Ajinkyatara (literally "The Impregnable Star") is a fort on one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of
Satara in the
Sahayadri Mountains of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, India. It is a 16th-century
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, that was called "Ajimtara", during Aurangzeb regime and was based on Aurangzeb son's name, Ajim. Maharani tarabai capturev and renamed Ajinkyatara.", when he wrote his first novel on the same name, first published in 1909. Now it also holds the television tower for the city of Satara. This fort has been the place where several pivotal moments in Maratha history took place.
The fort is located at Ajinkyatara Mountain, which is 3,300 feet high.
After the death of Shivaji Maharaj, Aurangzeb conquered Satara fort, which was later won by
Parshuram Pratinidhi in 1706. In 1708, Shahu Maharaj was crowned at this fort.
This was the place where
Tarabai
Tarabai Bhosale (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːɾabaːi ''née'' Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram Chhatrapati, Rajaram Bhonsale, and daughter-in-law of the emp ...
was imprisoned by Shahu.
The fortress is also mentioned in
Nathmadhav's novel ''Veer Dhaval'', in which the eponymous protagonist, a vassal of the
Chalukyas
The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...
, is the rightful master of the fort (and takes final possession of it at the novel's end) which has been under the misrule of his uncle Chanda Varma, who usurped the fort after murdering the protagonist's father Keerti Varma.
Access to Ajinkyatara is possible by road (2 hours from Pune, 4 hours from Mumbai), train (the nearest station is Satara Road) or plane (nearest airport is Pune).
See also
*
List of forts in Maharashtra
This is list of forts in Maharashtra a state of India
# Achala Fort (Nashik)
# Agashi Fort
# Ahmednagar Fort
# Ahivant Fort
# Ajinkyatara
# Akola Fort
# Akluj Fort
# Alang Fort
# Ambolgad
# Anjaneri
# Anjanvel Fort
# Ankai Fort
# Antur For ...
External links
Ajinkyatara Fort Satara
References
{{MarathaEmpire
Forts in Satara district
Forts in Maharashtra
Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire
Satara (city)