Rajeev, Sandesh, Soumya, Adarsh and Chetan (Motha) visited Vangani Khagol Madal for sky gazing and in the morning trekked to Kothaligad located 30 km from Karjat - on Mar 13-14 2010.
Text of Kothaligad
TrekkersofSahyadri Trekkers of Sahyadri present Elevation 3,100
ft Location Karjat
Ambivali From Kashele Dhamani Neral Peth Kothali gad
Kothaligad orPeth
Peth,alsoknownasKothaligad,issituatedinShahapur
Taluka,approximately21KmNorthEastofKarjat.Thisfortstands
tallinthecompanyofvariousotherfortslikeRajmachi,Dhak,Siddhagad
andBhimashankar,awitnesstoourillustrious history. Kothaligad
ismorecommonlyknownasthefortofPeth becausethevillageofPeth
issituatedatitsbase.Thisfortthough
smallinstaturehasavasthistoricalbackground.Thisfortwasmoreofadefensestationthanastrongfort.Peth
was mainlyusedforammunitionstorage.Peth
gainedimportanceduringSambhajis era. History: History : Mughal
EmperorAurangzeborderedhiswarriorsAbdulKadarandAliBiradarkaniinNovember1684tocapturetheforts
belongingtoSambhajis empire.ControloverfortmeanscontroloverKokan
region.Assoonastheycametoknowthat
armsandweaponsweretradedhere,agroupof300gunmenreachedthebaseinNovember1684.TheMarathasforced
mostofthemback,butsomestillmanagedtoreachtheMagarkot
Dwarandstartedshoutingopenthedoor.
TheMarathasinsidethefortopenedthedoorontheassumptionthattheseshoutingMughalswereownmenwhocame
forpickinguptheweaponsforwar.TheMughalsimmediatelyrushedinandthebattlestarted.Theycouldwinthebattle
withhelpofMankoji Pandhere.
Thenextday,theMarathassurroundedthefort.AbdulKadarspositionbecamecritical.Theammunitioninthefortwas
destroyedandusedinthebattle.AlthoughtheMughalswereoccupyingthefort,theywerehelplessastheMarathaslooted
destroyed and used in the battle. Although the Mughals were
occupying the fort, they were helpless as the Marathas looted
ammunitionandfoodsenttothemattheirbasecamp,onitsway.About1012dayslater,AbdulAzizKhansenthisson
AbdulKhantohelpAbdulKadar.ButMarathaSardar Naroji
Tryambakwashidinginthevalleytopreventhimtoapproach
thefort.Whenanotherwarbroke,theMarathaslostandNaroji
waskilled.Ehmat KhancapitulatedNaroji andhunghis
headrightinthemiddleoftheroad.
Now,theMughalshadtotalcontroloverthefort.TheGoldenkeysofmaindoorofthefortweresenttoAurangzebasa
N th M h l h d t t l t l th f t Th G ld k f i d f th f t tt A b
symbolofvictory.Afterconfirmingthevictory,herewardedAbdulKhan.TheMughalsrenamedthefortasMiftahulfateh,
meaningvictorykey.
TheMarathascontinuedtheireffortstoconquerthefort.InDecember1684,theMarathastriedtostopMughalsmoving
towardsthefort.SeventhousandMarathasconstitutedastrongbattalionandfoughtwithMahamatkhan.Butsuccesswas
g g
faraway.InApril1685,700Marathasattackedagain.About200ofthemclimbedthefortwiththehelpofropeladders.
Battlestartedbetweentwopartiesandalotofbloodshaded.ThegoddessofvictoryagainfavoredtheMughalsandthe
Marathaslostthebattleandthefort.
After130yearsinNovember1817,Bapurao,aMarathaSardar withBajirao
IIfoughtwithBritishandwonthefort.
Kothaligad orPeth FascinatingSpots: ThepinnacleofthePeth
canbeseenfromthevillage.Itlookslikeafiledsurface.Onreaching
thetopofthefort,weseecavescarvedinhugerocks.ThefirstoneisthecaveofGoddess,
besideswhichisawatercisternandthelastoneisthespeciousBhairoba
cave.Aflatfloorand well
sculptedpillarsarespecialtyofthecave.AlongtheBhairoba
cave,stepsarecarvedleading wellsculpted pillars are specialty of
the cave. Along the Bhairoba cave, steps are carved leading
thepinnacle.
FourFivepotholesandsomecanonballsarescatteredinthefort.Kalwawantinicha
Mahal,
Nagfani,Siddhagad,Malanggad,Chanderi,Prabalgad,Manikgad,andMatheranallthese
surroundinghistoricalplacesarevisiblefromtopofthefortPeth. di hi t
i l l i ibl f t f th f t P th WaysToReach:
OnehastoboardSTbusforAmbivaliviaKashele orfromKarjat
railwaystationonMumbaiPune route.ThedistancefromKarjat
toAmbivaliisabout30Kms.AroadleadstovillagePeth from j g
Ambivali.AtiringpathwayleadstothefortdoorfromvillagePeth.Thepathwaypiercesthrough
lushgreentreesandwecanrefreshourselveswiththelovinglysmelledflowersandtastyfruits.
OncangetdownatNeral,anotherrailwaystationonMumbaiPunerouteandreachKashele
bylocalconveyanceandcatchbusforAmbivalifromthere. by local
conveyance and catch bus for Ambivali from there AmbivalitoPeth
2hours,Peth villagetotopofthefort 1hour AccommodationFacility:
Thecaveonthefortisthebestplacetospendanight. DrinkingWaterFacility:
Therearemanyacisternsandtanksonthefort,buttheonenearthecaveisreliable.
AdarshandChetan
AdarshandChetan
Chetan
AdarshandSandesh
Dinner
Adarsh gazingstars
Thecrowd,halfasleep at2AM
Adarsh,Sandeshand Adarsh
Chetan
Chetan andRajeev
Goodplaceat Ambivalifornight y stayandfood 09226093034
02148683313
Unspoilt Unhurried Untouched Unconfined Unexpected Unconquered
Unparalleled Un paralleled Unmatched Unstressed Un stressed
Unlimited
Standingassilentsentinelstohistoryarethe350oddfortsofMaharashtra.Beatenby
g y y
theseawaves,lashedatbythetorrentialDeccanrains,orscorchedintheblazingsun,
standimposingrampartsandcrumblingwalls,thelastlingeringmemoriesof
Maharashtra'smartialtimes.Nowhereinthecountrywouldyouencountersucha
profusionofforts.Andsuchvariety.Sitedonanisland,orguardingtheseasoramong
theSahyadrihills,whosezigzagwallsandroundedbastionssitlikeascepterand
crownamidsthillsturnedmauve.
