History of Satpuras  

Ain-i-Akbari mention about the Berar . "Subah of Berar" The hill on which Gawilgarh is stood called Bandah. The fort also gave the name "Gawil Sarkar" to Subah of Berar.

 Capton Forsyth traveled extensively through the Satpuras. He has mentioned his very minute observations about his journey.

Ramayana and Mahabharata speak history of south Jamuna. Aryan chiefs were holding power in parts of Narbada valley and central plateaus from 5th to 14th century. The real history speaks from 14th century from the period of Mohammadan. Mohammadan was in upper India . He was pressing to occupy the valley of Ganges and Narbada . In 17th century the king of Mohammadan, Akbar constructed first high way from upper India to Deccan through Satpuras. In Tapti valley vast cities were aroused. Armies started marching in the valley. Hindus from north Narbada valley entered in central India and started reclaiming lands in Narbada valley. This country is known as " Berar ". 

For protecting the region from Pendharis every village and town had constructed walls and "Gadhi". Every field was having "Dhura" of 2.4 meter which was used as a common grazing ground. Elephants and Lions were there in the Narbada valley west to Asirgadh. One lion was killed in 1851 in Sagar district and same time in Jabalpur district too. 

Gonds retired on the hills. The Narbada became mother than the Ganges . The heaven of Lord Shiva on Kailash Mountain came to Mahadev hills. Lord Ram and Krishna selected Berar instead of Mathura and Brindaban. In 18th century Maratha came in to power. They overrun the country of Gonds. They started collecting revenue from the farmers. Gonds and Bhills started   robberies in the hills. Arabs working for Sindias killed Nihals and the River Gadga was known as river of Blood . Then hill men were appointed at every hill and every village in Berar was constructed with the protection wall of stones. Pendharis also troubled this country for lands. They were good climbers too and were associated with Vultures as been slaughtering the public. It left almost 20 years in the lawless revenue administration of Marathas, robberies of Gonds and Bhills and Pendharis Bands. In 1818 Marathas were defeated; Pendhari bandh was end up when British started thinking seriously about the region. In the north British were ruling whereas in the south Bhosale were ruling from Nagpur . British now wanted to explore the whole forested country of Satpuda for which they started using the skills and knowledge of Gonds and Bhills. However as per Abul Fazals "Ain–A-Akbari”, Akbar had under estimated the very skill and knowledge by just considering Gonds and Bhills as a tribe living in the hills, bare footed and necked wearing leaves.

 On 17th Dec 1803 British did the treaty with the Chief of Berar. Raghuji Bhosale retained the hold over fortresses of Melghat and forest of Melghat along with the eastern part of Wardha River . Rest of the western part along with PAYANGHAT came under British rule. In 1854 T.H. Bullock Dy. Commissioner had recommended to Arthur Wellesly that Gawilgad, Narnala and Jilpy Amner forts should be dismantled.  Finally in 1856 he passed the orders to Capt Davis to only dismantle outer portion of these fortresses as demolishing the whole may also heart Nizams and local people. Mr. Beahan had dismantled and on 14-3-1859 Narnala fort was demolished by Capt F. Tyrrell Executive Engineer. Hereafter Military use the fort on 12 July 1859. Burhanpur was in Nimar district. 

In 1853 British started first trigonometric survey in Satpuras. It was continued almost 50 years but 30 years was done it very thoroughly. However Capt. Blunt had already done the survey from Banaras to Rajmandari in 1795 and lot of information was collected which was helpful this time. 

Sir Erskin Peri writes to Royal Asiatic Society Mumbai branch that Gondwana was remained unexplored till now and hence they were shown like oasis on the maps. Capt J. Forsyth writes that many of the British officers had not even visited their area in the tenure of 11 years. British identified the quality of cotton come in the black cotton soil of Tapti valley. Manchester started importing cotton from this belt. 

In 1861 central Province was established. CP was divided in to 19 districts. The area from Chota Nagpur in Zarkhand to   part of Chattisgarh up to river Godavari . The Government of Chief Commissioner "Sahib”, Sir Richard visited all the district head quarters and also started using Baygas and Gonds in the hills. Britishers identified the capacity of this region to store water. They also realized the importance of teak which generally go up to 10 to 15 feet in girth and 70 to 80 feet in height and laid railway in this region. Teak is not common in northern India . It is scarce after 80 degree east. However Sal is common after 80 degree east and in north India . But there is a forest patch of 150 sq.miles in the Denva valley of Mandla district, a unique ecotone. Sal grows in sandstone but teak does not seam to confine with particular strata. Now they immediately realized that the unplanned logging won’t provide them the timber on the sustainable basis. 

First survey and Beginning of Forest administration in the Satpuras:

They formed the forest administration in central India . The objective was to do the assessment and conservation of timber. Capt Pearson was appointed as a Superintendent who uses to travel a lot. Around 36000 sq.miles of low lying forest of central Indian hills was handed over to him for forest administration. He establishes land revenue settlement, missionary and Survey department and sent his officers to every corner of the region. So for the first time he collected the information on sociology of this region, local practices, tradition etc. Out of 19 districts of CP, the highlands were in 11 districts. Total area of the CP was   44000 sq.miles and Capt Pearson found that only 11000 sq.miles was under cultivation. He also discovered that 20,000 sq.miles was incapable of tillage whereas 13,000 forest area in flat lands was still fit for improvement. The total population was 4.33 million (43.3 Lacks) whereas 3.33 million (33.3 lacks) was Aryans and in 1. 00 million (10 lacks) was aboriginals. In this 1 million 8 lacks26 thousand and 484 were only Gonds, 44000 were Korkus and 18000 Baygas mainly in Maykal range and 20,000 Bhillas. Korkus, though they do not know this, are similar to Santals in north east whereas whether Baygas race matches with Coloriun or Dravidian in the south is not known. Korkus in Melghat were more advanced than Mahadev hills that time too.Wild buffalos and herd of Barasingha use to be there in Denva valley which is now disappeared was the basis for this survey. 

The Fortresses of SATPURA: Gawilgad and Narnala.

The Gawilgarh fort is situated at Chikhaldara, the sanitarium of Berar and the headquarters during the hot weather ( and a month of October) of the Commissioner & Dy. Commissioner of Berar on the narrow ridge of the Satpura hills .Sir Arthur Wellesly had captured this fort in 1803 from Raghuji Bhosale. 

The Chikhaldara platue which was discovered by Capt Robinson of the Hyderabad Contingent Battery in the year 1802.This year the regular troops were stationed at Ellichpur but bungalows do not appear to have been built till 1839. Britishers use to hear Sambar and barking deer call at night more rarely the tiger and panther. The Bairat is the highest point in Berar 3800 feet. The bungalow of Raja of Chikhali kot is now tumble- down. The fort stands on a lofty mountain and consists of a complete inner fort. The walls are strongly built and fortified by ramparts and towers. The outer fort is entered by two gates and inner has three large gates and postern. 

Ain-i-Akbari mention about the Berar . "Subah of Berar" The hill on which Gawilgarh is stood called Bandah. The fort also gave the name "Gawil Sarkar" to Subah of Berar.

Farishta tells us that Gawilgarh fort was built by Ahmad Shah Wali, the ninth king of the Bahamani dynasty, in 1425-26. It is said that mud fort previously existed on the site, which was built by Gauli Rajas who ruled the country during the period for which no authentic data is available. The hills and forests were used by this grazer tribe for grazing their herds. It was natural for these people to betake themselves to places where they would not be disturbed like Gawilgarh and other hills of the Satpura range.

Farishta said that the fort was built by Ahmad Shah Bahamani. Ahmad Shah restorer of Gawilgarh died in 1435 A.D. The Gawilgarh fort may not have been a military fort during Gauli occupation but the Bahamanis when they rebuilt it made it one.

 The last King Burhan Imad Shah in 1562 was seized and imprisoned at Narnala, another strong fort in Akola district. His son was born on 13th March 1567 which is recorded in Sanskrit on Gawilgad.

 During the Imadshahi rule Gawilgarh was  regarded as superior to most forts in strength and loftiness, in fact the counterpart Narnala, which the Muhammadan historians described as famous not only throughout India, but "throughout the whole inhabited world. Until Murtaza Nizam Shah (of Ahmadnagar) appeared before Narnala, the fortress had never been captured and no fortress had been seen like it in the world, except the fort of Gawil. The fact remains that Gawilgarh was considered to be the most important fort in Berar and to be master of Gawil meant the mastery of the whole Berar . Ain-i-Akbari Abul Fazal also calls 'Gawilgarh a fortress of almost matchless strength" A corps of the Burhanpur army had already besieged the NARNALA fort. Thus Gawilgarh remained under the command of Baharam Khan, who in 1577 built the fine bastion in the south-west face of the fort. Gawilgarh sarkar was the richest of the 13 parganas in to which Berar was divided.

 On 29th Dec 1803 Wellesly defeated the Marathas. Colonel Stevenson had equipped his corps at Asserghur for the seize of Gawilgarh. From 7th November battle was started. On 12th night colonel Stevenson erected two batteries in front of the north face of the fort. It appears that the victories of Assaye and Adgav had awed the troops of the Marathas and defence of fort was not resolute. Two days after the fall of Gawilgarh, a preliminary treaty was signed at Devgaon by which Raghuji Bhosale agreed to withdraw from the plains of Berar to east of Wardha River retaining the fortresses   of Gawilgad and Narnala. It was then held by Benisingh for Raghuji Bhosale in 1803.The fort remained in possession of Marathas till 1822. It finally was passed to East India Company and was dismantled in 1858 lest it should be seized by Tatya Tope, who in this year attempted to break from the Satpura hills.

 Major General Wellesly wrote to the Marquess Wellesly on December 17th 1803, "The revenues of Berar on the side of the Wardha are computed to amount to about one crore of Rupees. The Rajah had appropriated entirely to himself countries the revenues of which are computed to have been ten lacks of Rupees, and the remainder under different treaties was to be divided equally between him and the Soubadar of the Deccan . 

Maj. Wellesly further writes the reason behind agreeing to give Gawilgad to Bhosale, "Rajah shall have the possession of the forts Narnala and Gawilgad. Infact these forts are of a greater importance to the power which remains in possession of the mountains than to that which possesses the plains, without these the Rajah could not have exercised the   powers of his Government over the Gondwana Rajahs in those mountains (a race of people who above all others require restraint), and to have given them to the Soubadar of the Deccan would have added nothing to His Highness’s power.

 Jilpy Amner Fort: 

However when T.H. Bullock had recommended to dismantle forts in Melghat, he recommended the fort of Jilpy Amner too. He writes" Jilpy Amner is situated on the Tapti River on the extreme northern point of our frontier. In 1854 I recommended that Jilpy Amner should be dismantled and in 1856, orders were given by the Resident that the walls should be thrown down." 

While following the orders Captain F. Tyrrell, Executive Engineer Berar had reported the progress work to James Stubbs, Assistant Commissioner, in charge West Berar . He writes from camp Jalana on 28th March 1859, "I entirely removed the eastern face of the Jilpy Amner fort, including the entrance and corner bastion according to the orders of Brigadier Hill, Commanding Hyderabad Contingent and Berar Field Force." He further mention "The northern and western walls of the fortress are built up from the high precipitous banks of the Tapti and Gurgah rivers, and the southern wall from the edge of a rivine formed by a large stream falling in to Gurgah river, so that the eastern face was the only one open to an attacking force, and which required to be properly defended to prevent a very serious obstacle to the capture of the place. 

The detail information about this fort only found in this letter as it describe why essential to dismantle what portion. He describe "There was a small bastion 12 feet in diameter within the large south-eastern bastion (35 feet diameter and 39 feet height) and the whole of the interior was filled up with alternate layers of stone in chunam and earth, and gave considerable trouble in its demolition. The curtains and gateways (of bricks and chunam) were picked to pieces." attaching the map of the portion he dismantled.

In the letter written by C. Davies, Extra-Assistant Commissioner to Captain J.J. Hamilton Assistant Commissioner, in charge west Berar on 1 st June 1859, he mention about the structure of this fort.This fort is situated about 35 miles from Asirgadh, about 40 miles from Burhanpur, about 50 from Gawulghur and 50 from Hiwurkhir (Hiwarkhed). The works of the fort in question rest on unequal and irregular ground situated at the confluence of the Gurgah and Tapti rivers which serve as natural obstacles for the approach of an enemy on the south and west sides respectively.