Geographical Location of Fort:
Fort Muranjan or Prabalgad can be seen from Mumbai-Pune express highway. On the East side of fort you will find Ulahas River, Matheran, on the west side Gadhi River, Chanderi and Peb forts, the city of Mumbai, on the south side, the Patalganga river, Manikgad and on the north side, the Karnala fort. You can experience the twinkling lights of Mumbai city, Rasayani, Panvel and nearby areas from the height.Do you want to enjoy this ancient and naturally beautiful trek?
Do you want to enjoy this scenic trek to ancient areas of historical significance? Do you want to experience this fabulous, exciting spot? Then let me tell you about this place which will make you forget your age. You can experience the chilled air, forceful wind which is far better than AC. Have a bath under the natural shower of waterfall and you will definitely forget zakuni, and sauna baths. Experience the sunset from the peak of hill it and will show you its different shades on the water of river. Experience the twinkling lights of Mumbai city, Rasayani, Panvel and nearby areas from the height. So come, experience this exciting package of fun, happiness and refreshment and that too not far from Mumbai city.
How to Reach To the Fort?
This fort is visible from Mumbai- Pune highway. There is a way to fort from Shedung village which is at the point where the Kalamboli-Mumbai bypass road meets the Mumbai-Pune highway. 6 seater Minidor auto-rickshaws are available from Gandhi Hospital and Old Panvel to Thakurwadi. For a group of 10 people the auto-rickshaw (Minidor) fare is around Rs. 200 to 250. Another choice is to catch the hourly State-Transport bus at the Panvel Bus Depot. The bus fare from Panvel to Thakurwadi bus is Rs. 14 per person. Thakurwadi is the terminal stop of this bus, and from Thakurwadi onwards you can complete your journey to the fort on foot.
PrabalGad (fort) History :
This fort was built to keep an eye on the ancient ports of Panvel and Kalyan situated in North Konkan. From the study of the caves in this fort it is estimated that it belongs to the time of Buddha. The Shilahar and Yadav dynasties made it an army camp because of the strong man-made caves engraved in this fort and named it ‘Muranjan’. It was built at the time of the Bahamani Empire. Afterwards it came under the Nizam Shahi dynasty of Ahmednagar. When the Nizam Shahi dynasty was on the verge of collapse, Shahaji Raje came to their support, but the Mughal emperor Shahajehan and Adil Shah of Bijapur both sent their army separately to defeat Shahaji. When Shahaji came to know this, he moved his army to fort Kondhana and fort Murumbdev. He then requested help against the Mughal and Adilshahi forces from Siddhis of Janjira, but was refused. So Shahaji tried to get help from the Portuguese in the city of Chaul, but failed again. Finally Shahaji, with his wife Jijabai and son young Shivaji moved on Muranjan fort along with army. Later in 1636 Shivaji left Muranjan fort. In the same year 1636 the Agreement of Mahuli was made according to which the North Konkan went under the Mughal Empire who granted authority to Adilshaha of Vijapur to rule the area in return for tribute. Shivaji grabbed this opportunity. He defeated More of Javli and captured the Javli area. At the same time a brave Sardar of Shivaji, Abaji Mahadev won the area of Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Rayri. That time fort Muranjan came under swarajya of Shivaji. Shivaji changed the name of this fort from “Muranjan" to "Prabalgad" (Prabal means "strong"). Later on, in 1665, according to Treaty of Purandar, Prabalgad was one of the twenty-three forts which were handed over to the Mughal empire. The Mughal Sardar Jaysingh placed a Rajput named Kesarsingh Hada in charge of the fort Prabalgad. In 1658, the Marathas under Shivaji re-took the fort once again. The Mughal Sardar Kesar Singh committed suicide realising that defeat was imminent. The Rajput ladies in the fort commited Jauhar (self-immolation) to escape dishonour. The mother and son of Kesar Singh who had hidden themselves in the fort were granted freedom by the order of Shivaji. In the investigation of the fort great amount of wealth was found.Prabalgad Bhatkanti:
The flat top area of the fort is covered by dense forest. There is a Ganesh Temple at the top. There are also some scenic ruins of old buildings and a few water tanks. In order to explore them you will need a local guide. The British Government wanted to develop Prabalgad as a hill station like Matheran but were thwarted in this plan on account of the difficulties caused by the lack of water which, though sufficient for the existing residents, would not have met the requirements if more people had come to stay as per their plan. Because of the dense forest it is not always easy to find paths for walking, but if you persevere and reach the top of the fort you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of the of different points of Matheran, the neighbouring hill-station.
Kalavantin Durg (Fort): History
This fort is just opposite to Prabalgad. It is also visible from Mumbai-Pune highway. According to stories, the fort was built for a queen named Kalavantin. Steps leading up to the fort have been cut into the rock face of the hill. From the peak of this hill you can see Matheran, Chanderi, Peb, Ershal, and Karnala forts, and also the Mumbai city. The Adivasi People of Machi-Prabal village observe the custom of dancing on every Holi (Shimga) Festival at the top of Kalavantin fort. These people have a long-standing relationship with this fort and it has become a part of their heritage.
