Fort Gorakhgad

Gorakhgad is a fort that can be trekked in a day, both from Mumbai and Pune. This fort gets its name from Saint Gorakhnath, who performed his "Sadhana" in this place. Though not famous for any historical events, Gorakhgad attracts trekkers due to its inviting pinnacles, which offer good opportunities for rock-climbing. Fort Gorakhgad is quite small in size but was the vital connection between two huge forts, Fort Durg to its North-East and Fort Siddhagad to the South-West. It had strategic importance during the reign of Shahaji Maharaj. However, no major battle is recorded to have taken place here. It was used in Shivaji Maharaj's era to patrol the nearby region and was used as a stopover station during the journey to Junnar (a famous medieval trade centre) via Naneghat. Though small in size, there is enough water available and a lot of space for accommodation in a cave.


This amazing fort hardly needs any fortification. the aproach itself is so difficult forget conquering it.


The cliff that u climb to reach the caves. If u look around here you will find remnants of fortification around and above that small red door there. Imagine u invading this fort and the defenders are raining arrows, bullets, boiling oil and boulders on your head :( There are even few water cisterns all around the fort. The builders would use rock out of the same mountain for fortification and the pit formed would serve as a water cistern for months to come after the Monsoons. Some cisterns would have natural springs serving as a water source throughout the year. Rain water harvesting was followed very seriously from the times of Shivaji Maharaj because if a war is waged...the access to the nearby villages would be cutoff and the fort would need to be self sustainable for months to come.


The second rock patch that you need to climb to reach the summit of Gorakhgad and offer your prayers to Swami Gorakhnath.

War forts.

It is true that knowing our history is very important for building our National Character. We Indians have so much but know so little of our glorious past. We are blessed with so much knowledge that our ancestors have documented and people over time have got it out for us in different languages. Seven life times would be less to learn about this holy land…”India” and its great people. All we need to do is read, visit places where brave few have sacrificed their lives for the wellbeing of the masses. Places which are blessed with the blood of the people who confronted all odds and were successful. One such land is our Maharashtra. The geography (mountainous region) of this land was perfectly understood and exploited in the struggle against the mightiest empires then ruling India, mutilating and vandalizing India's culture for over 900 years. The conquest against India that began in the early 7^th century went on till the 16^th. Maharashtra was first insulted during its Zenith, under the rule of the Yadav Dynasty in the late 13th century. The following 350 years were a complete......Holocaust !!!

In the 17^th century the people under the leadership of the Great Maratha King Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj challenged these mighty empires and successfully liberated the land from the unjust rule of these invaders. Its every corner has a story to tell you. All we need to do is open our senses. Listen to the wind on the mountains and you’ll hear the voices of the people who roamed there once. See the rain crashing on the rocks and you’ll feel the presence of the great once. The sunshine will make you feel their energy. Be silent and you’ll hear the walls talk to you. Go out there, on those mountains, those forts……the only existing thing, that has witnessed and lived the past.

The Marathas understood the caliber of the forts like none other. How important the forts were then, can not be even imagined today. The “Adnyapatre” (the text during the times of Chatrapati which stated the do’s and don’t of the kingdom) states:
“Fort…the essence of an entire kingdom. A country without its forts is a country which turns to ruins, its people become un-sheltered with just one invasion of an enemy. If the country is destroyed, what is left to be called as a kingdom?

A fort is a root of a kingdom, a fort is the treasure, a fort is the strength behind an army, a fort is Raj Lakshmi (the royal Goddess Lakshmi), a fort is the perfect place to live and a fort is a place where you can sleep without fear. Indeed…a fort is the protector.”

It is a surprise how little all of us know of a land with so many forts. Not just forts…but War Forts. This land has seen thousands (literally) of battles and wars fought not for mere expansion of a kingdom, but for the very existence of its people, their culture, their dignity and foremost, the protection of our motherland, a cause worth fighting and dying for.

The book I referred the most for these blogs is “Kille” (Forts in Marathi) by our very very well known writer Gopal Neelkanth Dandekar. This book gives you brief information about many forts in Maharashtra. We all are so grateful to him for putting all the info on paper for us in simple language.