NANDURBAR

In Nandurbar, built heritage offers glimpses into the district’s layered cultural and historical landscape. While cultural sites such as mandirs and caves reflect religious traditions and oral histories, Akrani Mahal stands out as a rare example of fortified Rajput architecture. Perched in the Satpura hills, the 500-year-old structure is tied to legends of Akkarani, sister of Maharana Pratap, and reflects a lesser-known link between regional histories and broader narratives of migration and refuge.

Akrani Mahal, also known as Akrani Fort or Dhadgaon Fort, is a rectangular hill fort featuring Rajput-style defensive elements such as bastions, gateways, and a multi-storeyed palace structure. Located in the Satpura mountain range in northern Nandurbar district, Maharashtra, the fort lies near the village of Akrani in Taloda Taluka, about 83 km from Nandurbar and 28 km from Dhadgaon.

Believed to be over 500 years old, the fort is linked to local oral traditions involving Akkarani, said to be the sister of Maharana Pratap. After the Battle of Haldighati in 1576, where the Mughals defeated the Mewars, she is believed to have fled with Rajput soldiers and taken refuge in the Satpuda hills. The fort’s name, Akrani Mahal, derives from her, and both the fort and the surrounding region, including Dhadgaon Taluka, carry this legacy.

The fort spreads over approximately 2.5 acres and follows a rectangular layout. Its outer walls, constructed from stone and finished in brickwork above, include four bastions: three of which still survive. The fort's west-facing entrance rises about 50 feet and is flanked by a surviving bastion and gateway built in stone, which remain in relatively good condition. Within the fort is a palace complex measuring roughly 150 by 175 ft. Its thick stone walls have niches for storage, and the surviving inner ramparts suggest the presence of three storeys. Though many sections have collapsed, parts of the walls and bastions still stand.

The palace's north-facing entrance no longer survives, but inside lies a deep, barrel-vaulted basement, though its full dimensions remain unknown due to a lack of access. A small water tank and a broken stone reservoir for water storage can also be seen within the palace compound, suggesting attention to long-term inhabitation and defence needs.

Outside the fort, on the left of the approach road, are five tombs believed to belong to members of the ruling family. Nearby, a small domed Mandir (known locally as Rani Ka Jal Mandir) sits atop a stone plinth. It reflects elements of the Rajput spiritual landscape planning.

Despite its historical and architectural value, Akrani Mahal has suffered from neglect and erosion. The upper ramparts have crumbled, and only fragments of the palace remain intact. Today, Akrani Mahal stands as one of 13 remaining forts in Nandurbar district, ranging from hill forts and ground forts to city forts and fortresses.