Tagged: Maharashtra historical forts
The city of Dharur is an ancient one. Its history goes back to more than 1200 years. The city is located in the Beed district of Maharashtra. There is a fort located close to the city, and quite aptly, it is called the Dharur Fort. However, its history is not as old as the city – it goes back to about 400 years. There are a few other forts in the district as well, but you won’t find one that is as strong as Dharur. If you are planning a visit to central Maharashtra on the next weekend, you should definitely include the Dharur Fort in your travel itinerary. It is just perfect for a short weekend trip. There are some other fantastic places you can include in your trip as well.
This fort’s location had also helped the Maratha forces keep constant vigil on the entire southern Maharashtra by changing guards on its ramparts.
The Bhudargad fort was built by King Bhoj of the Silahara dynasty during 12th century AD. It is located in what is now known as the Paal village, which is about 50 kilometers from the modern city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra. The fort has witnessed many historic events since it was commissioned or pressed into service.
Built by the first Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath between 1713 and 1720, Visapur fort, also known as the Visapoor fort is a hill fort. It is located in the Pune district of Maharashtra. It has an elevation of 1084 meters above the sea level. It is built on the same plateau as its twin fort, the Lohagad.
According to local folklore, Chatrapati Shivaji, the legendary Maratha leader preferred living in stony forts than in comfortable palaces, even though there was no dearth of such luxuries in his domain. He spent the most of his days in the Rajgad fort, which literally means the Royal Fort. And in many ways, the name befitted the fort magnificently. Situated at a height of more than 4000 feet in the deeply wooded Sahyadri Mountains and having a base that covers more or less 40 kilometers, the fort was almost unconquerable. But even then, this Royal fort has changed hands several times. It was finally captured by the British in 1818.
Salher and Mulher are two forts that are located very close to each other. That is why they are often referred to as twin forts. Most people make it a point to visit both these forts on a single trip. You can do this as well. These forts are quite close to the city of Mumbai in Maharashtra.
Situated in Shirpur Tehsil, which is around 46 kilometers north-east of Dhule in Maharashtra, Thalner fort stands on the bank of the River Tapi. The fort is named after the temple of Thaleshwar which is located at the foot of the fort. At one side of the fort is the river. The other three sides are surrounded by a moat-like depression, varying in width from 100 to 15 yards. The walls of the fort rise to a height 60 feet from this depression, thus making it secured against sudden enemy aggression. The fort has only one entry gate on the eastern side but this entry point is secured by five successive gates, each placed at higher heights till the final gate comes level with the main wall of the fort.
We all know that Shivaji was an excellent warrior and strategist. However he was also a fort builder par excellence. It is believed that in his lifetime, the legendary Maratha leader had conquered 130 forts, built 111, and possessed more than 240 forts before his death in 1680. Perhaps he was much too familiar with every crack and crevice on the Sahyadri Mountains where forts could be built to protect the people from the invaders – Mughal or British.
Forts served several purposes in the earlier days. These bastions provided protection to warrior kings who were perpetually threatened by their adversaries and dragged into battles when least prepared for it. By closing the ramparts of the fort and disconnecting the entrance to it, the king and his entourage could spend days within the fort, chalking out plans for the next counterattack. Adversely, a defeated king or a vanquished enemy could be lodged indefinitely within a fort (like a prisoner). This is what precisely happened to the last exiled king of Burma, King Thibaw. He was lodged in the Ratnagiri Fort, which is also known as Ratandurg or Bhagwatidurg Fort.
It all started in 1533 AD when Malik Tughan, a commander under Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat built a fort-like structure in Vasai or Bassein. It was located 48 kilometers north of the present day Mumbai. The Vasai fort was constructed to train up the Sultan’s insignificant naval force. However, the commander’s wishes were short-lived because in the very next year, the Portuguese forcibly took over the structure from the feeble Sultan to build a strong and sturdy fort for themselves. And true to their words, a magnificent fort soon took shape on the sea shore, complete with bastions and other fortifications.
