Vishalgad fort was built in 1058 by the Shilahara dynasty and was initially known as Khilgil fort. It passed down to many rulers like Adilshah, King Shivaji, King Sambhaji, Mughal sardars and then to the British. A famous Dargah of Hazrat Sayed Malik Rehan Meera Saheb, which is visited by thousands of tourists, is located in the fort. A visitor at the fort said, “Today, the fort is in ruins and it needs to be taken care by the archaeological authorities. The fort underwent restoration work recently in which the fortification walls and the entrance arch has been fixed. Visitors and the locals should also take care of the fort so that the history and heritage is conserved in a sustainable way”.

The battle of Ghod Khind was an important chapter in a life of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. When he escaped from the siege of Siddhi Jauhar to fort Panhala, he was about to get captured by the enemy in Ghodkhind (It is a narrow pass 15 kms before Vishalgad). At that time, Maratha commander-in-chief Bajiprabhu Deshpande requested the king to carry on to Vishalgad fort & give him a signal once he reaches safely on the fort. Then Bajiprabhu stood there like a wall to save his king, after promising to signal their safe arrival at the fort with the sound of cannon fire. Bajiprabhu Deshpande & his army fought brave hearty & defeated the enemy in the Ghod Khind. Many Maratha soldiers including Bajiprabhu Deshpande lost their life in this battle.

Gajapur is the base village to the fort. A large number of trekkers & adventure seekers comes here to accomplish the Panhala Vishalgad Trek via Pavankhind with full of enthusiasm. Few adventure clubs also organize adventure activities like rock climbing & rappelling.

Located at around 80km from Kolhapur, Vishalgad fort could be reached within two hours of drive from the city. One has to drive on Kolhapur-Ratnagiri State Highway till Amba and then taking a left turn and head further for around 20km crossing forest roads and ghat section. One can park their vehicle there. Then one has to cross a bridge joining two mountains and then climb for around 20minutes to reach the top of the fort. One could also visit Pawan Khind memorial on the way to Vishalgad via Malkapur route.

You do not need to pay any fees to enter this fort.

The fort is open on all days of the week and also the weekend. The day hours are the conducive time for visiting the place. This ensures that the tourists get a proper look at the fort and its heritage and also their own safety is ensured.

• The main door of Vishalgad has disappeared with time. There is “Mundha Darwaja” to the right side. There are temples of Amruteshwar & Shri Narsinha.
• There is a Samadhi built in the memory of Bajiprabhu Deshpande & Phulaji Deshpande. In the monsoon, heavy rainfall gives rise to many splashing waterfalls in this region.
• The temple of Narsoba, Maruti, Vaghjai , Takmak Tok and Sati’s Vrindavan are some of the other sites to explore on the fort.
• Vishalgad fort dargah of Hazrat Malik Rajhan at is visited by many pilgrims. It is built in the fort vicinity & thousands of devotees visit this dargah every year.
• There is a lake named Bhupal lake,the bank of the lake has a temple of Lord Shiva.
• Samadhis built in the memory of Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande, who laid down their lives to protect Chhatrapati Shivaji from the clutches of Siddhi Johar while escaping from fort Panhala to Vishalgad.
• The fort wall of Vishalgad is very unique. Wall has been constructed on each fort curve. You have to cross the bridge on the valley to climb the fort.