Paranda Fort
There are some strong forts still in good shape in Marathwada region. Paranda is one of the incomparable forts in Maharashtra, located in Usmanabad (Dharashiv) district. This ancient fort is still intact and is an architectural masterpiece. Different type of cannons is a specialty of this fort. This fort is easily accessible from Paranda village.
Type : Land Forts.
District : Usmanabad.
Fascinating Spots :
Paranda is an excellent land fort and is situated in the center of Paranda village. The fort is protected by a moat around it. There is a retractable bridge to enter the fort at the north-east side which takes us to the first entrance. This entrance has wooden doors. After entering through this gate, we can see second entrance on the left. As we enter to reach the third entrance, we come to a corridor surrounded by bastions, where the cannons can be positioned to point at the enemies rushing in. There are steps to reach to the top on first and second entrance. There is the third entrance of the fort at right side of this place. A huge bastion can be seen after entering here. Going around the bastion to the right side takes us in amidst the two layered walls. Some porches for guards can be seen at left side. The route turns to right and takes us to the main entrance of the fort, which is quite magnificent. This path leads right to the Mahadev temple. The height of the fourth entrance is nearly 40-50 feet and the height of the nearby bastions must be around 60 feet.
As we enter the fort, we can see a well in front which is around 50 feet deep. There is a huge bastion in front of the arc which is having cannon of around 20 feet in length. There is a building which is now known as a mosque, but actually is the temple of Lord Mankeshwar. This can be proved by the construction style in the temple and the pillars. There are some steps which takes us to the top of this temple. On seeing the temple, we can come back to the door and head to the right, where there are few porches. These porches have three cannons in it and many cannon balls. A small room in front of the porch has an idol of Lord Ganesh which in 4 feet tall. There are also some other statues and idols lying beside this Ganesh idol. We can then have a glance of the fort by trailing on the walls, which have stairs near the porch. There is a small temple on the way. There is another big well with steps inside. There are 18 big bastions to protect the fort. Each bastion has big cannons, many of which are made up of Panchdhatu or an alloy of 5 metals. All these cannons can be seen while walking on the fortification of Paranda fort. Some cannon has a mouth like crocodiles, while some are shaped like flower petals. The largest canon is located on the top of main entrance and is called ‘Malik-e-Maidan’. Many cannons have Arabic inscriptions on it. The walk around the fort gives an idea how the fort is well planned.
Paranda is one of the significant forts of India which still has its construction features intact, and boasts of a high security due to strong double walls, invulnerable bastions, strong cannons and the moat around. It’s a treat to visit this fort and takes more than two hours to see the entire fort.
Ways To Reach :
Mumbai – Paranda distance is 360 Km
Pune – Paranda distance is 211 Km
Paranda is situated at the border of Usmanabad and Solapur districts. There are many state transport buses available to reach Paranda from Solapur which goes via Barshi. The distance between Barshi and Paranda is 27KM.
If travelling by train from Mumbai or Pune, one has to alight at Kurduwadi station on Pune – Solapur line. There are many state transport buses from here to Paranda every half an hour.
The Pune-Bhoom bus also goes to Paranda village.
