Mahipatgad fort, is a land of leopards, wild pigs, and barking deer! Don’t worry, they won’t bite… unless you’re a piece of juicy bacon.
Positioned on the east of Khed, Mahipatgad is one of the largest forts in Maharashtra, with an area of 120 acres. That’s huge, like seriously huge! It’s almost like a mini kingdom in itself.
Mahipatgad, Suamargad, and Rasalgad are located on the same spur which runs parallel to the Western Ghats. Mahipatgad is on the northernmost end of the spur, like the cherry on the top of the sundae. The altitude of Mahipatgad is so high that even birds look up to it.
The fort was built by Adilshah of Bijapur in the 15th century, captured by King Shivaji in 1661, and later passed on to the Peshwas and finally to the British in 1818.
The Beldarvadi village, which is at the foot hill of the fort, has ten houses where the villagers are said to be brought by Shivaji as bricklayers for construction of the fort.
When you’re on top of the Mahipatgad, it’s like you’re standing on the world’s tallest table. The fort is a table land with six battlements and six gateways. The gateways are in ruined state, so don’t expect to see the Great Wall of China. However, you can still spot the Laldevdi on the north-eastern side, Pusati on the eastern side (formerly entered by a ladder), Yeshwant on the south-eastern side, Khed on the southern side (this route is still in use and connects the village Beldarwadi to the fort), Shivganga on the western site, and the Kotwal on the northern side. That’s a lot of gates for a single fort, but we guess the more the merrier.
There are remnants of horse stables on the southern side of the fort, which are 350-700 in numbers. That’s enough to make you feel like you’re in the middle of a medieval battle. There are also two heaps of unused mortars on the fort, which probably were not used because the villagers were too busy drinking the water from the two large wells on the fort. One near the Khed entrance and the other near Pareshwar temple. The water from these wells is used for drinking by the villagers, so don’t try to make it into a swimming pool.
This fort was built by Adilshah of Bijapur in the 15th century. This fort was captured by King Shivaji in 1661. Later it passed to the Peshwas and finally to the British in 1818. There are 10 houses in the Beldarvadi village, which is at the foot hill of the fort. The villagers are said to have been brought by Shivaji as bricklayers for construction of the fort.
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