Tillari- A forest located in the hilly ranges of Konkan-Western Ghats corridor is a popular destination among the wildlife lovers. It is located 492 km away from Pune in Belgaun district of Karnataka, bordering the forests of Goa and Maharashtra.
Surrounded by dense green forest, Tillari is home for a variety of animals and birds like Hornbill, Paradise Flycatcher, Drongo, Yellow-Browed Bulbul, Red-Whiskered Bulbul, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Orange-Headed Ground Thrush, Indian Scimitar Babbler and a lot more.
Tillari is also home to several animals like wild boars, antelopes, deer, monkeys, bison, elephants, tigers and leopards. You’re not allowed to enter the forest without permission. The availability of resources like food and water is limited, so ensure you carry enough.
The forest also features three perennial waterfalls which are a huge tourist attraction.
While driving to Tillari, the ghats offers a thrilling experience. It is known to be the steepest ghat in the Sahyadris as compared to others such as Karul, Fonda and Amboli ghat.
Tillari Dam
Tilar Dam is a joint venture by the Maharashtra and Goa government. It is situated in Dodamarg Taluka and it is constructed on Tillari river.
The dam is located near the border of Maharashtra and Karnataka and the water is distributed among both the states. The lake formed by Tillari dam is a major tourist attraction, it is also said that wild elephants take shelter in the surroundings of Tillari forest.
The Tillari Irrigation Project is an inter-state project of Maharashtra and Goa States to utilise water of river Tillari. Tillari river is a west flowing river originating from Sahyadri mountain in Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, crosses Maharashtra State near village Maneri to enter Goa State, where it is popularly known as Chapora, before falling into the Arabian Sea.
Tillari Irrigation Project envisages construction of a storage dam across river Tillari near village Tillariwadi (Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra) and a pick-up weir across Kharari nalla, a right bank tributary of river Tillari, near village Terwanmedhe (Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra) along with canal systems to provide irrigation facilities in 21,197 ha of command (6,676 ha (ICA) in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra and 14,521 ha (ICA) in North Goa district of Goa). Besides irrigation, the project would provide 111.465 MCM of water for municipal and industrial uses in the State of Goa. In addition, two hydro power stations, one with 10 MW (2x5MW) installed capacity on the left side of the saddle dam and another with 0.2 MW installed capacity at head of the Right Bank Canal are also proposed. However, the power house of 10 MW capacity is a part of a separate project called Konal Hydro Electric Project.
Tillari Rock Garden
Apart from the inter-state irrigation dam project ,Tillari also has an attractive Rock garden which was specially designed for Tourists to enjoy the lush greenery of the forest.
Nearby Attreactions
Mangeli Waterfall
A Picturesque village named Mangeli at the eastern end Dodamarg Taluka as well as on the border of Karnataka state is a worth visiting sight. Its inspiring beauty attracts millions of tourist from whole the world. The adventure of a road trip gives a wonderful opportunity to escape the frenetic rat race of the city life and reconnect with nature.
Riding through verdant landscape, lush greenery, waterfalls and taking in fresh air really can be a wonderful experience for all. Goans are gifted with this heavenly place which lies in Maharashtra but is as far as just 36 kms from Panjim. There are several scenic spots on the way, where one can make a short halts. The splendid view amidst thick fog can make a fantastic backdrop for pictures. There is no railway station near to Mangeli in less than 10 km. Zarap Rail Way Station (near to Sawantwadi) , Sawantwadi Road Rail Way Station (near to Sawantwadi) , Thivim Rail Way Station (near to Mapusa) are the Rail way stations reachable from near by towns.
Paargad Fort
Paargad Fort is situated to the south of Kolhapur in Maharashtra state in India, at a distance of around 28km from Chandgad. One of the major attractions of this fort is its serene environment and lush green surroundings. Apart from this, it is also known for housing a wonderful bronze statue of Shivaji and a temple of Bhagawati Bhawani. The gad can be trekked from the village morle and across Palye located in dodamarg taluka.
Fort was maintained by Raiba(Son of Tanaji Malusare). This is one of the historically significant forts, Built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674 to 1676 AD, on adjoining borders of Kolhapur & Sindhudurg Districts. Structurally it looks like a conch-shell. The fort was suitable to keep watch on the movement of the enemy in Goa as well as Konkan. At first it was in charge of Tanaji Malusare, a faithful follower of King Shivaji and his son Rayaba, who successfully faced the attack made by Muajjam Sarkar, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's son. As the fort remained undefeated it is called "Ajinkyatara" in South-India. Today even there are local people who bear the surname "Malusare". The Pargad fort is yet shout enough with cannons and huge bastions in good position. There is a temple of Goddess Bhavani which is renovated twice. A wonderful thing to note about this temple is that the sun-rays directly touch the idol of the goddess throughout the year. There are 350 stone-steps leading to the highland of the Fort. Another wonder inside the fort is also worth mentioning. There are 5 lakes ever full of water that never get dried up. Thousands of tourists from Belgaum, Goa, Kolhapur and other places visit this fort.
Reaching There:
By Road: Drive witnessing the beautiful dense forest enveloping both sides of a road. Get on to Pune Satara Road- Satara- Kolhapur- Belgaun- Pass hotel nivara and turn right and drive straight for a few kilometres and you’re there.
By Train: There are various trains available from Pune to Belgaum, however, to reach Tillari one will have to be depend on public transport. It is advisable to recheck the train timings before you leave for Tillari.
By Bus: From Swargate take a bus to Goa and get down at Belgaun, from there you can rely on their public transport.
Stay and Food At Tillari :There is only one resort run by MTDC named Green valley which offers the best stay and food options to tourists.
