Nashik: Ankai – Tankai, the twin forts is a famous historical site in Yeola taluka of Nashik district. Ankai is the village at the base of this fort. This village is 8 km from Manmad city, on the Manmad-Nagar road. Ankai fort is a small railway station where selected passenger trains take a stop. Ankai and Tankai forts fall under the category of 'Giridurg'. On the southern fork of the Satmal range, where the Ajantha hill range begins, are the Ankai–Tankai forts. These forts are built on two separate hills and these hills are connected by a narrow pass. Looking at these two forts from Ankai village, the highest hill on the left is Ankai Fort, while the flat-topped hill on the right is Tankai Fort. The height of Ankai Fort is 3152 feet, while Tankai Fort is 2802 feet in height. The climb to these forts is easy. Ankai village can be easily reached by any private vehicle from Manmad city.
To get to both the Ankai and Tankai forts, one has to first go through the pass that connects these forts. There are two roads to reach the pass and the first and popular route is from Ankai village which is south of these forts. While the other path comes from the north through a gate on the side of Manmad city. Both these paths converge at the pass at Ankai–Tankai and from there the paths diverge to reach both the forts. After reaching this pass, there are different routes to reach these two forts.
At the beginning of the climb to these forts, the stairs built by the Archeological Department can be seen. After a short climb, one reaches the Jain cave group in the middle of the Tankai fort. This is a group of ten caves in total and these caves are dug in two levels. The period of these caves is 10th to 12th century. One of the caves here has a Devanagari inscription and in some caves there are sculptures like lotus, deities, animals, and carved door branches.
The first gate of the fort can be seen further from these caves. This door faces East and is a complex of two doors. There are two semi-circular bastions on either side of the outer door. The second inner door is at right angles to the first door. This door is facing South. The construction of this door is strong and remains of wooden beams and door planks are still visible. Entering through this gate leads to the pass that connects the Ankai–Tankai forts.
After a little climb through the pass, the first North-facing gate of the fort is visible. This door is also a complex of two doors. On the outside of the door are two octagonal bastions of solid construction. The first of these doors has a rectangular frame and an arch at the top, with porches on both sides. Ahead is another arched doorway.
Another gate of the fort is also built in the complex itself. It has a total of two arched doors and only one arch in the middle. This door faces East and the complex of this door is a small tunnel. This door is built on a steep slope. After passing through the door and climbing the stone-carved steps, there is a complex of two doors joined together. Out of these the outer door is rectangular in shape. There are openings for seating on both sides. Next one has to go out through an arched doorway towards the fort. This complex of two doors is also a small tunnel.
To see Tankai fort one has to descend from Ankai fort and return to the pass between the two forts. After reaching the pass, one can see a door towards the North side of Manmad city. This North facing door is of strong construction and has been built with the base of the tower. On the way to Tankai fort, one can initially see steps dug into the rock and some water tanks. After a short climb, the West facing main gate of the fort is visible. The frame and arch of this door have been repaired by the Department of Archeology and the side wall has collapsed. Inside the entrance there is a pirah to the left. It does not seem to be a part of the original construction. Tankai fort is blessed with a large spacious plateau. There is a tank on this plateau and dug water tanks are found in the group. In the center of the plateau is a Yadav-era ruined Shiva temple. The walls of the temple are intact but the roof is missing. There is a bastion each on the North, South and East ends of the fort and the remains of some buildings are found on the fort.
