Karnala Fort, Maharashtra
Being a great place to experience serenity and calmness, Karnala Fort stands in ruins speaking a thousand tales from the past. Constructed before 1400, under two powerful rulers Devagiri Yadavs and the Tughlaq rulers, Karnala was the capital of the northern part of the Konkan districts. Later, it came under the control of the Gujarat Sultanate. However, in 1540 the Karnala fort was taken over by Ahmednagar’s Nizam Shah. Afterwards, the Gujarat sultans appealed to Dom Francisco de Menenzes – the Portuguese commanding officer of Bassien (currently Vasai) to win the fort back. And subsequently, the fort was back in the power of the Gujarat Sultanate but of course with Portuguese garrisons. Afterwards, the Portuguese agreed to return the fort to Nizam Shah at an annual expense of 5,000 gold Pardoas. In the year 1670 the great Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj conquered Karnala Fort. Ten years later, in 1680 it was taken over by Mughal Nawab Aurangzeb. And finally, in 1818, Colonel Prother captured the Karnala fort and established the rule of the East India Company there.
Karnala Fort is located in Raigad district and about 10 km from Panvel city (Navi Mumbai). Currently the fort is a protected property which is located within the area of Karnala Bird Sanctuary. And thus, Karanla offers a great environment and atmosphere that is not only refreshing and soothing, but also filed with breathtaking view and wonderful trekking experience.
Karnala Fort has distinctive architectural features. Karnala fort consists of two mid-sized forts - one at the higher level and another one at the lower level. The centre of the higher level fort includes a 125 ft tall basalt pillar, fondly called Pandu’s tower. Pandu’s tower was the watchtower when it was in operation, now it is in ruin. There is a water cistern which gives fresh water throughout the year. Barring that, there is also a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Bhavani, which is positioned right at the bottom of the fort. It is said that Bhavani Devi bestowed a sword to Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj, which he used to conquer the entire era of Karnala to establish a Hindu nation.
Timings
Karnala Fort open at 07:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Entry Fees
ADULT (35 INR per Indians and 60 INR per Foreigners) And CHILD (15 INR per Indian Child and 30 INR per Foreign Child)
Parking Fees
25 INR per Light Vehicles, 100 INR per Medium Vehicles and 150 INR per Heavy Vehicles
Photography
100 INR for Indian National and 200 INR per Foreign National.
Videography
250 INR for Indian National and 500 INR for Foreigner National.
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Questions & Answers
Rock John
19 May 2021Could please tell me about Karnala fort in time of 1992? Like about if it had the railing in the final climbing up to the entrance to the fort? And did it has fee for entry? Or fee for parking, if at all there was parking spaces for vehicles? Or like if it had resting sheds in places while trekking??