Induri village is located at a distance of 4 km from Talegaon on Talegaon - Chakan road. This village has a fortress like fort on the banks of the river Indrayani. This fortress itself is known as the Fort of Induri. On the way to Induri village, 3 km from Talegaon on the Talegaon-Chakan road, we can see the Induri Fortress from the bridge over the Indrayani River. From the bridge itself, the strong ramparts and bastions of the fort can be seen on the left side of the river Indrayani. By this route one enters the village of Induri by the side of the rampart and on the left side one can see the beautiful and grand entrance of the fort facing east. The construction of the fort looks very simple considering the entrance of the fort. There are grand bastions on both sides of the stone entrance and the arches are carved and Ganapati in the middle. A main hall is built using mud bricks on the upper side of the entrance. ... The base of the bastions is built of stones and the part above it is made of bricks. On the inside of the entrance there is a gate for the guard and after entering from here one can go to the upper side of the door on the right side. This part, is like a palace inside and has beautiful carvings on its roof and walls. To the right of the door is a storage room with embrasure in the wall. Another such room is under the bastion on the southern bank. There is a small gate in the northern bank of the fort from where one can descend to the Indrayani river bed. There is a temple of Kadjai Devi on the fort and in the premises of the temple there are monuments and ruins. Apart from this, on the western side of the ramparts, a small dome with a stone idol can be seen. The premises inside the fort are privately owned and some places show recent construction. Since the fort is neglected, it is covered with overgrown trees everywhere, so it is difficult to even reach the ramparts at some places. The fort has a total of eleven bastions and the width of the rampart is 10 feet, but since the inner side of the rampart has collapsed in many places, it is not possible to go around the fort from it. From the western bastion of the fort, the river Indrayani flowing below and the distance region can be seen. Outside the fort, there is an ancient temple of Shankar on the banks of the river Indrayani, and on this side, the northern gate of the fort and the unbroken ramparts along with the bastions can be seen. Khanderao Dabhade, the elder son of Shivaji Maharaja’s bodyguard Yesaji Dabhade, invaded the Gujarat province from AD 1705 to 1717 and captured the territory up to Baroda. On this, Shahu Maharaj appointed Khanderao Dabhade as the Commander-in-Chief of the Maratha Empire on January 11, 1717 and conferred it as Talegaon Vatan, which later came to be known as Talegaon Dabhade. Around 1720-21 CE, Khanderao Dabhade built the fort of Induri. Khanderao Dabhade died on 27 September 1729 in the old palace of Talegaon. His memorial is near the Baneshwar temple on the banks of the Indrayani River.
© Suresh Nimbalkar