Among the few fortress still in good condition in Maharashtra, the name of the fortress at Daulavadgaon can be taken. This fortress with a different style of architecture is a must see. Although Daulavadgaon village is in Ashti taluka of Beed district, it is more convenient to go there from Ahmednagar. Daulavadgaon is 32 kms from Ashti Taluka place and Ahmednagar to Daulavadgaon is only 22 kms. Our entry into the village is through a broken gate entrance. Adjacent to this door is a herostone and restored Maruti temple in front of the gate. The arch of the gate door has been destroyed and there are guards' rooms on both sides of the door. Looking at the overall structure of the village and its old stone mansions, this village must have existed from a long time ago and the village must have inside a fort. After entering through the door, the bastion of the fort can be seen from a distance on the right side. ... From here we reach in front of the fort within two minutes. This rectangular shaped fortress is spread over about five acres and the entire rampart of the fort has five bastions. Four bastions are built at the four ends of the square fortress. A citadel has been built in front of this door to protect the gate of the fortress and a large semi-circular bastion has been built in the ramparts of the citadel in front of this door. The height of the rampart is about 25 feet and the construction of the rampart up to 15 feet is made of stone and the construction above it is made of bricks. Lime has been used in this entire construction. There are gun embrasure for firing guns on the ramparts and bastions, and gun emplacements are made on the bastions for firing cannons. The gate of citadel faces north and is built near the bastion of the fortress so that anyone entering the fortress can be monitored from the bastion. After entering citadel, there are two-three newly built houses with crumbling walls of old buildings. Due to the collapse of the houses of the owners of the fort, they have shifted to citadel and these houses have been built. As the gate of the fortress is high and there is a horizontal wall in front of it, even if one enters the citadel, it is not visible. On entering the citadel, there is an enclosure on the left which leads up to ten steps and after entering it, turn right and climb five steps again to reach the west facing gate of the fort. A horizontal wall has been built in front of this door and windows have been built in it to keep an eye on Citadel. Neither this nor the Citadel door has any kind of carving, but the upper part of the door shows two stories built. Although the wooden part of the door have been destroyed, their chains and latches are still in good condition. After entering through the door, there is an enclosed stairway leading to the ramparts on both sides through a guard room. Since the entire rampart is in good condition, one can climb up one of these stairs and go round the entire ramparts and descend by the other. From the floor above the door, one can see the entire village and the distant region. After coming down from the rampart and entering the fortress, one can see the spacious courtyard of the wada adjacent to the bastion. Today, only the halls adjacent to the bastion remain of this and the floor slabs and carved niches carved in lime on the walls show the glory of this building. There is a large cellar under the hall on the left side adjacent to the bastion and there is a way to go to the cellar from this hall but it is not possible to move freely as there is a large number of bats inside. The architecture of the fortress can be felt even today as it has been in use till recent times. At present, the third generation of the owner, Sameer Patil, is living in the fortress and he said that his grandfather bought the fortress from the original owner. This fortress is known as “Patlachi Gadhi” in the village, apart from that they also do not know about the history of it. They treat visitors with hospitality. One hour is enough to visit the entire place. Keeping both protection and accommodation in mind, this place is a must-see when going for a stroll in Ahmednagar.
© Suresh Nimbalkar