Galna Fort

Galna Fort is located in Malegaon taluka of Nashik district of Maharashtra. This is one of the forts in Maharashtra with the bastion and the entrance in good condition. This fort is located on hills between Dhule and Malegaon. Galna Fort was a major fort in the south Khandesh area of Maharashtra. This fort was an important fort on the Burhanpur -Surat trade route. It was held by the Nizam, Mughals and Maratha more than once.

History of Galna Fort
Galna was an important place at the end of the 15th century. It lay on the border of the Deccan. It was held by the Marathas till 1487, when two brothers Malik Wuji and Malik Ashraf, the Governors of Daulatabad took it and held for some time. In 1506 after the murder of Malik Wuji the fort was under the control of Malik Ahmed Shah Nizam of Ahmednagar. On the death of Malik Ahmed Shah Nizam of Ahmednagar on 1510 again the fort was passed to Musalman chief who denied paying tributes to Maratha chief. In 1634, Muhammad Khan, the Musalman commandant of Galna delivered their tributes to Mughals. It was attacked by Aurangzeb in 1704 and captured in 1705. In 1804, this fort was taken from Holkars by Captain Wallace. Finally, in 1818 it was occupied by native Infantry. Further, it is believed to have been once used as a sanatorium for Dhulia.

Structure of Galna Fort
The Galna Fort has four gateways, namely; Parkot, Lokhandi, Kotval Pir and Lakha of which Lokhandi gateway is noted for its iron plates. The upper walls of the fort consist of bastions, which are semi-circular in shape. There is a mosque topped with 6 small domes with a big pond. The mosque is accessible through a stone staircase. There is a tomb of a European Officer who is believed to have committed suicide in grievance for having killed an old woman. There are also seven other tombs on the hilltop. The ruins of Rang Mahal can be seen nearby. It has a big temple of Gorakshnath Maharaj and the white mosque. In the past, there was a temple of Galneshwar so the fort was called "Galna". There are broad flights of steps that lead to the Galna Fort.

Visiting Information of Galna Fort
The base village Galna is well connected by motorable road to Malegaon and Dhule. Regular buses ply from Malegaon to Dongarale village. Dongarale to Galna distance is 4 km.