Daulatabad Fort

Daulatabad Fort, the old Deogiri, crowns a steep hill about 15 km from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The Yadava dynasty built it in the 12th century, and it later passed to the Bahmani Sultanate and the Mughals, among others. Counted among the seven wonders of Maharashtra, it was designed to be almost impossible to capture, and it mattered in the wars and trade of the Deccan.

Attackers had to cross a moat said to be 30 m deep and once kept stocked with crocodiles, then find their way through a maze of gates, traps and hidden passages before reaching the palace. Its buildings mix Hindu, Islamic and Jain features. The tall Chand Minar, raised by the Bahmanis as a watchtower reaches over 63 m. About 750 steps lead to the summit, where old cannons and wide views wait. Legends say Bhima of the Mahabharata raised the fort in one night with help from the Nagas, and another tells of a king cursed to live here.