Surgad (lit. “Gods Fort”), is a hill

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 ...

located in a spur, fragmented from the Sahyadri ranges 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 fort is situated near

Roha Roha () is a town and subdistrict/upazila/tehsil in the Raigad district of Maharashtra state in India, 120 km southeast of Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the ...

, next to the village of Vaijanath in the

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 ...

. This fort was an observation fort, which guarded the trade route along the Kundalika river from

Sudhagad Sudhagad / Bhorapgad is a hill fort situated in Maharashtra, India. It lies about west of Pune, south of Lonavla and east of Pali in Raigad District. The summit is above sea level. The entire area around the fort is declared a Sudhagad wi ...

to Revdanda fort.

History

This fort is believed to be built by Shilahar kings and subsequently used by the 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 ...

. The great Maratha king Chhatrapati

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 ...

is also believed to have reconstructed this fort. During Rajaram's regime this fort was captured by Shankarji Narayan Sachiv from the

Siddi The Siddi (), also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, are an ethno-religious group living mostly in Pakistan. Some Siddis also live in India. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa, most ...

of Janjira. In 1733 again this fort was captured by Senior

Bajirao I Bajirao I (né Visaji, ; 18 August 1700 – 28 April 1740) was the 7th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed Peshwa at the age of nineteen by Shahu I, following the death of his father, Balaji Vishwanath. He is credited with establis ...

. During Peshwa period this fort was used to keep prisoners. There is a block of stone with inscriptions in Farsi (Persian) and Devnagari. The inscription records that the fort was built in the beginning of the second year of the command of Sidhi saheb. The architect was Nuryaji and the Governor of the fort was Tukoji Haibat. It seems that the fort was built at times when use of artillery was not known in battle. In the

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...

, along with other forts in the neighboring region.this fort was won over by Colonel Prother from the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

s in February 1818.

Places to visit

The fort is like a small spur running south from the main hill range. There are 17 rock cut cisterns on the fort. However, the water from the cistern which is on the North-Eastern side is potable. A small temple of the Veer Maruti is also situated atop. The main gate is not in good condition. There is one cannon on the plateau at the base of the fort. There are two good bastions, one at the northern end and the other at the southern end. There are two dilapidated buildings on the fort namely Sadar and daru-kothar. There is a temple of Ansai Devi near the base of the fort. There is a dense

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

and Dhawda forest around the entire fort.

Gallery

File:SurgadEntrance gate1.jpg, Entrance gate File:Surgad2.jpg, Cannon near the fort File:Surgad3.jpg, Rock cut cistern File:Surgad5.jpg, Temple on the fort File:Surgad western slope6.jpg, Surgad western slope File:Surgad water cisterns.jpg, Rock cut water cisterns on the fort File:Kundalika river from the fort.jpg, Kundalika river from the fort

References

{{Maratha Empire Forts in Raigad district 16th-century forts in India Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire Monuments of National Importance in Maharashtra

History

Places to visit

See also

Gallery

References