Vasantgad
Name : Vasantgad
Height : 930 meters
Type : Giridurg
Climbing range : Easy
Location : Satara, Maharashtra
Nearest village : Vasantgad Talbeed
Dongarrang : Bamnoli
Current status : Fine
Vasantgad is a fort in Satara district
of Maharashtra. The fort is located on the west side of the road between Umbraj
and Karhad on the Pune-Bangalore National Highway. Vasantgad and Talbeed are
the villages at the foot of Vasantgad fort.
Three kilometers down the Talbeed fork.
I You have to go to Talbeed on the west side. Also from Karad - Patan road to
Vasantgad fork. I To the north one has to go to the base of the fort. S. from
Karad. T. Buses are available. Vasantgad was a fort that protected the famous
Talbeed area. Hambirrao Mohite, the Commander-in-Chief of the Maratha Empire,
and his daughter Ranaragini Maharani Tarabai were from Talbeed village.
How to go :
To visit Vasantgad, one has to go to
Karhadh first. Ten km north of here. At a distance, on entering the village of
Talbeed at the foot of the fort, one can see the monument of Sarsenapati
Hambirrao Mohite in front. The fort is reached from the village itself. To
reach the fort, you take nearabout 45 minutes.
The second road is also through the
village of Supne. The third road passes through the village of Vasantgad. This
road is the former highway and descends to Konkan through a gorge.
History:
Vasantgad was built by King Bhoj
Shilahar. इ.स.
In 1659, Shivaraya
annexed Vasantgad to the Swarajya. Vasantgad was the stronghold of Mahadji
Jagdale, a former trader of Masur. The Jagdals of Masur served the Adilshahi
tradition. Of course, they had to oppose the Maharaja. Mahadji Jagdale, as a
royal servant, entered the arena of Pratapgad at the behest of Afzal Khan. Khan
ended up in it. The royal army was blown up. In it, Mahadji Jagdale found Jita
in the hands of Maharaj near Talbeed village. Maharaj broke his arm and took
Vasantgad into Swarajya. This Mahadji had an eighteen year old Porga.
Jijausaheb took care of this boy with his grandmother's love. Made him wise. It
became Swarajya. After returning from Jinji, Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj stayed
at Vasantgad for a few days.
Entrance : The main entrance of the fort has been smashed by the British with artillery fire.
As soon as you enter Ganesha Temple, there is a beautiful statue of Ganesha in a dome on the left hand side.
Temple of Chandrasen Maharaj : After walking straight from here, you come to the temple of Chandrasen Maharaj which is in the middle of the fort. The temple is beautiful and there is an statue of Chandrasen Maharaj. A big fair is held in the second fortnight of Chaitra at Vasantgad. The temple is of old construction. The worship of Chandrasen Deva is performed in many villages there.
Remains of the palace : Beyond the temple, some remaining parts of the construction of an old palace can be seen. If you look at the temple premises and proceed on the left side of the road outside the temple, you can see the remnants of limestone dirt on the way.
Old Samadhi : Next are two ponds, Koynatale
and Krishnatale. There are old tombs and satishila stones on their banks.
Bastions : There are four graceful
bastions on all four sides of the fort and there are stone steps to climb them.
In the western part of the fort there is a gate of Gomukhi construction and the
construction of this gate and its ramparts is still in good condition.
Chandrasen Maharaj Kuladaivat :
Legend has it that Lord Ramachandra, Sitamata and his brother Laxman lived in exile in the vicinity of the city while in exile. While doing penance in the forest on the fort, Chandrasen's sword weapon was mistakenly spotted by Chandrasena and both his hands were broken from the corner. However, after completing the penance, Lord Mahadev is the Chandrasen incarnation. Lakshmana and Rama cave, Chandrasen the upper hand that you will be worshiped as a family. In now a days also, Chandrasen Maharaj is still worshiped with the same devotion as the deity of some villages around the fort.
The legend is confirmed by the fact that both the arms of the ancient
idol are shown in a broken state behind the mask of the idol which is present
in the temple. Many householders consider the Maratha family Chandrasena as
their family deity. The idol of the god Chandrasen dates back to the Ramayana
period. Thats why , the statue of Chandrasen Maharaj in the temple does not have a hands.
To his right is the idol of Mother Jogeshwari, and to his left is the idol of
Janaidevi. Some peoples believes that Janaidevi Chandrasen is the sister of God.
Worshiping or worshiping Chadrasen gods removes all sorrows and obstacles. Many
have experienced this.
Many doners have built temples of Lord Chandrasen in their respective villages. In many villages like Nimsod, Raigaon, Dhodwadi, Palasgaon, Kol, Pusesavali, Vita, Khodad we can see temples of Chandrasen Mharaj. Raje Ghadge mandali has built three temples of Chandrasen Dev in Nimsod village which considers Chandrasen Dev as a family God.
Photos of Vasantgad :
