Harihar fort, Ghoti, Nashik District of Maharashtra, India

Harihar fort is a fort located 40km from Nashik City, 48 km from Igatpuri, 40 km from Ghoti in Nashik district, of Maharashtra. It is an important fort in Nashik district, and was constructed to look upon the trade route through Gonda Ghat. It receives many visitors because of its peculiar rock-cut steps.

Located atop a hill with an elevation of more than 3500 feet, it overlooks the nearby settlement of villages like Harshewadi. The history of the fort stretches back to the period of the Yadava dynasty in between the 9th and 14th centuries. The fort was constructed to guard the trade route. Later on, it was captured by several other invaders and local rulers until it came under the control of the British army. Today, the fort is in ruins and is only used as a trekking site. You need to climb up a flight of rock-cut steps to reach the fort. The villages from where the trek starts are Harshewadi and Nirgudpada.

 

 

There are two base villages of the fort, Harshewadi and Nirgudpada. The Harshewadi is 13 km from Trymbakeshwar. The other base village of the fort is Nirgudpada/Kotamvadi which is 40 km from Ghoti which itself is 48 km from Nashik and 121 km from Mumbai. One can travel from Ghoti to Trimbakeshwar by bus or by private vehicle. One should take care of returning from the fort the last bus from Trimbakeshwar is 5:30pm to Ghoti and enough trains are available from Nashik to Mumbai till late night. The climb from Harshewadi is more easier than from the Nirgudpada. A wide, safe trekking path starts from the hil lock north of the Nirgudpada. It passes through scrub forest till it reaches an open ridge which is connected to the fort. It takes about an hour to reach the scarp of the hill on which the fort is situated. The ascent through the 60 m rock-cut steps is wonderful. It is like a stone ladder placed at 60 degree along the scarp. The steps are worn out at many places yet the holes on either side of the steps are conveniently cut for holding onto. After reaching the main entrance, the paths takes a left traverse and again a helical rock cut steps are to be climbed, which are more steep than the earlier. The steps finally end with a narrow entrance. At many places the steps are very narrow that, only a single person can climb at a time. Accommodation is possible on the harihar fort as well as in the local villages.

There are no good structures left on the fort except for a storage house with a small entrance. There is a series of rock-cut water cisterns in the center of the fort. It takes about an hour to visit all places on the fort.

After you climb the first rocky staircase main entrance we walk thru below an overhang with a sheer drop. Again one has to climb a set of steep stairs with niches, then pass thru a staircase inside the rock like Peth Fort - Kothaligad Fort and then reach the top of the fort. The view from the top is excellent. After climbing these steps, we get up to the entrance door. The fort has got a tapering plateau with a raised level in the middle. There is a small temple of Lord Hanuman and Lord Shiva on the plateau. A small pond is there in front of this temple. Water from this pond can be used for drinking.