Naladurg Fort

Naldurg is a fort in Osmanabad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Naladurg Fort is a famous ancient fort. Naldurg is the largest fort in Bhuikot Fort in Maharashtra. Its embankment is almost 3 km. is spread far. There are 114 bastions in this fort. Maharashtra has many characteristic Bhuidurg or Bhuikot forts along with Giridurg, Jaldurga. Among these Bhuikot forts, one important fort is Naladurg. The fort is a protected monument of the Department of Archeology, Government of Maharashtra. It also includes some Hindu temples like Ganapati Mahal, Lakshmi Mahal which are attractive to see. This fort is also famous for having a waterfall here.

How to go?
Naldurg Fort is located in Tuljapur Taluka in Osmanabad District. Naladurg is located on the Pune-Hyderabad national highway at a distance of 41 km from Solapur. Also this name was given during Nizamshahi period. Later Nala Raja captured this fort and the name of Aliabad was changed to Naldurg.

History
Local people trace the history of Naladurga back to Nalaraja and Queen Damayanti. This fort was under the control of the Chalukya king of Kalyani. Later it came under the control of Bahamani Sultans. The Bahamani kingdom collapsed and the Shahyas that emerged from it, Adil Shahi of Bijapur captured Naldurga. Later, Aurangzeb, a Mughal emperor, conquered Naladurg and entrusted it to the Nizam of Hyderabad.

Places to see in the fort
The present Naladurg fort was well constructed during the reign of Adil Shah. There is a large moat around the fort for protection. It has a double wall on its inner side. On the plateau next to the fort there is a fortified area as a battlement. The moat between Ranmandal and Naladurg has been deepened and has water in it. This water was brought into this trench by blocking the flow of Bori river and diverting it. A wall like a dam has been built between Ranmandal and Naladurg to keep this water. Due to this wall, water is permanently stored in the trench. So the enemy cannot enter the fort from this side. The interior is fortified with over a hundred bastions, creating impenetrability by moats and river currents. We can see the construction of towers of different sizes, different types. In this we remember the characteristic Navburuj. The fort is located in the fortifications on the side of the Hyderabad highway. This beautiful tower has nine petals. This is why it is called Navburuj. Such a construction is not seen anywhere else. The dam containing the water palace in Naladurg fort is a tourist attraction. Jalmahal is located in the embankment connecting Ranmandal and Naladurg. This embankment is 19 to 20 meters high. The embankment has four floors. There is a stairway leading to this floor in the belly of the embankment. This Jalmahal is built in the belly of the embankment at half height and its windows are decorated with carved mahirpi. It has an inscription in Farsi script on its wall. The inscription says that if you look at this water palace, the eyes of your friends will light up with happiness, while the eyes of your enemies will be dark. When the water rises during the monsoon, two channels are kept to flow through this dam and they are named male and female.

Naldurg fort is well remembered for its structure, defense system, watch tower, long cannon on it, waterfall, curved path of the door etc.

Address : Naladurg, T. Tuljapur, Dist. Osmanabad.- 413602
Near Pune-Hyderabad National Highway.