Prabalgad
{{Short description|Fort in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Prabalgad
| partof = maharastra
| location = Raigad District, Maharashtra
| image = Prabal machi.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption = Kalavantin Durg and Prabalgad
| pushpin_map =India Maharashtra#India
| pushpin_mapsize =300
| pushpin_map_caption =Shown within Maharashtra
| coordinates = {{coord|18.9734|73.2243|type:landmark_region:IN-MH|format=dms|display=inline}}
| type = Hill fort
| code =
| height =
| ownership = Government of India
| controlledby = File:Flag of the Maratha Empire.svg Maratha Empire (1657)
{{flagicon|India}} Government of India (1947-)
}}
Prabalgad (also known as Muranjan, Pradhangad or Prabalmachi) is a fort located between Matheran and Panvel and comes under the Raigad District in the state of Maharashtra, India.
The Prabalgad Fort stands at an elevation of {{Convert|2300|feet}} in the Western Ghats. The fort was previously known as Muranjan until it was taken over and renamed by the Maratha forces under Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's rule.{{cite book|title=Chhatrapati Sambhaji|author=Kamal Shrikrishna Gokhale|year=1978|publisher=Navakamal Publications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43gBAAAAMAAJ}} Its sister fort is Irshalgad.{{cite book | title=Offbeat Tracks in Maharashtra | publisher=Popular Prakashan | author=Gunaji, Milind | year=2010 | pages=50–52 | isbn=9788179915783}} Right next to Prabalgad, to its north, lies the steep Kalavantin pinnacle.
History
The Prabalgad Fort was built by the Bahmani Sultanate to keep an eye on the Panvel Fort and the Kalyan Fort in the North Konkan area.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} Around 1458 A.D, "Malik Ahmad" the prime minister of the kingdom of Ahmednagar, took over the fort during his conquest of Konkan.{{cite book|title=The Kingdom of Ahmadnagar|author=Radhey Shyam|year=1966|isbn=978-81-208-2651-9|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publisher|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5C4hBqKdkEsC|page=28}}{{failed verification|date=September 2019}} After disintegration of the Bahmani Sultanate, the fort remained with the Ahmadnagar Sultanate.
During the collapse of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, Shahaji led a helping hand against the separate forces of the Mughal Empire and the Adil Shahi dynasty. After the collapse of the Sultanate, he moved to Muranjan along with his wife Jijabai and son Shivaji for a brief period of time.
However, following Shahaji's defeat and the agreement of Mahuli, North Konkan along with the fort, was ceded to Mughals who granted ruling authority of the area to Adilshah of Bijapur.{{cite book | title=The Quarterly Review of Historical Studies, Volumes 7-9 | publisher=Institute of Historical Studies | year=1968 | pages=187}} Shivaji conquered the fort from the Mughals in 1657 A.D, after which he established himself in the Kalyan-Bhivandi area.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXEfAAAAIAAJ&q=Prabalgad | title=New History of the Marathas: Shivaji and his line (1600-1707) | publisher=Phoenix Publications | author=Govind Sakharam Sardesai | year=1957 | pages=115}}{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2um1AAAAIAAJ&q=Prabalgad | title=Life of Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire, Volume 1 | publisher=Sunita Publications | author=Nilkant Sadashiv Takakhav, Kr̥shṇarāva Arjuna Keḷūsakara | year=1985 | pages=226–227}}
During the attack by Shivaji, the fort was governed by "Kesar Singh", a Mughal sardar, and was the only fort to put up a strong resistance. Singh died during the battle in October 1657.{{cite book| title= Shivaji and the Maratha art of war|author=Murlidhar Balkrishna Deopujari|year=1973|publisher=Vidarbha Samshodhan Mandal|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iF8MAAAAIAAJ}} Kesar Singh's mother hid herself and her grandchild during the attack. Shivaji, in an act of kindness made sure the lady and the child were allowed a safe passage out.{{cite book | title=Shivaji: The Portrait of a Patriot | publisher=Orient Longmans | author=V. B. Kulkarni | year=1963 | pages=46}}{{cite web|title=Prabalgad – Glory at its best|author=Ambika Sharma|url=http://m.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=Travel%20-%20Quick%20Trip§id=127&contentid=200904062009040613232881192e4a8f0|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130924144107/http://m.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=Travel%20-%20Quick%20Trip§id=127&contentid=200904062009040613232881192e4a8f0|archive-date=24 September 2013|df=dmy-all}}
In the year 1826, Umaji Naik, a freedom fighter and his associates were believed to have made the fort as their home for a brief period of time. {{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
Geography
Prabalgad lies on the Prabal plateau between Matheran and Panvel and can be easily spotted from the Mumbai-Pune expressway. The Ulhas River runs to the east of the fort while the "Gadhi River" runs to the west. The Patalganga River is to the south.
The forts of Chanderi and Peb are to the west. The Manikgad Fort is to the south while the Karnala fort is located towards the north.
Kalavantin Durg is a 685m high pinnacle on the northern edge of the Prabal plateau. It is located near the Machi and near the Vajepur village.{{cite book|author=Harish Kapadia|title=Trek the Sahyadris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oICZM5HKRbAC&pg=PA58|date=1 March 2004|publisher=Indus Publishing|isbn=978-81-7387-151-1|pages=57–58}}
=Climate=
Prabalgad has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with little to no rainfall from November to May and extremely heavy rainfall from June to September with moderately heavy showers in October.
{{Weather box
|width = auto
| location = Prabalgad
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan high C = 27.9
| Feb high C = 28.9
| Mar high C = 31.2
| Apr high C = 32.8
| May high C = 32.9
| Jun high C = 30.0
| Jul high C = 27.1
| Aug high C = 26.9
| Sep high C = 27.7
| Oct high C = 30.2
| Nov high C = 29.8
| Dec high C = 28.8
| Jan mean C = 21.5
| Feb mean C = 22.3
| Mar mean C = 25.0
| Apr mean C = 27.3
| May mean C = 28.3
| Jun mean C = 26.7
| Jul mean C = 24.8
| Aug mean C = 24.4
| Sep mean C = 24.6
| Oct mean C = 25.5
| Nov mean C = 23.9
| Dec mean C = 22.3
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = 15.1
| Feb low C = 15.8
| Mar low C = 18.9
| Apr low C = 21.8
| May low C = 23.7
| Jun low C = 23.4
| Jul low C = 22.5
| Aug low C = 22.0
| Sep low C = 21.6
| Oct low C = 20.9
| Nov low C = 18.1
| Dec low C = 15.8
|precipitation colour= green
|Jan precipitation mm=0
|Feb precipitation mm=0
|Mar precipitation mm=0
|Apr precipitation mm=5
|May precipitation mm=23
|Jun precipitation mm=694
|Jul precipitation mm=1983
|Aug precipitation mm=1357
|Sep precipitation mm=584
|Oct precipitation mm=119
|Nov precipitation mm=14
|Dec precipitation mm=3
}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{coord|18.971193|73.225293|type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Forts in Maharashtra}}