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=Pratapgarh javli, 1908=

Fortress in the Javli taluka of Satara District, 
Bombay, situated in 17degree 55' N. and 73degree 35' E., 8 miles south-west of 
Mahabaleshwar, on a summit of the Western Ghats commanding the 
Par ghat; and dividing one of the sources of the Savitri from the Koyna, 
an affluent of the Kistna. The fort, 3,543 feet above sea-level, looks 
from a distance like a round-topped hill, the walls of the lower fort 
forming a sort of band or crown round the brow. The western and 
northern sides are gigantic cliffs, with an almost vertical drop in many 
places of 700 or 800 feet. The towers and bastions on the south and 
east are often 30 to 40 feet high, while there is in most places a scarp 
of naked black rock not much lower. In 1656 Sivaji, the founder of 
the Maratha power, selected this almost impregnable position as one 
of his principal forts. Pratapgarh was the scene of his treacherous 
murder of the Muhammadan general Afzal Khan, who had been sent 
against him by the Sultan of Bijapur. In 1659 Sivaji decoyed Afzal 
Khan to a personal interview by a pretended submission, the two 
leaders being each attended by a single armed follower. Sivaji stabbed 
the Musalman general, and gave the signal to his ambushed army to 
attack the Muhammadan troops, who, bewildered by the loss of their 
chief, were utterly routed. In the Maratha War of 1818 Pratapgarh 
was surrendered to the British by private negotiation, though it was an 
important stronghold and was held by a large garrison. 

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This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
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[[Category:India|P]]
[[Category:Places|P]]
''Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value. ''