Bhairavgad Fort is situated near the village of Shirpunje in the Sahyadris Mountain Range. It is located in Akole Taluka in the district of Ahmednagar and is towards the south west of Patan town in Satara district in Maharashtra. It belongs to Pune Division. The fortress is constructed at a height of 1145 m. Bhairavgad comes under the regions of Koyananagar. The significance of forts here is that they are away from the actual range and hence are invisible from long distance. The main attraction of these forts is the dense forest. This fort has been declared as "sanctuary". All the villages once situated are moved out from the sanctuary. Buses are available to reach at the base village.
History of Bhairavgad Fort
The fort structure was built around 2500 years ago. The fort was built by Rajas of Panhala and was used by Marathas. The garrison in Maratha times was furnished by soldiers sent from Satara. There are no traces of houses and the walls are in ruins. In the last Maratha war, Bhairavgad was captured by the English on the 23rd of May, 1818.
Architecture of the Bhairavgad Fort
There are 2 caves near the fort and one of the caves includes a temple of Lord Bhairavnath. The idol in the shrine is finely carved and painted and it is maintained properly by the residents of Shirpunje village. From the temple the descending way leads to the bastions of the fort. There are some remnants of the entrance. At backside of the fort there are two water reservoirs. This water is potable. There are numerous cisterns and water reservoirs in and around the fort which supplied drinking water to the residents of the fort and village.
There is a very big temple on the fort. In the temple 2-3 ft long idols of Goddess Bheri, Goddess Tula and Shri Vaghjai are seen. We find many carvings on this temple. Tulsi Vrindavan and Shivling are seen in front of the temple. 2-3 pillars are also seen. Opposite to it there is another temple of Lord Shiva.
Most of the structure is in a ruined state at present. Bhairavgad Fort is maintained by the Government of India. The site has been developed as a tourist destination. Moreover it attracts several trekkers and rock climbers as well. From the fort we can see the dense forests of Koyna. Top of the fort is not very big.
How to Reach Bhairavgad Fort
Satara is well connected to all nearby towns through buses and frequent buses will be available to the towns and cities of Pune, Mumbai, Raigad, Khandala, Guhagar, Chiplun, Baramati, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Satara itself has train stations and is well connected to the rest of country through railways. The nearest airport of the region is Pune located at a distance of 110 km.
