Padargad is a small
fort
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
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 the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is located approximately from both Mumbai and Pune
...
in the
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 ...
n
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
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 ...
. 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 guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are b ...
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 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
Karjat (Pronunciation: əɾd͡zət̪ is a city administered under a Municipal Council in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. It forms a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is located approximately from both Mumbai and Pune
...
. Karjat is well connected by road and railway 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 ...
and
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 ...
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.
See also
*
List of forts in Maharashtra
The Forts of Maharashtra are often referred to as ''Green Canyon of India''.
This is a list of forts in Maharashtra, a state of India.(District)
* Harshal Fort (Nashik district, Nashik)
* Agashi Fort
* Ahmednagar Fort
* Mandar Fort
* Ajinky ...
*
Marathi People
The Marathi people (; Marathi language, Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They ...
*
List of Maratha dynasties and states
This is a list of Maratha dynasties and Maratha princely states in the Indian subcontinent.
Maratha States
The Maratha Salute state and Head of State by precedence
* Baroda, title Maharaja Gaikwad, Hereditary salute of 21-guns
* Gwalior, tit ...
*
Maratha War of Independence
The Deccan wars were a series of military conflicts between the Mughal Empire and the descendants of the Maratha ruler Shivaji from the time of Shivaji's death in 1680 until the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. Shivaji was a central figur ...
*
Battles involving the Maratha Empire
This is a list of the battles involving the Maratha Confederacy, and earlier the Maratha Rebellion under Shivaji till its dissolution in 1818.
References
Sources
*
Further reading
* "The Anglo-Maratha Campaigns and the Contest for India ...
*
Maratha Army
The Maratha Army was the land-based armed forces of the Maratha Confederacy, which existed from the late 17th to the early 19th centuries in the Indian subcontinent.
17th century
Shivaji, The great the founder of Maratha Kingdom, raised a small ...
*
Maratha titles
The following list includes a brief about the titles of nobility or orders of chivalry used by the Marathas of India and by the Marathis/ Konkanis in general.
Titles used by the Maratha Royals
The titles used by royalty, aristocracy and nobil ...
*
Military history of India
The predecessors to the contemporary Army of India were many: the sepoy regiments, native cavalry, irregular horse and Indian sapper and miner companies raised by the three British presidencies. The Army of India was raised under the British ...
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