Ratangad ( mr, रतनगड) is a
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in Ratan Wadi,
Maharashtra,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, overlooking the locale of
Bhandardara
Bhandardara is a holiday resort village near Igatpuri, in the western ghats of India. The village is located in the Akole tehsil, Ahmednagar district of the state of Maharashtra, about from Mumbai and from Ahmednagar.
Bhandardara sits by th ...
, one of the oldest artificial catchment area. This fort is located in the
Ahmadnagar
Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1 ...
district of
Maharashtra. It is on the boundary of Ahmadnagar and Thane districts. The fort is about 400 years old. This fort is often covered with flowering plants in November. Ratangad is also called Jewel of the Sahyadris.
Places to see
Ratangad has a natural rock peak with a cavity in it at the top which is called 'Nedhe' or 'Eye of the Needle'. The fort has four gates Ganesh, Hanuman, Konkan and Trimbak. The sculptures of Lord Ganesh and Hanuman are seen on the main gate. It also has many wells on the top. The main attraction at Ratanwadi is the
Amruteshwar Temple, famous for its carvings, dating back to the
Hemadpant
Hemādri Paṇḍit, popularly known as Hemāḍapanta, was a polymath and a prime minister from 1259 to 1274 C.E. in the regimes of King Mahādev (1259–1271) and King Ramachandra (1271–1309) of Seuna Yādav Dynasty of Devagiri, which ruled i ...
Era - roughly from the eighth century. The fort is origin for the river Pravara/Amrutvahini. The
Bhandardara
Bhandardara is a holiday resort village near Igatpuri, in the western ghats of India. The village is located in the Akole tehsil, Ahmednagar district of the state of Maharashtra, about from Mumbai and from Ahmednagar.
Bhandardara sits by th ...
dam (Arthar dam) is built on this river. From the top of the fort neighbouring forts like Alang, kulang, Madan gad, Harishchandragad, Patta are seen easily. The view of entire Bhandardara dam( Lake Arthur) gives sheer pleasure. There are many rock cut water cisterns on the fort. Some of them store potable water throughout the year. There is a natural hole in the mountain top probably caused by wind erosion. It is 10 feet high and 60 feet wide. Due to its shape it is called Nedhe (or ''eye of the needle'' in Marathi).On the eastern side of the fort there are two caves, which can be used for overnight stay. This fort can be visited in any part of the year however the beast season is from October–February when the temperature is cool and the vegetation has not dried up..
History
The fort is 400 years old. Ratangad was captured by
Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle.
The fort is named after Ratnabai Tandal, who has a small temple inside the cave on the fort.
She was one of the three sisters : Ratnabai,
Kalsubai
Kalsubai ( mr, कळसूबाई शिखर) is a mountain in the Western Ghats, located in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Maharashtra. Its summit, situated at an elevation of , is the List of Indian states and t ...
and Katrabai.
How to reach
There are two main routes to reach the fort. One route starts from village Samrad and the other from village Ratanwadi. The base village Ratanwadi is approached by boat from Bhandardara or by road from Ghoti-
Bhandardara
Bhandardara is a holiday resort village near Igatpuri, in the western ghats of India. The village is located in the Akole tehsil, Ahmednagar district of the state of Maharashtra, about from Mumbai and from Ahmednagar.
Bhandardara sits by th ...
road. By boat, it is a 6 km journey and further it is a 4 km walk till Ratanwadi. The trek route from Ratanwadi is the simplest one, it passes through dense forest along the northern bank of the
Pravara river
Pravara is the smallest of the major tributaries of Godavari river located in Maharashtra, India. Among the 7 major tributaries, it is the only tributary which originates in the Western Ghats akin to Godavari. Also, it is the only major tributa ...
,
till it reaches a scarp. The final climb is made easy by the iron ladders constructed by the forest department. The local villagers on weekends, erect small shacks on the way to provide tea and snacks for the trekkers. Some villagers provide food and snacks on the fort cave also. The trek route from village Samrad is quite difficult one, it passes over the narrow spur and finally reaches the
Trymbak darwaja. The entire fort can be seen by taking a path which moves around the ridge of the fort. A small group of people can make an overnight stay in the cave on the fort.
Image gallery
Image:Ladder Trail.jpg, The two ladders that have to be crossed to reach the main fort area
Image:The Nedhe.jpg, Nedhe (or ''eye of the needle'')
Image:Tryambak darwaza.jpg, Tryambak Darwaza - The main entrance to Ratangad fort
Image:The way down.jpg, The way down from the Tryambak Darwaza
Image:Ratangad entrance.jpg, Another entrance to Ratangad Fort
Image:Chor Darwaza.jpg, The remains of a smaller entrance to the fort - the Thieves entrance or ''Chor Darwaza''
Image:Amriteshwar_temple.jpg, Amruteshwar temple, Ratangad built in the Hemadpanthi style Clic
here
to see its photosphere
Image:Tank in Amruteshwar temple.jpg, Vishnutirth
Image:Fort sentry.jpg, An old structure at the fort
Image:Ratangad nedhe.jpg, Ratangad with Ratangad peak(Khutta) at right
Image:Ratangad Flowers.jpg, Strobilanthe callosa—Karavy
Image:Ratangad Flowers1.jpg, Impatiens balsamina—Terada
Image:Ratangad Flowers2.jpg, Smithia purpurea—Barka
Image:Ratangad Flowers3.jpg, Senecio bombayensis---Sonki
Image:Ratangad Flowers4.jpg, Walking along eastern ridge
See also
*
Govind Rao Khare
Naik Govind Rao Khare ( HI: नाईक गोविंद राव खरे) was the Subedar of the hill fort Ratangarh under Peshwa government in the Maratha Empire. He was born in a farmer Koli family of Maharashtra. Khare was a revolut ...
References
2. Gadkot - Bhagwan Chile, Shivsparsha Prakashan, Kolhapur
External links
Travelogues: Trek to Ratangad
{{MarathaEmpire
Forts in Maharashtra
Ahmednagar district