Katol

Katol lies beside the Jam, a tributary of the Wardha, west of Nagpur. Its mud fort belonged to the era of Gond rule. Under Dharmaji Bhonsla, the fort was held by a confederacy of Pindaris, bands associated with mounted raiding. Their relationship with the ruler involved tribute, paid with varying regularity, and protection of the surrounding countryside against other raiders.

Katol thus preserves a revealing example of the overlap between raiding and local defence in the Nagpur country. Its religious monuments included two temples in the Hemadpanti tradition. Local stories attributed their construction to Ravana and his demons, who were said to have completed them in a single night.