Detailed Guide to Pratapgad Fort
Located 23 kilometres from Mahabaleshwar among the beautiful Sahyadri hills, the Pratapgad Fort having a boundary wall of length 5 kms was constructed between 1654 and 1656. There are around 450-500 steps.
The Fort finds prominence in history for the following 3 things – it is believed that Shivaji Maharaj was gifted by BhavaniMata with a sword at this place, the killing of Afzal Khan and the battle of Pratapgad.
The main gate of the fort operated as the first line of defence in case of an enemy attack. Elephants, big logs and cannonballs were used by an attacking army to break open the main gate. Covered by narrow and high walls and having steep, winding steps the gate of the Fort was built to foil the attempts of the enemy to break inside the fort. The gate used to remain open from sunrise to sunset and manned by gatekeepers. This rule is followed till today with a change in timing from 6A.M. to 8P.M.
This is a living fort and one can find the descendents of Shivaji’s army living inside the fort.
This is an ancient perennial lake inside the fort which still serves as a water source for the people living inside the fort.
Shivaji Maharaj attacked Afzal Khan with tiger claws. Afzal Khan was badly wounded in his stomach but he gathered himself up and started running away on a palanquin with 12 men. Shivaji’s lieutenant Shambhaji Kavji was quick to react and killed Afzal Khan and along with his 12 men. The severed head of Afzal Khan was put on display at the watch tower and later offered to Bhavanimata as an act of gratitude.
These are called firing holes. In case of enemy attacks these holes were used to pour hot oil or drop cannon fire balls over the enemy soldiers.
One can pay obeisance to BhavaniMata at this temple. The idol is made up of “Shaligram” stone procured from Kaligandak river in Nepal. It took 3 months for Shivaji Maharaj to move the stone from Nepal to Raigad Fort in Pune on elephants where the idol of Bhavani Mata was sculpted. The idol was installed here on 21 July 1661. Beside the idol of Bhavani Mata is a Shivling made up of cystal kept in a glass box and a sword of Amberao Mohite, the fourth commander of Shivaji, who killed 600 enemy soldiers with this sword.
Shivaji Maharaj offered Afzal Khan as a sacrifice to Bhavani Mata and hung his severed head on the watch tower. Later, on the demand of Shivaji’s mother, the severed head of Afzal Khan was taken to Rajgad Fort as an evidence of the killing of the enemy. The severed head of Afzal Khan was buried in Rajgad Fort and the separated body was buried in Pratapgad Fort – which earned Afzal Khan as the person having 2 burials.
The battle of Pratapgad set the stage of the establishment of the Maratha empire which will rule India for two centuries.
