SONGARH FORT - MANDAV'S DEAD END

This fort is built near the Nilkanth Temple over the hill on the western end of Mandav. The hilltop looks like a camel’s hump. The northern and eastern sides of the fort are secured with natural deep trenches whereas the southern and western sides have stone walls. To enter the fort, one has to enter a grand gate and climb a set of stairs. It is said, that this gate was rebuilt by the Marathas at the  beginning of the 19th century, this explains its modern look. The exterior of the gate is decorated with red stones and the upper part with two arched umbrella-like structures. One can get bird’s-eye view of the valley from the front part the entry gate and a view of magnificent Mandav, filled with greenery, from the hilltop. There is an entombment on the hilltop and relics of Hindu architecture are spread around it. Among these relics, there is a jaldhari- a pan that is the base of the Shivling. Bahadur Shah, the ruler of Gujarat along with his horse, escaped this fort with the help of a rope from the top of this hill when he was surrounded by Humayun’s army in 1534. It is said that this fort was built during the time of Parmars and it was used during emergencies. There are a lot of legends related to this fort. One of them is that during the time of Parmars, treasure was kept here. When the Muslim rulers attacked Mandav, the entire treasure was hidden here. People come here for treasure hunt to this day.