Kharda AKA Shivpattan Fort

Marathwada Circuit- 1200 Kms, 7 forts, 2 Caves
Day 1: Pune-Madha-Paranda-Tuljapur (360 Kms)
Day 2: Dharshiv Caves
Day 3: Tuljapur-Ausa-Kharosa-Udgir-Nanded (280 Kms)
Day 4: Nanded-Kandhar-Dharur-Kunthaligiri (290 Kms)
Day 5: Kunthaligiri-Kharda-Bhadurgad AKA Dharmaveergad-Pune (265 Kms)

Type: Land Fort
Base Village: Kharda
Where:??Kms from Pune, 55 Kms from Osmanabad
Route: Kunthalgiri-Bhoom-Kharda
Time visited: August 2011
Time to see around: 1 hour
How to visit: It’s in between Bhoom village and Jamkhed.
My Meter reading from Pune: ? Kms

The road from Kunthalgiri via Bhoom to kharda was in terrible condition. Kharda is just few kms before Jamkhed and is also known as Shivpattan. The fort was closed and after inquiry nearby a old person agreed to show us inside. He got the keys and were inside the historic fort in few minutes.

Kharda is famous for the Battle of Kharda fought between the Marathas under the Peshwa of Pune and the Nizam of Hyderabad, in 1795. This was the last battle of Marathas and the Nizam was badly defeated.

Maratha Sardars from far away places like Mudhol and Nagpur participated on behalf of Marathas. Sultanraje Nimbalkar of Kharda had raised infantry of Dagars (tribals from Rajputana who migrated to Maharashtra in 12th century). This infantry led by Sonusingh Bias, killedar of Dharur had shown extreme valor finishing off Nizam's Afghan infantry. Nizam had to pay Rs 29 Lakh as a fine when the treaty was signed.

The fort was built by the Nimbalkars in 1745 and Sultanraje Nimbalkar was the last ruler of this fort. It is square in shape, and very strongly built with cut stone walls about thirty feet high and a ditch now entirely ruined. The walls have a very massive gateway and two gates at right angles to each other.

There nothing much to inside and almost it’s a flat ground except a small mosque and water well.

There is a cellar of about and also an underground gymnasium.

Theres a deep well.

The well has staricase leading to a second level to draw water in summer.

The strength of fortification wall is visible from the Buruj.

After a lunch in Jamkhed, we proceeded to our next destination- Bhadurgad via Shrigonda.