Bhaskargad Fort, alternatively known as Basgad Fort, is a hill fort situated within the Nashik district of Maharashtra, India. Part of the Trimbak hill range, it lies in proximity to Harihar Fort. Located approximately 48 kilometers away from Igatpuri, Bhaskargad Fort is recognized as a favored site for activities such as trekking and hiking."

History

This fort was built during the period of

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

(kshtriya) of

Deogiri Daulatabad Fort, originally Deogiri Fort, is a historic fortified citadel located in Daulatabad village near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India. It was the capital of the Yadavas (9th century – 14th century CE), for a brief time the capital of ...

in the 13th century. It was under the control of Yadavas from 1279 to 1308. It was later under the control of the

Bahamani Sultanate The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval Persianate kingdom that ruled the Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellion o ...

followed by Nizamshahi of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...

, and the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. In 1629,

Shahaji Shahaji Bhonsale (; 18 March 1594 – 23 January 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle dynas ...

Raje revolted against the Mohammed Adil Shah of

Bijapur Bijapur (officially Vijayapura) is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importa ...

and the fort was captured by him. This fort was again captured by Adil Shah after the surrender of Shahaji at Mahuli Fort. The fort was under

in 1633. in 1670 the chieftain of King

Shivaji 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 ...

, Moropant Pingale, won the fort from Moghuls. In 1688 the fort was again captured by Moghuls. The

Koli Koli may refer to: People * Koli people, Indian caste group * Koli Christians, a Christian subgroup * Muslim Kolis, Muslim community * Koli (surname), Indian surname * Koli Sewabu (born 1975), Fijian rugby union footballer Places * Koli, Fin ...

tribal revolted in 1730 and captured the fort. The fort was under the control of

Peshwas The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave ...

until 1818 when Captain Briggs of the East India Company captured it.

Location

There are two routes to reach the base village of Dahalepada. One route is from Khodala and the other from

Igatpuri Igatpuri ( ɡət̪puɾiː formerly known as Egutpoora) is a town and a Hill Station. It is also a municipal council in Nashik District in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Western Ghats and served by Igatpuri railway station ...

. The nearest town is Igatpuri, which is 48 km from

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

and 121 km from

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. There are hotels at both Igatpuri and Ghoti. The trekking path starts from the hillock south of Dahalepada. The route is very safe and wide. The trekking route passes through the scrub forest until it reaches an open ridge that is connected to the fort. It takes about an hour to reach the scarp of the hill on which the fort is situated. The route then takes a long traverse behind the hillock. There are many overhangs on the scarp. The traverse is very safe and passes through Karvi shrubs until it reaches the rock-cut steps. The climb on the steps is very easy. The parent rock is cut in a helical shape, and the steps are carved out of it. Half of the path is now covered with boulders and stones. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the top of the fort. Night stay on the fort is not possible since there is no water and no accommodation facility. It is advised to carry enough water for this trek since there is no water on the route or on the fort.

Architectural Features

There is one main gate on the main entrance path of the fort. The main entrance gate and the rock-hewn steps are carved from the same rock. There is a rock-hewn water cistern on the fort. There is a crude idol of Veer Maruti on the fort. It takes about thirty minutes to visit all places on the fort.

Gallery

File:Bhaskargad4.jpg, Main entrance gate File:Bhaskargad2.jpg, Rock cut steps File:Bhaskargad3.jpg, Veer maruti

References

{{MarathaEmpire Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire Forts in Nashik district 16th-century forts in India

History

Location

Architectural Features

Gallery

See also

References