Nashik: Fort Ramshej, an undefeated treasure of Maratha warriors is crowded with thousands of tourists on Saturdays and Sundays. As there is no proper mechanism for these tourists to see the fort safely, some mischievous visitors are posing threat to the historical architecture of the fort.
Nashik District Collector Suraj Mandhare, Assistant Forest Conservator Sanjay More and Assistant Director of Archeology Aarti Ale besides the Ashewadi Gram Panchayat office have been asked by Shivkarya Gadkot Conservation Society to take immediate steps to protect the historical structures of Ramshej.
Fort Ramshej on Peth road is located just 12 kms from Nashik. Only 330 Mawalas had kept Ramshej invincible, which was besieged by thousands of Mughal troops for 6 years. Fort Ramshej, a symbol of this feat, is a very important sculptural heritage.
For the last several years, Shivkarya Gadkot Conservation Society has been conducting uninterruptedly fort conservation work on Ramshej through shramdaan.
Through Shivkarya Gadkot, the fort has been cleaned several times, 18 reservoirs have been fully conserved and directional signs have been erected for tourists. Also, continuous activities like Durga Jagruti Abhiyan, Ramshej Mahotsav, Chhatrapati Shambhu Raje Jayanti are being conducted.
But in view of the ever-increasing crowds at the fort, lack of an official guide and tourism police, safe tourism is still a distant dream. Also Some mischievous elements are posing threat to this historic treasure.
“To prevent this and to save the fort, a permanent range forest officer should be appointed at Ramshej. The forest department should also set up a check-post at the foot of the fort for the registration of passers-by,” demanded by Shivkarya Gadkot.
Forts with historical heritage need to be preserved and efforts should be made to maintain the security of the fort.
– Manohar More Deshmukh, villager
Measures should be taken by the Forest Department and Tourism Department for the safety of tourists at Ramshej. As many mishaps are taking place in this place, security guards should be appointed on urgent basis.
– Samadhan Patil, tourist
