Top 15 FORTS IN Maharashtra, India

FORTS IN Maharashtra, India

1. Raigad Fort (Raigad) – Rai gad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra. The Maratha king, Shivaji Maharaj built this fort and made his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of the Maratha Kingdom. The fort, rises 820 meters above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. The fort was built by Chandrarao More in 1030.
2. Janjira Fort, Murud Janjira (Raigad) – The Fort of Janjira on the sea is the only one of its kind. Janjira Jal-Durg (Sea Fort) was constructed by Malik Ambar, an Abssynian minister in the service of the Sultan of Ahmednagar, who belonged to the famous Nizamshahi dynasty. The fort, built at the end of the 17th Century, is almost entirely intact even today, despite the ravages of wind and tide, a testimony to the marvels of ancient engineering.
3. Vijaydurg Fort (Sindhudurg) – Vijaydurg the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, was constructed during the regime of Raja Bhoja II of the Shilahar dynasty during the period 1193-1205 and restructured by Shivaji Maharaj. Fort encompassed an area of 5 acres and was surrounded by sea on all four sides. Over the years the eastern trench was reclaimed and a road was constructed thereon.
4. Arnala Fort (Thane) – Arnala Fort is built on a small island of the port town of Arnala, located around 8 miles north of Vasai, Maharashtra. In 1516, a local chieftain in Gujarat, Sultan Mahmud Begda constructed the fort on the island, strategically located at the mouth of the Vaitarna river.
5.  Harihar Fort ( Nashik)– Harihar fort / Harshagad is a fort located 40 km from Nashik City, 48 km from Igatpuri, 40 km from Ghoti, and 12 km from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district, of Maharashtra, India. It is an important fort in Nashik district and was constructed to look upon the trade route through Gonda Ghat. It receives many visitors because of its peculiar rock-cut steps.
6. Narnala Fort (Akola) – Narnala Fort also known as “Shanur Fort”, is a hill fortress in Akola, named after the Rajput Ruler Narnal Singh. The fort was first established in 10 A.D. by Gond Kings. In the 15th Century it was occupied and rebuilt by the Mughals. The fort covers an area of 362 acres. It has 360 watchtowers, six large and twenty one small gates.
7. Daulatabad Fort (Aurangabad) – Daulatabad fort was one of the most powerful forts during the medieval period. Built on a 200 metre high conical hill, the fort was defended by moat and glacis running around the hill at its foot besides the most complex and intricate defence system. The fortifications comprise three encircling walls with bastions.
8. Balapur Fort (Akola) – Balapur fort is situated in Balapur, a large town located at the junction of the rivers Man and Bhains, in Akola district. Balapur Fort is a Mughal fortress constructed by Mirza Azam Shah, the son of Emperor Aurangzeb and it was completed in 1757. Still in a relatively good condition, the Balapur Fort is now used by the government for offices.
9. Srivardhan Rajmachi Fort (Raigad) – Shrivardhan Rajmachi Fort is one of the two hill forts that constitute the Rajmachi fortification. It is located in Rajmachi village, in the Sahyadris mountain range. It was probably used at a watchtower for the Sahyadri region. There are two water tanks at the top of the hill but one of them has an iron pillar in it.
10. Purandar Fort (Pune) – Purandhar fort stands 4,472 ft. above the sea level in the Western Ghats, 50 km southeast of Pune ahead of Saswad village. Purandar Fort figures in the rising of Shivaji against the Adil Shahi Bijapur Sultanate and the Mughals. Currently Purandhar fort has a NCC Academy. It is a favorite destination for paragliders and trekkers.
11. Jaigad Fort (Ratnagiri) – Jaigad Fort is a coastal fortification that is located at the tip of a peninsula in Ratnagiri District. It has a commanding view of the bay, the nearby power plant and the open sea. A jetty port Angrey and a lighthouse is located nearby. Although in ruins, most of the fort’s outer wall and ramparts still stand.
12. Worli Fort (Mumbai) – Worli Fort is a fort built by the British in Worli, Mumbai around 1675. The fort, built on the Worli hill, overlooked the Mahim Bay at a time the city was made up of seven islands. It was used as a lookout for enemy ships and pirates.
13. Panhala Fort (Kolhapur) – Panhala Fort is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to the coastal areas. Due to its strategic location, it was the centre of several skirmishes in the Deccan involving the Marathas, the Mughals and the British East India Company, the most notable being the Battle of Pavan Khind.
14. Pratapgarh Fort (Satara) – Pratapgarh Fort is a large fort located in Satara district, Maharashtra. Significant as the site of the Battle of Pratapgarh. Fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj. It was completed in 1656. The Battle of Pratapgarh between Shivaji and Afzal Khan was the first major test of the fledgling kingdom’s army and set the stage of the establishment of the Maratha empire.
15. Sindhudurg Fort (Sindhudurg) – Sindhudurg Fort is a fort that occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea, on the shores of Malvan town of Sindhudurg District in the Konkan region. This fort was constructed by Shivaji Maharaj, built over a period of three years (1664–67), the sea fort is spread over 48 acres with a two-mile long rampart and walls that are 30 feet high and 12 feet thick.
16. Ahmednagar Fort (Ahmednagar) – Ahmednagar Fort is located in the heart of the city of Ahmednagar. It was the headquarters of the Ahmednagar Sultanate. The fort was built by Malik Ahmad Nizam Shah I in 1427. The fort was used by the British Raj as a prison and this was where Jawaharlal Nehru, Abul Kalam Azad, Sardar Patel and other freedom fighters were detained for almost three years after they passed the Quit India Resolution.
17. Kolaba Fort, Alibaug (Raigad) – Kolaba Fort is an old military fortification in India. It is situated in the sea at a distance of 1–2 km from the shores of Alibaug, in the Konkan region. Kolaba fort was chosen by Shivaji to be fortified after the whole of South Konkan became free. In 1662, he strengthened and fortified Kolaba fort to make it one of his chief naval stations.
18. Ajinkyatara Fort (Kolhapur) – Ajinkyatara is a fort on one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of Satara in the Sahayadri Mountains. The fort is located at Ajinkyatara Mountain, which is 3,300 feet high. The Ajinkyatara fort is a major historic place of Maharashtra and was very vital as one could keep watch over the entire South Maharashtra.