Mahimangad fort

Mahimangad is about 51 km south of Phaltan city. This fort is in Maan Taluka in Satara, and is a part of the chain of forts created to guard the ancient trade route from Mahad to Bijapur. The fort is located near Mahimangad village on the Satara – Pandharpur road. All the forts in this region are built on isolated mountains and their shapes are unique.

Type : Hill forts

Fort Range : Satara

District : Satara

History :
During ancient times, Bijapur – Pandharpur – Satara – Wai – Mahad was in important trade route, and a chain of forts was created along this route, mainly between Satara and Pandharpur. This was also a guard for Satara. It is said that a garrison of about 75 was maintained on the fort. The wages for the posts of Sabnis and Havaldar are still received by the descendants of Patil and Kulkarni in the village.

Fascinating Spots :
The trail to the fort is on the north face of the fort and takes us along the ramparts to the east facing entrance. On the pillars of the entrance, there are magnificent elephants protruding which are unique and not found elsewhere. The entrance is not visible till we reach very near, as we have to go along the edge and the bastion is built in such a way so that the door cannot be struck by the enemy easily. The bastion near the entrance is a huge one and has stairs to climb up. We can see the complete fort from the top of the bastion.
The fort is not very big, and can be seen completely in an hour. There is a Hanuman temple on the mountain cap, with a big pond and few more cisterns, which collect rain water. One of the cisterns has been renovated recently. On the way to these cisterns, there are remnants of porches of buildings, which might be a house or an office. The ramparts are still in good shape all around. Towards the eastern end of the fort, there is a small door through the fort wall which takes us to the trunk of the part, which is narrow. There is a bastion at this end. We can take a round along the edge of the fort while coming back to enjoy the scenic views.

Ways To Reach :
The forts in this region are on Satara – Pandharpur route. Satara is a historical place, and the region around is a host of many important places like Gondawale and Shikhar Shingnapur. The diversion to Mahimangad village is 51 km away from Satara. The village is 1 km from the main road. The trail to the fort is easy to follow, and it takes about half an hour to hike to the top.
If you are travelling from north Maharashtra, Phaltan is the central town. If you are travelling from eastern part of Maharashtra, then Pandharpur can be chosen as the central place. Mahimangad is 96 km away from Pandharpur.
Via Satara :
Satara is about 51 km east of this fort. If we are staying far from Satara, we can plan 2-3 day trip to this area, and hiring private vehicle is better option to save time. Following are the details –

Mumbai – Satara – 260 km
Pune – Satara – 113 km
Mahad – Satara – 112 km

Trip from Satara can be planned as follows –
Day 1: Kalyangad – Vardhangad – Mahimangad – Stay at Gondawale Ashram (The details need to be taken by enquiring at Gondawale Ashram)
Day 2: Shikhar – Shingnapur Temple – Varugad – Satara
Along with this, there are various forts around Satara, like Ajinkyatara, Pandavgad, Sajjangad and Vairatgad.
Via Phaltan: :
Phaltan is 52 km north of Mahimangad. The itinerary above can be covered by shuffling the places in the above itinerary.