Mahuli is an area of the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

of Maharashtra, covering about 6km. It is approximately 75km north-east of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

in the 421601 postcode.

Features

Mahuli Fort, located 2815 ft above sea level, is a popular

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back, while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey, and may involve camping outdoors. In North America tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain ...

and rock climbing destination. The nearby pinnacles, including Vazir and Vishnu, contribute to the enduring popularity of the location. The mountain complex consists of a group of two or more hills with common cols and pinnacles. It is the highest point in

Thane District Thane district (Pronunciation: �ʰaːɳe previously named Taana or Thana) is a district in the Konkan Division of Maharashtra, India. At the 2011 Census it was the most populated district in the country, with 11,060,148 inhabitants; however, ...

. The forest surrounding Mahuli has been declared a sanctuary. Shahaji Maharaj, the father of

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adi ...

, occupied this fortress. The fort has been declared as a protected monument. Besides an open

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 Hin ...

temple, there is a small perennial drinking water

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

on top. The location also contains three caves, of which the larger one is sometimes used as overnight shelter, like on similar natural hill forts in the Maharashtrian Western Ghats (Sahyadri Range). There is a stone arch historically known as the 'Kalyan Darwaja', but the dome of the arch is now broken. The nearest railway station to Mahuli is Asangaon.

History

In 1635-36,

Shahaji Shahajiraje Bhosale (Pronunciation: �əɦad͡ʒiː c. 1594 – 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of t ...

, an Indian military leader of the time, moved with

Jijabai Jijabai Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) or Jadhav (12 January 1598 – 17 June 1674), referred to as Rajmata, Rastramata, Jijabai or Jijau, was the mother of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire. She was a daughter of Lakhujirao J ...

and

to Mahuli. When Khan Jaman attacked on the fort, Shahaji asked the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

for help, who refused and Shahaji surrendered. Shivaji took this fort from the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

s on 8 January 1658, but lost it in 1661, and later won it back. By the treaty of Purandar of 1665, the Marathas lost these forts again. In February 1670, Shivaji tried to conquer Mahuli, but failed, and Manohardas Gaud was then in charge of the fort. A thousand Marathas were killed, most being from nearby villages. Shivaji said to his dead kadam sardar that he was our gold. So he gave the Sonare surname to this family. Manohardas Gaud soon gave up his position and Alveerdi Beg took over. On 16 June 1670, after two months,

Moropant Trimbak Pingle Moropant Trimbak Pingle (1620–1683), was the ''peshwa'' of the Maratha Empire, serving on Shivaji Maharaj's Ashta Pradhan (Council of Eight Ministers). Early life Moropant Trimbak Pingle was born to a Deshastha Brahmin family in 1620 Nimgaon. ...

conquered the forts and Mahuli, Bhandargad and Palasgad became part of Swarajya. Until 1817, Shivaji MahaMaharaj's dynasty owned the fort but later on it was controlled by the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi language, Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Q ...

Facilities and Eco Development

The fort comes under jurisdiction of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. To enhance responsible

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

, recently the 'Mahuli Gad Eco Development Committee' was formed under joint forest management regimes. This shall ensure the development and protection of the ecosystem as well as livelihood issues of local people. The fort is also proposed to be restored through consulting ASI. The ecotourism and fort restoration plan were prepared in 2015 by SDFO Saipun Shaikhbr>
and approved by Nagpur Forest HQ. The further follow-up required to improve ecotourism and fort restoration. In addition to the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, a women's self-help group, Mahila Bachat Gath, is also available.

References

External links

More about Mahuli Fort

Mahuli Fort Trek (via Asangaon)
{{CoordDec, 19.4794792, 73.2382754 Forts in Maharashtra Villages in Thane district https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saipun_Shaikh