Pratapgad, Mountain fortress in Satara district, India

Pratapgad is a mountain fortress built along a rocky ridge from dark, unevenly shaped stone blocks. At its highest point stands a rounded bastion with a flat top, where an orange flag flies from a pole; a broad flight of stone steps climbs its front. Lower walls and terraced pathways extend outward and downward along the ridge, bordered on one side by forested slopes.

Construction started in 1656 on the orders of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj to secure southern trade routes against sultanate forces. Three years later, a decisive encounter between Maratha warriors and Bijapur general Afzal Khan took place here, shifting the balance of power in the region.

The Tulja Bhawani temple holds an eight-armed image of the goddess carved from shaligram stone brought from the Gandaki river in Nepal. Shivaji began the custom of playing the sanai and chaughada before her daily, and the temple keeps a sabhamandap and nagarkhana. A priest of the Hadap surname makes the panchamrit offering.

Regular buses run from Mahabaleshwar, which is 24 kilometers away, and the drive passes through wooded hills with views of the valleys below. The climb from the parking area to the main gate takes around 30 minutes on a paved road, with refreshment stalls available along the way.

A large bronze statue of Shivaji Maharaj on horseback was unveiled by Prime Minister Nehru in 1957 and stands near the inner courtyard. The sculpture reaches 17 feet (5.2 meters) in height and was one of the first memorials of its kind in post-independence India.