Ratangad ( Marathi : रतनगड ) is a fort in Ratanwadi , Maharashtra , India , overlooking the locale of Bhandardara , one of the oldest artificial catchment area. This fort is located in the Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra . It is on the boundary of Ahmadnagar and Thane districts. The fort is about 400 years old. This fort is often covered with flowering plants in November. Ratangad is also called Jewel of the Sahyadris .
15-579: Ratangad has a natural rock peak with a cavity in it at the top which is called 'Nedhe' or 'Eye of the Needle'. The fort has four gates Ganesh, Hanuman, Konkan and Trimbak. The sculptures of Lord Ganesh and Hanuman are seen on the main gate. It also has many wells on the top. The main attraction at Ratanwadi is the Amruteshwar Temple , famous for its carvings, dating back to the Hemadpant Era - roughly from
30-512: Is approached by boat from Bhandardara or by road from Ghoti- Bhandardara road. By boat, it is a 6 km journey and further it is a 4 km walk till Ratanwadi. The trek route from Ratanwadi is the simplest one, it passes through dense forest along the northern bank of the Pravara river , till it reaches a scarp. The final climb is made easy by the iron ladders constructed by the forest department. The local villagers on weekends, erect small shacks on
45-455: Is cool and the vegetation has not dried up.. The fort is 400 years old. Ratangad was captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhosle . The fort is named after Ratnabai Tandal, who has a small temple inside the cave on the fort. She was one of the three sisters : Ratnabai, Kalsubai and Katrabai. There are two main routes to reach the fort. One route starts from village Samrad and the other from village Ratanwadi. The base village Ratanwadi
60-451: Is filled in with Hero stones , undressed stones and other architectural members at a later period. The shikhara has four vertical spires with diminishing miniature shikharas capped with a flat amalaka . The walls are decorated with geometrical patterns but are devoid of images. The pillars are carved and consist of a square base over which an octagonal member is topped by a circle. A stepped tank locally known as pushkarani , square on plan,
75-433: Is placed on the western gate facing the backdoor of the shrine, i.e. east; apart from this, there are two other eroded nandis on the porch. Perforated windows can be seen in the shallow recesses of the mandapa. The shikhara over the shrine is intact and is very ornamental, while the roof of the mandapa has disappeared leaving the inner lintels of the ceiling. The ceiling at places where the original roof slabs are missing
90-574: The Indus Valley civilization . Some are stepwells with many steps at the sides. Since ancient times, the design of water storage has been important in India's temple architecture, especially in western India where dry and monsoon seasons alternate. Temple tank design became an art form in itself. An example of the art of tank design is the large, geometrically spectacular Stepped Tank at the Royal Center at
105-415: The east. On plan it consists of the mandapa , with an antarala and garbhagriha on the east of it, and a porch before the eastern back door of the shrine. The temple faces west and is dedicated to Shiva; the lingam installed in the shrine is peculiar; it consists of a yoni which is placed over a cavity in the rock and over it in the shape of kalasha are three stones kept one over the other. The Nandi
120-415: The eighth century. The fort is origin for the river Pravara/Amrutvahini. The Bhandardara dam (Arthar dam) is built on this river. From the top of the fort neighbouring forts like Alang, kulang, Madan gad, Harishchandragad, Patta are seen easily. The view of entire Bhandardara dam( Lake Arthur) gives sheer pleasure. There are many rock cut water cisterns on the fort. Some of them store potable water throughout
135-475: The fort. 2. Gadkot - Bhagwan Chile, Shivsparsha Prakashan, Kolhapur Amruteshwar Temple Amruteshwar Temple is an intricately carved Shiva temple in Ratanwadi . It is over 1200 years old and was built by the rulers of Shilahara dynasty in the 9th century CE. This is one of twelve Shiva temples built by King Jhanjha . It measures 61mX36m and is surrounded by a low parapet with an entrance towards
150-536: The ruins of Vijayanagara , the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, surrounding the modern town of Hampi . It is lined with green diorite and has no drain . It was filled by aqueduct . The tanks are used for ritual cleansing and during rites of consecration. The water in the tank is deemed to be sacred water from the Ganges River . In India, a stepwell is a deep masonry well with steps going down to
165-452: The temple complex near Indian temples. They are called pushkarini, kalyani, kunda, sarovara, tirtha , talab, pukhuri, ambalakkuḷam, etc. in different languages and regions of India . Some tanks are said to cure various diseases and maladies when bathed in. It is possible that these are cultural remnants of structures such as the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro or Dholavira , which was part of
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#1732901501532180-611: The water level in the well. It is called a vav in west India and a baoli in north India. Some were built by kings and were richly ornamented. They often were built by nobility, some being for secular use from which anyone could obtain water. Haridra Nadhi, tank of the Rajagopalaswamy Temple, Mannargudi , is one of the largest temple tanks in India . It is located in Mannargudi , Thiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu . The area of
195-448: The way to provide tea and snacks for the trekkers. Some villagers provide food and snacks on the fort cave also. The trek route from village Samrad is quite difficult one, it passes over the narrow spur and finally reaches the Trymbak darwaja. The entire fort can be seen by taking a path which moves around the ridge of the fort. A small group of people can make an overnight stay in the cave on
210-456: The year. There is a natural hole in the mountain top probably caused by wind erosion. It is 10 feet high and 60 feet wide. Due to its shape it is called Nedhe (or eye of the needle in Marathi).On the eastern side of the fort there are two caves, which can be used for overnight stay. This fort can be visited in any part of the year however the beast season is from October–February when the temperature
225-421: Was also provided near the temple, with stepped entrances from three directions and a number of subsidiary shrines in niches around it. The images in the niches are of Ganesha and different forms of Vishnu like those of Sheshayi, Madhava and others. Archaeological Survey of India declared it a monument of national importance. Temple tank Temple tanks are wells or reservoirs built as part of
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