On your holiday trip to Bhandardara, you can also trek over to the historic Ratangad fort located in its vicinity. The fort is around 400 years old, and was won by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and people say that it was his favorite fort.
How to go from Bhandardara to Ratangad fort:
The Ratangad fort is at a distance of around 22 kms from Bhandardara. To go over there you can first walk over from Shendi village (Bhandardara) to Murshet village. From here you can get a ferry to cross the waters of the lake. After crossing the lake, you will reach Ratanwadi village which is located at the base of the Ratangad fort.
1000-year old Amruteshwar temple at Ratanwadi village:
Located in Ratanwadi village, is the ancient Amruteshwar temple (Shiva temple) which is considered to be over 1000 years old belonging to the Hemadpanthi era. The temple has excellent architecture and sculpting.
Attractions at the Ratangad Fort:
From Ratanwadi, you can start the upward climb to reach the top of the Ratangad fort. The climb is relatively simple, and on reaching the fort you can go through the magnificent 'Trymbak Darwaja' - the door/entrance of the fort.
The other attractions at the Ratangad fort near Bhandardara, include a rocky peak that has a natural orifice (hole) in it, (probably because of the constant wind beating the rock). This hole in the rock is called 'Nedhe' in local language, meaning the 'Eye of the needle'.
There are also 2 caves on the Ratangad fort, one of the caves is smaller and can accomodate 8-10 people, while the other cave is larger and can accomodate 40-50 people. Water is available in a water tank at the top of the mountain.
Other Trekking options near Bhandardara:
The other fort that is in close vicinity of Bhandardara is the Harischandragad fort, where it is possible to go for a trek.
Also another excellent option for trekking near Bhandardara is to scale the Mount Kalsubai peak, which is the highest mountain peak in Maharashtra, that stands at a height of 1646 m above the sea level.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment