Tandulwadi Fort is located near Saphale, 104 km north of Mumbai. Tandulwadi is not a fully built up fort, but a series of structures spread over the top of the mountain. The fort dates back 800 years and was primarily used as a watch tower over the surrounding plains. At a height of 1524 feet, it has views of the surrounding towns of Saphale, the Zanzorli lake, and the confluence of the Surya and Vaitarna rivers.

Location

The fort is located near Lalthane village in

Palghar district Palghar District (Marathi pronunciation: aːlɡʱəɾ is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. On 1 Aug 2014, the State government of Maharashtra announced the formation of the 36th district of Maharashtra Palghar, it wa ...

, about 104 km from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, 75 km from

Thane Thane (; also known as Thana, the official name until 1996) is a metropolitan city in Maharashtra, India. It is situated in the north-eastern portion of the Salsette Island. Thane city is entirely within Thane taluka, one of the seven taluk ...

and 7.5 km from Saphale railway station. It is also reachable through the Mumbai - Ahmedabad Highway NH 8. Upon reaching Varai Phata you have to take a left turn after crossing the bridge over Vaitarna river. A few minutes drive on this road and one can see the Tandulwadi fort on the front hillocks. Tandulwadi village is 15 km from the Varai Phata. There are no hotels or restaurants in the village except a few grocery shops. Tandulwadi village is well connected by road. Tandulwadi village is a small Varli tribal village. Nowadays Forest Department is making steps to go to the fort from Pimplapada (Lalthane). Lalthane waterfall situated just under the fort and is a popular attraction during the rainy season.

History

The first known history of the fort was in the 15th century (about 1429) during the rule of Jafar Khan, son of Ahmed Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate. It was used as a reconnoiter fort to keep a watch on neighboring forts and the Arabian Sea. In 1454, the Sultan of Ahmedabad captured Mahikavati (Mahim) and one of his Sardar named Mallik Allauddin was made chief of Tandulwadi fort. In 1509, the Portuguese took the fort after they wrested Diu from the Gujarat and established a stronghold at the nearby Vasai area, where they built the Vasai Fort. The Portuguese lost control of the area to the Marathas in 1737 after the battle of Bassein.

Hiking

Tandulwadi has a moderately difficult gradient and it takes about a half hours to reach the main

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

from Tandulwadi village which is situated at the base of the fort. To reach the highest point it takes another one hour. The height of the fort is about 1524 feet. Upon reaching the main plateau, one can find several rock cut water cisterns. There are no bastions, walls or houses on the fort. There is no evidence of fortification except for a small stone wall on the southern side. A small water pond is situated in the center. From the top of the fort are seen Kohoj fort, Takmak fort, Asheri fort, Mahalaxmi pinnacle and the Arabian sea.

Accommodation

There is no residing place on the fort. Overnight accommodation can be found in the primary school in the village.

Gallery

File:Tandulwadi 1.jpg, Pond on the fort File:Tandulwadi4.jpg, Steep hills File:Tandulwadi5.jpg, Vaitarna river from the fort File:Tandulwadi2.jpg, Trek path File:Tandulwadi3.jpg, Wild flowers on the fort File:Tandulwadi6.jpg, Rockcut water cistern

References