One has to enter the Dajipur sanctuary by paying tourist fees of Rs.20/- to get to the fort. From here an unpaved road leads to the forest rest house and further to the Ashram of Gagangiri Maharaj. A 30 minutes walk from here takes us on a plateau from where one has to descend first and traverse a small hill which stands between the plateau and the fort. After the traverse, a small uphill trail leads to the fort where we can see some fortifications.
One enters the fort through the north west facing door the bastions of which are still intact. After entering the door we can see the double walled fortification. After crossing this wall there is a bastion to the right. There is a beautiful Sati stone on the fort which is locally known as Ugvai Devi. From the north bastion one can see Kurli dam. Walking alongside the fortified wall towards the south bastion we come across the route coming from Gadge Sakhal village of Konkan and Fonda village to the south. Apart from these there are very few remains on the fort. on the return journey after traversing the hill we can see a waterfall patch on a rock. Here there is a built in water tank for which the water is sourced from the waterfall through a small trench. There is no other water management facility on the fort. from the fort top there is a temple crown visible towards the east. The region where this temple is located is called Jhanjeche Paani. It can be reached through the unpaved road from the small hill leading through the jungle which takes around 20 minutes. It is believed that Saint Gagangiri Maharaj used to meditate here. Behind this temple after passing by some houses there is a rivulet which flows throughout the year which is Jhanjeche Paani. 30 minutes from here one can reach back to the main entrance of the sanctuary. A 21 kms unpaved road in the sanctuary can be used to tour the entire forest. |
| Ways To Reach : |
१) Dajipur sanctuary is 80 kms from Kolhapur. State transport buses from Kolhapur going to Malvan, Kudal, Kankavli, Vengurle take us to Dajipur within 2.30 hrs. the Ugvai Plateau is 3 kms from the main entrance of the sanctuary and can be reached through one’s private vehicle.
२) Gadgesakhal village which is 6 kms from Fonda village is at the foot of Fonda ghat. A route from here takes us through the south bastion to the fort within 2 hrs. |
| Accommodation Facility : |
| Available in Dajipur forest rest house. |
| Food Facility : |
| Available in Dajipur village. |
| Drinking Water Facility : |
| Nil |
| Notes : |
| Dajipur sanctuary is closed from June to October. Its recommended to take a forest guide along to wrap up fort and sanctuary visit in a single day. |
