Kesar-e-Hind is an honorary title given during the British period. It is seen that people like Mahatma Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu were honored by the British with this title. When fort lovers like us search for the word Kesar-e-Hind in the context of fort, we read that there is a fort called Kesar-e-Hind on the border of Pakistan in the Punjab district. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, the fort was occupied by the Pakistani Army for a while but returned to India by the end of the war. The reason for discussing the name Kesar-e-Hind here is that in the city of Bhandara we find a British-era structure known by this name. This monument is a must see when visiting Bhandara city and is just a two minute walk from Bhandara city bus station. The ramparts and inner structures of this monument have completely collapsed and only the façade remains. ... This entire monument is built in red sand stone and the spacious door of this monument looks like a fort’s entrance. On both sides of the door are built pentagonal carved, dome shaped structures. Above the door there is an inscription in English language high up and the letters on it have faded with the passage of time and it cannot be read. Therefore, the exact year and purpose of the construction of this structure is not known. On both sides of this door there is a porch supported on stone pillars and three arches can be seen on both sides. Inside the door there are guard houses on both sides. At present, the inner part of this building is used as a cattle shed. In the month of September 1818, the British forces under the leadership of Major Wilson defeated the Bhosale of Nagpur and captured the city of Bhandara. This building must have been built in the period after that. (Since the door of this building looks like a fortress and the exact information of this monument was not known even after inquiring around, information about this place is mentioned here on this website.)
© Suresh Nimbalkar