Virgaon Fortress (विरगाव गढी)

Along with strong forts like Alang, Madan, Kulang, Harishchandragad in Ahmednagar district, small forts are also seen in some villages. Due to the indifference of the fort owners as well as the local people, these forts have largely fallen down and some of the forts have been leveled. One such fort measuring its last breath can be found at Virgaon in Akole taluka. The distance between village of Akole taluka and Virgaon is 11 km and the distance between Ghoti-Akole-Virgaon is 43 km. This fort, known as Thoratanchi Gadhi, is at the beginning of the village and as the village is not very big, we can easily reach this fort. Built on a small hill, this square shaped fort is spread over about half an acre and is completely ruined. Except for the fortification on the western side of the fort, the rest of the fortifications are completely dilapidated. A total of five towers can be seen in this fortification, four at the four ends and one near the gate. Only the western rampart of the fort remains today.

This door built in stone is still in good condition and the wooden door of saagwan is also left. There is a mud tower next to the door and another tower at the end. After removing the base stones of the fortification, now only the mud wall is standing. As the locals use this stone to build their houses, this remains is also a companion of time. On the stone arch of the door, Ganapati and two sharbhas are carved in the upper part and the entire area is decorated with large scale carvings. The floor above the door is brickwork with carved niches. As you enter through the door, there are steps in the wall leading to the upper part on both sides of the door as well as to the tower. When you go to the door by these steps, you can see the whole area of the fort. Since there is no building left inside the fort today and it has become a flat plain,10 minutes is enough to see this part of the fort. The history of the fort also ends with the name Thorat as the locals have no other knowledge of the fort except Thoratanchi Gadhi. Presently Thorat's descendants are known to be settled in Pune but no one knows where.
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