Satana taluka in the Nashik district was formerly known as Baglan. Even today, many people refer to it as Baglan. Karhagad (Karha fort), Bista, Dundha, and Ajmera are the four watchtowers within a 21 km radius near the city of Satana. These four forts on the Dundheshwar mountain range were used as outposts. All the four forts of Karha, Bishta, Ajmera, Dundha, and Jogeshwar temple in Deolane village can be seen in two days by private vehicle. The distance from Satana to Karhagad is 12 km. On the way from Satana to Nampur via Dodheshwar, there is a small village called Karhe. Karhagad is located near this village. The road leading to Karhagad goes up the opposite side of the village without passing through Karhe village. The fort can be reached from the trunks descending from the north of Karhagad. ... A small earthen dam is seen after the Dodheshwar temple. Crossing the dam, one sees a house and from there a dirt road leads into the forest. The hill which could be seen in the front is Karhagad. There is a small temple of Goddess Bhavani on the fort and at the foot of the fort, there is a small temple of Saptashrungi Mata which is newly built by the villagers. The fort is unfamiliar to the locals as Karhagad, instead, the locals know it as Bhavani Dongar. The fort is visited by locals once a year during the procession of Goddess Bhavani, otherwise, there is no hustle and bustle on the fort. As there is no clear path to reach the fort, you should start climbing the fort towards the trunk descending from this hill. There is a flag on this hill. From this hill, Karha fort is visible in front. Many gates are leading to the fort and all the gates lead to the top of the fort. After walking for 40 minutes, you reach a plateau. Here you can see the broken and scattered ramparts of the fort. Once there was a fort gate in this area but today no remnants of it can be seen. A little further on, you can see some carved stones. It has a curved arch carved out of stone as well as a carved stone pillar. This pillar has been worn out due to being kept in the open. This pillar has been carved from all four sides. One of the sides has Ganpati and 3 musicians carved under it. On the other side is a horseman carved. The sculptures on the other side are not recognizable due to wear and tear. After a short climb from here, we come to a staircase carved in the rock. There are two carved caves in this place one of which is big and the other is small. These caves should be there to keep an eye on the way to the fort. Both these caves are covered with trees and are on the verge of extinction. Above the steps is the ruined bastion of the fort. Going straight up without going up the stairs, you can see 3 cisterns carved in a row. One of the cisterns has water in it but it is not drinkable. Coming back from here and going up the staircase we reach the head of the fort. There is a restored temple of Bhavani Mata in front. Behind it, there are 2 water cisterns carved in the rock, in which moss has grown. These cisterns dry up after March. On the right side of these cisterns is a large dry cistern in the cave. After you see this cistern, you come back up and you can see another water cistern on the opposite side. This cistern has a large amount of aquatic vegetation. Remains of houses are found on the head. On the west side of the head are some caves carved into the rock. Your fort tour ends near the temple at the top of the fort. The head of Karhagad fort is small so half an hour is enough to see the fort. Salher, Salota, Mulher, Moragad, Ratangad, Tambolya, Mangi-Tungi pinnacles, Bishtha, Dermal, Pisol, Ajmer, and Dundhagad can be seen from the top. In the year 1987, Shri. Girish Takle, a historian from Nashik led a search operation in which he succeeded to locate Karhegad. If possible, try visiting Karha Fort with a guide. Seven-eight km from the base of Karhegad, there is an ancient Shiv temple in Deolane village and this temple and the sculptures on it are worth visiting.
© Suresh Nimbalkar