Vishalgad

Last updated
Vishalgad
Jagir of Maratha Empire and then British India
1716 [1] –1956 [1]
Area 
 1901
608.65 km2 (235.00 sq mi)
Population 
 1901
30807
History
History 
 Established
1716 [1]
  Independence of India (abolition of the estate)
1956 [1]
Succeeded by
India Blank.png
Source: Solomon & Bond (1922) [2]
Vishalgad
Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India
Surviving Structure on Vishalgad.jpg
One of the few surviving structures on Vishalgad
India Maharashtra location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Vishalgad
Coordinates 16°54′23″N73°44′30″E / 16.906419°N 73.741683°E / 16.906419; 73.741683
Site information
Owner Government of India

Vishalgad (also called Vishalgarh, Khelna or Khilna) [3] was a jagir during the Maratha Empire and then later part of the Deccan States Agency of the British Raj. It was governed by Deshastha Brahmins, [4] who were feudatories of Kolhapur State. [5] The name Vishalgad means grand or giant fort. King Shivaji gave the fort its name after conquering it in 1659. The fort covers an area of 1,130m and is located at a height of 3,500 feet above sea level.

Contents

Vishalgad fort was built in 1058 by the Shilahara  dynasty and was initially known as Khilgil fort. It passed down to many rulers like Adilshah, King Shivaji, King Sambhaji, Mughal sardars and then to the British. A famous Dargah of Hazrat Sayed Malik Rehan Meera Saheb, which is visited by thousands of tourists, is located in the fort. A visitor at the fort said, “Today, the fort is in ruins and it needs to be taken care by the archaeological authorities. The fort underwent restoration work recently in which the fortification walls and the entrance arch has been fixed. Visitors and the locals should also take care of the fort so that the history and heritage is conserved in a sustainable way”.

Fort

A fort had existed at Vishalgad long before it became a jagir. The Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had escaped to it after being besieged at Panhala Fort in 1660 [6] and in 1844 it was one of the forts of Kolhapur State that initiated a rebellion against a regent called Daji Krishna Pandit who had been installed by the British to govern the state in 1843 at a time when the natural heir to the throne was underage. He took direction from a political agent of the East India Company and among their actions were reforms to the tax of land. These reforms caused much resentment and, despite Kolhapur having refrained from involvement in the previous Anglo-Maratha Wars, a revolt against the British began in 1844. The rebellion began with soldiers locking themselves into hill-forts such as those as Panhala and Vishalgad, and then spread to Kolhapur itself. [7]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Vishalgad Jagir.
  2. Solomon, R. V.; Bond, J. W. (1922). Indian States: A Biographical, Historical, and Administrative Survey. Asian Educational Services. p. 110. ISBN   9788120619654.
  3. "Vishalgad". Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. Retrieved 2017-07-14.
  4. Johnson, Gordon (2005). Provincial Politics and Indian Nationalism: Bombay and the Indian National Congress 1880-1915. Cambridge University Press. p. 102. ISBN   9780521619653.
  5. Ramusack, Barbara N. (2004). The Indian Princes and their States. Cambridge University Press. p. 146. ISBN   978-1-13944-908-3.
  6. Gordon, Stewart (1993). The Marathas 1600-1818. Cambridge University Press. p. 68. ISBN   978-0-52126-883-7.
  7. Gott, Richard (2011). Britain's Empire: Resistance, Repression and Revolt. Verso Books. p. 343. ISBN   978-1-84467-738-2.