Vikatgad

Peb or Vikatgad Fort trek is located 19km from Karjat, in Raigad district of Maharashtra. This fort lies in the same range as  Malanggad, Tahuli Hill and Chanderi fort of the Matheran Range of the Sahyadris. Vikatgad is a very popular one day trek.  The trail passes through a deep forest and has some exposed traverses. As it is close to Matheran and Neral, the trail is usually frequented by the trekkers on weekends.

History

The fort derives it name from goddess Pebi from the base of the fort. It is also known as Vikatgad because of it’s elephant “Ganesha” shaped mountain. It was surveyed by Captain Dickinson in 1818 during the British rule. There are some caves on the fort that is thought to be used as storage for grains by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Otherwise very little is known about the history of this fort.

Geography

There are multiple caves on the that one encounters on the vikatgad fort trek. There is a cave which is occupied by the disciples of Swami Samarth, who have been looking after the caves and fort for the past few years. Underground meditation caverns can also be found close to these caves. They have tiles on the floor and are in very good condition.  One has to crawl a narrow path down to these caves. The path is so narrow at only one person can fit through at a time. During the rainy seasons, two of these caverns are filled with water.

All that remains of the fort is a wretched wall of loose stones. There used to be a large room with solid masonry doors that was used as a store room for grains and am munitions. The ground on top is very irregular.

There is water available in the rock-cut cisterns.There are some narrow caves dug along the scarp. The bastion facing Matheran is a popular and a scenic attraction of the fort. The ridge connecting the mountains of Matheran and Peb can be seen clearly from here along with excellent panoramic views of the nearby mountains. From here we also see the pinnacles of Navara-Navari, Bhatoba and Irshaal, along with forts of Chanderi, Prabalgad and Malanggad and also Nakhind. The Vikatgad fort trek is pleasant in all seasons.

Trail

The fort can be reached from Panvel as well as Neral and both are well connected by rail and road. They offer good hotels for accomodation and food. The nearest town  town to Peb is Matheran which is about 8kms from Neral.

The easiest of the many routes to reach the fort is to reach Matheran by bus/car/train and start walking along the railway track. The route is very narrow. There are few trees on the trekking route. It takes about an hour to reach the entrance stairs of the fort. The Datta temple on the fort can be used for accommodation at night.

The other trekking route starts from the Kadya Ganpati idol. A long walk takes you to the precipice and you have to  follow the path on the other side of the hill to reach the Peb fort.

The other two routes are very difficult. These trek routes start from the base village Mamadapur and Fanaswadi. It requires 3 hours to reach the fort from the base villages. A path which leads to the col on the north of the fort is to be approached with high endurance. The trek path along the electric towers leads to the col. After reaching the col, the path over the southern narrow ridge should be followed to reach the Vikatgad fort scarp. There are three 5 feet high rock patches to be negotiated to reach the entrance gate. The path moves along the western side of the scarp.

How to reach

This fort can be reached from Panvel and Neral towns. The nearest town is Matheran which is 8km from Neral. The Neral is well connected by rail and road. It is a busy station on the Mumbai-Pune railway line. There are good hotels in Matheran and Neral. Tea and snacks are also available in small hotels on the way to Matheran. There are many routes to reach the fort. The easiest is to reach Matheran by bus/car/train and start walking along the railway track. The route is very narrow. There are few trees on the trekking route. It takes about an hour to reach the entrance stairs of the fort. The night stay on the fort can be made in the Datta temple on the fort. The other path is from the Kadya Ganpati idol. A scary walk along the lonely path is followed to reach the col on the north, then follow the trek path on the other side of the hill to reach the Peb fort. The other two routes are very difficult. These trek routes start from the base village Mamadapur and Fanaswadi. It requires 3 hours to reach the fort from the base villages. A path which leads to the col on the north of the fort is to be approached with high endurance. The trek path along the electric towers leads to the col. After reaching the col, the path over the southern narrow ridge should be followed to reach the Vikatgad fort scarp. There are three 5 feet high rock patches to be negotiated to reach the entrance gate. The path moves along the western side of the scarp. A nice cave temple is on the way. There is water available in the rock-cut cisterns. There are some narrow caves dug along the scarp.