Udgir Fort

Udgir Fort, in Udgir town in Latur district, dates from the 12th century, before the Bahmani period, and is named after the saint Udaygiri Rishi. It is best known for the Battle of Udgir in 1760, when Maratha forces under Sadashivrao Bhau defeated the Nizam, leading to the Treaty of Udgir. The Marathas then used the fort as a base to keep up pressure on the Nizam until 1818.

A trench about 12 metres deep surrounds the fort, which contains several palaces and the samadhi of Udaygir Maharaj, set some 18 metres below ground level. There are rare inscriptions in Arabic and Persian, and a tunnel is said to link it with the forts of Bhalki and Bidar. Old lookout posts and rest houses of white clay dot the nearby hills, now in ruins. In 2022 volunteers cleaning the grounds found five cannons and many cannonballs thought to date from the 14th or 15th century.