Khirdi, which is not very familiar to anyone, is a small village in Raver taluka of Jalgaon district. I read that there is a fort in this village and the village gate remains and the name of this village was included in the list of forts. Khirdi village is at a distance of 12 km from Raver taluka and 36 km from Bhusawal. In January 2023, while wandering around forts in Jalgaon district, I visited this fort but we were not lucky enough to see the village gate as it was demolished a month ago during the widening of the road and the restoration of the temple adjacent to this gate. Although the door was demolished, the two bastions adjacent to this door remained. The remaining bastions are built of brick and are 15 feet high, but their original height must have been higher. ... Except for these two semi-circular bastions, no other remains of the fort can be seen. After entering through this door and walking straight, we reach Sardar Chowk. Here on the left we can see the entrance of fort like mansion. Although the mansion is very old and in a dilapidated state, some families still live there. The mansion is four cornered and the wood of the mansion has very beautiful carvings. Although this mansion is known as the “Patlancha Wada”, the descendants of the Patil living here have no knowledge of their ancestors. An elderly grandmother here said that the mansion was related to Bambrud Rani Village. But they could not explain whether this relationship is a social relationship or a political relationship. Since the administration system of this area was maintained by the local Vatandar family, the local Vatandar used to work to align with the central authority. As these Vatandar manage most of their affairs from their forts, the number of forts in this area is seen in large numbers. As this Vatandar resided in this fort, the security system there was perfect, but nothing like that can be seen in this mansion. Half an hour is enough to explore Khirdi village.
© Suresh Nimbalkar