District - Ahmednagar
State - Maharashtra
Distance from Bhandardara - 23 km
Best time to visit -
June to September ( Monsoon months )
October to February ( Winter months )
Ratangad fort
Ratan ( रत्न ) means Jewel in Hindi and Ratangad fort is aptly called the "Jewel of the Sahyadris".
Simultaneously, the fort is also named after Ratnabai Mandal, one of the three sisters, the other two being Katrabai and Kalsubai.
There is a small temple in the fort dedicated to her.
The fort is 400 years old and is at an elevation of 4255 feet.
It was captured by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and is believed to be his most preferred fort for leisure.
Situated in the Ajoba mountain range of the Sahyadris, it is surrounded on all sides by great mountains like Kalsubai, Alang, Katrabai, Ghanchakkar, Ajoba and Kulan.
The top of the fort provides a panoramic view of Chor Darwaza, Tryambak Darwaza, Bhandardara dam and the neighboring ancient forts , Harishchandragad, Kulang, Mandangad, Patta and Alang.
The fort has four gates, named Konkan, Ganesh, Trimbak and Hanuman with the sculptures of Lord Ganesh and Lord Hanuman on the main gate. The top of the fort has developed a hole, perhaps due to soil erosion. The hole is 10 feet in height and 60 feet in width. It appears like the eye of a needle and hence is called Nedhe in Marathi.
There are a number of functioning wells on the fort with some providing potable water.
A couple of caves on the eastern side are functional and used for the purpose of overnight stopover by the trekkers.
Ratangad trek -
Trekking up to the 400 years old fort is one of the most popular tourist activities in Bhandardara.The trek's base starts from the village, Ratanwadi, just opposite of Amruteshwar temple. The twisting trail is fairly medium challenging and leads through lush and dense forest paths that provide coolness even in the summer season. There are a couple of iron ladders installed by the forest department to climb up the fort.
The trail provides an opportunity to gaze at the scenic beauty of the surrounding peaks, the Pravara river, the Bhandardara dam and the Ratanwadi village.
There are no waterfalls on the way up to the fort. Though the trail is marked for guidance it is still preferable to take along a local guide from the village.
As regards availability of food items, the villagers do put up small stalls on the weekends with the local fare of poha, instant noodles, tea etc. Lunch and dinner orders can also be placed in the village, though the fare will be fairly simple and traditional Maharashtrian.
