Parasgad Fort

Parasgad Fort is a ruined hill fort in the Belgaum district of Karnataka state, India. It dates back to 1674, and is said to have been built by the Maratha ruler Shivaji.

Parasgad Fort is located about two kilometres south of Saundatti village, and stands on the south-west edge of a range of hills immediately overlooking the black soil plain down below.

The hill which measures about 500 metres from north to south and about 300 metres from east to west, is irregular, and a good deal is covered with prickly pear and brushwood. Its sides are rocky and almost perpendicular. A deep gorge runs through it.

Atop the hill-fort is a small ruined shrine to the Hindu deity Maruthi. The fort itself is uninhabited, and the remains of old houses are located in it.

A descent of several hundred steps leads to Yadravi village. This passes by a natural spring with a water tank measuring thirty by six metres called the "Ramatheertha", and a cave housing statues of Hindu deities and mythological figures including Jamadagni, Parashurama, Rama, and Sita, a Shivalinga with a Nandi. The village of Yadravi is referred to as "Elarame" in an inscription found on a platform near the Bharamappa temple of the village. The inscription is dated Shaka 901 in the Hindu calendar.

External links

* [http://www.kar.nic.in/zpbelgaum/parasgad.html Parasgad Fort] — tourist information at the Karnataka government portal