Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Udgir Fort is located in Udgir city, in Latur district in
Maharashtra.
After visiting Kharosa Caves we traveled after taking
directions from Google maps to reach, Udgir city. It took us around 75 KM i.e
around 2 hours to reach Udgir city. The time was now 8 PM on my watch. Now we
had two things on our agenda. Place to sleep and eat for the night.
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| Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
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| This structure is located near the entrance to Udgir fort |
Sadly it was a night before Holi (Indian festival of
colors), due to the Govt. Guest being
full, we couldn't get a place to stay there and hence we had stayed at Sai
Residency. We paid Rs.800 for non AC rooms.
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| Chinese cusine at Hotel Famous in Latur |
We then had dinner (Chinese Cusine) New Famous Hotel. The
food was just perfect for us. After the Wai roadtrip, this is the second time
we have had fantastic Chinese food on roadtrip.
Like Paranda fort, Ausa fort, Kandhar Fort, Udgir fort too has a moat around it.
Like Paranda fort, Ausa fort, Kandhar Fort, Udgir fort too has a moat around it.
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| Fortification of Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
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| Fortification of Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
The next morning, we left for Udgir Fort. We reached the
fort premises around 8 AM. As it was Holi (Indian festival of colors) the fort
was closed. We were not aware of it. Once you enter Fort Maha Darwaza, there
are two ways there, one leads to the fort (has metal Darwaza but under lock and
key), the other leads to the Samadhi of Udgir Maharaj. The Samadhi is around 60
feet below sea level. There is a series of steps that lead to it. There is a
small cave here and a huge well next to it. We were accompanied by a bunch of
Police Inspectors and they advised us not to photograph the place.
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| Darwaza at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
As there is a temple in the fort premises, entry to the
temple is only allowed. We did check with a florist, he said to wait till 9 AM
and check if the fort caretaker comes around. We might get lucky.
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| Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
The fort is open from 9 AM to 5PM all days. There is no
entry fee. If it is a festival then need to check if the fort would be open.
Luck was by our side, the caretaker did come, we checked
with him, he informed us that the fort would be closed as it was Holi. Bad news
again. We did ask him, if we could make a exception for us as we had come from
Mumbai to see this fort. To which he said that he needs to check with his
Supervisor. We understood that we would have to bribe our way in the fort
premises.
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Cannon at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra
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Luck was by our side again. We paid him Rs.100 to see the
fort. We had the entire fort to ourselves.
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| Fortification and structures within Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
Like Paranda and Ausa fort, this is a land fort with a moat around it for defense purposes.
The fort has got two levels of fortification.
History states that this fort was built in the12th century
by the Bahamani rulers. It has changed hands a couple of times after a series
of battles.
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| Cannon at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
We like always climbed up the walls to see the fort in
entirety. The fort is in very good condition. Not sure if maintenance work has
been carried out or not. There are a couple of structures within the fort
premises also. They are not named nor the caretaker aware of their historical
significance. The structures within the fort have grafitti all over them. Why
do people love to spoil history, is something which I am not to get an answer
to?
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| Bastion at Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
The bastions of the fort, had cannons with great artwork.
We also saw this structure which was painted white in color.
It had Mughal styled architecture within it.. Sadly the white was covered with
graffiti.
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| Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
The fort has got wells within it. Water from the same is not
portable. We were also able to locate this miniature version step well. I have
seen a similar step well at Badlapur too.
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Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra
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Another interesting find was this structure painted in
white, when we went inside, we understood that it was a Pigeon House. Meaning,
pigeons from the areas around were kept here. When some news needed to be sent
to the neighbouring areas, a pigeon which belonged to that area, was sent with
the message tied to its leg. This is faster than POST too. This makes me think,
how fast our ancestors were, we are smart today only due to technology.
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Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra
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After paying the bribe and taking a few group photos we then
departed to see the next fort, Kandhar Fort. Udgir fort took us around 45
minutes to explore.
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Structure at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra
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There is no provision for food and water on the fort
premises, but it is available in plenty in Udgir city, a couple of minutes away
from the fort.
After exploring the fort we departed to Kandhar Fort.
After exploring the fort we departed to Kandhar Fort.
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| That's Me at Udgir fort in Latur district in Maharashtra |
NOTE: Please click on the words in large font in the blog to read about them.
