Fort : Prabalgad

Distance	NA	Height	707m / 2320 ft
Days	1 day	Difficulty	Simple
Base Village	Thakurwadi
Shelter	NA

Overview

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 Prabalgad fort does not have a good source of water supply. It was known as Muranjan until is was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Shivaji's rule.

Places of Interest

NA

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 Mughal's in the year 1658. After establishing himself in the 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 themselfs from being dishonoured in the hands of the enemy. Inspite of Kesar Singh's orders, hid herself along with her grandchild. Shivaji in an act of kindness made sure the lady and the kid were allowed a safe passage.
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.

How to Reach

Reach Panvel and take bus or rickshaw to thakurwadi where the trek starts.
From thakurwadi it takes approx 1.5 – 2 hrs to reach prabalmachi, there are some villagers residing here.
There are some rock steps before you reach prabalmachi, which are now cemented by the villagers. On the right there are idols of Lord Ganesh and Hanuman carved out in the rocks.
After reaching the plateau, there is a very good view of the valley on the right.
From prabalmachi there are two ways, the way on the left goes towards Kalvantin durg and the other one goes towards Prabalgad. It takes another 1 hr to reach the top. The fort is quite vast you will need at least 2 hrs to spend on top.
There are some difficult patches on the way from prabalmachi towards the fort which might be difficult during the monsoon.

Food Facility

Carry your own.

Drinking Water Facility

Carry your own.