Overview:
| Type: | Hill Fort |
| Location: | It lies about 53 kilometres west of Pune, 26 kilometres south of Lonavla and 11 kilometres east of Pali in Raigad District. |
| District: | Raigad |
Sudhagad is one of the ancient forts in Sahyadri. It was the glory of Bhor state. Initially, Sudhagad was called as ‘Bhorapgad’. During empire of Shivaji Maharaj this fort was named as Sudhagad.
Sudhagad / Bhorapgad is a hill fort situated in Maharashtra, India. It lies about 53 kilometres (33 mi) west of Pune, 26 kilometres (16 mi) south of Lonavla and 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) east of Pali in Raigad District. The summit is 620 metres (2,030 ft) above sea level.[1] Recently the entire area around the fort is declared as Sudhagad Wildlife Sanctuary.
Sudhagad is a huge fort. It is called as the replica of Raigad.
History:
The origin of this fort is said to date back to the 2nd century B.C the same age as the Thanale Caves and Khadsamble caves nearby. It was then called Bhorapgad (after its presiding deity, Bhoraidevi). In 1436, it was captured by the Bahamani Sultan. In 1657, the Marathas took over and renamed it “Sudhagad”(the sweet one). It was a large fort and Sudhagad was considered by chatrapati Shivaji maharaj as the capital of his kingdom. He surveyed it, but instead chose Raigad because of its central location.
In the regime of the Peshwas, the ‘Pant sachivas’ of Bhor became the custodians of this fort. After the annexation of princely states in 1950 the fort became patron less. As a result, the fort is in a state of ruins, even though it escaped the wrath of the British.
The first fort has several ruins of two temples dedicated to Shiva. However, the temple of Bhoraidevi (its patron goddess) is well maintained temple. On the large plateau at the summit, there are two lakes, a house, a big granary, some tombs, a shrine (Vrindavan) and numerous other ruins, scattered around the fort area. There are three main gates the largest of which is called the Maha Darwaja. From the top, other forts like Sarasgad, Korigad, Dhangad, Taila-Baila are clearly visible.
Places to see:
Any time you can visit Sudhagad, but care should be taken in rainy season., Sudhagad is a popular trekking destination as it is one of the better preserved forts in Maharashtra. It takes about 1–2 hours to reach the top of the fort. The trekking route from village Thakurwadi is most popular and regularly used. There are no water cisterns on the way. The night halt at the fort in any season can be made at Pantsachiv wada and Bhorai mata Mandir. There are two water ponds on the fort. On the slopes of the fort there are trees of pandhri which are used to make a popular walking stick.
How to reach:
Pune to Sudhagad by Bus
From the Pune there are ST (State Transport) buses or local transports are available to Pali, Distance between Pune to Pali is 111 kilometers. Then you can go to Pachchapur, which is 12 kilometers from Pali, then you can walk from Pachhapur to Thakurwadi, where as Pali to Thakurwadi is 13 kilometers.
From Thakurwadi, one had to ascend by ladder, this route is not only exhaustive, but also slippery, from Pachhapur takes 2 hrs to reach the fort, this way directly go to Pachhapur Darwaja.
Pune to Sudhagad By Train
There are no trains available.
Pune to Sudhagad By Road
Route of Pune to Sudhagad Fort
Shivajinagar – Chinchwad – Dehu Road – Lonavala – Khopoli – Pali – Pachchapur – Sudhagad.
Way from Mumbai to Sudhagad Fort
Mumbai to Sudhagad by Bus
From the Mumbai there are ST (State Transport) buses or local transports are available to Pali, Distance between Pune to Pali is 98 kilometers. Then you can go to Pachchapur, which is 12 kilometers from Pali, then you can walk from Pachhapur to Thakurwadi, where as Pali to Thakurwadi is 13 kilometers.
From Thakurwadi, one had to ascend by ladder, this route is not only exhaustive, but also slippery, from Pachhapur takes 2 hrs to reach the fort, this way directly go to Pachhapur Darwaja.
Mumbai to Sudhagad By Train
There are no trains available.
Mumbai to Sudhagad By Road
Route of Mumbai to Sudhagad fort
Mumbai – Khopoli – Pali – Pachchpur – Thakurwadi – Sudhagad fort.
Related Video (Sudhagad Fort):
Best time to visit:
Best time to visit is between Monsoon to Winter.
