Well nothing like having a date with history and that too with Shivaji Maharaj’s fort after visiting all the royal monuments at Aihole,Badami and Pattadakal. One has to take the Gudlur route from Aihole, which is approx 30 kms and further onwards it is 22 kms one comes into Gajendragarh one of the massive forts. There two more fortifications enroute to this fort along with a Kalkakaleswar temple. The route is filled with caves and hillock, definitely indicating Neolithic mans civilization. Enroute one can witness a statue of unfinished Nandi partially painted with white paint.
The Kalkaleswar temple we avoided it seems to be another historic spot, sheerly because of paucity of time. Kalkaleswar temple is one of oldest Shiva temple, and it is known as Dhakshin Kashi too. One has to trek upto the temple, there is an Udbhav Ling, Veerabhadra temple, in the same premises. There is tank outside the temple which is also known as anthargange, the source of the water must be from the hillock above. There are some amazing myths associated with this temple, regarding the painting of the temple and bell vanishing act. It has to be swallowed with a pinch of salt, unless there are some tribes above the hillock still active.
Windmills : A series of windmills have been set up on the Gajendragarh fort premises, I am sure they have destroyed some portion of the historical monument. Of course this may be with the permission of the jagirdar Ghorpade, who is staying along with his family below the hillock. He may have leased the land to the Windmill owners for generating electricity. A ruined palace of the royalty, which is associated with Shivaji’s feudal lords is situated wherein besides the Jagirdar is currently residing. I hope he can get the palace renovated, it can become a beautiful heritage hotel and earn him life long income.
Gajendragadh were originally home to wolves and hyenas which have been driven out because of hectic high decible human activity. One can find Lambanis decked with fine jewellery If one can get a photo shoot op. please do not hesitate to click a picture. The Lambani costume is a real classic attire.
The fort walls are huge bordering along the Gajendra garh hillock, a water channel is being constructed around the fort hillock, hopefully one should find water next time around and a small bridge may be necessary to cross over. The climb to the fortress is around 140 odd steps. It is just enough for adventurer to scale. On top of the hillock one is welcomed by archway which is the enterance of the Fort. One can find a beautifully etched figure of Shivaji maharaj riding a horse. It might initially looked like a Chinese traveler, on close scrutiny one is bound to connect to Shivaji. Inside the fort one can find 4 watch towers and a huge tank which was meant for storing rain water. It has a couched Nandi and Lion on the wall as if guarding the precious water. The crystal clear water was partially filled due to good rainfall. There is also a small temple on the other side of the Fort. It is surprising that a garrison or buildings is totally absent in the fort. Maybe the limestone construction have collapsed. We met the watchmen who told us there is a nice route by through which one can drive right upto the hillock instead of climbing and another distant watch tower point is lovely spot. He also informed us that there is a dam little away from the fort. Overall it is quite an amazing experience to climb the Fort and have a birds eye view of the Gajendragarh town, which is quite a trading centre. The current palace of the king down on the hillock has some of the items of including a huge dummy tiger which is stuffed, along with some paintings. One has to approach the family diplomatically and one can get a peep into the history of Shivaji Maharaj reign.
A canal is under construction which may pass as a moat to the fort, this might enhance the architecture of the crumbling fort. The approach pathway needs to be cleaned up for a trek. I hope in future the Windmills are restricted and some landscaping is undertaken on fort premises. Overall a visit to Gajendragarh fort gives us the vibes of Shivaji's legacy. Next time around I would not like to miss Kalleswar temple, which too is steeped in mystery and history.
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