Gawilghur

Coordinates: 21°22′56″N 77°20′2″E / 21.38222°N 77.33389°E / 21.38222; 77.33389
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Gawilghur fort
Amravati District, VidarbhaMaharashtra
Gavilgad fort walls
Gawilghur fort is located in India
Gawilghur fort
Gawilghur fort
Gawilghur fort is located in Maharashtra
Gawilghur fort
Gawilghur fort
Coordinates21°22′56″N 77°20′2″E / 21.38222°N 77.33389°E / 21.38222; 77.33389
TypeHill fort
Height1,103 m (3,619 ft) ASL
Site information
OwnerGovernment of India
Controlled byBahmani Sultanate

Maratha Confederacy
,

British Empire
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
Built1425-26 AD
Built byGond kings, Bahmani Sultanate
In use1425-1803 AD
MaterialsStone
Garrison information
Past
commanders		Rana Shivdeosingh Rajput

Gawilghur (also, Gawilgarh or Gawilgad, Pronunciation:

Amravati District,[1] Maharashtra. It was successfully assaulted by a force commanded by Arthur Wellesley on 15 December 1803 during the Second Anglo-Maratha War
.

History

The fort takes its name from the

Gawli (cow herds) who inhabited the Berar (modern day Amravati) for centuries. Earlier the fort was likely just made of mud as were several such areas in the region. The exact date of construction is not known but the Persian historian, Firishta, records that Ahmed Shah Wali, the ninth king of the Bahamani dynasty reconstructed Gawilgarh when he was encamped at Ellichpur in 1425.[2]
Likely this was the date when major fortification was carried out.

In 1803 during the

Killedar Rana Shivsingh Rajput of the Maratha Empire
, after making peace with the British but they abandoned it.

Major features

The fort has several inscriptions in Persian recording the date of building of each of its seven gates. It has two water tanks (Devtalav and Khantalav),

Pathan style of architecture. The mosque has a square canopy with intricate stone lattice work and a seven arched façade. The mosque originally had two minarets, only one of which is intact today.[5]

Gafur Ahmed, a jaglia (tenant) of the Narnala fort, tried to determine whether the chambers built into the fort of Narnala had any use by driving 20 sheep into them. One of the sheep turned up at Gawilgarh which is more than 20 miles away.[6] So, probably there is a tunnel connecting the two forts.

There are several unrepaired breaches made by British guns, which remain to this day. The gun that killed five attackers with a single shot still stands, although now with graffiti running the length of the barrel.

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gawilghur.
  1. ^ "Friends of forts". Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  2. ^ Haig, Wolseley (1907). Historic Landmarks of the Deccan. Pioneer Press. pp. 146–160. Retrieved 18 February 2009. gawilgarh.
  3. ISBN 9788131300343
    .
  4. ^ "Amravati District Gazetteer". Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  5. ^ "Maharashtra Government Tourism". Retrieved 20 February 2009.
  6. ^ "Akola District Gazetteer". Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2009.
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