Hadsar Fort

How to reach Hadsar:

There are two major ways to reach fort Hadsar:One of them is the royal entrance whereas the other one is made by the villagers by carving steps in the rock. Both these ways start from the village of Hadsar. From Junnar any bus going towards Nimgiri, Rajur or Kewada takes us to Hadsar within about 45 minutes.

There is a well on the way when one starts up the hill from village Hadsar. Walk for a short while towards left on the plateau and a pass between two hillocks can be seen after traversing for about 15 minutes. Moving straight ahead in the direction of this pass brings us to the bastion within about half an hour. A simple climb on the rock will take us to the fort's entrance. Two water cisterns dug in to the rock can be seen on the way.

To take the other route, instead of moving in the direction of the pass one has to circumvent the hill from left and reach the other side of the hill. About 150 steps from this point will take us to the main entrance in the pass. This being the royal approach is the simpler way. About an hour's time is enough to reach the fort from here.

About Hadsar:
The Sahyadri range has plethora of forts. Likewise, Taluka Junnar, belonging to the Pune districts is decorated with a good number. Hadsar is a beautiful fort located in this region. Starting from Naneghat, one can combine Jeevdhan, Shivneri, Lenyadri, Hadsar and Harishchandragad into a six-day trek.

Fort Hadsar, also known as Parvatgad, was constructed in the Satvaahan era and was quite inhabited during that period. It is located on the outskirts of Nagar (Ahmednagar) in order to protect the trade route passing through Naneghat. Documentary evidence shows that fort Hadsar was included in the treaty made by Shahaji Raje with the Mughals in 1637. In 1818 the British forces conquered Junnar and the forts in the region. Like in case of other forts, the approach-ways of fort Hadsar were destroyed at that time as well.

Sightseeing Hadsar:

The entrance gates on fort Hadsar are good examples of the medieval architecture. Twin doors in the tunnel-like entrance way, steps carved out of the rock and "Gomukhi" construction of the gate are worth seeing. Passing through the main entrance, the path gets divided into two. One of these leads to the top of a hillock whereas the other one leads to the second gate. Immediately after passing through the second gate one can see a water cistern, with good potable water.

Walking towards the elevated area in front of the cistern leads us to three huge stores carved in the rock butting the cliff. However, these are not suitable for camping. The rock also carries images of lord Ganesh. Towards right of this place is a big pond and Mahadeo temple with a large-sized Nandi. The main hall of the temple has six corners, three of which carry the idols of Lord Ganesh, Garud (Eagle) and Lord Hanuman respectively. Adjacent to the temple lays a strong bastion.

There is a pond just in front of the temple, which gets completely filled during the monsoon season. A stonewalled well-like construction can be seen at the center of the pond.

If we descend from the right of the bastion-wall, a cistern now filled up with sand can be seen. Proceeding little ahead leads us to a carved-out cave in the rock. This is however, the spot for reconnaissance.

A splendid view of the Manikdoh dam and its surroundings is offered to us from this place. The whole range of Chavand, Naneghat, Shivneri, Bhairavgad and Jeevdhan is visible from here.

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