<p>An urge to explore some lesser-known forts in Nashik took me to four forts in Chandvad taluk which lie on the Satmala mountain range: Chandvad, Koldher, Rajdher and Indrai, amongst which, I decided to visit Rajdher (1,344 m) and Indrai (1,368 m). We arrived at Nashik and then headed towards Rajdherwadi. A two-hour climb from here took us to the entrance of the gate.</p>.<p>Within an hour, we reached a few water cisterns near a ladder. Without the ladder, one must do rock climbing to enter the fort. After climbing the ladder, we ascended a few more rock-cut steps to enter the fort. It was around 5 pm, hence we quickly went in the direction of the cave which was our dwelling place for that night. For the last few years, this cave was being used by a <span class="italic">sadhu</span>. However, he was not there when we visited the fort. We put our sacks in the cave and went to explore the fort.</p>.<p>There are two ponds, a temple of Shiva and few water tanks on the fort. It was a lovely evening. We could see other forts such as Indrai, Mangi-Tungi, Nhavigad, Koldher, and Dhodap. Birds were flying back to their nests. It was a mesmerising sunset in the lap of Satmala range... The history of Rajdher goes back till Yadava dynasty. This fort has seen many transitions from Yadavas-Alauddin Khilji-Faruki-Shivaji Maharaj-Nizam-Peshwa-British.</p>.<p>Valentine Blacker (a lieutenant colonel in the East India Co) in his “<span class="italic">The Memoirs of the Operations of the British Army in India</span>, describes the battle that took place in 1818 between the British and Marathas at Rajdher. </p>.<p>Next morning, we visited the remaining part of the fort and started to descend. We found remnants of a mansion. This was the only intact place on the fort. It was difficult to say goodbye to Rajdher, but it was time to move to our next destination — Indrai. It did not take more than one-and-a-half hours for us to reach the base but took us 3 hours to reach the top. There are more than 100 rock-cut steps to Indrai. </p>.<p>The sun was setting behind the hills and in the lingering twilight, we kept looking for the Mahadev temple. After searching a lot in all the directions, one of us finally could find the temple. I was feeling very tired, but the temple and the pond in front of it were certainly rejuvenating. </p>.<p>The morning dawned upon us with the sound of birds. We enjoyed the mountain sunrise. Early in the morning, we went to explore the fort. We could see the forts of Chandvad, Koldher, Dhodap, Ikhara and of course Rajdher from the top. There are 18-20 ancient caves on Indrai. But the period of their construction is not known. Slowly, they are falling into decay.</p>.<p>There is also one Persian inscription, but it has become unreadable. I could not find any references to this inscription in the historical documents to date. The fort is massive, and it offers stunning views. </p>.<p>In the last two days, these splendid hills had offered us history, nature and adventure. With all the beautiful memories, we started walking towards the base with a heavy heart.</p>
<p>An urge to explore some lesser-known forts in Nashik took me to four forts in Chandvad taluk which lie on the Satmala mountain range: Chandvad, Koldher, Rajdher and Indrai, amongst which, I decided to visit Rajdher (1,344 m) and Indrai (1,368 m). We arrived at Nashik and then headed towards Rajdherwadi. A two-hour climb from here took us to the entrance of the gate.</p>.<p>Within an hour, we reached a few water cisterns near a ladder. Without the ladder, one must do rock climbing to enter the fort. After climbing the ladder, we ascended a few more rock-cut steps to enter the fort. It was around 5 pm, hence we quickly went in the direction of the cave which was our dwelling place for that night. For the last few years, this cave was being used by a <span class="italic">sadhu</span>. However, he was not there when we visited the fort. We put our sacks in the cave and went to explore the fort.</p>.<p>There are two ponds, a temple of Shiva and few water tanks on the fort. It was a lovely evening. We could see other forts such as Indrai, Mangi-Tungi, Nhavigad, Koldher, and Dhodap. Birds were flying back to their nests. It was a mesmerising sunset in the lap of Satmala range... The history of Rajdher goes back till Yadava dynasty. This fort has seen many transitions from Yadavas-Alauddin Khilji-Faruki-Shivaji Maharaj-Nizam-Peshwa-British.</p>.<p>Valentine Blacker (a lieutenant colonel in the East India Co) in his “<span class="italic">The Memoirs of the Operations of the British Army in India</span>, describes the battle that took place in 1818 between the British and Marathas at Rajdher. </p>.<p>Next morning, we visited the remaining part of the fort and started to descend. We found remnants of a mansion. This was the only intact place on the fort. It was difficult to say goodbye to Rajdher, but it was time to move to our next destination — Indrai. It did not take more than one-and-a-half hours for us to reach the base but took us 3 hours to reach the top. There are more than 100 rock-cut steps to Indrai. </p>.<p>The sun was setting behind the hills and in the lingering twilight, we kept looking for the Mahadev temple. After searching a lot in all the directions, one of us finally could find the temple. I was feeling very tired, but the temple and the pond in front of it were certainly rejuvenating. </p>.<p>The morning dawned upon us with the sound of birds. We enjoyed the mountain sunrise. Early in the morning, we went to explore the fort. We could see the forts of Chandvad, Koldher, Dhodap, Ikhara and of course Rajdher from the top. There are 18-20 ancient caves on Indrai. But the period of their construction is not known. Slowly, they are falling into decay.</p>.<p>There is also one Persian inscription, but it has become unreadable. I could not find any references to this inscription in the historical documents to date. The fort is massive, and it offers stunning views. </p>.<p>In the last two days, these splendid hills had offered us history, nature and adventure. With all the beautiful memories, we started walking towards the base with a heavy heart.</p>
