On the way from Paratwada town in Amravati district to Gavilgad, there is a medium-sized village called Dhamangaon Gadhi at a distance of 13 km. As the word “Gadhi” meaning fortress is associated with the name Dhamangaon, our curiosity was piqued and we decided to visit this village. Our visit to this village was not wasted at all. This square-shaped fortress is located in the western direction of Dhamangaon village and the ramparts of the fortress and the four bastions remain only as ruins today. The ramparts of the fortress are about 20-25 feet high and the walls are made of mud and have fallen to a great extent. The site of the fortress is spread over an area of one and a half acres and the entrance gate has been completely destroyed today due to the collapse of a large part of the ramparts. Looking at the ramparts on all four sides of the fortress and its bastions as well as the sunken trench around the fortress, it is felt that this is not a fortress but a ground fort. ... At some places in the upper part of the remaining ramparts and the bastions, gun emplacements can be seen. All the four bastions of Dhamangaon Fortress are left and two of them are largely dilapidated. There is no way to go to this bastion as the ramparts have collapsed. No remains of any kind can be seen inside the fortress. Due to the extensive collapse of the fortress, no other estimates can be made. Locals don't know much about it but currently the Phatkar family is in possession of this fortress. Some locals say that it belongs to the Bhosale family of Nagpur and the Bhise family is in possession of this fortress. Half an hour is enough to go around the entire fort. Knowledgeable people of the village say that the fortress was built during the reign of Raghoji Bhosale.
© Suresh Nimbalkar