Malanggad

Malanggad is a hill fort in the Matheran range of Thane district, about 15 km from Kalyan East. It is said to have been built by King Naladev in the seventh century; the Marathas held it in the 17th century, and the British under Colonel Hartley and Captain Jameson later defeated them here.

The fort rises in three levels. The lowest, the Pir Machi, is a plateau about 1,000 feet wide and 2,500 feet long holding the dargah of the Sufi saint Haji Malang, with the Panchi Pir, named after five pirs, at its far edge. Above it the Sone Machi juts out about 100 feet like an elephant's trunk. Unlike most forts in Maharashtra, Malanggad has few gates or towers and no machicolations, relying almost entirely on the steep natural rock for defence.