Prabalgad Fort, Maharashtra

After the Kingdom of Ahmednagar took over the Fort in 1458 A.D. along with other Konkan region forts, the Bahmani Sultanate came crumbling down and vanished entirely, hence the Prabalgad fort fell under the Ahmednagar Sultanate. The Ahmednagar Sultanate was shortly ambushed by the Mughal Empire and the Prabalgad fort fell under the Adil Shah Dynasty for a short period and it was later conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 1657 A.D. It is believed that there were hidden treasures inside the fort when Shivaji captured it. There are three rivers which pass through the fort (or around the fort), they are Ulahas River (which flows through the eastern side of the fort), Patalganga River (which flows through the southern side of the fort) and Gadhi river (which flows through the western side of the fort).

The magnificent fort is surrounded by spectacular scenic beauty and can be seen from various viewpoint of Matheran. There were two gateways and eleven towers. These gateways were destroyed after several invasions. At present only four towers and a pond is what remains of a once beautiful fort. There is also a temple of Lord Ganesha inside the ruin of the fort. The Prabalgad Fort is a popular trekking route for the adventure lovers.

The trek starts at the base of the hill. It is about 3 kms from the Vardoli village and has road access from Matheran. It is a moderate but tricky trek which takes about 1 hour from the Vardoli village to reach Prabalmachi. It is preferable to go there with the help of a guide as the track is not well marked. One may find a hotel which provides basic meal. The route gets divided in to two directions, one leading to Kalavantin and the other leading to Prabalgad.