- Sanyukta Iyer
A View from a view:
24 kilometres away from Mahableshwar, trekking over 400 steps and a long tour, Pratapgad is one of Shivaji Maharaja’s most fascinating creations.
How to get there?
- Road ride from Pune city, Mahableshwar or Panchgani.
- Pune airport is 137 kilometres from this fort.
Monsoon is the best time to travel here. The weather is fabulous and eating hot ‘buttha’ (Roasted Corn Cobs) and sipping ‘chai’ is the most fun on the fort when it rains.
Hotels are easily available throughout Mahableshwar and her sister hill station, Panchgani. The hotel ranges vary from economical to up to three star hotels. Boarding and lodging are easily taken care of as tourism has grown in this region over the years.
What to wear?
- Comfortable cotton for the trek uphill
- Shoes to keep you going
One can always eat at the food stalls offering hot bhajjiyas and vada pav, with spicy green chutney at the foot hills. Sugar-cane juice is a must have on this trip.
“There’s something about Shivaji Maharaj. How did he manage to climb up there and build a fort on top of that mountain? It is beautiful. But the climb takes effort and should be done when both people agree and the time is right”, said an enthusiastic Sartaj Aulakh, who drove to Mahableshwar from Pune city to have a good day!
From a distance, the top of the mountain appears to be a rounded peak. The ‘Ghats’ to the top of the mountains are narrow and steep. The fort is not visible till one reaches the top. Then onwards no vehicles are allowed. The flags on the fort are visible from below. The gigantic fort appears royal and majestic. It gives one a feeling of Freedom and Pride. The walk then begins. For fast and frequent trekkers this journey up takes anywhere between 20 minutes to an hour.
The top of the mountain is 180 meters long, and it lies to the right of the fort. It is approximately square in shape. There are in all 20 spots to look at in the fort. Like all the rest of Shivaji Maharaj’s forts, this fort is famous for its strategic location. This fort is picturesque, huge and beautiful. Sound echoes within the fort. The ancient canons are still placed strategically beside the wall gaps on the top of the fort.
Shivaji Maharaj created wonders during his era. One of them being the Fort of Pratapgad. A must visit and a gaze into an Eagles eye view!
February 2nd, 2012 at 7:47 am
There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.
December 4th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Your post is excellent. I found your site through Bing. Thanks for everything. SINGAPORE Property
December 1st, 2011 at 10:08 am
there is a really excellent blog site here! carry out you wish to have the ask content about the small internet?
December 1st, 2011 at 2:34 am
I do have to agree with your article, the fact’s are clear. Keep up the great posts!USA Mail Forwarding
November 18th, 2011 at 7:36 am
I have been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or weblog posts on this sort of house . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this web site. Studying this info So i am happy to exhibit that I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I so much without a doubt will make sure to don?t overlook this site and give it a glance regularly.
November 10th, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Thanks for all of the effort on this blog. Kim really likes doing investigation and it is obvious why. Most of us know all about the powerful form you offer valuable guidance on this web blog and increase participation from website visitors on this area and our child is being taught a whole lot. Have fun with the rest of the year. You’re conducting a useful job.
November 5th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
This web site is really a walk-through for all of the info you wanted about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
September 23rd, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Hi! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be okay. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new updates. Many thanks!
July 25th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Great website…
[...]we like to honor many other internet sites on the web, even if they aren’t linked to us, by linking to them. Under are some webpages worth checking out[...]……
July 23rd, 2011 at 7:31 am
My Louis Vuitton purse at Christmas was pretty special also. The guy knows what looks good on me and he’s not cheap. Why would’t I like it? I dare you to insinuate he’s gay – hope you have a good dentist.
July 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Very well designed posting, and i also as well at the moment grasped in which several categories tend to be more prepared than some others (considering that all people are one of a kind) would talk about the same thought. I hope you save this blog working well.
July 21st, 2011 at 4:03 pm
This website can be a stroll-via for all of the data you wished about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and you’ll definitely discover it.
July 19th, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
March 21st, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Thanks for this brilliant post