In Ahmednagar district, alongside famous forts like Alang, Madan, Kulang, and Harishchandragad, several villages also house small forts and fortified mansions (Gadhi), though very few people are aware of them. During my exploration of forts in Ahmednagar, I came across more than 30 such Gadhi and fortified settlements, most of which are slowly disappearing with time. To preserve their memory, I have collected information about them and presented it in the “Gadhi” section of my website Durgbharari. One such place is the village of Samvatsar, located in Kopargaon taluka, on the banks of the Godavari River. It lies about 16 kilometres from the pilgrimage town of Shirdi and is easily accessible from Kopargaon railway station. As you enter the village, you notice some old stone-built tombs. Once on the outskirts, these burial grounds have now been engulfed by the expanding settlement. ... Samvatsar village was once enclosed within a fortified wall. Though the encroachment of growing habitation has eroded much of this fortification, the main entrance gate still survives. The gate’s stone frame features carved lotuses, though the upper level above the gateway has completely collapsed. Remarkably, the gate’s wooden doors remain intact, including a smaller wicket gate (dindi Darwaja) set within them. On the Godavari’s edge stands the Shinde Deshmukh Gadhi. If you ask villagers about a “gadhi” or “Killa,” they will readily direct you here. The rectangular fortification spans about 10 Guntha. Two bastions stand at the rear corners, and the entire perimeter wall and bastions are constructed of dressed stone. The stone latticework (Jali) within the walls still survives. The western-facing main entrance retains its wooden doors, and the stone arch and upper portion of the gateway display lotus motifs. Inside, the original buildings have mostly collapsed, leaving only two small houses inhabited by families who look after the property. A small domed shrine was erected in 2000 at the site of the old temple within the gadhi. At the rear, a small north-facing exit door leads outside. One of the bastions contains a storage chamber, with an internal passage leading up to its upper level. Evidence suggests that this gadhi once had a three-storeyed mansion, though only the ground floor remains, now roofless. Thorny shrubs have overrun the interior, requiring caution when exploring. Due to the neglect of its owners, the gadhi has suffered significant deterioration. It takes only about 15 minutes to explore the site. Aside from knowing that this was the fortified residence of the Shinde Deshmukhs, neither the villagers nor the current residents can provide more information about its history. The Shinde descendants are now settled in Pune and Ahmednagar.
© Suresh Nimbalkar