Sudhagad / Bhorapgad is a

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

situated in 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 ...

. It lies about west of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, south of

Lonavla Lonavala ( ISO: Loṇāvaḷā) is a hill station town and a Municipal Council in the Pune district, Maharashtra, India. It is about west of Pune and to the east of Mumbai. It is known for its production of the hard candy ''chikki'' and is also ...

and east of

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

Raigad District Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: �aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The district was renamed to Raigad after the fort that was the first capital of the former Marath ...

. 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, or features of geological or o ...

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 The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

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 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 Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

, 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 (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. 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 Sarasgad fort is situated near village Pali in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. Pali lies about 10 kilometres East of Nagothane along the Nagothane-Khopoli road. This fort height from sea level is 490 meters How to reach Sarasgad Fort is th ...

, Korigad,

Ghangad Ghangad is a fort situated near 30km from Lonavla- Khandala and 100 km from Pune in Maharashtra state, India.This fort is an important fort in the Pune district. The fort restoration is done by the Shivaji Trail group with the help of local villa ...

, 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

History

Major Features

Current use

Gallery

References

See also