Prabalgad
Encyclopedia
Prabalgad is a fort located in 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 it was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Shivaji's rule. The fort has a sister fort, Irshalgad
.
The fort was conquered by Shivaji from Mughals in the year 1658 . After establishing himself in 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 themselves from being dishonoured in the hands of enemy. In spite of Kesar Singh's orders, his mother 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.
Matheran
- Getting to Matheran :Matheran is located about 100 km from Mumbai, 120 km from Pune. and 320 km from Surat. It lies on the busy Mumbai-Pune rail link and the nearest train station is at Neral, approximately 11 km from Matheran. From Neral, one can either rent a taxi to the...
and Panvel
Panvel
Panvel is city and a municipal council in Raigad district in the state of Maharashtra. Panvel is also known as the gateway of Konkan region. It adjoins Navi Mumbai, and is just after the Thane district border. Panvel is located on the Yashwantrao Chavan Expressway about 21 kilometres from...
, visible from the Mumbai Pune expressway. The fort is located at an elevation of 2300 feet in the Sahyadri mountains
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. 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 it was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Shivaji's rule. The fort has a sister fort, Irshalgad
Irshalgad
Irshalgad is a fortress located between Matheran and Panvel in Maharashtra, India. It is a sister fort to Prabalgad. The area of the fort is not large but there are several water cisterns cut from the rock. The nearest village is Irshalwadi....
.
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 Mughals in the year 1658 . After establishing himself in Kalyan
Kalyan
Kalyan is a city in Thane district of Maharashtra, and a major railway station lying at the junction of the north-east and south-east lines of the suburban Mumbai division of the Central Railway, 53 km north-east of Mumbai. Kalyan is also a major Taluka place, a tehsil of the Thane district...
-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 themselves from being dishonoured in the hands of enemy. In spite of Kesar Singh's orders, his mother 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.