Into the unknown

Harihar fort appears to be rectangular in shape from its base village. It is built on a triangular prism of rock. Its three faces and two edges are absolutely vertical 90 degrees. The third edge towards the west is inclined at an angle of 75 degrees. A one-meter wide rocky staircase with niches in it is carved out for ascending & descending the fort.

There are 117 steps in all. After you climb the first rocky staircase main entrance we walk thru below an overhang with a sheer drop. Again one has to climb a set of steep stairs with niches, then pass thru a staircase inside the rock like Peth Fort - Kothaligad Fort and then reach the top of the fort. The view from the top is excellent. After climbing these steps, we get up to the entrance door. The fort has got a tapering plateau with a raised level in the middle. There is a small temple of Lord Hanuman and Lord Shiva on the plateau. A small pond is there in front of this temple. Water from this pond can be used for drinking.

Making headway from here we come across a palace having two rooms in it. 10 to 12 persons can be accommodated in this palace. One of the vertical drops of the fort facing the Nirgudpada village is called 'Scottish kada', perhaps because it was climbed for the first time in November 1986 by Doug Scott, the legendary Himalayan mountaineer & took him two days to do the climb. This cliff is about 170 meters in height.