Rohida Fort gets state-protected monument tag
The Maharashtra government on April 28 declared Rohida Fort, located in Bhor tehsil of Pune district, as a state protected monument. The decision came six months after the state tourism and cultural affairs department issued a notification in October 2024 inviting objection over the proposal. The fort has been declared a state protected monument under Sub-Section (1) of Section 4 of the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960.
Rohida Fort, also known as Rohideshwar and Vichitragad, is located nearly 61 km from Pune. The base village of the fort is Bajarwadi which is 7 km from Bhor tehsil. Built during the Yadav period, the popular fort has historical, cultural and natural significance.
As the authorities did not receive any objection after issuing the notification, a government resolution (GR) declaring the fort as a protected monument was published on April 28.
As per the GR, the fort was handed over to the Mughals in the treaty of Purandar in 1666. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj recaptured the fort on June 24, 1670. The fort has three gates at right angles to each other, six bastions on the fortification wall and multiple water tanks. Following the government's decision, the forest department will hand over ownership of the protected monument spread across at least 10.10 acres to the state archaeology department.
Sachin Joshi, archaeological researcher at Deccan College of Archaeology, Pune and member of state-level Gad-Kille Samvardhan, said, 'In 2015, the committee submitted a proposal to provide state protected monument status to nearly 80 forts in Maharashtra, including Rohida. While nearly 12 forts were declared state protected monuments, the Covid pandemic and some other reasons delayed the status for other forts. Declaring Rohida Fort as a state protected monument is a crucial step towards conservation of the ancient structure.'
'The fort was built even before Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's period. There is more scope for excavation to unearth the previous structure, but it should be carried out in a scientific manner. I hope the state archaeology department will undertake the work in the near future, he said.
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