Fort of Peth

Kothaligad is a small Fort and having height 3100 ft. It is situated to the east of Karjat near Karjat-Murbad Road in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is one of the famous treks in the Karjat area, because of its small altitude and trouble-free mountaineering. It is also known as the Fort of Peth because of its district to Peth village at its foundation.

There is a tank of water at some reserve from the cave and another one at the top of the fort. This tunnel is the high point of the trek, with its funnel like construction and steps along the inside in a steep ascent to the very top.

The cave and the temple carvings year back to the 13th century. Not much is known about the history until the 18^th or 17^th century. This cave was captured by the British. Then later on, on November 2, 1817, it was recaptured by the Marathas under the leadership of Bapurao who belonged to the generation after Bajirao. It was recaptured by the British, on December 30, 1817, the very next month, under Captain Brooks. The British had the fort till 1862 as an outpost for vigilance on the surrounding valley and the hills all around it.

The locals say that this is not actually a fort but a sort of lighthouse from where the directions were given to know the advancements of the enemy. In fact it can be called a watch tower to keep a vigil on the Mawal area in the greater province of the Marathas. It is absolutely breathtaking to climb and to have a feeling of the engineering marvel being crafted when there were no engineers like today or even no PWD departments as well. Only the foresightedness of the Maratha warrior has been behind the development of the watch tower standing atop the small but sturdy hillock. The stone is a single black expanse reaching till the Peth village standing on the fertile soil with abundant natural resources for water and farming.

You can reach Karjat by morning train. From Karjat you will get bus for Ambivili. Trek starts at Ambivili from where you have to get at base village Peth. If you miss bus at 8:30am next bus is at 10:00 am which will leave you at Kashele, from where you will have to take local private transport to reach Ambivili. But local transport charges are uninformed and high. While returning you will get bus at Amibivili at 5:00pm, which will leave you at Karjat by 6:30pm.