It was a place of strategic importance since it overlooked the Bor pass, which connected the Konkan coast to the interior of Maharashtra (Deccan Plateau)[1] on the main trade route between these areas.

The fort was likely constructed before 1400, under Devagiri Yadavs(1248–1318) and the Tughlaq rulers (1318–1347), Karnala was the capital of the north Konkan districts of their respective empires.

The Gujarat sultans then requested the help of the Dom Francisco de Menenzes the commanding officer of the Portuguese at Bassien (modern day Vasai) to win it back.

The loss of Karnala enraged Nizam Shah, who sent 5,000 men to reclaim the fort and the surrounding countryside.

Deciding that the forts of Sangli and Karnala were of little strategic value, however, the Portuguese viceroy agreed to return them to Nizam Shah for an annual payment of Rs.

The presence of bee hives also makes it difficult to climb and have resulted in at least one casualty in recent times.

The Persian writing is on upper gate reads "Syed Nuruddin Muhammad Khan, Hijri, 1147 AH (1735 CE)" and probably dates from the Mughal occupation of the fort.

It is said that the goddess gave a sword to king Chhatrapati Shivaji, which he then used to conquer a vast area of land for the establishment of a Hindu nation.