Patta Fort, or Patta Killa, also known as Vishramgad, is a fort situated between

Nasik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari River, Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sit ...

and

Ahmadnagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost imp ...

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. The Indian ruler Chatrapati

Shivaji I 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 ...

Maharaj once visited and rested there. The residents of Patta Killa are known as ''Pattekar'', meaning "residents of Fort Patta". Patta Fort stands approximately above sea level.

History

The fort was located in the

Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval Persianate kingdom that ruled the Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellio ...

. In 1490, when the Bahamani Empire was divided, the fort was taken over by Nizam of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...

. In 1627, it was conquered by 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 ...

. In 1671, Moropant Pingale seized the fort, but the Mughals retook it again in 1672. In 1675, the fort was taken over by Moropant Pingale. Patta was once at the border of the Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj arrived at this fort in November 1679 after fleeing the battle at Jalnapur. The

Mughal army The army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 16th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselve ...

trapped him on three sides. Thanks to Bahirji Naik, a spy and military commander, Shivaji was able to reach Patta safely. On 11 January 1688, the fort was occupied by the Mughul army headed by Matabar Khan. He appointed Govindsingh of Bhagur as the fort's chief. Peshwas later seized the fort in 1761. In 1818, the fort was conquered by the British army.

Places to See

Patta Fort is straightforward to climb. During the full moon (

Poornima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exactl ...

), the disciples of Laxmangiri gather at these caves. The 'Ambarkhana' is a large, newly reconstructed hall which can accommodate about 200 visitors for overnight stays. A rock-cut cistern exists near Ambarkhana. With villagers' help, the forest department has developed pathways, steps, and a gazebo around the fort. Many wind turbines have been erected on the way to Pattewadi, constructed by

Enercon Enercon GmbH is a wind turbine manufacturer based in Aurich, Lower Saxony, Germany. It has been the market leader in Germany since the mid-1990s. Enercon has production facilities in Germany (Aurich, Emden and Magdeburg), Brazil, India, Canada ...

. In the ''Bhavarth Ramayana'' written by

Eknath Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: knath (1533–1599), was an Indian Hindu Vaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often vie ...

, Patta Fort and Aundha Fort are mentioned.

References

{{MarathaEmpire Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire Forts in Nashik district 16th-century forts in India