Kankarala Fort

Maharashtra, India

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Kankarala Fort (popularly spelled Kankrala) is an ancient hill fort in Malegaon taluka of Nashik district in Maharashtra, India, situated as the companion of the nearby Galna Fort and occupying two hills in the Galna hills range.

The fort rises to about 2,100–2,265 feet above sea level, stands roughly 500 feet above its base, and is located around 8–10 km from Karanjgavhan village and about 30 km from Malegaon, making it easily reachable on a trip from Nashik via Malegaon and then Karanjgavhan toward Dongrale.

Very little detailed history is recorded about Kankrala, but it is known that the British captured the fort under Colonel Wallace in 1818, and later local accounts mention events in 1858–1862 including a defeat of attackers and eventual demolition of the fort over time, though it is not prominently mentioned in major historical records.

The main attraction of Kankrala is its abundance of rock-cut water cisterns and small tanks on the hilltop and near the entrance, which together with a pure spring water cistern in a small valley make it a “water tank fort” even in a relatively rugged setting, while structures on the fort are mostly limited to ruins, plinths, a broken rampart and an idol of Lord Hanuman.