Balapur Fort

A 17^th century structure, Balapur Fort was built by Aurangzeb’s son Azam Shah to protect Akola from invaders. It crowns an elevated ground between the junction of two rivers, Man and Mhais; the fort gets flooded during monsoon except for one point. The fort has three gateways; one within the other. It has very high walls built with the best brickwork of its time. The Bala Devi temple; from which the town derives its name lies just under the fort on the southern side. The Jaysing Chhatri and a mosque inside the fort premises are also popular among tourists. It is said that visitors must firstly note the four-finger stone; then count the number of pillars which is a very confusing job and lastly should try to throw a stone from the platform to the far banks of the river.