5/5 Artist Pratik P. 3 years ago on Google
я┐╝
Amazing
India
Mailgad
Fort:
Pride
of
the
Nawabs
By
Utkarsha
Thakur
August
06,
2019
at
12:20
PM
As
part
of
our
тАШBackpacking
through
HistoryтАЩ
series
-
an
initiative
to
encourage
young
students
to
travel,
research
and
write
about
IndiaтАЩs
lesser
known
monuments,┬аhere
is
an
article
by
Utkarsha
Thakur
from
St.
XavierтАЩs
College,
Mumbai.
Utkarsha
travels
to
the
far
edge
of
Vidarbha
to
tell
us
about
a
fascinating
fort,
few
people
have
heard
of.
Left
wall
of
the
fortя┐╝
The
historic
and
scenic
forts
of
Maharashtra,
hugging
the
west
coast,
are
well
known
tourist
haunts
that
see
a
fair
share
of
trekkers
each
year.
But
far
away,
across
center
of
the
state,
in
the
Vidarbha
region
,
is
the
not
so
famous
fort
of
Mailgad.
Situated
in
Jamod,
in
the
Jalgaon
Taluka
of
Buldhana
district,
this
fort
is
unique
also
because
it
has
a
model
of
the
fort
carved
in
stone,
within
it.
Model
of
the
fortя┐╝
This
model
was
probably
used
as
a
blueprint
for
the
builders
to
plan
the
sprawling
fortification.
Built
by
the
Nawabs
of
Achalpur,
who
hailed
from
present-day
Amravati
district
of
Maharashtra,
the
fort
acted
as
a
strategic
stronghold
as
it
helped
control
the
nearby
trading
town
of
Jamod
as
well
as
the
surrounding
cotton-rich
regions.
Fort
wallя┐╝
As
Mughal
rule
started
to
unravel
at
the
start
of
the
18th
century,
Asaf
Jah
I,
the
Nizam
of
Hyderabad,
seized
the
southern
provinces
of
the
empire,
from
Narmada
river
right
down
to
Tanjore,
in
1724,
forming
an
independent
state
of
Hyderabad.
Asaf
Jah
I,
appointed
Ismail
Khan,
a
horse
trader
from
Jaipur,
as
a
local
governor.
His
descendants
would
be
known
as
Nawabs
of
Achalpur,
before
the
region
was
annexed
by
the
British
in
1853.
Top
of
the
fortя┐╝
But
who
exactly
built
Mailgad?
According
to
the
Gazetteers
of
Buldhana
district,
published
in
1910,
the
fort
was
built
by
the
Nawabs
of
Achalpur
тАУ
probably,
the
first
Nawab,
Ismail
Khan
тАУ
around
1757.
The
Gazetteer
mentions
that
in
1841,
a
person
named
Mugut
Rav
raised
a
revolt
against
the
Nizam
in
the
Fort
of
Jamod
and
hoisted
the
flag
of
the
Maratha
ruler
of
Nagpur
Raghoji
Bhosale
III,
in
the
premises.
He
was
subsequently
defeated
and
the
NizamтАЩs
rule
was
restored.
The
fort
was
earlier
called
the
Fort
of
Jamod
but
was
later
renamed
тАШMailanigadтАЩ
after
Mailani
Devi,
a
local
goddess
who
is
said
to
reside
in
the
premises.
Fort
wallя┐╝
Where
exactly
is
Mailgad?
Where
exactly
is
Mailgad?
Along
a
ridge
in
the
Satpura
range,
Mailgad
fort
is
spread
across
an
area
of
one-mile
square.
It
is
surrounded
by
a
deep
valley
and
forests.
At
the
base
of
the
fort
you
will
find
broken
pieces
of
pillars
with
carvings
on
them,
and
the
site
where
the
pieces
lie
abandoned
appears
to
be
the
remains
of
a
temple.
Stairwayя┐╝я┐╝
The
stairway
to
the
fort
has
more
than
50
steps
which
are
partly
broken
and
some
of
them
are
missing.
Next
to
the
steps
is
the
main
wall
of
the
fort,
half
broken
and
damaged.
Cellarя┐╝
As
we
start
climbing,
the
first
thing
we
see
is
a
cellar
filled
with
hay.
There
are
many
more
cellars,
similarly
packed
with
straw,
making
it
difficult
to
explore.
Some
of
the
walls
in
these
cellars
have
been
plastered
over,
suggesting
a
recent
attempt
at
restoration.
Alternatively,
this
could
have
been
the
handiwork
of
encroachers,
who
appear
to
have
made
the
cellars
their
home.
Some
of
the
cellars
have
been
partitioned
as
if
to
create
separate
living
spaces.
The
fort
also
boasts
a
stone
tower,
which
has
holes
in
it
to
keep
a
look
out
for
the
enemy.
Remains
of
a
temple
pillarя┐╝
Stone
towerя┐╝
The
fort
also
boasts
a
stone
tower,
which
has
holes
in
it
to
keep
a
look
out
for
the
enemy.
Water
quantumя┐╝
There
is
also
a
water
quantum
or
tank
in
the
fort,
which
contains
water
even
today;
only,
it
is
also
polluted
with
plastic
bottles
and
other
waste.
Next
to
the
water
quantum
is
a
small
idol
of
a
goddess,
who
is
worshipped
by
the
people
of
Raipur
village
at
the
base
of
the
fort.
Place
from
where
the
idol
was
stolenя┐╝
Crowning
the
fort
is
a
clearing
that
is
kept
empty.
It
is
said
that
the
original
Mailani
Devi
idol
was
worshipped
here
before
it
was
stolen
a
few
years
ago.
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