Every fort has got its own identity due to the events that took place in the history over there, but there are some forts where some important events did not happen and even if they happened, they might not have been recorded and written down in the history. Such forts have been forgotten and neglected today. Songad fort is one of the many such forts. Parvatgad and Songad are twin forts separated by a ravine. Of these, Songad is a small fort with a narrow head and Parvatgad is a large fort. Both these forts are easy to see on a one day trip. This fort is only 50 km from Nashik and 26 km from Sinnar via Dapur. Trekkers rarely visit this fort which so close to one of the major cities. Information about these neglected forts is not easy to find. Songad fort stands on a hill behind Bhojapur village. This fort is spread east-west and is 1000 feet high from the base. ... The length of the fort is 400 x 100 feet and the total area at the top of the fort is less than one acre. Bhojapur village is at a distance of 25 km from Sinnar. Kasarwadi village is 3 km away from Bhojapur. Songad can be reached in one hour from both of these villages. There is a Hanuman temple on the way from Bhojapur village to Kasarwadi village before reaching Kasarwadi fork. The road on the right-hand side in front of this temple leads to Songad. As this road is very bad, the vehicle should be parked near the Mosque or the school and drinking water should be filled from the water tap in the school. Although there are three water cisterns on the fort, the water in them is not drinkable. From here, at the top of the hill, you can see the small Songad fort with a Khandoba Temple on it. After 15 minutes of walk on the path adjacent to the Dargah takes you to the plateau below the pinnacle of Songad. On this plateau, you can see quadrangle structures of ruined houses. One of these structures has a Shivling and Nandi next to it. From this plateau, the path on the right leads to Parvatgad, while the straight path leads to Songad. From this plateau, you can reach the top of the fort in half an hour. The road from Sonewadi village through the gorge comes here but it is a bit long and inconvenient. When climbing the fort from the plateau, you first come across the steps carved in the rock. After climbing these steps, we reach the bottom of the fort. At one point along the way, two stones carved with Paduka are seen. Looking at the fort from here, you can see the ramparts of the fort. These ramparts are given support to avoid them from collapsing. There are steps carved on the edge and adjacent to it is an idol of God. This is likely to be the main gate of the fort. On the upper right-hand side of this place, two carved water cisterns can be seen. You need to be a little careful while on this path. After climbing fifteen to twenty feet from the cistern, you enter the top of the fort. There is a saffron flag fluttering in front of it and a white painted temple with an idol of Khandoba inside. Outside the temple is a dilapidated building with a rusty iron drum and a recent stone human sculpture. In front of this sculpture, two small Nandis are placed. Behind the temple are large water cisterns carved in the rock and a gutter have been carved in the rock to collect water in this cistern. From here, the road leading to the front leads to the trunk of the fort. Signs of a cannon being present here in the past is visible. Although the ramparts, bastions, and entrances of the fort do not exist, their existence is felt. The plateau of the mountain fort is visible in front. This is the highest part of the fort and from here you can see the Bhojapur dam and a distant region. Fifteen minutes is enough to see the entire fort. Songad should have been used only for surveillance purposes. After seeing this fort, you should go down back to the plateau and then visit Parvatgad. If you go through the pages of history, you will not find any information about this fort. There is a school and a Mosque at the base of Songad and the school has a water tank with a water tap. 10-12 people can easily accommodate here.
© Suresh Nimbalkar