The Maharashtra Sahyadri is the northern part of the range lying between 15.54 N and 21.12 N latitude. The Sahyadrian crest is broken in several places by stream erosion on both the flanks and represent watershed which divides the eastern drainage from the western and marked by a succession of hill top features separated by low saddles. This gently uneven crestline in height varies from 4500 fts. to as low as 1800 fts. above mean sea level. The crest-line runs into two broad curves. So the crest measures a length of about 960 Kms. even though it actually occupies the north-south expanse of just 635 Kms.
The average elevation in Sahyadri varies between 2000 fts. and 3500 fts. with occasional peaks over 4000 fts. and only three over 5000 fts. The longitudinal backbone leaves below it, to its west a narrow strip of land comprising of five coastal districts. The Kokan region (the region west of Sahyadri) falls into three broad sections (i) The Coastal belt - often cliff, rocky and broken by a series of bays, coves, creeks and fringed with islands. (ii) The middle belt of longitudinal ranges with river valleys (iii) The foothills of Sahyadri. This varying topographical feature of Kokan region has provided ready basis to build a wide variety of forts.
During the rainy season (June to September) the Kokan and Deccan Ghats receive maximum from the southwest monsoon. The rainfall is heavier all along the coast and still heavier on the Ghat, decreasing slowly in both cases from south to north. The average rainfall at Mahabaleshwar plateau is 626 cms.