Fort : Peb

Distance	150 km	Height	640 m
Days	2 days	Difficulty	Medium
Base Village	NA	District	Raigad
Shelter	NA

Overview

A fantastic trek, which promises to keep the monsoon magic high and running. The beauty of the trail, the landscape surrounding it and the view from the Top makes it a not to miss event. This one is for trekking delight. It is assumed that this fort derived its name Peb from the temple of "Goddess Pebi" at the base of fort. Historical references clearly indicate that Shivaji Maharaj used the caves on the fort for storing grain.

Fort Peb is situated on northeast side of Panvel, on Mumbai-Pune road, at a distance of 3-4 km on west side of Neral. To avoid crowd at hill stations like Matheran, nature lovers must visit the nearby fort Peb. This is the most beautiful one-day trek. But there is a dense forest on the way to the fort Peb. The fort is also named as ‘VikatGad’. Historical references clearly indicate that Shivaji Maharaj used the caves on the fort as silos for grain storage. Fascination spots are cave on the fort is occupied by disciples of Swami Samarth, a great saint. The beautiful waterfall on the way is the main attraction here. Surrounding scenery looks marvelous from the cave in the monsoon.

When surveyed by Captain Dickinson in 1818, it had two pathways meeting a little from the gateway which was nearly twenty feet below the top of the hill. The gateway was built across and nearly at the top of an exceedingly steep ravine, the water turned from its natural course by a channel on each side of a retaining wall of solid masonry thirty feet high and about as many feet wide at the top. The perpendicular height of the threshold of the gateway was about eighteen feet. Beyond this gateway the ascent continued exceedingly steep to a platform on a projecting part of the hill at the head of the ravine, about eighty feet above the gateway.

From this platform was a further very steep climb of 100 feet to the top of the hill where there had formerly been a fort. Like Malang Gad, Peb is for the most part surrounded by a precipice, the principal works, in addition to those already mentioned, being at the north and south extremities, commanding such parts of the hill as were deemed accessible. The ground on the top of the hill was very irregular, and no vestige of the former fort remained except a wretched wall of loose stones. Besides two buildings and a few huts, there was an excellent reservoir and a Ganapati temple outside the gateway. Under the precipice, about 100 yards from the temple, was a large room enclosed with solid masonry and a strong door which was said to have been used as an ammunition and store-room. In 1862 the fort was in ruins: the water was unfit for drinking, and food supplies were not procurable.

At the foot of the hill is a goddess called Pebi, who appears from her name to be the deity of the fort. Half way up the hill is a god called Mhasoba and about a quarter of a mile beyond are two caves, and a rock-cut cistern.

Mhasoba, the horned buffalo, is considered a deity and worshipped by pastoral tribes in western and central India. In Maharashtra, many cattle owners (tribes who make a living by cow-herding and by selling dairy products) have been worshipping this deity for hundreds of years.The buffalo god is said to be in conflict with the mother earth – the goddess of the rival food-gathering (agricultural) people and is worshipped by the farmers of Maharashtra. It is also worshipped by the Katkaris tribes of Sahyadris and Nasik. Mhasoba is the most dreaded of all evil spirits and when wronged, is supposed to bring ill-fortune to a village. He is worshipped by the Katkaris, one of the forest tribes of Maharashtra.

Places of Interest

NA

History

NA

How to Reach

Pune-Khopoli-Neral-Peb

How to reach Top

Walk north from Neral station on the west side parallel to the railway line for 1km. From here a road leads west. The road finally goes to Matheran but at some point, before turning off towards Matheran, one has to cut across some fields and start climbing up towards the saddle between Peb fort and a hump to its north. There are two humps between Peb fort and Nakhind. Sometimes one has climb up some nala if one misses the actual route. The actual route passes below some electric power lines and climbs up to the saddle where there is a power transmission tower. From the saddle turn left for Peb fort and right for Nakhind. In fact one can climb up Nakhind first (thru another route) and traverse to Peb fort meeting the usual route at the saddle. After a short ridge climb from the saddle there is an easy rock climb which leads, after a short traverse (which can be wet and slippery in the monsoon), to the cave with the statue of Shivaji. The cave is west of the mountain, and cannot be seen from Neral. You can see Haji Malang and Chanderi, in the north, from the cave.

Food Facility

NA

Drinking Water Facility

NA