Kurdugad fort trek

Kurdugad fort trek is a hill fort situated in Raigad district. There is a temple of goddess Kurdai at the base of the fort. The Kurdugad Fort was named after this deity.

History

The Kurdugad Fort is also known as Vishramgad Fort. It was named after the goddess Krudai Devi whose temple is constructed at the base of the fort. The fort was constructed during the reign of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with the assistance of Sardar Baji Pasalkar. The Peshawas were in control of the Kurdugad Fort but it lost it’s importance once the British rule had begun. The fort was later brought in light by Dattoba Pasalkar, a descendant of Baji Pasalkar.

Geography

The Kurdugad fort trek stands tall at 615 m above sea level. The base village is a village called Jit or Kurdu Pethe. From the top of the Kurdugad Fort, the pass of Tamhani Ghat can be easily seen and guarded.

The base of the fort has temples of Devi Kurdai and Kurdeshwar Mahadev. There are water cisterns on the way up to the fort. The presence of a Hanuman idol lead to a bastion being called the Hanuman Buruj near the Northern entrance of the fort. The gorge and the cliff from the fort attracts a lot of tourists during the rainy season. The fort consists of a natural ghal or groove which can fit around 100-150 people easily. The fort has 2 pinnacles- one being the top of the fort. The pinnacle near the Sourthern end is seperated by a col and offers a clear and spectacular view of the valleys of Konkan.

The trail

The Kurdugad Fort trek has an easy trail and takes about 2-2.5 hours to reach the fort from the base village. The journey from the base of the fort to the top is of half an hour.

There are two ways to reach to the fort. The first one starting from Dhamanwal village. Using this path, one has to cross a hillock, get down a bigger hill containing boulders and then pass a couple of dense forest in order to reach the fort.

The second way is through Jite village. This path passes along a water stream. Rock patches with idols on them can also be witnessed en route. The route goes through many turns after which one reaches a plateau named Pethwadi. Both the routes merge over here.

How to reach

From Pune by road, one can come through the Tamhani Ghats via Dhamanwal.

From Mumbai by road, one can reach Mangaon and from there catch an ST bus for Jite village.

Via train, you can take the Konkan railways to reach Mangaon.