Vasantgad Fort, Satara - Timings, Accessibility, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 16 km from Karad and 47 km from Satara, Vasantgad Fort is an ancient hill fort situated near Talbid village in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the popular trekking places in Maharashtra and also one of the top places of sightseeing in Satara.

Vasantgad Fort was built by Shilhara King Bhoj. Shivaji Maharaj conquered the fort in 1659 CE from Adil Shah. Later, Rajaram Maharaj, the son of Shivaji Maharaj stayed for some time in this fort when he returned from Gingee. Aurangzeb captured this fort in 1700 CE and named it Killa-da-Fateh. The Marathas got the fort back in 1706 CE.

Talbid is the base village of Vasantgad Fort and is also the place of Hambirrao Mohite, who was the fourth Commander-in-chief of Shivaji Maharaj. The first three were Mankoji Dahatonde, Netaji Palkar and Prataprao Gujar. This is also the place of Queen Tarabai. One can also see the memorial of Hambirrao Mohite in Talbid.

The fort lies at an altitude of 2950 feet. The hill top is extensive and is well fortified by strong bastions. The fort entrance has been destroyed and one can see a Ganesh idol carved in the ramparts. There is a small temple of Chandrasen which was built and maintained by the local villagers. As per Hindu mythology, Chandrasen is the son of Shroopanakha, the sister of Ravana. There are remnants of two more temples. A big grinding wheel and a small pond can be seen in the fort. From the top of the fort one can catch a nice view of Koyna River.

The trek to Vasantgad Fort starts from outskirts of the Talbid village, which is around 2 km from the fort. The trek level is easy and it takes 45 minutes to reach the fort.