Mahuli Fort
At 2815 ft., this is a sought after trekking destination.

It is the highest point in the Thane district

Thane District

Thane is a district in northern Maharashtra state in western India. As of 2011 it is the most populated district in the nation. The headquarters of the district is the city of Thane. Other major cities in the district are Navi Mumbai , Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar,...

. The forest surrounding Mahuli has been declared as a sanctuary. Once Shahaji Raje, father of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, had this fortress under his belt.

The nearest railway station to Mahuli is Asangaon

Asangaon

Asangaon is a station on the Mumbai Suburban Railway system on the main line route between Kalyan and Kasara. lt is the only railway station for Shahapur city. Around 65 to 70 thousand commuters use this station on daily basis. It is terminal station for Asangaon local train....

. One can catch either Asangaon or Kasara Local from Mumbai CST

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. Situated in the Bori Bunder area of Mumbai, it was built as a new railway station on the location of the Bori Bunder Station in 1887...

, which could also be caught at Kalyan Junction. 4 km walk from Asangaon station will take you to the base temple in 1-1/2 hours. 3 hours trek will take you to the summit.

Reaching there

Asangaon on Mumbai-Nashik highway (91) km from Mumbai. 5 km inside on to the left is the Mahuli village.

History

The creator of this fort is unknown. In 1485 this place came under rule Nijamshahi dynasty. When Shahaji

Shahaji

Shahaji Raje Bhosle was an early exponent of guerilla warfare. He was the eldest son of Maloji Bhosale of Verul . He brought the house of Bhosle into prominence. The princely states of Tanjore, Kolhapur and Satara are Bhosle legacies...

 Raje became the secretary of Nijamshahi, Mughals of Delhi tried to end Nijamshahi. In 1635-36, Shahaji Raje transferred himself with Jijabai

Jijabai

Jijabai was the mother of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire.-Birth date and family life:Jijabai was born on 12 January 1598 and a daughter of Lakhoji Jadhav in present-day Buldhana district of Maharashtra State...

 and Shivaji to Mahuli. When Khan Jaman attacked the fort, Shahaji asked Portuguese for help, who refused and Shahaji surrendered.

Shivaji took this fort from Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

s on 8 Jan 1658. In 1661 it was given back and was won again by Shivaji. In treaty of Purandar

Treaty of Purandar

The Treaty of Purandar may be referring to one of the articles below.*Treaty of Purandar - Between Rajput Jai Singh I and Maratha Shivaji Maharaj.*Treaty of Purandar - Between the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire and the British East India Company....

, in 1665, Marathas lost these forts again. In Feb 1670, Shivaji Maharaj tried to conquer Mahuli, but failed, Manohardas Gaud, was the in charge of the fort. A thousand Marathas were killed.Most of them were from nearby villages.Shivaji Maharaj said to his dead kadam sardar he is our gold. So maharaj gave sonare surname to this family. Manohardas Gaud, soon gave up his position and Alveerdi Beg took over. On 16 June 1670, after two months, Moropant Pingle conquered the forts and Mahuli, Bhandargad and Palasgad became part of Swarajya. Till 1817, Shivaji's dynasty owned the fort but later on it was controlled by the British Raj

British Raj

British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...

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Maharashtra°N date=December 2010°W