| Fort Name : | Alphabetically | RangeWise | DistrictWise | CategoryWise | GradeWise |
| Kunjargad(Kombadgad) | FortHeight : 4200 | ||
| Type : Hill forts | Fort Range : Baalaghat | ||
| District : Ahmednagar | Grade : Medium | ||
| As we cross the Malshej ghat while coming from Kalyan – Murbad we come across a mountain range which is the Balaghat hill range. This range falls behind Harishchandragad and has many forts like Kalal, Kunjar, Bhairavgad etc. the word “Kunj” means an Elephant in Sanskrit language and the fort derives its name from it. From the base village of Vihir this fort resembles like a giant elephant. Kombadgad is the other name for this fort. This region experiences heavy rainfall between June to September and thus it is strongly recommended to avoid this fort visit during such time. The skies here remain devoid of sunshine for many days owing to dense cloudy weather. There are many waterfalls in the region. |
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| Fascinating Spots : | |||
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| While approaching the fort via the route between the fort and the adjoining hill, we come across a path to our left on nearly 3/4th height of the fort. This route circumvents the fort where we can find two idols in dense trees. It is being said that the villagers tried to relocate these idols to the base village temple but are unsuccessful till date. After this, the fort can be reached either by proceeding ahead by the edge and further passing through dense shrubs or moving back from here and approaching via the cleft route. The first route circumvents the hill and takes us to the opposite side of Vihir village. The route coming from Fofsandi village joins here. On the last patch of the ascend there are rock cut steps. Half way on these steps there is a cave. This cave is being carved across the mountain wall which enable to keep a vigil on both Vihir as well as Fofsandi villages. There are remnants of structures near the cave and two dried up water tanks to the right and three dried up water tanks to the left. Further we can see remains of a mansion and a series of water tanks carved in rock. While heading back after visiting the entire fort, proceed to the hill which is to the right side of the fort. there are three caves here. Descend this hill to reach Vihir village. | |
| Ways To Reach : | |
| There are two routes to reach the fort. १) From Vihir village:- Reach Otur village on the Mumbai-Kalyan-Murbad_Malshej ghat route. A road besides the bus stand of Otur village goes to Brahmangaon(16 kms) – Kotul(16 kms) – Vihir(16 kms). Vihir is the base village of Kunjargad fort and from here there are two ways to reach the fort. (A) From the cleft/pass between the fort and the hill to its right side. This route takes lesser time and all the parts can be visited. (B) By climbing the hill to the right side of the fort we come across natural formed caves and can proceed further to the fort. It would be best if one ascends via the cleft (A) and descend via the hill (B). २) From Fofsandi village:- Reach Khireshwar village on the Mumbai-Kalyan-Murbad-Malshej ghat-Khireshwar. The route to Fofsandi is next to Khireshwar. The single route from the village which goes to the fort does not have the idols of Lord Hanuman and Kaloba on its way. For that one has to circumvent the hill and reach the side of Vihir village and turn again. To visit the caves another route has to be taken. One can ascend the fort from Fofsandi village and descend via Vihir village. As there are minimal bus services in this area it is recommended to travel by one’s own vehicle. | |
| Accommodation Facility : | |
| One can stay in the school at Vihir village | |
| Food Facility : | |
| Not available | |
| Drinking Water Facility : | |
| Available throughout the year | |
| Time To Reach : | |
| 2 hrs from Vihir village and Fofsandi village | |
| Best Season To Visit : | |
| July to February | |
| Notes : | |
| 1) Kombadgad, Bhairavgad(Kolthe), Kalalgad, Bhairavgad(Shirpunje) can be visited in 2 days if travelled by one’s own vehicle. Reach Kunjargad in early morning and finish it before noon. Have lunch at the base village temple of Kolathe and proceed to Bhairavgad. After visiting these two forts on the first day head to Pachnai village for an overnight stay. Food and accommodation could be available here. On the second day finish the Kalalgad trek before noon hours as the fort is of a difficult grade. Bhairavgad (Shirpunje) to be done afterwards. 2) Information of all above forts is available on our website. |
| Marathi Version |