Type                                    Vishalgad is Hill Fort.    

Difficulty level                   Vishalgad is easy to trek.

Height                                 Vishalgad Fort is 3630 feet(1136 Meter) above sea level.

Base village / District / Taluka -  Gajapur / Kolhapur / Shahuwadi / Maharashtra, India.

The fortification was developed by the Shilahara ruler "Narsinha" in 1058 A.C. At first, he named it 'Khilgil'. In 1209, the ruler of Yadavas of Devagiri defeated Shilahara and caught the fortification.
In 1309, Allauddin Khilji vanquished ruler Ramchandra of the Yadavas of Devagiri and soon the fortification was joined to the Khlji Dynasty. In August 1347, the Mughal head of the western India Hasan Gangu Bahamani got to be independent as an result of which the fortress turned into a piece of Bahamani Sultanat.

In the middle of 1354 to 1433, the fortification was under the guideline of the Vijaynagar Empire. After the fall of Vijaynagar Empire it was caught by a neighborhood Maratha ruler Shankarrao More. Hence, the Bahamani Sultan sent troops from Bidar Sultant under the Generalship of Mahmood Gawan, his then Prime Minister, to re-catch it.

Gawan's officer Karnasinh Bhosale and his child Bhimsinha caught the fortification with the assistance of (Ghorpad) Giant screen reptile, thereafter, Bhimsinha was thought with the title Ghorpade.In 1489, Yusuf Adil Shah separated himself from the Bahamani kingdom alongside the zone under his order and established his independent sultanat at Bijapur. In 1659, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj caught the fortress.

In July 1660, the fort saw Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Great get away from the Adilshahi barricade around the fort of Panhala and the Battle of Pavankhind. Baji Prabhu Deshpande, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja's accomplished General and Rango Narayan Orpe, the youthful officer on the fort, vanquished Adilshahi troops at Pavankhind and went to death individually.

After Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja's demise, Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj would spend the majority of his time at the fort. He took activity in redesign and recreation of a few parts of the forts and entryways of the fort.

In 1689, Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj fled to fortification ‘Gingee’ in Karnataka (now Tamil Nadu) from fortress Panhala and hence "Vishalgad" turned into an unofficial capital of the Maratha Empire. Ramchandrapant Amatya from Vishalgad and Chatrapati Rajaram Maharaj from ‘Gingee’ made a few moves and vanquished Aurangzeb with the assistance of Santaji, Dhanaji, Parshuram pant pratinidhi Pratinidhi, Shankaraji Narayan Sacheev and Himmatbahadur Chavan.

In 1844, as a consequence of the revolt by the fort officers, British armed forces annihilated the whole fort and released the officers there.

Time to reach the top 

It takes 1 to 2 hours to reach the top of fort from the base village Gajapur. 

Minimum Duration 

1 day is enough to explore the fort. 

Best time to visit the fort 

Any time you can visit the fort vishalgad.

Water Availability 

Water is not available on the fort it is recommended to carry water. 

Accommodation Availability 

Accommodation is not available on the fort. 

Fortifications and bastions, Andhar Bavadi, Kalavanticha Mahal, Ambarkhana, Dharma Kothi, Sajja Kothi, Teen Darwaza, Wagh Darwaza, Rajdindi bastion, Temples and mausoleums

way from Pune to Vishalgad fort.

Pune to Vishalgad fort By Bus.

From Pune to Kolhapur there are ST (State Transport) buses are available from Pune station to Kolhapur, from Pune Kolhapur is around 239 kilometers, from Kolhapur ST (State Transport) buses and local transport are available to Vishalgad, which is 80 kilometers from Kolhapur.

Pune to Vishalgad fort By Train.

From Pune junction to Kolhapur there are trains available, Pune junction to Kolhapur is around 280 kilometers, and then follow the same route from Kolhapur mentioned above. 

Pune to Vishalgad fort By Road.

Route of Pune to Vishalgad fort. Pune - Narayanpur Phata - Shirwal - Khandala - Bhuinj - Wadhe - Satara - Kashil - Umraj - Karad - Islampur - Yelur - Kolhapur - Rajputwadi - Panhala - Amba - Vishalgad - Vishalgad fort.

Way from Mumbai to Vishalgad fort.

Mumbai to Vishalgad fort By Bus.

From Mumbai there are ST (State Transport) buses and Volvo buses available to Kolhapur, distance between Mumbai to Kolhapur is 380 kilometers, From Kolhapur ST buses and local transport are available to Vishalgad, which is 80 kilometers from Kolhapur.

Mumbai to Vishalgad fort By Train.

From Mumbai to Kolhapur there are trains available, Mumbai to Kolhapur is around 455 kilometers, and then follow the same route from Kolhapur mentioned above.

Mumbai to Vishalgad fort By Road.

Route of Mumbai to Vishalgad fort. Mumbai - Panvel - Khopoli - Lonavala - Dehu Road - Chinchwad - Pune - Narayanpur Phata - Shirwal – Khandala – Bhuinj - Wadhe - Satara - Kashil - Umraj - Karad - Islampur - Yelur - Kolhapur - Rajputwadi - Panhala - Amba - Vishalgad - Vishalgad fort.

Bhavani Mandap.

Bhavani Mandap is a verifiable building arranged in the walled downtown area of Kolhapur in southern Maharashtra, India. It is placed close to the popular and enormous Mahalaxmi Temple on the west. At Bhavani Mandap, we can discover the life-size statue of Kolhapur's most adored dominant Shahu Maharaj.

In spite of the fact that he was considered ruler by the city occupants, the greater part of his political life was spent under the Raj. On showcase are structures really chased by Shri Shahu Maharaj including a titan buffalo (which has attained some ghostly significance considering the measure of saffron spread over it), Panthers, a couple of deer, and a few others.

It likewise displays an unassuming wooden throne accepted to be the one utilized by Shivaji Maharaj on his visits to Kolhapur, reinforcing the thought that He was more a man on a mission with very little respects to worldly comfort. In its available structure it works as an aggregate tomb of Kolhapur's Maratha sovereignty.

The fort is 76 kilometers northwest of Kolhapur, 60 kilometers northwest of Panhala Fort, and 18 kilometers south of Kolhapur-Ratnagiri Street. It is arranged on the slopes that partition the district into two sections which are Amba ghat and Anaskura ghat.
Since it is put on the fringe of the uneven bit of Sahyadri extents and the Konkan area, it has extraordinary political centrality in the authentic times. It was viewed as a watch tower for both areas.