Vairatgad is the fort seen behind the Pachavad fork. There are three lakes on this fort.
There is a Hanuman temple on the fort and another Hanuman idol placed in the open. There is also a Datta temple on the fort. The temple of Vairateshwar (Mahadev) is the main temple and the Shivling in this small temple is very beautiful.
The story behind the name of this fort goes thus: After the Pandavas were in exile for twelve years, they changed their identities and chose to stay in the kingdom of King Virat for a year. At that time, the capital of King Virat’s kingdom was on this fort. His subjects lived in Biratnagar at the foot of the fort. The fort was named Vairatgarh after the people of the Virat tribe.
The fortifications and some other structures on this fort were built by the second Bhojraja of Kolhapur of the Shilahar dynasty between 1178 and 1193 AD. The distance between Satara and Vairatgarh is 30 kilometers.
243 KM from Mumbai Airport via Pune, Sarur, Ozarde, Vairatgad
91.6 Km from Pune via Shirwal, Surur, Kadegaon
153 KM from Kolhapur via Karad, Satara, Pachwad, Kadegaon
362 KM from Goa via Belgavi, Kolhapur, Karad, Satara, Panchwad, Vairatgad
31.3 KM from Satara Bus Stand via Mhasave, Limbphata, Pachwad
