Many hills in Maharashtra have been termed as gad (fort) by the people. Originally, a fort is a place with a military base on a hill, but instead of that, some small hills are referred to as forts when they aren’t forts. Some hills with temples are referred to as forts. Dongraigad in Kadegaon taluka of Sangli district is one of them. One thing that fort lovers should keep in mind is that this is not a fort of any kind, but a place with a temple of Goddess Dongrai built in recent times. As the gate of this temple is built in two bastions like the gate of a fort, it has been mentioned as a fort in some places recently. This fort is not mentioned anywhere in history, but there are innumerable stories about this mountain. ... Dongraigad is about 5 km from Kadegaon taluka on Karad-Vita road and can be reached directly by private vehicle on the hill plateau. The temple is about 100 feet high from the plateau and 60-70 steps are built to reach the temple. At the top of the steps are two small ruined tombs and a small domed temple. Before entering the temple by steps, one can see two more small temples in the vicinity. Upon entering the temple premises through a door built into two bastions, one can see some carvings on the inside of the door. There are a total of two temples in the main temple premises, the main temple is of Dongrai Devi and the other temple is of Mahadev. There is a Deepmal in front of the temple of Goddess Dongrai and a Dharamshala at the back of the temple. Since there is no water facility on the hill, tap water has been brought to the surface from below. As it is the only high hill in the area, a distant region can be seen from here, but no fortifications or defensive structures can be seen on this hill. One hour is enough to go back to see the temple and go back to the plateau. Note - This is a place only with the temple of Goddess Dongrai and it is not appropriate to call it a fort.
© Suresh Nimbalkar