Padargad is a small

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

used for vigilance in the past. is situated to the east of

Karjat Karjat (Pronunciation: əɾd͡zət̪ is a city administered under a Municipal Council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is served by Karjat railway station. Karjat forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Karj ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

of Maharashtra. It is on the Bhimashanker trek route in the Karjat area, because of its height and difficult climbing, it is not visited by most of the trekkers.

History

Little history is known about the fort. The locals say that it is not a fort but a sort of lighthouse from where the directions were given to know the advancements of the enemy through the Ganapati Ghat road. It can be called a

watch tower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is t ...

to keep a vigil on the Mawal area in the greater province of the Maratha. Records say that this fort along with Tungi fort was constructed by

Aurangjeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

while capturing the

Kothaligad Kothaligad (also called Kotligad/ Kothligad/Peth) is a small fort (3100 ft) situated to the east of Karjat near Karjat-Murbad Road in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a famous trek in the Karjat area, because of its small height and ...

Fort.

How to reach

The base village is Khandas which is 31 km from

. Karjat is well connected by road and railway from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

and

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

Trekking path

The starting point for the trek is Khandas village. The path to the Ganpati ghat leads to the small hamlet Padarwadi. From Padarwadi a narrow path to the south leads to the pinnacle of Padargad. The climb is somewhat difficult and only professional trekkers with proper equipment attempt the climb. The narrow climbing path to the top of the fort is locally called chimney.

Places to visit

There is a large cave and few dried up water cut cisterns on the fort. The narrow pinnacle is called Kalavantins pinnacle.

References

{{MarathaEmpire Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire Forts in Raigad district 16th-century forts in India Caves of Maharashtra Tourist attractions in Raigad district

History

How to reach

Trekking path

Places to visit

See also

References