THE CHRONICLES OF MILOTH MAMA

Gawilgarh Fort is situated in Chikhaldara in Amravati district of Maharashtra. It falls within the Melghat Tiger Reserve Forest zone in the vicinity of Satpura / Satpuda ranges.

The name of Gawilgarh fort orginates from ‘Gawali’ (cow herd) King who belonged to the Yadava dynasty and probably constructed this fort in the 12^th Century C.E. In the initial phase this was a mud fort construction and the present structure was modified by Ahmad Shah Wali– the 9^th king of Bahmani dynasty in 1425 C.E. The fort was subsequently re-repaired and augmented by Fateh-ullah Imad-ul-Mulk, the first independent king of Berar, in 1488 C.E., and by Bahram Khan, commandant of the fort under Saiyid Murtaza Sabewari, in 1577 C.E.

In the turbulent history of Berar, this fort passed from one hand to another viz., Bahamanis, Mughals, Marathas, Nizams and British. In the Ain-i-Akbari (1596-97), Gawilgarh is described as a fortress of almost matchless strength (Vol No 1 of  ‘Tarikh-E- Farishta’, written by Farishta).

Of the many architectural accomplishments within the fort, important and interesting are mosques with ornate jalis, two gateways- the Delhi darwaza between the inner and the outer fort, and the Pir Patha (Fateh) darwaza, the south-western gate of the fort. Above the latter are the remains of an inscription, stating that Ulugh Imad-ul-Mulk, i.e.  Fateh-ullah Imad-ul-Mulk rebuilt the gateway with the old stones in the year A.H. 893 (1488 C.E.). The Jami masjid above the tank, was built during the reign of Mahmud Shah Bahmani. The fort also houses few old iron canons. The outer fort of Gawilgarh, which lies between the Delhi darwaza and the deserted village of Labada, was probably built by the Bhonsle rajas of Nagpur, who held sway over the Gawilgarh Fort from the first quarter of the eighteenth century until 1822 C.E.

Major Features of the Fort

The main entrance of the fort is Machhali gate no.1 which is situated in north. The orientation of the fort is North-South. The fort can be divided into two primary sections: the inner main fort, which was constructed during the Bahmani era from the third ‘Shardul’ gate, and the outer fortified area of the fort, built during the reign of Nagpur king Bhonsle, which starts from the first gate.

Gawilgarh Fort has two main water tanks (Dev talao and Machhali talao), which would have been the main water source in case the fort was besieged. Machhali talao is the outermost moat near Machhali gate no. 1.

Note: We had been to Gawilgarh Fort in October 2020. Due to being closed for a long time because of Covid-19 pandemic, there was no visitor movement / staff movement inside the fort. There was an increase in activity of bears, tigers and other wild animals within the fort as the area forms a part of Melghat Tiger Rserve. Thus, due to fear of bears we did not venture further to Mosque and Baglinga gate i.e. towards the southern most end of the fort .

Within the fort the ruins of a mosque are the most conspicuous. It stands at the highest point in the inner fort and situated on the south side of the plateau. It is situated further south from Deo talao. It has seven arches in its facade and three bays deep from front to back. All along, above the arches, runs an over-hanging cornice of simple design. Each end of the facade is flanked by a projecting square pier, these carry above the roof most elegant little square canopies or chhatris with deep cornices, rich brackets, and perforated jali or screen work in each of their four sides.The mosque originally had two minarets, only one of which is intact today.

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. So, probably there is a tunnel connecting the two forts.

Seige of Gawilgarh

It was during the second Anglo – Maratha war, in 1803, that the British government enlisted Supreme commander Arthur Wellesley to lead the capture of Gawilgarh in collaboration with the Peshwa, Raja of Mysore, Nizam, and Nawab of Elichpur / Achalpur. The war commenced on 13th December, 1803, with British forces blockading Gawilgarh on all sides. Rayaji Bhosale, the fort-keeper (killedar) of Gawilgarh, and General Commander Rajput Beni Singh valiantly battled against the British with their army.

Defence features of Gawilgarh Fort – an example of supreme strategic constrcution

The defensive works consisted of two fortresses, one outer and one inner. The Outer Fort was considered more of a decoy, and behind that lay a ravine, across which lay the gate to the Inner Fort. An army could theoretically capture the Outer Fort (Machhali gate 1 and 2) before realizing that the greater task lay in assaulting the inner. The Inner Fort was protected by several gates, the first (Delhi gate) of which was the least defensible. After breaking through that first gate, however, an assaulting army would turn sharply to the left and follow a narrow passage up to a second gate, all the while being attacked by the defenders from above.

This was largely the case when Arthur Wellesley’s army attacked Gawilghur. Lieutenant Colonel Kenny, of the 11th Regiment of Foot succeeded in taking the Outer Fort, and led the assault on the Inner Fort.

After the bombardment commenced on 12 December, the assault on the 14th might have been doomed to failure in the narrow passageways of the Inner Fort had it not been for the bravery of an officer of the 94th. Captain Campbell and his Light Company made a “daring ascent …on the seemingly impossible southern face.” They were then able to open the gates of the inner fort for the main force. The British had 132 casualties, while the Maratha’s casualties amounted to 1200.

Unfortunately, Beni Singh and the fort’s chief were killed in the conflict. Fourteen Rajput women chose to sacrifice themselves by leaping into a burning fire. The British forces endured substantial losses, including Captain Young, Lieutenant Colonel Kenny, and other important officers. On 15^thDecember 1803, the Gavilgad fort finally fell under the control of the British government.

Lady Elizabeth Longford, in her book Wellington, the Years of the Sword, quotes Jac Weller whose opinion of ‘Gawilghur’ was that ‘three reasonably effective troops of Boy Scouts armed with rocks could have kept out several times their number of professional soldiers’.

The ‘capture of Gawilghur’ was dramatized in Sharpe’s Fortress by Bernard Cornwell, although credit for the breakthrough was given to Cornwell’s fictional character Richard Sharpe, not Captain Campbell.

Gawilgarh Fort at Present

An interpretation centre catering to facilitate the tourists and visitors who come to Gawilgarh Fort was inaugrated in the year 2019. It showcases a brief information about the fort detailing its layout, surroundings and history.

Rock Shelters at Gawilgarh Hill ranges

In the remote regions surrounding Gawilgarh Fort, i.e. in the Satpuda ranges there are situated several prehistoric rock shelters / caves which are inaccessible in modern times. The Archaeological Survey of India, Nagpur, has discovered and documented 247 decorated rock shelters in the Gawilgarh Hills bordering Amaravati district of Maharashtra during the years 2012-15. The Excavation Branch I of the Survey, at Nagpur, explored and documented decorated rock shelters in the Gawilgarh Hills of the Satpura mountain ranges, in the Multai and Atner tehsils of Betul district in Madhya Pradesh.

The decorated rock shelters spread across the Gawilgarh hills have been divided into twenty two groups, their nomenclature derived from either the village nearby or any shrine or locally known landscape of the area. The groups so named are Ambadevi group, AgyaDoh, Ghodamma, Gaimukh, Ghorpend, Kund, Kukadsadev, Mungsadev, Pat, Salbuldi, Telkan, Takira, etc.

The decorations on the rock shelters of Gawilgarh Hills fall under two broad divisions; viz. Pictographs executed in different colours like green, white, black and different shades of red and Petroglyphs comprising bruising, pecking, engraving and cupules. The themes of decorations revolve around diverse forms of Nature; flora and fauna; hunting scenes; war scenes and abstract geometric patterns.

Melghat Tiger Reserve

Melghat tiger reserve is located in the Amaravati district of Maharashtra. Melghat Tiger Reserve is located on the southern offshoot of the Satpura Hill Range in Central India, called Gavilgarh Hill. It is 225 km west of Nagpur. The name ‘Melghat’ means the confluence of various ‘ghats’ or valleys as is typical from the landscape of this tiger Reserve.

Tourism in Melghat is distributed along 4 centers/villages. Semadoh, Chikhaldara, Harisal & Shahnur. There are some additional stay facilities at Kolkas which is 14km ahead of Semadoh. The nearest railway station to reach Chikhaldara, Semadoh, Kolkas, Harisal in Amravati. Shahnur is closest to Akola. The nearest airport is at Nagpur some 250 kms away. Tourists can explore Melghat in all seasons but the monsoons starting mid July till end of September offers the best views. 

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