvel is well connected to Navi Mumbai and Mumbai by road and rail. The transport system to the place is excellent. Buses, local trains and taxis are the main ways to reach Prabalgad from Panvel.

Road: State transport buses are available to most of the nearby places and there are two major bus stands that are present in the city of Panvel. Mumbai, Pune and Navi Mumbai have well linked bus services from Panvel. From Panvel, you can take a taxi to Prabalgad.

Related Video (Prabalgad Fort):

Best time to visit:

October to May is the best time to visit this place as the weather is very pleasant and the time is ideal for trekking. You might want to avoid trekking in monsoons as the steps can be very slippery and trekking can be dangerous in this season.