Fort : Panhalgad

Distance	256 km	Height	4040 ft
Days	2 days	Difficulty	Simple
Base Village	Panhala	District	Kolhapur
Shelter	Available

Overview

Panhala fort (Marathi: पन्हाळा), also known as Panhalgad, Pahalla and Panalla (literally "the home of serpents"), is located in Panhala, 20 kilometres northwest of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India. It is strategically located looking over a pass in the Sahyadri mountain range which was a major trade route from Bijapur in the interior of Maharashtra to the coastal areas. Due to its strategic location, it was the centre of several skirmishes in the Deccan involving the Marathas, the Mughals and the British East India Company, the most notable being the Battle of Pavan Khind. Here, the queen regent of Kolhapur, Tarabai, spent her formative years. Several parts of the fort and the structures within are still intact.

Places of Interest

Place on Panhalgad are worth visiting. Being a huge fort, we find many monuments here.
Palace : Maratha Queen Tarabai stayed in this palace. There is a huge beautiful Temple here. Now, the Municipal Corporation Office, Panhala High School and military boys hostel is situated there.
Sajjakothi : As we move further from the palace, we come across Sajjakothi. Sambhaji Maharaj stayed in Sajjakothi when he was on Panhalgad. This was the place where confidential meetings of Shivaji Maharaj took place.
Rajdindi : This is a tough way which travels down from the fort. Shivaji Maharaj managed to escape this way during the siege of Panhalgad, and went to Vishalgad, which is 45 miles away.
Ambarkhana : This was initially the Balle-Killa or the citadel on the fort. Nearby Ambarkhana is a Khandak. Here there are 3 buildings named Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati, which were used for storing grains. Vari, Nagli, and Rice were stored here. Approximately 25 thousand Khandi food grain could be stored here.
Char Darwaja : It is situated on the eastern side and was very important from security point of view. The British demolished it in 1844.
Lake Somale : Near the market on the fort is this big lake. On the lake side is a beautiful Temple of Someshwar. Here Shivaji Maharaj and his associates offered 1000 Chafa flowers.
Samadhi of Ramchandra Amatya : As we move from Someshwar Lake we come across 2 Samadhi. One is of Honorable Ramchandra Amatya and the second is of their wife.
Rede Palace : A still further way takes you to the Rede Palace. Initially it was a stable for horses, but later cattle were kept there. So it is called as Rede Palace.
Sambhaji Temple : Ahead of Rede Palace is Sambhaji Temple, which is actually a small citadel.
Dharmakothi : Near the Sambhaji Temple, we can see a spacious structure which is recognized as Dhramakothi. Her grocery was donated in charity.
Mahalaxmi Temple : Stepping out from the Palace, near the Nehru Garden, this is the oldest structure on the fort. It is almost 1000 years old. It was the deity of Bhoj King Gandaritya.
Teen Darwaja : This entrance is on the western part, and its carvings worth seeing. In 1676, Kondaji Farjand opened this door with 60 soldiers to conquer the fort.
Andarbav : This is a 3 storey monument. There is a well in the base, and a secret way to escape from the fort.
Baji Prabhu Statue : This place is not on the fort. It is near the bus stop.

History

The fort was built during the regime of the First Shilahar king Bhoj Nrupsingh. In the olden days it was ruled by people of tribal caste Nag and was known as Pannnagralya. After the assassination of Afzalkhan, Shivaji Maharaj took advantage of weakening of Adilshahi and won Panhalgad in just 18 days (on 28th November 1659). It was further captured by Adilshah, but the Marathas regained the fort. On 2nd March 1660, Siddhi Johar set the siege to Panhalgad. We are aware of the famous incidence where Shivaji Maharaj crossed the God Khind and went to Vishalgad. At that time Panhalgad was captured by Siddhi Johar. In 1673, Kondaji Farjand captured the fort with just 60 soldiers. In 1710, Panhalagd became the capital of Kolhapur. It was captured by British in 1844. The fort has a great history and trekkers have a lot to learn from that.

How to Reach

There are two ways to reach the Panhalgad.
From Char Darwaja : From Kolhapur city you can easily opt for a bus or hire a vehicle which takes us to the top from Char Darwaja.
From Teen Darwaja : This is another way which goes to the fort from 3 Darwaja.

Food Facility

Hotels and restaurants on the forts, good accomodation and food facility.

Drinking Water Facility

Good water facility throughout the year.