Kohoj is a medieval military fortification located near

Palghar Palghar () is a prominent town in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, India, and a municipal council. It is strategically located within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, and since 2014, it has been the administrative capital of the Palgh ...

Palghar district Palghar District (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːlɡʱəɾ is a Districts of Maharashtra, district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. The headquarters of the district is the town of Palghar. Other major cities in the ...

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.

Location

Kohoj is located about 104 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 ...

off the Mumbai -

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Highway. Upon reaching Manor you have to take a right turn under a newly built flyover and take the Manor - Wada road. It is approximately around 10 km from the right turn. A few minutes drive on this road and one can see the Kohoj fort on your right. At the bottom of the fort is a lake known as 'Pazhar'.

History

The fort is said to be about 800 years old and finds a mention in the Purandar treaty along with 22 other forts which were surrendered by Shivaji Maharaj to 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 ...

on 11 June 1665. It was also an important fort for keeping a look on the nearby coast and thus to keep the territory safe and secure.

Architecture

Kohoj Fort is in a dilapidated state and has remained abandoned for centuries. Kohoj has a moderately difficult gradient and it takes about two and a half hours to reach the main

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...

from Vaghote village which is situated at the base of the fort. Access to Kohoj Fort is via the main trek trail at which breaks from the Kohoj Fort road near the Saltwater lake on the Wada-Manor road. On reaching the plateau of the fort, a temple of Lord Shankar can be seen, which has now been rehabilitated. There were ten rock cut cisterns on the fort https://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Thane/places_k.html Two cisterns can be seen in front of the temple. One of the routes descends from the left side of the temple, where seven adjoined cisterns are located. One of the cisterns bears clean water. The other two cisterns have been spoiled, the remaining four being clogged. Few remnants in dilapidated state can be seen to the right of the temple. Fortification is also seen at some of the places on the fort. The other way stretches from the right side of the temple up the hill. Three large cisterns can be seen on this route, one of which is clogged and the other two contain water. This water can be used for drinking. An idol of Lord Hanumana can be seen near these cisterns. A man-shaped pinnacle created due to wind-erosion is one of the best natural sites on the fort. Different shapes of this pinnacle are evident when viewed from various directions. A temple of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

is situated ahead along this route. To reach the highest point it takes another 10–15 minutes. The height of the fort is about 3200 feet. From the top of the fort are seen Tandulwadi fort,

Takmak fort Takmak Fort is located in Palghar taluka of Palghar district in Maharashtra. The fort is situated on a north-south hill spur ending in a steep rise. The fort is in a ruined state with few remains of fortification. This is a fort located from the ...

, Asheri fort, Mahalaxmi pinnacle and the Arabian sea. There is no accommodation on the fort. The temple of Lord Shiva can hardly accommodate two persons at a time.

Gallery

File:kohoj1.jpg, Pinnacles on fort File:kohoj2.jpg, Forest on the way to fort File:kohoj3.jpg, Shiva temple File:kohoj4.jpg, Trek path File:kohoj5.jpg, Entrance to top fort File:kohoj6.jpg, Rockcut water cistern

References

{{MarathaEmpire Forts in Maharashtra Palghar district Forts in Palghar district Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire 16th-century forts in India Tourist attractions in Palghar district Former populated places in India Hiking trails in India