| Vishalgad | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jagir ofMaratha Empire and thenBritish India | |||||||
| 1716[1]–1956[1] | |||||||
| Area | |||||||
• 1901 | 608.65 km2 (235.00 sq mi) | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• 1901 | 30,807 | ||||||
| History | |||||||
• Established | 1716[1] | ||||||
• Independence of India (abolition of the estate) | 1956[1] | ||||||
| |||||||
| Source: Solomon & Bond (1922)[2] | |||||||
| Vishalgad | |
|---|---|
| Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India | |
 One of the few surviving structures on Vishalgad | |
  Vishalgad | |
| Coordinates | 16°54′23″N73°44′30″E / 16.906419°N 73.741683°E /16.906419; 73.741683 |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Government of India |
Vishalgad (also called Vishalgarh, Khelna or Khilna)[3] was ajagir during theMaratha Empire and then later part of theDeccan States Agency of theBritish Raj.
A fort had existed at Vishalgad for a long period. During the Bahmani rule it belonged to theShirke[4] clan. During that period it was known by the name , khelna. The Maratha emperorChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had escaped to it after being besieged atPanhala Fort in 1660[5] and in 1844 it was one of the forts of Kolhapur State that initiated a rebellion against aregent called Daji Krishna Pandit who hadbeen installed by the British to govern the state in 1843 at a time when the natural heir to the throne was underage. He took direction from a political agent of theEast India Company and among their actions were reforms to the tax of land. These reforms caused much resentment and, despite Kolhapur having refrained from involvement in the previousAnglo-Maratha Wars, a revolt against the British began in 1844. The rebellion began with soldiers locking themselves into hill-forts such as those as Panhala and Vishalgad, and then spread to Kolhapur itself.[6]
