Every Person has some likes, interests or hobbies. I mean even the person who keeps sulking all the time - likes to sulk :-)
So, what is it that you like to do? What is your Hobby? What is your thing?
Is it Trekking? Is it Sight-Seeing? Is it Nature Photography? Do you like taking pictures of monkeys and birds and such creatures while they are out there in wild? Or is it mountains and roads and trees that appeal your camera??
Are you a biker who likes to explore new roads? Are you into Hill-Stations?
Are you a religious type, who likes to visit different temples? Are you a patriotic type, who likes to get lost in the glorious past of India? Are you a devotee of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?
Are you the romantic type, who likes to visit some picturesque location with love of his life, specially on a rainy day?
Are you into handicrafts or into shopping of those handicrafts for decorating the living room? Are you a young parent, who is keen to get your kid(s) acquainted with history of his forefathers? May be you are visiting India for only a few days and want something fast track?
Do you like to watch amazing Sunsets? Do you like to just sneak out of this hectic life every once in a while and retreat to relaxing, calm, energetic reserves of nature?
Well, Well, Well .. Enough Questions already lah~ [Singaporean slang]
If you have answered any of the above questions as YES, you gotta visit Pratapgad. It's got it all !!
Pratapgad is just 15 KMs away from Poladpur and 22 KMs from Mahabaleshwar [140 KMs from Pune]. If you are already in Mahabaleshwar and without any vehicle, there is a Pratapgad Darshan bus which runs from Mahabaleshwar.
For Trekkers, this fort stands 1080 Mt above Sea-level and village at the base is Wada-Kumbhroshi. The grade of fort can be considered simple to medium and it would be around 2 hours of climb till the Entrance of the fort. Here's a picture of Pratapgad, as it is seen from Wada-Kumbhroshi.
Those who don't want to trek - no worries at all. There is a asphalt road which takes you right till the Entrance of the Fort.
If you are a biker, who likes to swing and swirl along the roads, then the Ambenali Ghat [From Mahabaleshwar towards Pratapgad], Par Ghat [from Mahad to Par and Pratapgad] and the road to Pratapgad are just the perfect destination for you. Checkout this image of Ambenali Ghat and its curves!!
I went there in our car. On our way up from Wada-Kumbhroshi, I enjoyed seeing many monkeys, various kinds of birds including Peacocks roaming around freely along the sides of the road. The forest cover in this area is home to many amazing creatures, big and small and if you like watching or photographing them, you are in for a treat.
Too bad that I started from Satara only in the afternoon and so did not stop on the way for taking too many photographs myself.
Remember the Hindi song - "Waadiyan mera daaman, raastein meri baahen, jaao mere siwa, tum kaha jaoge" You can experience the same romantic appeal in these mountains and valleys of Pratapgad. It's mesmerising - and if you are visiting Pratapgad in the monsoon season, it's mystic and magical!! You get to be in the clouds almost all the time.
So, did you spot the Handicraft center? Well, I got some Leaf Paintings and a brass vintage car from here, as souveneirs for my friends in Singapore. Hand-Crafted wooden toys and statues, brass and bronze crafts, designer stuff made from Shells, etc there is a lot more to shop in here.
Pratapgad has four places of worship. There is a Lord Hanuman Temple right at the entrance of Citadel. This temple was established by Samarth Ramdas Swami.
Then, there is the Bhavani temple built by Chh. Shivaji Maharaj himself - Shivaji's life was getting busy and when he was finding it difficult to visit his family deity located in Tuljapur, he got a temple built at Pratapgad. The idol of Goddess Bhavani has been sculptured from special Shaligram Stone, brought in from Nepal and the temple was inaugurated in 1661. Don't miss to see the Crystal Shivalinga, which Shivaji Carried all the time with him and the Sword of Hambirrao Mohite kept in this temple.
There is also a Lord Shiva Temple of Kedareshwar at the fort. When Chh. Shivaji first visited Pratapgad, he found a Shivlinga on the fort. Immediately, he ordered for a temple to be built around this Shivlinga and this temple came to be known as the Kedareshwar temple.
And the fourth place of worship - A Tall Standing Statue of Shrimant Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This statue was unveiled by Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1957.
Did I mention it to you that there are a lot of food stalls at the Fort? And also that there is a Maharashtra Government guesthouse at the fort, right behind the statue of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj? In fact you can see this small building even in the map above.
So, if you are planning to stay on Pratapgad, enjoy the evening sky from the fort, watch the sun rise and set, catch some misty cool breeze, it's all possible - Just plan ahead and do the reservations !!
There is a cultural library with some old Maratha paintings, battle gear etc. If you are present in the library at the right time, you may also end up watching a small slide show on History of Pratapgad.
At the foothills of Pratapgad, there is also a Shiv-Shrusti center, where we can quickly browse through the entire life span of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj by walking through a hall full of Metal Carved Drawings. These drawings have been picked up from the book 'Raja Shiv-Chhatrapati' by Babasaheb Purandare, along with the quotes that are mentioned in the book. There is a refreshment center and a handicraft center as well in this place.
Now that we have covered all other interests, lets take a look at the fort itself, shall we??
Pratapgad was built in two stages by Shivaji. In the first stage old door [Juna Darwaja], Citadel [Balekilla], Bhavani temple and Tank Bastion [Buruj] were constructed. In the second stage main door [Mahadwar], Mahadwar machi and flag bastion were built.
Main Door 'Mahadwar':
From Parking lot, as we start climbing the stairs towards the main door, we can see a cave used for hiding soldiers. Currently, you may find some old ladies selling eatables around this place and taking a photograph may not be possible. The Mahadwar [Main door] is visible only after we reach really close to it. Till then, it remains hidden between two bastions [buruj] around. This camouflage technique can be seen at many of Shivaji's forts. There are narrow windows in the bastion called ’Jangya’, which were meant for firing guns and arrows on enemies attacking the door. This main door opens at sunrise and is closed at sunset even now. The rampart wall [Tatbandi] starting from Mahadwar takes us to the Tank Bastion on the right and to the Flag Bastion on the left.
Old Door 'Juna Darwaja':
The old door was the main entrance of the fort before the Flag bastion and Mahadwar were constructed. In Shivaji’s time, this door led to the Bhavani temple on left side and citadel through the way up on right side.
Lamp Towers 'Deep Maal' and Drum House 'Nagaarkhana':
In front of the Bhavani temple, there are two huge lamp towers [Deepmaal] made out of stone. There is a Nagaarkhana [Drum House] on the eastern side of these towers.
Tank Bastion 'Talawaacha Buruj':
There are four water tanks on the Pratapgad Fort. It was the stone dug out from these tank sites that has been used for construction of the entire fort. The tank bastion encloses and protects the Bhavani tank.It also controls and prevents the way up from South side.
Citadel 'Balekilla':
Citadel 'Balekilla' is a fort within the fort and has all the important building of the fort. In the Citadel of Pratapgad, we can see the Sadar [Royal Court], Kedareshwar temple, Statue of Shivaji, Garden among other things.
The rampart wall [Tatbandi] of citadel runs northwards to Redka bastion and southwards towards the Kadelot point. The Kadelot point is a spot from where the criminals were thrown into the valley as a death punishment.
Redka Bastion:
Redka bastion on the northwestern end of Pratapgad was used to keep a watch on the Konkan region. The rampart wall runs East West from Redka bastion to Yashwant bastion.
Yashwant Bastion:
This bastion is at the North-East end of Pratapgad. The speciality of Yashwant bastion is the triple walled protection.The innermost part of this bastion is a semi circular bastion. This bastion is connected with the Citadel with a rampart wall. At a level below and outside this part there is another semi circular bastion. This bastion has a protective wall called Chilkhat(armour wall) on the outer side.There is a small plain ground on the slope below Yashwant bastion. Triple walls of Yashwant bastion are constructed to obstruct the enemy attacking from this side.
Mahadwar Machi:
This part of the fort is the most famous one.It is a projecting portion of the hill of Pratapgad running eastwards and fortified with rampart walls on both sides and a bastion on the Eastern end. This type of fortification is called a Machi. It is believed that this Machi was built in the memory of the great victory against Afzal Khan. The rampart wall runs Eastward from old door towards Flag bastion and it turns back encircling the Flag bastion and runs Westwards towards the old door.
Flag Bastion "Tehaalni buruj' or 'Jiva Mahale buruj':
Flag bastion is an elliptical shaped bastion having the rampart wall of mahadwar machi surrounding it as the armour wall [Chilkhat]. Mahadwar machi and Flag bastion were constructed to control the approach towards main door.
There are a few secret passage-ways 'Chor Darwaje' [currently closed] as well on the fort, mostly associated with various bastions. May be those are for you to visit in person and see for yourself. After all it is always thrilling to discover a secret passage way, ain't it??
I am concluding this chapter with all this information. Next Chapters will be about the Battle of Pratapgad. Stay with me on this and keep reading :-)
So, what is it that you like to do? What is your Hobby? What is your thing?
Is it Trekking? Is it Sight-Seeing? Is it Nature Photography? Do you like taking pictures of monkeys and birds and such creatures while they are out there in wild? Or is it mountains and roads and trees that appeal your camera??
Are you a biker who likes to explore new roads? Are you into Hill-Stations?
Are you a religious type, who likes to visit different temples? Are you a patriotic type, who likes to get lost in the glorious past of India? Are you a devotee of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj?
Are you the romantic type, who likes to visit some picturesque location with love of his life, specially on a rainy day?
Are you into handicrafts or into shopping of those handicrafts for decorating the living room? Are you a young parent, who is keen to get your kid(s) acquainted with history of his forefathers? May be you are visiting India for only a few days and want something fast track?
Do you like to watch amazing Sunsets? Do you like to just sneak out of this hectic life every once in a while and retreat to relaxing, calm, energetic reserves of nature?
Well, Well, Well .. Enough Questions already lah~ [Singaporean slang]
If you have answered any of the above questions as YES, you gotta visit Pratapgad. It's got it all !!
Pratapgad is just 15 KMs away from Poladpur and 22 KMs from Mahabaleshwar [140 KMs from Pune]. If you are already in Mahabaleshwar and without any vehicle, there is a Pratapgad Darshan bus which runs from Mahabaleshwar.
For Trekkers, this fort stands 1080 Mt above Sea-level and village at the base is Wada-Kumbhroshi. The grade of fort can be considered simple to medium and it would be around 2 hours of climb till the Entrance of the fort. Here's a picture of Pratapgad, as it is seen from Wada-Kumbhroshi.
Those who don't want to trek - no worries at all. There is a asphalt road which takes you right till the Entrance of the Fort.
If you are a biker, who likes to swing and swirl along the roads, then the Ambenali Ghat [From Mahabaleshwar towards Pratapgad], Par Ghat [from Mahad to Par and Pratapgad] and the road to Pratapgad are just the perfect destination for you. Checkout this image of Ambenali Ghat and its curves!!
I went there in our car. On our way up from Wada-Kumbhroshi, I enjoyed seeing many monkeys, various kinds of birds including Peacocks roaming around freely along the sides of the road. The forest cover in this area is home to many amazing creatures, big and small and if you like watching or photographing them, you are in for a treat.
Too bad that I started from Satara only in the afternoon and so did not stop on the way for taking too many photographs myself.
Remember the Hindi song - "Waadiyan mera daaman, raastein meri baahen, jaao mere siwa, tum kaha jaoge" You can experience the same romantic appeal in these mountains and valleys of Pratapgad. It's mesmerising - and if you are visiting Pratapgad in the monsoon season, it's mystic and magical!! You get to be in the clouds almost all the time.
Ok, once you reach at the Parking lot, you can find the fort divided into two parts - an Upper Fort and Lower Fort.
Just to make sure that you don't miss seeing anything, you can have a map of the Fort handy. I found this one on the internet.
So, did you spot the Handicraft center? Well, I got some Leaf Paintings and a brass vintage car from here, as souveneirs for my friends in Singapore. Hand-Crafted wooden toys and statues, brass and bronze crafts, designer stuff made from Shells, etc there is a lot more to shop in here.
Pratapgad has four places of worship. There is a Lord Hanuman Temple right at the entrance of Citadel. This temple was established by Samarth Ramdas Swami.
Then, there is the Bhavani temple built by Chh. Shivaji Maharaj himself - Shivaji's life was getting busy and when he was finding it difficult to visit his family deity located in Tuljapur, he got a temple built at Pratapgad. The idol of Goddess Bhavani has been sculptured from special Shaligram Stone, brought in from Nepal and the temple was inaugurated in 1661. Don't miss to see the Crystal Shivalinga, which Shivaji Carried all the time with him and the Sword of Hambirrao Mohite kept in this temple.
There is also a Lord Shiva Temple of Kedareshwar at the fort. When Chh. Shivaji first visited Pratapgad, he found a Shivlinga on the fort. Immediately, he ordered for a temple to be built around this Shivlinga and this temple came to be known as the Kedareshwar temple.
And the fourth place of worship - A Tall Standing Statue of Shrimant Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This statue was unveiled by Jawaharlal Nehru in the year 1957.
Did I mention it to you that there are a lot of food stalls at the Fort? And also that there is a Maharashtra Government guesthouse at the fort, right behind the statue of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj? In fact you can see this small building even in the map above.
So, if you are planning to stay on Pratapgad, enjoy the evening sky from the fort, watch the sun rise and set, catch some misty cool breeze, it's all possible - Just plan ahead and do the reservations !!
There is a cultural library with some old Maratha paintings, battle gear etc. If you are present in the library at the right time, you may also end up watching a small slide show on History of Pratapgad.
At the foothills of Pratapgad, there is also a Shiv-Shrusti center, where we can quickly browse through the entire life span of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj by walking through a hall full of Metal Carved Drawings. These drawings have been picked up from the book 'Raja Shiv-Chhatrapati' by Babasaheb Purandare, along with the quotes that are mentioned in the book. There is a refreshment center and a handicraft center as well in this place.
Now that we have covered all other interests, lets take a look at the fort itself, shall we??
Pratapgad was built in two stages by Shivaji. In the first stage old door [Juna Darwaja], Citadel [Balekilla], Bhavani temple and Tank Bastion [Buruj] were constructed. In the second stage main door [Mahadwar], Mahadwar machi and flag bastion were built.
Main Door 'Mahadwar':
From Parking lot, as we start climbing the stairs towards the main door, we can see a cave used for hiding soldiers. Currently, you may find some old ladies selling eatables around this place and taking a photograph may not be possible. The Mahadwar [Main door] is visible only after we reach really close to it. Till then, it remains hidden between two bastions [buruj] around. This camouflage technique can be seen at many of Shivaji's forts. There are narrow windows in the bastion called ’Jangya’, which were meant for firing guns and arrows on enemies attacking the door. This main door opens at sunrise and is closed at sunset even now. The rampart wall [Tatbandi] starting from Mahadwar takes us to the Tank Bastion on the right and to the Flag Bastion on the left.
Old Door 'Juna Darwaja':
The old door was the main entrance of the fort before the Flag bastion and Mahadwar were constructed. In Shivaji’s time, this door led to the Bhavani temple on left side and citadel through the way up on right side.
In front of the Bhavani temple, there are two huge lamp towers [Deepmaal] made out of stone. There is a Nagaarkhana [Drum House] on the eastern side of these towers.
Tank Bastion 'Talawaacha Buruj':
There are four water tanks on the Pratapgad Fort. It was the stone dug out from these tank sites that has been used for construction of the entire fort. The tank bastion encloses and protects the Bhavani tank.It also controls and prevents the way up from South side.
Citadel 'Balekilla':
Citadel 'Balekilla' is a fort within the fort and has all the important building of the fort. In the Citadel of Pratapgad, we can see the Sadar [Royal Court], Kedareshwar temple, Statue of Shivaji, Garden among other things.
The rampart wall [Tatbandi] of citadel runs northwards to Redka bastion and southwards towards the Kadelot point. The Kadelot point is a spot from where the criminals were thrown into the valley as a death punishment.
Redka Bastion:Redka bastion on the northwestern end of Pratapgad was used to keep a watch on the Konkan region. The rampart wall runs East West from Redka bastion to Yashwant bastion.
Yashwant Bastion: This bastion is at the North-East end of Pratapgad. The speciality of Yashwant bastion is the triple walled protection.The innermost part of this bastion is a semi circular bastion. This bastion is connected with the Citadel with a rampart wall. At a level below and outside this part there is another semi circular bastion. This bastion has a protective wall called Chilkhat(armour wall) on the outer side.There is a small plain ground on the slope below Yashwant bastion. Triple walls of Yashwant bastion are constructed to obstruct the enemy attacking from this side.
Mahadwar Machi:
This part of the fort is the most famous one.It is a projecting portion of the hill of Pratapgad running eastwards and fortified with rampart walls on both sides and a bastion on the Eastern end. This type of fortification is called a Machi. It is believed that this Machi was built in the memory of the great victory against Afzal Khan. The rampart wall runs Eastward from old door towards Flag bastion and it turns back encircling the Flag bastion and runs Westwards towards the old door.Flag Bastion "Tehaalni buruj' or 'Jiva Mahale buruj':
Flag bastion is an elliptical shaped bastion having the rampart wall of mahadwar machi surrounding it as the armour wall [Chilkhat]. Mahadwar machi and Flag bastion were constructed to control the approach towards main door.
There are a few secret passage-ways 'Chor Darwaje' [currently closed] as well on the fort, mostly associated with various bastions. May be those are for you to visit in person and see for yourself. After all it is always thrilling to discover a secret passage way, ain't it??
I am concluding this chapter with all this information. Next Chapters will be about the Battle of Pratapgad. Stay with me on this and keep reading :-)
Nice information. Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteGood information.. thanks
ReplyDeleteGood information.. thanks
ReplyDelete