Markandya Fort/Markinda Fort/ Markanda fort (, , transliteration: ''Markandeya Qilа̄'') is a fort located 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 ...

Nashik district Nashik district,(Marathi: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ɑɕɪk formerly known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the administrative headquarters of the district. Nashik is well known for the production of win ...

, of

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 ...

. The base village is Mulane on the Wani-

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 ...

Link Road. The nearest town is Wani, which is 5.5 km from Mulane village. This fort is opposite the holy

Saptashringi Saptashrungi or Saptashringi (Marathi: सप्तशृङ्गि, ) is a site of Hindu pilgrimage situated from Nashik in Indian state of Maharashtra. According to Hindu traditions, the goddess Saptashrungi Nivasini dwells within the seve ...

hill..

History

It is believed that the holy Hindu sage

Markandeya Markandeya () is a rishi (sage) featured in Hindu literature. He is the son of the sage Mrikanda and his wife, Manasvini. The Markandeya Purana (one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas in Hinduism), attributed to the sage, comprises a dialogue ...

lived on the fort and punished the Bhimasur and other demons who were attacking Bhramin priests. The

Rashtrakuta The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing their rule from Manapu ...

s issued various grants to the place called Mayur Khndi. This fort served as an outpost. In 1639 the Mughal commander Aliwardikhan won the fort along with the neighbouring forts. In the first week of October 1670

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 ...

while retreating from Surat after the loot was intercepted by the Moghul forces led by Daudkhan near Kanchan-Manchana forts. The Moghuls suffered a sizeable loss in the battle. On 25 October 1670 Moropant Pingale moved to the Nashik region and captured Aundha fort,

Trymbakgad Trymbakgad Fort/Brahmagiri Fort ( ) is a fort located 30 km from Nashik, in Nashik district, of Maharashtra, India. This is an important fort in Nashik district. It is located on a hill adjoining the famous Trimbakeshwar temple. History ...

fort,

Patta Fort Patta Fort, or Patta Killa, also known as Vishramgad, is a fort situated between Nasik and Ahmadnagar in Maharashtra, India. The Indian ruler Chatrapati Shivaji I Maharaj once visited and rested there. The residents of Patta Killa are known a ...

, Ravlya, Jawlya and Markandya. After the death of Shivaji Maharaj the fort was again captured by the Moghuls.The Peshwas kept a garrison on the hill. The fort was captured by Captain Briggs of East India company in 1818.

How to reach

The base village of the fort is Mulane. There are good hotels at Wani, now tea and snacks are also available in small hotels on the highway. The trekking path starts from the Mulanbari Gorge (Khind) joining the Markandeya hill and the Rawlya-Jawlya hill which is located north of the base village. The route is very safe and wide. There are no trees on the trekking route. It takes about an hour to reach the hillock of the fort. The night stay on the fort can be made in the temples.

Places to see

The fort comprises a table land and a hill top. There is a small pond called Kotithirth where Hindu pilgrims take a dip on

Somvati Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conjun ...

. There is also a water pond called Kamandaluthirth. There are two underground granaries near this pond. There are few building structures on the fort which are now in ruined state except for a temple which is in good condition. There is a temple of Markandeya on the top of the hill.

References

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

History

How to reach

Places to see

See also

References