Jalgaon district of Khandesh still has many fortress which people do not know much about. Most of them are getting to know now. While wandering in Jalgaon district, we got to see one such remote fortress, which has no written record anywhere, at Duskhede village in Pachora taluka. I am writing this information to have a documentary record and to let people know about this fortress. This fortress located in Pachora taluka of Jalgaon district is 12 km from Pachora town and 42 km from Jalgaon. According to the information given by the locals of Khedgaon Nandi village, we reached Duskhede village which is 5 km away from there. This village located on the bank of Hivara River must have been rich in agriculture since the medieval period due to the proximity of two river basins, Hivara and Pravara. There is a small square-shaped fortress on a small hill in the central part of the village and the area of the fortress is about half an acre. The main gate of the fortress faces west and is barricaded with a narrow passage to prevent easy access to the fortress. ... After climbing 6-7 steps from here we reach the main gate of the fortress. Although the main gate of the fortress still remains today, the inner ruins have been completely destroyed and new houses have been built on it. As there is nothing left to see inside the fortress, one can walk around the fort from ramparts on the outside. The height of the ramparts of the fortress is about 20 feet and the lower half of it is made of stone and the upper half of it is made of bricks. Locals say that there were four bastions in the ramparts of the former fortress, but at present only two bastions of the fortress remain. Both these bastions and the sides above the embankment have gun emplacements. The ramparts in the eastern and southern parts of the fortress have collapsed to a great extent. 10 minutes is enough to visit the fortress. Locals are completely ignorant of the history of the fortress and three beautiful memorials can be seen in the village roundabout (square porch). But the locals cannot tell of whose it is. As the Jalgaon province is mostly flat, a large number of fort like fortress can be seen in this area. Since the administration system of this area was maintained by the local citizens, the local citizens used to work to reconcile with the central rulers. Since these citizens manage their affairs from this fortress, the security system there was perfect. This fortress was enclosed by ramparts like a fort. As it becomes difficult for the owner to maintain the fortress which is a private property, after various environmental factors, most of the fortress are now falling into despair while some are being renovated and used for living.
© Suresh Nimbalkar