While wandering around the forts of Marathwada, we get to see very few fortress. This region in Marathwada is far away from the main range of Sahyadri and consists mostly of flat plains and small hills. Since this area is completely different from the Sahyadri areas, a large number of fortress and one or two forts were built on the small hills here. This is why we see more fortress than forts here. While wandering among the forts in Beed district, one can see one such ruined fortress at javalgaon in Ambejogai taluka. Javalgaon-Ambejogai distance is 20 km and near Pus Phata on Ambejogai-Ahmadpur road is 8 km away from javalgaon. As there is no direct bus from Ambejogai to javalgaon, one has to get off at Pus Phata by bus and then take a private vehicle. Looking at the transport system in this area, one should preferably use a private vehicle to travel here. ... While entering the javalgaon village, the fortifications and bastions of this fortress can be seen from a distance. In the village, this fortress is known as “Shindechi Gadhi”. Descendants of Shinde live near this fortress. There are four bastions at the four ends of the fortress, one of which has been demolished recently to make way for a government hospital. The lower part of the fortress is built of stone and the upper part is made of white clay. As most of the stones of the fortress were taken away by the villagers for the construction of their houses, very few stones remain in the ramparts of the fortress. What remains is the inner 25 feet high fill and intact earth bastion. The main entrance of the fortress faces north and the stone fortifications in this area are still there today. On the inner side of the door there is a guard’s room, and we reach the top of the fortress by a stone-built staircase. The head of the fortress is less than half acre and ruins of houses are scattered everywhere. Descendants of Shinde living here have moved to the village in recent times. There is a beautiful Pushkarni (well) on the west side of the fortress to supply water to the fort. Water was supplied to the fortress from here through a stone shaft. This stone waterway can still be seen here. At some distance from the fortress, one can see a large gate made of curved stone. Half an hour is enough to see the fortress and surrounding ruins. The descendants of Shinde do not know much about this fortress and their ancestors but they say that this it is 500 years old. The construction of water supply method next to the fortress realized us their comments.
© Suresh Nimbalkar