Palgad Fort

It is one of the rear mid hill forts in the Ratnagiri district. The fort offers beautiful view of Sahyadri ranges and its offshoots descending towards west. It forms a boundary between Dapoli taluka in the west and Khed Taluka in the east. There is dense forest on the western side of the hill whereas beautifully carved rice terrraces in the east. The way at the entrance to the fort is carved out of rock. There are some remnants of the old buildings and two canons. There is one well which has no water in it.

The village at the western base of the hill was earlier known as Palil. The summit of the hill is shaped like a lizard for which Marathi word is Pal. Therefore the fort was named as Palgad. The village changed its name from Palil to Palgad being close to the fort as time went by. The Palgad was a major market place for the surrounding villages in the past. The fort is said to have been constructed during the reign of Shivaji and then was under the control of Peshavas. It came under British control subsequently.

The fort has little of the structure remained from the past. The dense forest on the western end is believed to be having some spirits and makes the person who goes up the fort through those to forget his way back. The phenomenon is known as Chakwa in the local language. It is better to have a local guide or get the directions correctly while climbing the hill from Palgad village. Alternatively one can climb it from Eastern side from hamlet of Kadamwadi which is a hamlet of the village Jamge in the Khed taluka.

Sane Guruji, a famous Gandian and freedom fighter was born in the village of Palgad and a memorial has been developed in the village.

Accommodation :

Accommodation is not available on the fort.

Getting There :

Mumbai->Mangaon-> Ambet-> Mandangad->Palgad

By Air : Mumbai is nearest airport.

By Rail : Khed is nearest railway station.

By Road : From Palgad village : Palgad village is at 21 km from Dapoli on the Dapoli-Khed road. There is road till Palgad Machi. The path near Hanuman temple leads to the top and it takes around half an hour from here. It takes one hour from Palgad village.

From Kadamwadi village : We have to reach Kadamwadi village on Khed-Jamge road.

Places to see nearby : 

The area of the fort is around 1.5 acres. The main entrance is east facing, and completely broken. The bastion is still there. There is one canon half buried near the entrance, second one on "Holicha Mal", and third one in a field in the village. We can find some plinths of old mansions and a dried water tank. The further part becomes narrower and there is a bastion. Some part of the walls is remaining. We can find residences on the mountain top.