Akola Fort

Akola fort (also called Asadgad or Asagad) along with the Narnala and Akot forts forms the major fortifications of the Akola district, Maharashtra, India.

History
In its earliest form of mud made by one Akol Singh to protect the village. He saw a hare chasing a dog and considering this to be an auspicious sign, he built an earthen wall here to protect the village. Akola was fortified majorly in 1697 CE during the reign of Aurangzeb by Asad Khan, from whom the fort took its name (Asadgad). In 1803, Arthur Wellesley camped here before proceeding to win the Battle of Argaon in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The fortress was dismantled by the British Raj in about 1870. It was reported in 1910 in a district gazetteer that the central part of the fort (the hawakhana) was used as a school.

Major features
Akola fort is notable in that it is bereft of any decorative embellishments.

There are several inscriptions on the fort. An inscription on the Dahi handa gate gives its date of constructions as 1114 AH (1697 CE), 'during the reign of emperor Aurangzeb when Nawab Asad Khan was minister.' Another on the Fateh Buruj bastion has no exact date. It too mentions the same minister but a different emperor (Shah Alam). One on the Eidgah, contains texts and statement that the building was finished by Khawja Abdul Latif in 1116 AH (1698 CE). On the Agarves gate an inscription in Marathi reads that Govind Appaji in 1843 CE constructed the fort. The latter statement contradicts all the other inscriptions.

Shri Raj Rajeshwar Mandir
Akola’s oldest Shiva temple is Rajeshwar Mandir. Shiv temple built by Chola_Empire king raj rajeswar

Folklore
While king Akolsingh was living in the Asadgad Fort, there is a famous story is associated with this payas temple. Every night his queen went to this temple to worship Lord Shiva at midnight. She had deep belief in Lord Shiva. Once king Akolsingh thought that his queen is going for a wrong reason in the midnight, so he followed her with a sword; the queen came to know that King Akolsingh was following her and thinking that she is walking in the midnight not for worship but for illicit work. She felt gloomy and guilty and went straight went to the Shiva temple and pleaded the god that her husband the king was thinking wrong about her, and that it was insulting that he was having no faith in her loyalty and her character, so that she pleaded "kindly get me into your Pind (Shiva Ling)", and suddenly the Shiva ling broke in two parts and the queen jumped into that ling and then it is closed. The king understood his mistake and could not forgive himself. Still the Shiva ling in this temple has a little crack which shows and proves the reality of ancient story. This temple is the base aastha of this Akola city.there are 2 bridges first one is the dagadi pool(stone bridge) and the other is lokhand pool(iron bridge).this rion bridge was built at the time of british.