Ankai Fort, is located in the Satmala Range hills, alongside a large Maratha hill fort. What you will find interesting, is the common fortification is constructed to secure both.
But be warned, there’s always a rush on the fort during weekends and holidays, so make sure you plan your visit carefully.
The Ankai Fort is located on a hill with perpendicular steep incline on all sides except for a narrow nose on the eastern side. It’s the perfect place to visit if you want to see some Brahmin and Jain caves and the heritage of Agasthiya Muni, which denotes the ancient culture of the fort.
If you’re wondering what you can see at Ankai Fort, there are Jain caves located in the foot hills of the fort, spanning two stories. On the lower story, there are two caves, neither of which have idols. On the upper story, there are five caves which feature Mahavir idols in good condition. They are secured by lock and key during nighttime to avoid vandalism. There is rock-cut potable water cisterns at the entrance of the caves, and carvings of Yaksha, Indrani, lotus, and Lord Mahavir in the main cave. In the third cave, there are idols of Kichaka and Ambika.
But that’s not all – there’s also the Main Gate, located on the south of the hill, featuring well-preserved wooden woodwork, and the Manmad Gate, on the Northern side of the col facing Manmad city. You can also visit the Brahmani (Hindu) Caves, which are near the entrance gate to the upper plateau of Anakai fort. They are in ruins, but the idols of Jai and Vijay carved out of rock and the Shivinga can still be seen. And let’s not forget about the rock-cut steps and four gates that must be passed through to reach the topmost plateau of the fort, the Palace and Kashi pond on the western edge of the plateau, and the series of rock-cut water cisterns on the southern side of the fort.
It takes about two hours to visit all places on the fort, so make sure you plan your time accordingly. The nearest town is Manmad, which is 97 km from Nashik, and the base village of the fort is Ankai, which is 10 km from Manmad. There are good hotels at Manmad, and tea and snacks are now also available in small hotels on the highway. The Ankai railway station is very close to the village, and all the passenger trains passing on the Manmad-Nizamabad route stop on the railway station.
The trekking path starts from the hillock north of the Ankai village, and the route is very safe and wide. There are regular steps to the fort, but beware, there are no trees on the trekking route and on the forts. It takes about half an hour to reach the entrance gate of the fort, but don’t worry, an overnight stay at Ankai can be made in the temple, and the villagers from the town offer supplies for the trip.
The fort was built by Yadava of Devgiri roughly 1000 years ago, but it has been captured by many different rulers over the years, including the Mughals, Nizam, Maratha empire, and finally, the British in 1818.
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