Pratapgad stands on a spur of the Sahyadri, the Western Ghats, about twenty kilometres from the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, guarding the old route between the Deccan plateau and the Konkan coast. Shivaji, founder of the Maratha state, had the fort built in the 1650s, and in 1659 it was the scene of the most famous episode of his life. Afzal Khan, a general of the Bijapur Sultanate, came with a large army to crush him, and the two met for a parley below the fort. Accounts differ on who struck first, but Shivaji, wearing armour under his clothes and the wagh nakh, a claw-shaped weapon, on his hand, killed Afzal Khan, and his troops hidden in the forest routed the Bijapuri army. The story is told across Maharashtra with immense pride, and Afzal Khan's tomb lies below the fort.
The fort has two parts, a lower fort with a temple to the goddess Bhavani, built by Shivaji, and an upper fort with a statue of him on horseback. The walls follow the edge of the cliffs, and the views over the forested valleys and ridges of the Ghats are spectacular. Monkeys wait at the steps for pilgrims' snacks; keep your bag closed.
The ride is the real reward. From Mahabaleshwar, the road drops through dense forest and then descends the Ambenali Ghat towards Poladpur and the coast, a long series of hairpins with drops over the Konkan below. The surface is variable, with potholes and gravel in places, and buses and trucks take the corners wide, so stay well left and use the horn at blind bends, as everyone else does.
The monsoon transforms everything. From June to September, the Western Ghats receive enormous rainfall, and Mahabaleshwar is one of the wettest places in India. Waterfalls pour from every cliff and the forest turns an electric green, but the roads become slippery, landslides happen, and visibility in the clouds can drop to a few metres. The months after the monsoon, October to February, are the best for riding, with cool mornings and clear skies.
Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani have fuel, hotels and restaurants; Mahad is the town on the coastal side. Mahabaleshwar is famous for its strawberries, grown on the plateau, and served with cream at roadside stalls in winter. Have a cup of sweet chai at the foot of the fort before the climb.