PLACES

DHARUR

Dharur, with 7,464 persons in 1961, is the largest town in Kaij tahsil and is well-known for its celebrated fort. It was built in Hijri 975, by Kisvar Khan Lari, a commander of Ali Adil Shah of Bijapur, after the defeat of Ahmadnagar army. The Ahmadnagar king Murtaza Nizam Shah killed Kisvar Khan and captured the fort in 977 Hijri. During the Moghal invasion of the Deccan, the Nizam Shah had retreated in this fort. In 1630 it was captured by the Moghal forces. The fort is described in the following words by Abdul Hamid Lahori: "The fort of Dharur was celebrated throughout the Deccan for its strength and munitions of war. It was built upon the top of a ridge, and deep rivers of difficult passage ran on two sides of it. It was so secure that any effort upon it was likely to prove unsuccessful." The town also contains a mosque constructed in the Hindu style of architecture and is said to have been built by one of Muhammad-bin-Tughluq's commanders.

Dharur is mainly agricultural, the chief crops being groundnut and cotton. There are many oil ghanis and cotton gins and presses. There are civil and veterinary dispensaries and a health clinic as well. The town has a police station, a post office and a vasti grha. Dharur is partially drained by the river Van which takes its rise in the south of the Balaghat range. It flows eastwards up to Ambejogai, then cuts across the hill range, changes its course northwards and flows into the Godavari, 32.19 km. (20 miles) downstream, near Sonpeth in Parbhani district. A dam near the village Nagapur is being laid across this river. It will have a storage capacity to irrigate 6,060 hectares (15,000 acres) of land.

Objects

Dharesvar Mandir: The temple of Dharesvar was originally a Jain temple. During the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughluq it was converted into a mosque by one of his generals and. it continued to be used as a mosque down to the time of the police action against the former State of Hyderabad. It was then that the temple was restored to its original status. It is built in stone masonry and contains 32 defaced images of the Tirthankaras of Jain hageology. The sabhamandap of the temple is rectangular and has 24 stone pillars to support it. On each of these pillars are carved images of various deities and Tirthankaras. They are said to number 1,011. Among others are to be found the figures of Mahadev with a Nandi by its side. To the left side of the temple there is an old neem tree under which a block of stone bearing an inscription in Pali could be seen. It is not legible. In front of the temple stands an isolated masonry gate.

Dharur Fort: The hill fort of Dharur is over 400 years old. It offers a panoramic view of the surroundings. Before it was captured by Aurangzeb, it changed hands several times amongst the kingdoms of Bijapur, Bidar and Ahmadnagar. With the creation of a separate state by Nizam-ul-Mulk (who was the descendant of one of the chief nobles of Aurangzeb and who was with Aurangzeb in his Deccan campaign), it formed part of Hyderabad State and continued to be so till the State was merged in the Indian Union in 1948 after the police action.

The fort is located at a distance of about a furlong (.201 km.) to the west of Dharur on a hill range with an average height of about 753.47 metres (2,472'). The fort ramparts are of masonry and have a height of nearly 30.48 to 38.10 metres (100 to 125 ft.). There are, what appear to be, the remains of old gates of which only the frames are now in existence. Inside could be seen a mosque, probably as old as the fort itself.

The fort also contains a tank and three big wells. In the centre of this tank is a bore of 152.4 mm. (6") diameter and it appears to be the source of water to the tank.

The fort of Dharur presents an interesting phenomenon both from the points of view of human ingenuity and natural landscape. Situated as it is to the west of the town, it has only one entrance and that is to the east facing the city, so that viewed from the city the fort appears to be a land fort. As one enters the fort, this illusion is lost on the mind and one gets a wide expanse of the hilly region stretching beyond. On the descending hill-slopes to the north are built the powerful fort walls and bastions, probably with a view to prevent any attack upon the city from that side. The hills are gradual in their slopes and are easy of descent as well as ascent. The builders must have realised this drawback in the defence armoury of the fort and therefore to make the tort impregnable and thus secure the town against the enemy attacks, a solid wall with bastions was built on the slopes of the hills. All the bastions except the two at the main gate are in bad repairs. The fort walls to the east have an approximate height of about 4.57 metres (15 feet) and above them could be seen residential quarters and observation posts mainly for the party in reconnaissance. The above mentioned tank probably received its supply of water from three big tanks in the city itself from which water was taken all the way to the fort through earthen pipes, running a considerable east-west length. The novelty of the system was the sub-connections given to the main line, which enabled the planners to evenly distribute the water-supply throughout the length and breadth of the fort. However, hardly anything remains of the then water system today, which must have cost the builders a considerable amount and which at the same time must have required a highly developed technical ability and engineering ingenuity on their part. Remains of about five to six large tanks could still be seen wherein water was stored. From the appearance and the remnants of their general get up, one can probably assume that the tanks were built for different, purposes, e.g., for bathing, storing water, etc. The walls of the fort on the east are in rows of three and in-between the sunken space of the walls, particularly on the south side, there is a pond probably used as a source of water supply to the active garrison. Outside the fort walls to the south there must have been a big tank at one time for remains of the arrangement to lift up water from the tank over the wall with the help of mot could still be seen. To facilitate proper distribution of water on the fort, small storage tanks were built in different parts of the fort at elevated angles. This enabled the system to work smoothly because of the operation of the pressure principle. Looking to the inadequacy of the supply of water today in the city, one can safely assume that similar conditions might not have prevailed in the days gone-by as the remains of the elaborate water system speak eloquently of the abundance of water-supply in those days.

There are no buildings of any consequence on the fort but the foundations and dilapidated remains of the few suggest that at one time there must have been spacious and exquisite constructions on the fort.

Exactly in front of the main gate could be seen a wall built in a zigzag fashion. What the purpose of the builder was cannot be fathomed but if conjecture is permissible one may say that the closeness of the wall to the main gate must have prevented many an enemy from making use of elephants to break open the doors.

Municipality

Constitution: The municipality at Dharur was established in 1953. It covers an area of 59.82 km.² (23.1 sq. miles). Aided by the necessary staff the president carries on the administration.

Finance: The income of the municipality in 1961-62 excluding extra-ordinary and debt heads but including a sum of Rs. 9,715.28 as the opening balance of the previous year totalled Rs. 20,283.23. It comprised municipal rates and taxes Rs. 7,980.83; municipal property and powers apart from taxation Rs. 1,235.12; and grants and contributions for special and general purposes Rs. 1,352.00.

The expenditure incurred during the same year was Rs. 16,025.11 which comprised general administration and collection charges Rs. 7,542.03; public works Rs. 7,256.12 and miscellaneous Rs. 1,226.96.

Cremation and burial places: There are no cemeteries and cremation grounds maintained by the municipality. The same are maintained by the communities concerned.

Health and sanitation: There is one civil and one veterinary dispensary in the town. Both are conducted by the state government. Dharur with a height of 2,472 ft. above sea level enjoys an excellent climate and hence no cases of epidemic outbreaks are reported. The gutters for the most part are stone-lined. The fort of Dharur has inside it a large tank which is the major source of water-supply. In addition to this there are a number of wells. A scheme, estimated to cost Rs. 4,19,000 to provide the town with tap water has been prepared. It would be executed by the state government.

Education: Primary education is compulsory in the town. It is under the control of the Zilla Parishad.