Fort Vishalgad
Old Name: Khelana,
Location : 85 km north-west from Kolhapur.
Base village : Gajapur.
Height: 1130 meter from sea level.
Brief History: - The Shilahara king ‘Narsinha’ in 1058 A.C. constructed the fort. Initially, he named it as 'Khilgil'. In 1209, then king of Yadava’s of Devagiri defeated Shilahara and captured the fort. In 1309, Allauddin Khiljee defeated king Ramchandra of the Yadava’s of Devagiri and soon the fort attached to the Khiljee Dynasty. In August 1347, the Mughal chief of the western India Hasan Gangu Bahamani became independent because of which the fort became a part of ‘Bahamani Sultanat’.
During the 1354 to 1433, the fort was under the rule of Vijaynagar Empire. After the fall of Vijaynagar Empire, a local Maratha Chief Shankarrao More captured it. Therefore, the Bahamani Sultan sent troops from Bidar Sultanat under the Generalship of his Prime Minister Mahmood Gawan to re-capture it. Gawan’s officer Karnasinh Bhosale and his son Bhimsinha captured the fort with the help of (Ghorpad) Giant monitor lizard, Thenceforth, Bhimsinha conferred with the title Ghorpade. In 1489, Yusuf Adil Shah separated himself from the Bahamani kingdom along with the area under his command and founded his independent sultanat at Bijapur. In 1659, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja captured the fort.
IN July 1660, the fort witnessed Chh. Shivaji Maharaj’s Great escaped from the Adilshahi blockade around fort of Panhala and Battle of Pavankhind. Chh. Shivaji Maharaja has experienced General Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Rango Narayan Orpe, the young officer on the fort, defeated Adilshahi troops at Pavankhind and going to death respectively.
After Chh. Shivaji Maharaja’s death, Chh. Sambhaji Maharaj would spend most of his times on the fort. He took initiative in renovation and reconstruction of some parts of the fortresses and gates of the fort. In 1689, Chh. Rajaram Maharaj fled to fort Gingee in Karnataka Area (now Tamil Nadu) from fort Panhala and thus ‘Vishalgad’ became an un-official capital of the Maratha Empire. Ramchandrapant Amatya from Vishalgad and Chh. Rajaram Maharaj from Gingee made several moves and defeated Aurangzeb with the help of Santaji, Dhanaji, Parshuram pant Pratinidhi, Shankaraji Narayan Sacheev and Himmatbahadur Chavan.
In 1844, because of mutiny by the fort officers, British army demolished the entire fort and dismissed the officers there.
The fort is 85 km North-West of Kolhapur, 60 km north-west of Panhala Fort and 18 kilometers south of Kolhapur-Ratnagiri road. It situated on the hills that divide the region into two parts Amba Ghats and Anaskura Ghats. Since it placed on the border of the hilly portion of Sahyadri ranges and the Konkan region, it got great political significance in the historical times. It regarded as a Watchtower for both regions.
What to See:
- Amruteshwar Temple
- Shri Nrusinha Temple
- Takmak Tok
- Sati’s Vrindavan
- Pant Pratinidhi Palace
- Ahilyabai’s Samadhi (Chh. Rajaram Maharaja’s 3rd wife)
- Dargah or tomb of Hazrat Malik Raihan, Thousands of Devotees visit the Dargah every year.
- Samadhis built in the memory of Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande, who laid down their lives to protect Chh. Shivaji Maharaja from the clutches of Siddhi Johhar while escaping from fort Panhala to Vishalgad.
Place to Stay:
Many houses are available to stay for daily rent basis. Accommodation is middle and low level.