Ambenali Ghat is a mountain road in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

cutting across the Northern Western Ghats or the Sahyadri mountain range. It connects the coastal

Raigad District Raigad district (), previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The headquarters of the district is Alibag. Other major cities in the district are Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Sh ...

Konkan The Konkan is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, bound by the river Daman Ganga at Damaon in the north, to Anjediva Island next to Karwar town in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau to the eas ...

region of

with the Satara District Desh region on the Deccan plateau. It is one of few link roads between the Konkan and Ghatmaatha in Maharashtra. The road, state highway 72, is at an average elevation of . The ghat, or mountain road, is about long. Its characteristic feature is that it takes many turns without gaining/losing much height. It links the cities of Poladpur (Raigad district) and Mahabaleshwar (Satara district). It ends in

Poladpur Poladpur is a census town in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Etymology Poladpur is a town named after Poladjung, one of the knights in the army of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. He was beaten and buried at Poladpur during the ...

. The road ascends/descends around from Mahabaleshwar to Poladpur. It is the longest ghat in Maharashtra.This ghat travels through the Javali forest area. Many animals like leopards are seen here. This 40 km long ghat is known for its deadly road, where many accidents take place. It is very scenic and its picturesque landscape makes it an ideal location for tourists who flock around the ghat in crowds but it's known for being closed during the monsoon season sometimes due to "safety issues".

History

In the olden times the ghat road was protected by the

Pratapgad Pratapgad is a mountain fort located in Satara district, in the Western Indian state of Maharashtra. The fort is situated 24 kilometres from the Mahabaleshwar hill station. The fort is now a popular tourist destination. The fort's historical ...

, and Kamalgad forts. The famous battle between

Afzal Khan (general) Afzal Khan (died 20 November 1659) was a general of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur Sultanate of in Deccan Plateau, Deccan India. He played an important role in the southern expansion of the Bijapur Sultanate by subjugating the Nayaka dynast ...

and

Shivaji Maharaj Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

was fought at the base of the pratapgad fort. This ghat is dangerous and one must drive cautiously as many accidents have happened in this ghat. It starts near the Bombay point, descends 500 metres and goes near Pratapgad fort. It descends 500 meters from Pratapgad and enters the Konkan region near Payatewadi, meeting Mumbai-Goa road. {{Mountain passes of India Mountain passes of the Western Ghats Mountain passes of Maharashtra