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PLACES |
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SAMANGAD FORT
Samangad Fort (Gadhinglaj T.) an isolated
oval-topped hill three and a half miles south of Gadhinglaj (16° 10'
N; 74° 20' E), has greatest height of 2,600 feet above the sea and
greatest breadth of 260 feet. The hill top is surrounded by an
eight-feet high wall. Formerly it was well supplied with water from
several rock-cut cisterns. For want of repairs for many years, the
cisterns are not functioning at present (1957). In 1676, Samangad
was thoroughly repaired by Sivaji. Though one of the smallest of
Sivaji's forts, Samangad was one of the strongest. In 1844,
injudicious changes introduced by the minister Daji Pandit, by
bringing their lands under the mamlatdar, enraged the Samangad
garrison or Gadkaris who rebelled and shut the gates of the fort. On
the 13th of October, 1844 the fort was taken by British troops under
General Delamotte and dismantled. Since the disturbances of 1844 the
mamlatdar's head-quarters have been moved from Samangad to
Gadhinglaj. [Details of the 1844 disturbance are given above under
History.] The fort is now in a dilapidated condition.
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