Narnala Fort, Shahanur – The Fort Complex

Narnala Fort, Shahanur – The Fort Complex

The fort complex is situated on an isolated hill at the southernmost tip of the Satpura Hills at an elevation of 932 meters above sea level. The fort is situated within the Melghat Tiger Reserve. The fort covers an area of 362 acres (1.46 km2). The forts are enclosed by a curtain wall of about nine metres high except in those places where the natural escarpment of rock renders artificial defenses unnecessary. It has 360 watchtowers, six large and twenty-one small gates. The fort complex consists of three small forts namely Jafarabad fort on the east, Narnala in the centre and Teliagarh to the west.

The fort can now be ascended by a motorable road. About halfway up it crosses first one and then another piece of level ground, each thickly sprinkled with Islamic tombs. The fort can now be ascended by a motorable road. There are two grounds one after the other in the middle of the hill. These grounds are called Lallan and Motha Sati Maidans. These grounds house the Islamic tombs. There is a small broken stone carved with an upraised hand, the sun, and the moon on the left side of the road in the Motha Sati Maidan. The hand is described as Saticha Hat (Sati’s hand).

The lower fortifications can be seen immediately after the Motha Sati Maidan. The main entrances to the fort are the Delhi darvaza, the Sirpur darvaza, the Akot darvaza, and the Shahanur darvaza. The first gateway to the fort can be seen after ascending the three quarters of the hill. The Shahanur entrance is the main entrance. It consists of three separate gateways on the same path. The outermost gateway is the Shahanur gate. It is the first and main gate of the fort and is a plain structure. It is flanked by walls and bastions built of cyclopean masonry, some of the blocks are over six feet long.

The gateway is provided with an arch lofty enough for elephants to pass through. A curtain wall projecting on the other side of the gateway is called Saha Gotyachi Sapili because its full height, about 30 feet is made up of six great stones placed one on top of the other. Lions in different attitudes ornament both the outside and the inside of the gateway. The second gateway of this entrance is the Mehudi darvaza. There are the domed tombs of Bagh Savar Wali and Gaz Badshah in between the second and third gateways. The third and innermost gateway called Mahakali gateway is the best piece of work in the fort. It is built of white sandstone and is highly ornate.

An inscription records the fact that the gate was built in the reign of Shahab-ud-din Mahmud Shah (Bahmani) by Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk in 1486. A short verse from the Quran is also inscribed. The fort still display eight petals lotus which was the symbol of Narnal Singh's Solanki dynasty Goddess Khimaj or Mahalaxmi. These lotuses are visible on the mosques and many other places. Hence it is evident that Islamic rulers made changes in Narnal Singh's original architectural construction and converted the place in Mughal/Islamic form. It was impossible for any ruler to rebuild the entire fort considering the geographical location of the fort.

It consists of the great entrance archway, nineteen feet from the ground to the apex of the arch and ten feet six inches wide. The whole height of the gateway is thirty-seven feet three inches. Arabic inscriptions can be seen in this gateway. The gateway is flanked upon either side by galleries and rooms, probably the original guardrooms. The most notable feature is the overhanging balconied windows, two on either side. These windows are supported by corbels or brackets below and having deep cornices and eaves boards protecting them above. There is a quadrangle surrounded by guardrooms can be seen in front of the gateway.

Mahakali Temple:

A Mahakali Temple existed on the staircase of the Mahakali gateway which is in ruins now. The gateway is named after this temple. Goddess Mahakali is considered as the family deity for the Qiledar family. It has been said that the temple had idols of deities which were later stolen. The idol was possibly destroyed by Mughal rulers.

Jama Masjid:

The Jama Masjid is the principal mosque in this fort. It is now in ruins. It occupies a commanding position and was perhaps an imposing structure. It is said that there was an Arabic inscription recording its construction in 1509 CE by Mahabat Khan, but this inscription has been lost permanently.

Nau Gazi Tope:

There is a large cannon known as the Nau Gazi Tope (nine-yard) cannon on a mound in the fort. It is about 27 feet in length and was commissioned by Aurangzeb during the Mughal rule on this fort. This canon is said to be built by Abu Beg one of the Mughal slaves. The cannon had a range of 20 kms and had another bigger gun near to it known as Kadak Bijli, the gun has now fallen into the valley. There is an inscription recording the commissioning of this cannon by Aurangzeb.

Shakar Talav:

This is a lake called Shakar Talav situated in the central fort of the complex. It is said that the water of the lake has powers which can cure the wound from a dog bite. The water of the lake and the mud have some unique powers. According to legend, the lake contained the philosopher's stone, though no stone was found when the lake dried up in the drought and Indian famine of 1899-1900.

Peshwa Mahal:

This structure served as the residential place for the Peshwa during their visit. The Peshwa used to stay with the Bhonsale Kings of Nagpur for important meetings. It is now in ruins.

Rani Mahal:

It is the residential chamber for the queens, concubines, and the guest women. The structure survived to this day.

Other Structures:

The other structures found in the fort complex are Baradari, Ambar Khana, Saraf-Khana, Elephant stables of Narnal Singh & Bhonsle Maharaja, ruins of a palace erected in the honour of Raja Raghoji Bhonsle, a mosque in Teliagarh fort built by the Bahamanis, a mosque built during the reign of Aurangzeb, mint and ruins of gun foundries.

Tanks:

The fort complex has around twenty-two tanks, most of them are in the central fort. It has an aqueduct and drains to catch rainwater. Six of the tanks still hold water all through the year.