Recently, it was read that a fort named Dushalgad at Sakharpa in Sangameshwar taluka came to light due to the efforts of a young history researcher Shiv Prasad Shewale. He bought this fort into light through social media. I decided to go to Ratnagiri for some work and got an opportunity to visit these places. In this article, I have tried to present what I saw and felt during this visit. Dushalgad is situated on a small hummock beside the river Gad in Sakharpa village. This fort is completely forgotten today. This hummock is on the left side of the road at a distance of about 1 km on the road leading to Bhadkhambe village from Sakhar. The sign to note here is that a small road on the right leads to the front of this hummock. It is difficult to reach this place if you inquire about this fort as Dushalgad but when you inquire about it just as a fort, some knowledgeable people guide you to this place. ... Since this gadhi is completely flattened today, it cannot certainly be said that it should have some protective structure. But looking at the remnants and structures of this building, it must not be a fort, but a fortress, because the locals also know this place as Gadhicha Tape or Gadhicha Para. Currently, the land is privately owned by the Shinde family. Today, the fort is completely demolished, and a large number of thorny shrubs and grass have grown on this hill, leaving the remnants hidden in the bushes. In this place, you have to search for the remains. The rectangular fort is spread over about half an acre in the south-north and some wrought stones are seen scattered around this area. In the middle of the fort, one can see a quadrangle structure of a building. There is no water supply of any kind in the fort. From the heights of the fort to the east, Vishalgad and Machaldurg, the cave of sage Muchkund, can be seen. As there are no other structures left in the fort, your fort round is completed in 10 minutes. The fort may have got the name Dushalgad due to its proximity to the Vishalgad fort. Vishalgad fort is ancient while Dushalgad was built during the Peshwa period. Dushalgad is mentioned in the documents of the Peshwa’s after 1748 as well as in the Bakhar of the Pantpratinidhi. After a feud between the Peshwa and Tulaji Angre, Tulaji attacked the province of Panhala. To curb it, Yesaji Angre and Sawantwadikar launched a joint campaign and conquered Mudagad. Tulaji Angre built Dushalgad at Deolale in the direction of Sakharpa during 1752-53 to collect revenue from the surrounding area but soon the province came under the control of the Pantpratinidhi and in 1758 he demolished this place. It is mentioned in the pantpratinidhi Bakhar that this fort is located on the hill of Goddess Tulapur.
© Suresh Nimbalkar