Paranda Fort

Paranda Fort is situated in Paranda, a small town in osmanabad district in the state of Maharashtra,India.It is protected monument by Archaeological Survey Of India. It is a specimen of military architecture and engineering in Maharashtra. It was erected by Mahmud Gawan Vazir of Bahamani Sultanate.

History
No records are available to show when this fort was constructed, but believe that it was laid out during the late 15th century by Mahmud Gawan, the Vazir of Bahamani Sultanate.

In 1599, Mughals defeated Nizam Shahi of Ahmednagar. Though Emperor Akbar appointed his officers to look after the kingdom of the Deccan, the Nizam Shah’s officers refused to receive orders from them. They had lost their independence. They declared Murtaza, the son of Shah Ali king and made Paranda Fort, about 75 miles south east of Ahmednagar capital. The site passed several times between them and the Adil Shahis and remained with him for two to three years and was captured by the Adil Shah in 1630. In 1657 it was again captured by the Moghuls and eventually came into the hands of the Nizams of Hyderabad.

Major Features
The fort is small but strong and well-designed. It is surrounded by trench from all the sides.Fort comprise a rectangular plan with strong defences provided by a double curtain wall and a deep ditch surrounding the outer wall.The walls are topped with battlemented parapets along with regularly spaced box shaped guardrooms. The gates are defended by traversals and redoubts and the Ramparts. These are of the out and dressed stones with round bastions fitted for the heavy guns of the period. Around the fort there is a moat, which was always kept filled with water.