Mahipatgad

Mahipatgad Fort
Mahipatgad Fort
Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra
	Fort seen from Wadibeldar
	Mahipatgad Fort
Coordinates	17°50′20.1″N 73°29′55.4″E / 17.838917°N 73.498722°E
Type	Hill fort
Site information
Owner	Government of India
Open to; the public	Yes
Condition	Ruins
Site history
Built	Unknown
Materials	Stone
Demolished	1818

Mahipatgad is a hill fort situated on the east of the Khed. It is one of the largest forts in Maharashtra, with an area of 120 acres.^[1] This fort is located 23.6 km from the Khed City. The Mahipatgad. Suamargad and Rasalgad are situated on a same spur 8 km long, which runs parallel to the western ghats. The Mahipatgad is on the northernmost end of the spur. The altitude of Mahipatgad is 3490 feet.

History

This fort was built by Adilshah of Bijapur in the 15th century. This fort was captured by King Shivaji in 1661. Later it passed to the Peshwas and finally to the British in 1818. There are 18 houses in the Beldarvadi village, which is at the foot hill of the fort.

Places to see

The Mahipatgad looks like a hill-top covered with dense forest of Jamun, Pisa and similar trees found at higher altitude similar to that of Mahabaleshwar. There are Leopards,Wild pigs,Jagur,Mouse deer,Porcupine,Hayenas,Hornbill and barking deer on the fort. ( Beware Of Snakes )

The fort is a table land with six battlements and six gateways. The gateways are in a mint condition. The gateways are:

Laldevdi, on north-eastern side
Pusati, on eastern side, formerly entered by a ladder
Yeshwant, on south-eastern side
Khed, towards southern side; this route is still in use and connects the village Beldarwadi to the fort
Shivganga, on western side; there is a rock cut shivling near this entrance^[2]
Kotwal, on northern side; the pathway from this gate leads to the village Kotwal in Poladpur taluka

Here the foundation of temples of Maruti and Ganapati are seen with half walls still standing. On the southern side of the fort are remnants of horse stables which are 530-850 in numbers. There are two heaps of unused mortar on the fort. There are two large wells on the fort, one near the Khed entrance and the other near Pareshwar temple. The water from these wells is used for drinking by the trekkers. The best time to visit the fort is from December to january.

How to reach

There is a new road built up to the village Wadibeldar. At present one can reach by private vehicle to the village Wadi-beldar. From this village there is a steep trek of one hours to the top of fort first step and then the trek to the fort is about 25 minutes. The Pareshwar temple is the only option for halting at night on fort .(Please make sure do not distroy any public property).