Kalanandigad


KalanidhigadFort / Kalanandi Fort is a fort located fromChandgad and Belgaum. It is in the Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district, of Maharashtra. This fort is an important fort in Kolhapur district. The fort is situated on the mountain ridge close to the line dividing Konkan and Kolhapur. The fort is admist of dense evergreen forest area.

History

The fort is said to be built by Shivaji Maharaj.In 1750 the Kolhapur rulers granted Kalanidhigad along with other forts in the region and land valued Rs5000 to Sadashivrao Bhau Peshwa, who was not satidfied with the deal. The Kolhapur rulers finally handed over Kalanidhigad along with Pargad, Bhimgad and Vallabhgad to Sadashivrao Bhau Peshwa in 1753.

How to reach

The nearest town is Belgaum. The base village of the fort is Kaliwade which is 30 km from Belgaum. There are good hotels at Karave and Tilari villages. The trekking path starts from the hillock west of the Kaliwade village. The route is very safe and wide. It takes about an hour to reach the entrance gate of the fort. Though there is potable water available on the fort it is not desirable for night stay on the fort.

Places to see

The entrance to the fort is through main gate constructed from stone.The fort is divided into two parts. The Easternpart has a telecommunication tower and two temples of Mahadeo and Bhavanidevi. There are two deep wells on the fort. The bastions and fort walls are in good condition.In the other part of the fort are foundations of ruined buildings.