Deorashtre village is located in the Kadegaon taluka of Sangli District. It is Yashwantrao Chavan’s grandparent’s house. Former Deputy Prime Minister of India was born in this village and spent his childhood here. He has extensively written about Deoarashtre in his autobiography 'Krishnakath'.
To the west of the village are the Sahyadri ranges. There is a temple named Sagareshwar at the foot of the hill. This area was called Sagareshwar Khind (Pass) or Sagaroba Khind. Yashwantrao used to walk through this gorge, so now it has been renamed as 'Yashwant Khind'. Rankavi (Poet from the wild) Yashwant Tandale from the same area had composed a poem about this renaming.
Yashwantrao Chavan spent his childhood in this village and his primary education also began here. Today, a memorial has been erected at the place of the house where he was born in Deorashtre. Born in an ordinary, poor family of the village, when Yashwantrao returned to his village after becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, his arrival was celebrated like a festival. Gudhis (victory flags) were raised in every house and Puranpoli (Maharashtra’s popular sweet dish) was prepared in every family of the village.
Deorashtre is an ancient village with a cherished history. Records of its historical importance from ancient times are found in many places. There are many temples in this village. Earlier, when farmers would plough their fields, they would find Shivalingas all around. Monday, the day of lord Shiva, is observed as a sacred day by the villagers. The village also organizes an annual fair on the last Monday of the Shravan month (5th Month of Hindu Calendar).
The villagers are proud of the son of the soil, who put their village on the national map. They have great respect for Yashwantrao’s contributions towards nation building. The village has a huge statue of him, where the villagers come together to pay their tributes on every birth and death anniversary of Yashwantrao Chavan.
Yashwantrao Chavan’s Colleague, D.M. Mohite’s tireless efforts led to the establishment of Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary at Deorashtre. Yashwantrao had significantly contributed to the formation of this sanctuary, hence it was named as, Yashwantrao Chavan Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.