Bot at 10:17, 24 August 2022

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Ankai Fort
|partof = Ajintha Satmal Hill Range
|location = [[Nashik district]], [[Maharashtra]]
|image = [[File:Ankai Fort14.jpg|300px]]
|caption = Ankai fort from Highway
|map_type=India Maharashtra
| map_size = 300
|map_caption = Shown within [[Maharashtra]]
|type = Hill fort
|coordinates = {{coord|20|11|14|N|74|26|51.5|E}}
|materials = Stone
|height = 966.22 M (3170 Ft)
|used =
|condition = In ruins
|ownership = Government of India
|open_to_public = Yes
|controlledby = {{noflag}}[[Ahmadnagar Sultanate|Ahmadnagar]] (1521-1594) Mughal Empire (1594-1739) {{flagcountry|Maratha Empire}} (1739-1818) {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg}} [[East India Company]] (1818-1857)
* {{flagicon image|British Raj Red Ensign.svg}} [[British Raj]] (1857-1947)
{{flagcountry|India}} (1947-)
}}

'''Ankai Fort''' is a historic site found in the [[Satmala Range]] hills in western [[India]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=James Fergusson|author2=James Burgess|author-link1=James Fergusson (architect)|title=The Cave Temples of India|date=May 2013|publisher=Cambridge Library Collection|isbn=9781108055529|page=480|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVXa9JyxOw4C&q=Ankai+Fort&pg=PA480|access-date=19 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ankai-Tankai hill forts|url=http://www.wondermondo.com/Countries/As/India/Maharashtra/AnkaiTankaiF.htm|website=Wondermondo|date=14 June 2010|access-date=19 December 2015}}</ref> It is located in Yeola Taluka of [[Nashik district]] in the state of [[Maharashtra]]. The fort was built by Yadava of Devgiri. Geographically, it is near [[Manmad]]. The [[Ankai]] fort and [[Tankai fort]] are two different forts on adjacent hills. A common fortification is constructed to secure both. The Ankai fort is located on a hill with perpendicular scarps on all the sides, except for a narrow nose on the eastern side.

==History==
'''The Jain caves''' located at the foothills of the fort, spanning two levels. On the lower level there are two caves, neither of which has idols. On the upper level, there are five caves which feature [[Mahavira|Mahavir]] idols in good condition. They are secured by lock and key at night to avoid vandalism. There are carvings of [[Yaksha]], [[Indrani]], lotus and [[Mahavira|Lord Mahavir]] in the main cave. the fort at the base of the fort depict that Ankai was constructed around 1000 years ago. The fort was built by [[Yadava]] of [[Devgiri]]. Mughals led by [[Shah Jahan]]'s General Khan Khanan captured this fort in 1635 by bribing the fort commander. In 1665, [[Jean de Thévenot|Thévenot]] mentions these forts as a stage on the journey between the cities of [[Surat]] and [[Aurangabad, Maharashtra|Aurangabad]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cultural.maharashtra.gov.in/english/gazetteer/Nasik/022%20Places/001%20Place.htm#AnkaiTankai |title=Nasik District Gazetteers |publisher=Cultural.maharashtra.gov.in |date=1965-03-31 |accessdate=2022-08-12}}</ref> Ankai was ultimately captured by the Moghals. In 1752, the fort came under control of the [[Maratha empire]] after the Treaty of Bhalki. It was subsequently captured by the [[United Kingdom|British]] in 1818.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://trekshitiz.com/trekshitiz/marathi/Ankai-Trek-A-Alpha.html |title=Ankai, Sahyadri,Shivaji,Trekking,Marathi,Maharastra |website=trekshitiz.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416024530/http://trekshitiz.com/trekshitiz/marathi/Ankai-Trek-A-Alpha.html |archive-date=2016-04-16}}</ref>

==How to reach==
The nearest town is [[Manmad]] which is 97 kilometers from [[Nashik]]. The base village of the fort is Ankai which is 10 kilometers from Manmad. There are three routes to reach Ankai from Nashik. The shortest and safest is via [[Manmad]], the other two are via Vinchur-Lasalgaon-Patoda (85 km) and via [[Yeola]] (108 km). There are hotels in Manmad, and tea and snacks are also available in small eateries on the highway. The Ankai railway station is quite close to the village. Local passenger trains passing on the Manmad-Nizamabad route stop at the railway station. The trekking path starts from the hillock north of the Ankai village. The route is free from obstruction and is safe and wide with regular steps to the fort. It takes about half an hour to reach the entrance gate of the fort. It takes about 3 hours to see both the forts. It is advisable to first visit the Ankai fort in the early hours of the morning and complete the Tankai fort before noon.

==Places to see==
There are a lot of places to be seen around the fort, including:

'''The Jain caves''' located at the foothills of the fort, spanning two levels. On the lower level there are two caves, neither of which has idols. On the upper level, there are five caves which feature [[Mahavira|Mahavir]] idols in good condition. They are secured by lock and key at night to avoid vandalism. There are carvings of [[Yaksha]], [[Indrani]], lotus and [[Mahavira|Lord Mahavir]] in the main cave.

'''The Main Gate''' is located south of the hill, featuring well preserved woodwork.

'''The Manmad Gate''' is on the Northern side of the col facing Manmad city.

'''The Brahmani (Hindu) Caves''' are near the entrance gate to the upper plateau of Ankai fort. They are in ruins, but the idols of Jai and Vijay carved out of rock and the Shivinga can still be seen.

'''The Palace and Kashi Pond''' On the western edge of the plateau is a large palace in a dilapidated condition. Only the walls of the palace remain. Among the rock cut cisterns on the way to the palace is the Kashi pond, with a holy [[Tulsi]] pot engraved in rock placed in the center of the pond.

<ref>Book "Saad Sahydrichi-Bhatkanti killyanchi" by P.K. Ghanekar</ref> There is a series of rock-cut water cisterns on the southern side of the fort. It takes about two hours to visit all the attractions on the fort.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ankai 1.jpg|Main gate of the Fort
File:Ankai4.jpg|Jain caves
File:Ankai2.jpg|Kashi Pond
File:Ankai7.jpg|Entrance gate
File:Ankai9.jpg|The Hindu cave with jai-Vijay
File:Ankai10.jpg|The Jain Cave
File:Ankai13.jpg|Wada or Palace
File:Ankai Fort.jpg|Ankai fort from Tankai
</gallery>

{{Coord|20|11|14|N|74|26|51.5|E|display=title}}

== See also ==
{{commons category|Ankai Fort}}
* [[List of forts in Maharashtra]]
* [[List of forts in India]]
* [[List of Maratha dynasties and states]]
* [[Maratha War of Independence]]
* [[Battles involving the Maratha Empire]]
* [[Military history of India]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Forts in Maharashtra}}
{{MarathaEmpire}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire]]
[[Category:Forts in Nashik district]]
[[Category:16th-century forts in India]]
[[Category:Caves of Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Nashik district]]
[[Category:Former populated places in India]]
[[Category:Forts in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Backpacking|*]]

Ankai Fort - Revision history

Bot at 10:17, 24 August 2022