In the northern part of Karad, at a distance of 7 km from the city, on the east side, a beautiful hill of 3000 feet height can be seen. Although the climb is not easy, it is definitely not annoying. This is how Sadashivgad really lives with being noticed by tourists. In a school classroom, an image of tall boy among the children of normal height! Just like the tall Sadashivgad in the surrounding hills succeeds in inculcating its image in the minds of the viewers.
When we reach the top of the fort, we feel that it is a wonderful sculpture carved by nature. Gaining a plateau of 6.5 acres, Sadashivgad is connected by 4 mountain ranges shaped like an elephant’s proboscis. Here we see an octopus-like position with at least 4 legs. Nature is indeed a great artist. The sculptures it has made are very carved, but they certainly captivate the mind of the art lover.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured Sadashivgad on November 10, 1659. It is true that only the great ones who have received divine blessings know the true value of this wonderful gift of nature. The fort was mainly used to keep an eye on the enemy coming from Bijapur to attack.
At the foot of the fort are places like Hazaramachi, Rajmachi, Babarmachi and Vanvasama. There are ways to reach Sadashivgad from Hazarmachi, Babarmachi and from Khambale (Kadegaon) in Sangli district. There are some important places on all four sides of the fort. To the west are Karad city, Krishna-Koyna rivers, Agashivgad and Vasantgad. The area around Masur in the north and the Tembhu project and Machhindragad in the south are in sight. The eastern part is completely covered by Sangli district & Surli’s ghat draws attention from alongside.
There is an ancient Shiva temple at Sadashivgad. The construction of 982 steps has been completed in the last two decades with the help of fort lovers and their financial help. The water tanks at the mountaintop have water for 12 months. Currently, the government has included the fort in the ‘C’ class tourism area. A seismic station has been set up nearby.
Nature lovers had planted 5,000 trees in this hilly area a few years back, out of which about 1,500 trees have grown, so it is gratifying to see the green belt being created here. But more planting is needed. For this, people’s participation is needed along with the efforts of the government. In order to find peace of mind in today’s stressful life, take the time to visit this discovery of nature.
