Ambenali ghat

Ambenali ghat
The Pass
Elevation	625 m (2,051 ft)
Location	Satara-Raigad Districts, Maharashtra, India
Range	Western Ghats
Coordinates	17.93°N 73.55°E / 17.93; 73.55

Ambenali Ghat is a mountain road in Maharashtra, India cutting across the Northern Western Ghats or the Sahyadri mountain range. It connects the coastal Raigad District Konkan region of Maharashtra with the Satara District Desh region on the Deccan plateau. It is one of few link roads between the Konkan and Ghatmaatha in Maharashtra. The road, state highway 72, is at an average elevation of 625 m (2,051 ft). The ghat, or mountain road, is about 40 km long. Its characteristic feature is that it takes many turns without gaining/losing much height. It links the cities of Poladpur (Raigad district) and Mahabaleshwar (Satara district). It ends in Poladpur. The road ascends/descends around 1300m from Mahabaleshwar to Poladpur. It is the longest ghat in Maharashtra.This ghat travels through the Javali forest area. Many animals like leopards are seen here. This 40 km long ghat is known for its deadly road, where many accidents take place. It is very scenic and its picturesque landscape makes it an ideal location for tourists who flock around the ghat in crowds but it's known for being closed during the monsoon season sometimes due to "safety-issues".

History

In the olden times the ghat road was protected by the Pratapgad, and Kamalgad forts. The famous battle between Afzal Khan (general) and Shivaji Maharaj was fought at the base of the pratapgad fort. This ghat is dangerous and one must drive cautiously as many accidents have happened in this ghat. It starts near the Bombay point, descends 500 metres and goes near Pratapgad fort. It descends 500 meters from Pratapgad and enters the Konkan region near Payatewadi, meeting Mumbai-Goa road.^{[citation needed]}