Narnala

Narnala Fort or Narnala Qila Sarkar, is a hill fortress in the Satpura Range of Vidarbh, Maharashtra, India, named after the Rajput Solanki Chaulukya Ruler, Raja Narnal Singh, also known as Narnal Singh Swami. It was renamed as "Shahnoor" by Islamic rulers but again acquired, rebuilt with Hindu Cultural Elements and got its name "Narnala" by ruler Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki.^[1]

Fort of Narnala

Rulers of Narnala

The fort of Narnala was originally established around the 10th century CE by the Yadava kings. Major fortifications were constructed by Raja Narnal Singh Swami, and additional works, including the Mahakali Gate, Rani Mahal, and Elephant Stable, were attributed to Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki. The fort later came under the control of various Islamic rulers. In the mid-15th century, it was occupied and rebuilt by the Mughals, becoming one of the thirteen sarkars of Berar Subah. During the 16th century, it was captured and further fortified by the Gond kings. In the late 17th century, the fort came under the Maratha Empire, administered by the Bhonsles of the Nagpur Kingdom. It was entrusted to their loyal Sardar, formerly the ruler of Narnala—the Solanki Rajput Rana Qiledar family of Rao Rana Narnal Singh, who also held jagir and deshmukhi rights in the Malkapur pargana.^[2]

About Narnal Singh

Raja Narnal Singh, also known as Narnal Singh Swami, was a scion of a Chalukya ruler, after whom Narnala Fort is named. The fort was subsequently ruled by several rulers and killedars, who made significant changes to the original Rajput style.

After him, his descendant from the northern branch of the family—also descended from the ruling family of the Rao Raja of Rajasthan—came to this fort. Kunwar Rao Narnal Singh earned the titles of Rao and Rana, becoming Rana of Mahurgad and receiving special rights to Narnala Fort from a ruler of the Imad Shahi Dynasty, the son of Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk, ruler of the Berar Sultanate—a Kannada Hindu converted to Islam. Along with Mahurgarh, he was granted Bhawargarh by the Rana of Bijagad. His younger brother received special rights to Narnala Fort from the Rajgond ruler of Deogarh, later continued by the son of Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk.

After the fall of the Imad Shahi Dynasty, the Rana left Mahurgarh following disagreements with the later rulers, the Mughals. Declining Mughal sovereignty, he lost the land and fort rights in a small battle to Mughal subhedars. After this, the Rana joined the Gonds of Deogarh, and his descendants fought against the Mughals alongside Rani Durgavati. They were granted the title Thakur of Narnala Sarkar by the Gond ruler of Deogarh.

Following the fall of the Gonds, the family was invited to join the Maratha Empire by Raja Bahadur of the Bhonsle of Nagpur, who recognized their valour and experience in the defense of Narnala and surrounding forts. The Bhonsle ruler granted him the title Thakurrao. Later, Thakurrao Harisingh Rana joined the Bhonsles, learning that they were descendants of the Maharanas of Mewar.

Raghoji I Bhonsle granted him the title of Qiladar of Narnala, Gawilgad, and seven other forts in Melghat, along with the Zamindar SarPatilki rights over 13 villages, and Deshmukh Saranjamdar rights over 9 villages in Malkapur pargana in the sarkar of Narnala. A devotee of Mahakaali, they built a fortress around Malkapur as their capital, named Kaaligarh, which was later demolished by the Nizam in 1830.

A younger brother of the then Qiladar Thakurrao Rana (Sarpatil-Deshmukh) shifted his capital from Malkapur to Nadgaon, dividing the family into two main branches. There are four houses of the family to this day. The titular Zamindar holders of these are as follows:

1. The elder branch of the family is the Kaaligarh–Malkapur branch of the Saranjamdar, carrying the titular rights of Deshmukh Vatandar Thakur Rao Rana, and historically holding the office of Pargana officer of Malkapur Taluk. Following the khalsa (confiscation) of the watan (land) rights and the pargana officer's responsibilities from his grandfather, the elder descendant, Sriman Raosaheb Rana Dr. Onkarsingh ji, with the suggestion of the Rana of Barwani and assistance from the Rana of Pratapur, permanently shifted to Talode, Khandesh in the late 19th century.

2. The younger branch of the family is the Nadgaon branch of Zamindars, descendants of Kuwar Ramsingh Solanki. They carried the titles of Vatandar, Rao, and Patil. Later, the descendants earned various titles in the pre-independence period such as Rao Sahib, Diwan Bahadur, and Rao Bahadur. The most honoured and notable person of this family is Smt. Pratibha Patil, the former President of India, and the daughter of the Rao Patil of Nadgaon.^[3]

History

Narnala fort, circa 1860

Artistic carvings on the Mahakali Gate made by Rana Killedar

The fortification at Narnala

Narnala Fort was occupied by several Indian dynasties over the centuries, including the Yadava dynasty, the Rajgond rulers of Devgarh–Nagpur (c. 1400 CE), the Somvanshi Kshatriya Chaulukya Rajput ruler Narnal Singh Swami, the Bahmani Sultanate (1422–1436), the Farooqui dynasty (1437), Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk (1490), Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki, Burhan Imad Shah of the Imad Shahi dynasty (1572), the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Mughals (1597–98), and the Maratha Empire (1701–1803) under Raje Parsoji Bhosale's regent and the Rao Rana Qiledar family, until the British takeover in 1803.

The exact date of construction is unknown. According to local legend, the first fortifications were built by Raja Narnal Singh Swami, a descendant of the Somvanshi Kshatriya Pandavas and a branch of the Chalukya rulers of Ayodhya. His namesake descendant, Rao Rana Narnal Singh, ruled the fort in the early 16th century. The fort likely predates 1400 CE, as the Persian historian Firishta records that Shahab-ud-din Ahmad Shah I Wali (r. 1422–1436) made repairs to Narnala between 1425 and 1428 while camped at Achalpur during the construction of Gawilgarh Fort.^[4]

In 1437, during an invasion of Berar by Nasir Khan of Khandesh, the provincial governor (Khan-i-Jahan) took refuge in Narnala and, with reinforcements from Khalaf Hasan Basri sent by Ala-ud-din Ahmad Shah II, repelled the siege.^[5] In 1487, Fathullah Imad-ul-Mulk, founder of the Imad Shahi dynasty, gained control of Narnala and appointed Rao Rana Narnal Singh Solanki as its governor.^[6]

In 1572, Burhan Imad Shah was imprisoned here by his minister, Tufal Khan, prompting Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar to capture the fort and execute both men. In 1597–98, Akbar's generals Saiyid Yusuf Khan Mashhadi and Shaikh Abul Fazl seized Narnala, renaming it Shanur, and incorporated it into Berar Subah.^[7]

In 1701, Raje Parsoji Bhosale captured the fort and appointed the descendants of Rao Rana Narnal Singh as hereditary governors with the title "Thakurrao". The Marathas held Narnala until 1803, when it was taken by the British. It was later returned to the Nagpur Bhosales and the Rana family, but eventually abandoned.

Major features

The fort covers an area of 362 acres (1.46 km²). The major features and architecture were done by Hindu rulers, mainly the Solanki Rajput Qiledars and the rulers of Gondwana, i.e., the Raj Gond, but modified by Islamic rulers into Islamic style by the time. It has 360 watchtowers, six large and twenty-one small gates. The large gates are called the Delhi Darwaza, the Sirpur Darwaza, the Akot Darwaza, and the Shahnoor Darwaza. The innermost of the three gate-ways is the Mahakali gate named by Rana Killedar family as Goddess Mahakali is their family deity. It is built of white sandstone and is highly ornate. It is decorated with conventional lotus flowers, a rich cornice, and later flourished with Arabic inscriptions, and flanked by projecting balconies with panels of stone lattice-work displaying considerable variety of design. It is considered an example of Sultanate style of architecture.^[8] 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 "Ashtakamal" 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.

Other buildings within the complex

There was a Goddess Mahakali's temple at the staircase of the gate constructed by Rana. The Goddess' idol was possibly destroyed by Mughal rulers

This is the palace where the Queens resided

• Mahakali Temple — The Mahakali Gate named after a temple of Mahakali in the beginning of fort which is in ruins now. It has been said that the temple had idols of deities which were later stolen.
• Rani Mahal — Rani Mahal or Queen's Palace still survives. It served as a residential chamber for the queens, concubines and the guest women.
• Peshwa Mahal — Peshwa came here and stayed along with the Bhonsale Maharaja of Nagpur for important meetings. It is now in ruins.
• Baradari
• Saraf-Khana
• Arsenal of old guns called Nau-Gazi tope, meaning a 9-yard gun, a reference to its length and not range
• Elephant stables of Narnal Singh and Bhonsle Maharaja.
• The ruins of a palace erected in the honour of Raja Raghoji Bhonsle by Rana Killedar.
• Another mosque on Teliagarh built by Bahmanis.
• The Jama Masjid, now in ruins, is said to have bore an Arabic inscription recording its construction in 1509 by Mahabat Khan, but this has disappeared.
• A small mosque attributed to Aurangzeb.^[4]

Location

The fort is located in the Akot Taluka of Akola district, Berar at coordinates of 21°14'38"N 77°01'40"E. The closest city is Akot, which is 18 km away. It is at the southernmost tip of the Satpura Hills at an elevation of 932 meters above sea level.^[1] Currently the fort falls within the Melghat Tiger Reserve.

The climate of Narnala fort is classified as Humid subtropical as per Köppen-Geiger climate classification with mild to cool winters (November to March), wet Monsoon season (June to October) and hot long summer (March to June). Temperature ranges from 0 °C to 23 °C in winter, 17 °C to 42 °C in summer and 15 °C to 27 °C in Monsoon.

The third-longest cannon in India, at 27 feet

It consists of three small forts: Jafarabad fort on the east, Narnala in the centre and Teliagarh to the west. The lake within the centre of the complex is said to possess healing properties and according to legend contained the philosopher's stone, though no stone was found when the lake dried up in the drought and Indian famine of 1899-1900.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of forts in Maharashtra