Giriling hill is spread on the border of Miraj and Kavthemahankal talukas in the Sangli district. This hill in Kavthemahankal taluka is famous for its Girilingeshwar temple. It is not a single hill, but Giriling to the west and Gausiddha to the east. These two hills are connected by a 90-foot-wide trunk. Gausiddha hill at an altitude of 2726 feet above sea level itself is the old Panhala fort. The locals also call this mountain Undroba. The old Panhala fort has been separated from the main hill plateau by digging a semicircular wide moat. The area where these two hills meet is fortified. Looking at this moat and its ramparts, it is clear that there was once a fort here. This fort is located at a distance of 17 km from Kavthemahankal taluka and a distance of 27 km from Miraj city via Khanderajuri-Kuktoli. ... Although there are many ways to reach the fort, it is more convenient to visit the fort by first visiting the Girilingeshwar Mahadev Temple. There is a road from Kuktoli village to the Mahadev temple on Giriling hill and you can go directly to the temple by private vehicle, otherwise, you have to cover this distance on foot by half an hour walk. As the car goes directly up the hill, it saves the effort of climbing the fort. Girilingeshwar Mahadev is an ancient temple. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is carved in stone and the stone structure outside is decorated with carvings. There are three caves carved in the rock near the temple area but the construction of these caves has nothing to do with the fort. We climb 10-12 steps from the temple to reach the wide plateau at the top of Giriling. Before going to the fort from here, you have to understand the way well, because even if there is no possibility of getting lost, you might take up the long route and this might consume your time. Going east along the Giriling Plateau, in about 40 minutes we reach the moat between the plateau and the fort. The rock wall built near the moat is heavily eroded. Once you cross the moat, you can see the foundation of a structure. Going straight to the right of the ridge from here, you can see a large dry cistern carved in the rock. Stairs are carved to descend into this cistern. When you come forward, you can see another partially carved cistern and a dilapidated structure next to it. Ba Raigad Fort Conservation Society has taken up the task of conserving both these cisterns and the structures on the fort. There are 15-16 steps carved in the rock to go down near this structure. When you come down these steps, there are three caves carved in the rock. At present, a Sadhu Maharaj is staying in this cave. The path descending from here leads to the foothills of Kadamwadi. At the bottom of the cave, on a hillside, there are water cisterns built in the rock under the tamarind tree, which provide drinking water all year round. Your visit to this place is completed over here. Except for the time of arrival at the fort, your journey is completed in one hour. If you want to stay at the fort, you can stay near the Giriling temple. This fort is not mentioned anywhere during Shivaji Maharaj’s period. When asked why the fort is called Panhala, the locals said that the Shilahar kings had inspected this place before building the Panhala fort in Kolhapur and had started building the fort here. But later, for some reason, the construction was abandoned and the Panhala was built near Kolhapur. Hence this fort is known as Juna Panhala.
© Suresh Nimbalkar