| Ratangad(Ratnadurg) |
FortHeight : 1301 |
| Type : Hill forts |
Fort Range : Mirya Hill Range |
| District : Raigad |
Grade : Medium |
Located in Pen Taluka of Raigad district, Mirgad fort is also known as "Mirya Dongar". On the back side of this fort there is a small fort called Ratnadurga on a small hill. It was primarily used as a watch tower. There is a pass between Mirgad and Ratangad fort aka Ratnadurg fort. The ancient trade route of Pen-Khopoli used to go through this pass and this fort was protected for its surveillance.
The water tank built on this fort depicts that this fort should have been be in the Satvahana era. This fort can be seen in a single day from Mumbai.
|
| Fascinating Spots : |
Saymaal is the base village for this fort. The village is home to 35 houses, a primary school, situated in front of the fort. A mountain named Ranjan stands hugging the village. There is a newly built Lord Ganapati Temple in the village. Near the primary school we can see broken piece of a canon lying around. After seeing the canon, move towards Ratangad on the unpaved road. There is a valley between the Sayamal village and Ratangad. The unpaved road leads us to the valley. Using the small path we reach the base of the fort. It takes about 10 minutes to reach from the village to the base. After ascending for 10 minutes from the base there is a temple of local Goddess built in the 1980s. There are 3 idols in the temple and the old worn out idols are kept outside.
You should start by going to the left side of the temple to its back side and climbing the fort. The steps do not get highlighted because the villagers do not frequently visit here. As the fort is full of trees, the trails are covered under thick patch of dried leaves. At some places there are slippery patches due to loose soil. After climbing this steep terrain, we reach a flat ground in half an hour. Potholes carved in stones can be found here. To protect the watch keepers from rain and sun, a shelter was built here by firming sticks into these potholes on the four corners and building a roof made of dried grass. Ranjan hill, Tilore village, Dolavli village and other small areas can be visible from here. After going up a little over the plateau, there is a rock cut water tank. The soil flowing from the top due to rain and wind has been accumulated in the tank. Take the path to the left and circumvent the tank. Moving ahead here we come across another dried up water tank. As we proceed further we come to the cleft which is in between Mirgad and the village. There are potholes carved in rock here and further there are porches or holds cut in rock. Descending here carefully gets us to a filled water tank but it is unfit for drinking. There are drain holes built in the tank to allow water to overflow. Below this there is fourth tank which can be accessed by rappelling down a 10 feet rock patch. The fourth tank has dried up. Go back to the first tank from where proceed to the fort top through the devastated fort wall. It takes about 5 minutes to reach here. There are drain holes built in the fort wall to allow water to flow across. There is an idol of “Kshetrapal” on the fort top. “Kshetrapal” stands for the person who guards a particular area. A flower carved on a stone can be seen here which indicates that there could have been a temple over here in the past. Besides it there is a Shiv Ling on the ground. From the top we can see Mirgad, Manikgad and Hetavne dam.
Even though the fort is small it is recommended to take a local guide to visit the fort as the routes aren’t clearly marked due to lesser visits.
|
| Ways To Reach : |
There are two routes to reach the base village of Saaymaal from Mumbai:-
1) Mumbai-Panvel-Pen-Kamarli-Vakrul junction-Saaymaal (Distance 80 kms.) There are State Transport buses available from Pen bound for Tilore village. Pen to Saaymaal distance is 17 kms. Alight at Saaymaal junction after boarding this bus. The base village is 1 km from this junction.
2) Mumbai-Khopoli-Vakrula junction-Saaymaal (Distance 77 kms). Many State Transport buses ply on the Khopoli Pen route. Alight at Vakrul junction by one of the buses and get on board Pen-Tilore bus from here to alight at Saaymaal junction. Vakrul to Saayamaal distance is 7 kms.
|
| Accommodation Facility : |
| The Ganesh temple in Saaymaal village can accommodate up to 10 persons. |
| Food Facility : |
| Not available |
| Drinking Water Facility : |
| Not available |
| Time To Reach : |
| One hour from the base |
| Best Season To Visit : |
| Throughout the year |
|