Information on Narnala Fort (Akola, Maharashtra) - History & Architecture

Narnala Fort is a splendid hilltop fortress built by the Rajput clans. It is an ancient fort, which is 614 years old now and till standing great in the southern tip of the Satpura mountain ranges in Maharashtra. It has vast history and culture over a period of time by its occupant of this fort. It is located at the Sharanur Village, Akola District of Maharashtra State in India.

Narnala Fort Architecture

Narnala Fort is a built on the Indian and the Sultanate architectural model. This fort is constructed with granite stones, white and yellow and stone. These are bonded with lime stones very beautifully. This fort has a unique craftsmanship on the stone works. These are well carved on single stones. The entire fort area on this hilltop land is about 1.46 square kilometers. This has an altitude of 970 meters in height. This is fortified with very large stone blocks and has 67 bastions in cylindrical shape. There are 6 main gates built on this fort walls. There is also an additional of 21 other wicket gates built here. The main gateways are huge and built near to the bastions for a strong hold of the gates. There are nearly 19 water catchment pits found here, in which few of them are perennial in nature. There are many inner complexes is built here which are raised up to 2-3 stories. Its roof is made of thick stone slabs. The main attraction is the Queens Palace, which has a wonder full stone art work. A mosque is built in the opposite side of the palace and it was name in honor of Aurangzeb the Mughal Emperor. When the Peshwas occupied this fort, they built a Peshwa Mahal inside this fort area. A Hindu worship place is also found her in the name of Mahakali Mandir. It is a marvelous art work on traditional temple model found in India. There are many outer projection built here for the artillery purposes. It has many cannons placed here facing towards the main land areas. The stone works seen here are of the indo-Islamic designs. There are many floral and animal carvings found here. Its pillars are very unique and have a lot of art work on it. There are also many open areas found here. This is one of the best garrison places in this area.

Narnala Fort History

Narnala Fort is also called as the Shahanur fort locally. This fort was built by Mahmud Ghazni, who was later known as the founder of the Ghazanavi Dynasty. This fort is estimated to be built around 1400 AD. But this fort is well known as the Narnala fort, since it was the Name of a Rajput clan known as the Narnal Singh. From the year 1425 AD this fort was captured by the Bhamani Ruler named the Ahmaed Sha, who renovated many of the inner complexes in Islamic designs. In the same time it was also came under the conflicts with the Mughals of north India. The Mughals joined with the Shahi dynasty of Golconda and fought with the Ahmand Nagar kingdom and got this fort permanently. But from the 1701 AD to 1803 AD it was under the control of the Maratha Empire. It was very lately occupied by the European colonialist. Only in 1803 AD the British were able to capture this fort and used as there garrison.

Narnala Fort Tourism Importance

Narnala Fort is a magnificent fortress appreciable for its stone masonry. This is an ancient fort which is a protected monument and a great heritage site in Maharashtra well maintained by the archeological department.