Vidarbha is a region with tons of natural beauty located to the east of Maharashtra. In this region, which has an ancient tradition, many powerful rulers ruled, and during their reign, they also built strong forts. Narnala and Gavilgad are two such forts built by the Gond dynasty. Situated on a hilltop in a dense forest, these forts are huge as well. As Narnala fort is a part of Melghat tiger reserve in Vidarbha, and the only limited area is given access to it through the forest department and archeology department. The Narnala fort in the Melghat Tiger Reserve is a group of three forts. One of the forts of this trio is Teliyagad. To visit Teliyagad, you have to reach Shahanur village at the foot of Narnala fort. Akot taluka is 47 km from Akola city. At a distance of 22 km from Akot to Shahnur is a village at the foot of the fort. Standing on the Mahakali gate of Narnala fort, the hill on the right side of Narnala hill is the fort of Jafrabad and the hill on the left side is Teliyagad. ... The hill of Teliyagad fort is narrow and is spread from south to north and is separated from Narnala fort by a ravine. The bastion at the southern end of Narnala fort is known as Teliya Buruj. The only way to reach Teliyagad is from this bastion by using mountaineering equipment and techniques. As the way to Teliyagad is through Narnala fort and access to Narnala fort is given for a limited time, it is not possible to reach Teliya fort at this time. Therefore, even if you want to visit the fort, you can’t. Although you can't reach the fort, you can visit Teliyagad from Teliya Buruj. From Teliya Buruj, you can see the ramparts and bastions of Teliyagad. At present, we have to be satisfied just by seeing this. As Teliyagad is a part of Narnala fort, the history of Narnala fort is also related to Teliyagad. Teliyagad is the name given by the Muslim rulers and the locals call Teliyagad as Rajgad.
© Suresh Nimbalkar