Dhodap is one of the hill forts 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 ...

state in

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 ...

. Situated in

Kalwan Kalwan is a tehsil in Kalwan subdivision of Nashik District in Maharashtra, India. Kalwan is situated 80 km from Nashik and 251 km from the state capital Mumbai. Saptashrungi Gad, a religious shrine of Goddess Saptashrungi, is situat ...

taluka in the

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 ...

district. the fort is 4829 ft (1472 mt) above sea level. It is the site of the second-highest fort in the Sahyadri mountains after

Salher Salher is a place located near Salher Village in Satana tehsil in Nashik district of Maharashtra, India.The old name of Salher was Gavalgarh. It is the site of the highest fort in the Sahyadri mountains and the second highest peak at after K ...

. Dhodap hill is the third-highest peak in

after

Kalsubai Kalsubai () is a mountain in the Western Ghats, located in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra. Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra and is located in Ahilyanagar district in Akole Taluka. Its summit, si ...

and

and the 29th highest peak in Western Ghats.

Location

The base village is called as Dhodambe from where one can start to climb the fort. The fort is 55 km to the Nashik, about 3 km from Hatti Village, 16 km from

Abhona Abhona is a village in Kalwan tehsil of Nashik district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It belongs to the North Maharashtra region. Location Abhona is located 60 km towards north from district headquarters Nashik, 12 km fr ...

in the Satmala range, Nasik region of Sahyadris. When travelling from Nashik to

Malegaon Malegaon (IAST: ''Mālegāv''; Pronunciation: alegaːʋ is a city in Nashik District of Maharashtra State in India. It is situated on the bank of the Girna river with Mosam River river flowing through middle of the city dividing it in two part ...

on highway NH-3, one can see this fort from a distance, from villages Shirwade-Wani, Khadak-Jamb, Vadali-bhoi and Sogras. One simple route is Nashik to Wadali bhoi (50 km) and Wadali bhoi to Dhodambe (8 km). This fort is also accessible from village Hanmantpada in Devla taluka (15 km) which has simple and easy access to the fort. The fort is recognizable for its typical shape.

Parts of the fort

The top of the fort was built using a combination of dressed stone and brickwork. There is a tank with an idol of Lord

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

and a tunnel 5m wide. The fort has a pointed cliff named Shembi. One can find caves at the base. One end of the fort shows a domical structure. The eastern face shows a fearsome cliff named Ikhara which is ideal for rock climbers. One temple situated in one of the caves is in good condition. A few other caves are also seen around and are quite big in size. Also the trunk of Dhodap fort is in good condition. One of the most interesting things is that there is a "cow of stone" moving inside this hill. It's heard by the peoples in the nearby villages that on every Vasubaras, this cow moves inside by the distance of four grains.

History

During his return from the second raid on Surat (1670 CE),

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a king. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''Pati (title), pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). T ...

visited this fort, presumably for keeping the treasure. A few days later, the

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

of Dindori took place between the

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

and

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

forces. The fort played an important role during the

Peshwa 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 t ...

period. Raghobadada Peshwa hatched a plot against

Madhavrao Peshwa Madhavrao I (formerly known as Madhavrao Ballal Bhat) was the second son of Peshwa Balaji Bajirao and grandson of Peshwa Bajirao I, who served as the 9th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. During his tenure, the Maratha Empire recovered from losses ...

here.

Tourism

This fort is a good site for trekkers and adventurous tourists to visit. Accommodation can be arranged at the base village with the help of local villagers. Enough drinking Water is available at the top. However, carry enough water while climbing this fort.

Routes

One can climb the fort from two routes, from the Dhodambe village side and from the

Deola Deola is a taluka of Nashik district in Maharashtra, 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 count ...

side. From

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

the route is Pune to Nashik (road/rail, 202 km) - Dhodambe (road, 40 km) - Hatti (road, 3 km).

Location

Parts of the fort

History

Tourism

Routes

See also