Forts in Sahyadri

The Sahyadri mountain range dominates the 40% of the landscape of India. Perched atop several peaks in this range are massive stone forts that have played a decisive role in the history. There are more than 500 forts in lap of Sahyadri. While many are hill forts on mountain tops, there are naval forts on the sea coast and land forts on flat land, telling us a great deal of the character of the rulers of those times. Most of the forts were ruled by ancient dynasties like the Satavhanas, the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas, the Yadavs, the Mughals, the Bahamanis, the Kadambas, Adil Shah, the Shivshai and the Peshwas and all were finally taken over by the British. While some dynasties built new forts, others just took over the old forts for their use.

The construction of the forts reflects the foresight of the rulers who built them. The choice of the site itself made each fort virtually impregnable, the garrison being so located that it was well protected against attack and controlled a strategic region. Most of these forts are today in a state of dilapidation. While some are well preserved, others lie in virtual ruins, but even these speak to us of the grandeur of these places in times gone by.