Surgad Fort Trek

Surgad Fort Trek is located in Gherasurgad village in Raigad district near Roha. It is strategically located in a spur, fragmented from the Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra.

History

The fort was built by the Shilahar kings and the Nizam of Ahmednagar looked after the fort later on. Chantrapati Shivaji Maharaj reconstructed and restored the fort. The fort was captured by Shankarji Narayan from the Siddhi of Janjira during the Rajaram regime.

Bajirao Peshwa captured the Surgad fort in the year 1733. The Peshwas used this fort as a prison for the captured prisoners.

There are inscriptions on the fort which imply that Suryaji constructed the fort and Tukoji Haibat was the Governor.

The Surgad fort finally fell into the hands of the British empire when Colonel Prother won the fort from the Peshwas in 1818 during the third Anglo-Maratha war. The war also saw other neighbouring forts falling into the British reign.

Geography

There are two trails to reach the fort, the main entrance lies on the path that passes through the gully. There is a small cave just a short while on this path. A small water cistern can be seen on the right here. The entrance to the fort is almost completely destroyed and the upper end of the gully is enclosed in ramparts. There are rock cut and rock carved stairs that lead you till here.

There are two Tekdis (Hillocks) on the fort spanning about 12-15 acrees from the South to the North. One can see a small Hanuman idol on the right as soon as you enter through the entrance. Beyond this is a small moss-filled water cistern. At the end of this hill is a bastion from where one can get panoramic views of the area and forts like Ghosalgad, Avchitgad and Mirgad. There are a few other remnants on this hill.

On the right, towards the north of the fort, one can see a lot of ramparts on the upper side of the valley and in the gully. There are roofless structures of crushed stones here, on a wall you can see the idols of a Shivling and Bhairav-Bhavani. There are a lot of rocks lying around and some of them have been carved and placed in the shape of a throne. There is a small water cistern with a rampart built on it’s side here and the water is potable.

Further from here, there are 5 more water cisterns carved into the stone. Beyond this there are a few pillars and 2 more water tanks carved into the stone in the paddy fields. The other bastion was probably built to guard the inner parts of the fort. Thera is a stone with inscriptions in Parsi and Marathi that depict the construction of the fort.

From the bastion one can see a Samadhi on the hill. From here the descending path takes a detour from the fort and leads you to the Ansai temple on the plateau below the fort. One can see an 8 feet long cannon near the valley and another broken cannon inside the temple. The fort is surrounded by a dense Teak Wood forest.

The Trail

The trail for the Surgad fort trek starts from Gherasurgad, the base village for this trek. The trail passes the Hanuman temple where trekkers can take some rest if they wish to. The trail crosses a stream and is well marked by trekking organisations.

A brief segment of a walk through the forest leads you to the plateau at the base of the Surgad fort. The trail goes towards the left of the plateau and in short while you should reach a fork. While both the paths lead you to the fort, the trail to the right leads you to the gully of the fort and is preferred by trekkers as they can visit all the points of the fort and come down though the other route. The entrance of the fort can be reached in about 15 minutes from here.

An hour should be enough to reach the entrance from the base village. It takes a little more than an hour to explore the ramparts of the fort and an hour more to descend from the other route.

How to reach

Surgad fort trek is best reached by a private vehicle as there is a paved road till Gherasudhagad. This stretch otherwise has to be walked on foot. One has to reach the Khamb village to trek this fort. Ghera Surgad is about 3kms from Khamb Village.

By Train:

One can reach Pen station from Pune Junction, there are many trains available. There is only one train from Mumbai to Pen. Local transport from Pen can take you to Khamb Village and the rest of the way (3kms) till Gherasurgad will have to be walked on foot.

By Bus

There are many MSRCTC buses and private volvo buses that one can take from Shivajinagar in Pune and Dadar in Mumbai. The buses can be taken till Pen and from there on, private transport can be availed till Khamb village.

Route of Mumbai to Surgad fort Mumbai – Navi Mumbai – Chirner – Pen – Khamb – Surgad fort.

Frequently Asked Questions