Journalism of Courage
The fort of Kailashgad,save two caves,has little to boast of that would qualify it as a fort
One might just miss it. There are no visual signs that a fort even exists on the hills that surround the little village of Vaduste near the Mulshi lake. While forts in the district and the state largely display the same characteristics of negligence and indifference to their historic past,the fort of Kailashgad stands out with its sorry fortunes. One would look at some obvious signboards when it comes to old forts of this kind – falling ramparts,broken doorways and steeply cut,rudimentary steps. Kailashgad has none of these. Everything has either broken or have been taken away by people who have visited the fort. Kailashgad is a fort that has no visible signs that it had ever been one.
Village folklore and local stories have trickled down generations and state that the Pandavas had stayed at the fort. Incidentally,even the children here volunteer to go up the fort as guides for the said price of Rs 100. Lined up a very narrow path that goes up the steep terrain of the fort are shrubs known as karav . Explaining their importance,Padwal says,The road up the fort is very steep,and climbing down can be dangerous as the red sand on the fort doesn’t provide an easy gripping surface. The karav plants that line the path along most of the terrain function as a hand rail and allow people to come down the north and the eastern faces of the fort easily.
The story of Kailashgad,as tragic as it is,is also one of hope and giving. Through its two caves and broken stone walls and narrow cow paths,the fort continues to give,if nothing else,a thin chance to the locals to make some money off it.
