Sudhagad – Pali Taluka
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Sudhagad / Bhorapgad is a
hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...
situated in
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 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 ...
. It lies about west of
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 ...
, south of Lonavla and east of
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
in
Raigad District Raigad district (), previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The headquarters of the district is Alibag. Other major cities in the district are Panvel, Karjat, Navi Mumbai, Khopoli, Sh ...
. The summit is above sea level. The entire area around the fort is declared a Sudhagad
wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...
.


History

The origin of this fort is said to date back to the 2nd century B.C., the same age as the Thanale Caves and Khadsamble caves nearby. It was then called Bhorapgad (after its presiding deity, Bhoraidevi). In 1436, it was captured by the Bahamani Sultan. In 1657, the Marathas took over and renamed it "Sudhagad"(''the sweet one''). It was a large fort and Sudhagad was considered by
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit used to denote a king. The word "Chhatrapati" is a Sanskrit language compound word of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''Pati (title), pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). T ...
as the capital of his kingdom. He surveyed it, but instead chose Raigad because of its central location. In the regime of the Peshwas, the ‘Pantsachivas’ of Bhor became the custodians of this fort. After the annexation of princely states in 1950 the fort became patron less. As a result, the fort is in a state of ruins, even though it escaped the wrath of the British.


Major Features

The first fort has several ruins of two temples dedicated to
Lord Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as ''The Destroyer' ...
. However, the temple of Bhoraidevi (its patron goddess) is well maintained temple. On the large plateau at the summit, there are two lakes, a house, a big granary, some tombs, a shrine (Vrindavan) and numerous other ruins, scattered around the fort area. There are three main gates the largest of which is called the Maha Darwaja. From the top, other forts like Sarasgad, Korigad, Ghangad, Taila-Baila are clearly visible.


Current use

Sudhagad is a popular trekking destination as it is one of the better preserved forts in Maharashtra. It takes about 1–2 hours to reach the top of the fort. The trekking route from village Thakurwadi is most popular and regularly used. There are no water cisterns on the way. The night halt at the fort in any season can be made at Pantsachiv wada and Bhorai mata Mandir. There are two water ponds on the fort. On the slopes of the fort there are trees of pandhri which are used to make a popular walking stick.


Gallery

File:Sudhagad entrance 2.jpg, Entrance of Sudhagad File:Sudhagad 1.jpg, Shiva Temple on the fort File:Sudhagad 2.jpg, PantsachivWada in Rains File:Sudhagad 3.jpg, forest around the fort File:Sudhagad 4.jpg, Bhoraidevi temple File:Sudhagad entrance.jpg, Entrance of Sudhagad as seen from the higher ramparts of the fort File:Chor vaat sudhagad.jpg, Secret escape route, Sudhagad fort File:Sudhagad gates.jpg, Sudhagad main entrance


References

* A rendezvous with Sahyadri by Harshal Mahajan * 'Sudgagad Darshan', written by Mr. Suresh Potdar


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 ...
*
List of forts in India This is a list of forts in India. Andhra Pradesh Coastal Region * Anvika Fort * Addanki Fort - Prakasam district * Bellamkonda Fort - Guntur district * Bobbili Fort – Vizianagaram district * Dharanikota Fort – Guntur district * Du ...
*
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 ...
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