Pratapgad Fort

Pratapgad is a Maratha hill fort in the Sahyadri range near Mahabaleshwar, in Satara district, and ranks among the most important historic sites in Maharashtra. It was planned by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and in later years the Mughals tried to take it. Its high position gave defenders a clear view over the surrounding valleys, a large part of what made it so hard to attack.

A climb along winding paths leads past strong ramparts, large gateways, bastions facing the valleys, temples, and dim chambers with carvings and old inscriptions. The fort's best-known story is the meeting between Shivaji and Afzal Khan at the foot of the hill, where Shivaji's planning and nerve won the Marathas a key victory. Local tradition also holds that the goddess Bhavani has guarded the fort and its people.