A 17th 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.
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