Vishalgad Fort : Anti Enchroachment Drive
The anti-encroachment drive at Vishalgad Fort took an ugly turn recently after miscreants resorted to violence, roughed up the local shopkeepers, and pelted stones at policemen on duty at the fort premises.
- Vishalgad Fort is an ancient fort situated at Vishalgad village in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.
- Also called Khelna or Khilna by the locals, Vishalgad Fort was one of the important forts of the Maratha Empire.
- It was built in the year 1058 by Shilahara king Marsinh and was initially known as Khilgil.
- In 1209, the then king of Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri defeated Shilaharas and captured the fort.
- In 1309, Allauddin Khilji defeated King Ramchandra of the Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri, and soon the fort was attached to the Khilji dynasty.
- Later, the fort was under the rule of the Vijayanagar Empire, and then the Adil Shahi dynasty.
- The structure covers an area of 1130 m and was built on a hilltop in the Sahyadri mountain ranges at a height of 3500 feet above sea level.
- The famous Dargah of Hazrat Sayed Malik Rehan Meera Saheb, which is visited by thousands of tourists, is located in the fort.
