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Prabalgad is a fort located between Matheran and Panvel, visible from the Mumbai Pune expressway. The fort is located at an elevation of 2300 feet in the Sahyadri mountains. It is located on a plateau very close to Matheran, but unlike Matheran Prabalgad fort does not have a good source of water supply. It was known as Muranjan until it was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Shivaji's rule. The fort has a sister fort, Irshalgad.
History
Around 1458 Malik Ahmad, prime minister of the kingdom of Ahmednagar, took over the fort during his conquest of Konkan. The fort was conquered by Shivaji from Mughals in the year 1658. After establishing himself in Kalyan-Bhivandi area, Shivaji's forces attacked the fort then governed by Kesar Singh, a Mughal sardar. On seeing the signs of defeat Kesar Singh along with all the ladies in the fort committed suicide to save themselves from being dishonoured in the hands of enemy. In spite of Kesar Singh's orders, his mother hid herself and her grandchild. Shivaji in an act of kindness made sure the lady and the child were allowed a safe passage out.
In the year 1826 Umaji Naik, a freedom fighter, and his associates are believed to have made this as their home for a brief period of time.
Geographical Location of Fort
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Fort Muranjan or Prabalgad, as well as Kalavantin Durg, can be seen from the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. On the east side of the fort you will find the Ulahas River, and Matheran, on the west side the Gadhi River, Chanderi and Peb forts, and the city of Mumbai; on the south side the Patalganga river, and Manikgad and on the north side, the Karnala fort. You can experience the twinkling lights of Mumbai city, Rasayani, Panvel and nearby areas from the height.
History
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PrabalGad (fort):
This fort was built to keep an eye on the ancient ports of Panvel and Kalyan situated in North Konkan. From the study of the caves in this fort it is estimated that it belongs to the time of Buddha. The Shilahar and Yadav dynasties made it an army camp (because of the strong man-made caves carved into this fort) and named it ‘Muranjan’. It was built at the time of the Bahamani Empire. Afterwards it came under the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmednagar. When the Nizam Shahi dynasty was on the verge of collapse, Shahaji Raje came to their support. However, the Mughal emperor Shahajehan and Adil Shah of Bijapur both sent their armies separately to defeat Shahaji. When Shahaji came to know this, he moved his army to Fort Kondhana and Fort Murumbdev. He then requested help against the Mughal and Adilshahi forces from Siddhis of Janjira, but was refused. So Shahaji tried to get help from the Portuguese in the city of Chaul, but failed again. Finally Shahaji, with his wife Jijabai and son young Shivaji moved on Muranjan fort along with the army. Later in 1636 Shivaji left Muranjan fort. In the same year the Agreement of Mahuli was made according to which the North Konkan came under the Mughal Empire, which granted authority to Adilshaha of Vijapur to rule the area in return for tribute. Shivaji used this opportunity to defeat More of Javli and capture the Javli area. At the same time a brave Sardar of Shivaji, Abaji Mahadev won the area of Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Rayri. At that time Fort Muranjan came under Swarajya of Shivaji. Shivaji changed the name of this fort from “Muranjan" to "Prabalgad" (Prabal means "strong"). In 1665, according to the Treaty of Purandar, Prabalgad was one of the twenty-three forts which were handed over to the Mughal Empire. The Mughal Sardar Jaysingh placed a Rajput named Kesarsingh Hada in charge of the Fort Prabalgad. In 1658, the Marathas under Shivaji re-took the fort once again. The Mughal Sardar Kesar Singh committed suicide realising that defeat was imminent. The Rajput ladies in the fort committed Jauhar (self-immolation) to escape dishonour. The mother and son of Kesar Singh who had hidden themselves in the fort were granted freedom by the order of Shivaji. In the search of the fort a great amount of wealth was found.
Prabalgad Bhatkanti:
The flat top area of the fort is covered by dense forest. There is a Ganesh Temple at the top. There are also some scenic ruins of old buildings and a few water tanks. In order to explore them you will need a local guide. The British Government wanted to develop Prabalgad as a hill station like Matheran but were thwarted in this plan because of the lack of water which, though sufficient for the existing residents, would not have met the requirements of the British. Because of the dense forest it is not always easy to find the paths, but if you persevere and reach the top of the fort you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of the of different points of Matheran, the neighbouring hill-station.
Kalavantin Durg (Fort):
This fort is just opposite to Prabalgad. It is also visible from Mumbai-Pune Expressway. According to stories, the fort was built for a queen named Kalavantin. Steps leading up to the fort have been cut into the rock face of the hill. From the peak of this hill you can see Matheran, Chanderi, Peb, Ershal, and Karnala forts, and also the Mumbai city. The Adivasi People of Machi-Prabal village observe the custom of dancing on every Holi (Shimga) Festival at the top of Kalavantin Fort. These people have a long-standing relationship with this fort and it has become a part of their heritage.
How to Reach the Fort:
This fort is visible from Mumbai-Pune Expressway. There is a path to the fort from Shedung village which is at the point where the Kalamboli-Mumbai bypass road meets the Mumbai-Pune highway. Six-seater Minidor auto-rickshaws are available from Gandhi Hospital and Old Panvel to Thakurwadi. Another choice is to catch the hourly State-Transport bus at the Panvel Bus Depot. The bus fare from Panvel to Thakurwadi is Rs. 14 per person. Thakurwadi is the terminal stop of this bus, and from Thakurwadi onwards you can complete your journey to the fort on foot.
References
- Kamal Shrikrishna Gokhale. Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Navakamal Publications.
- Radhey Shyam. The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher. p. 28. ISBN 978-81-208-2651-9.
- ^ Ambika Sharma. "Prabalgad – Glory at its best".
- Murlidhar Balkrishna Deopujari. About this book Shivaji and the Maratha art of war. Vidarbha Samshodhan Mandal. p. 61.
18°58′16″N 73°13′31″E / 18.971193°N 73.225293°E / 18.971193; 73.225293
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