Sinhagad is an ancient hill fortress located at around 49 km southwest of the city of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the

Battle of Sinhagad The Battle of Sinhagad, also known as Battle of Kondhana, took place during the night of 4 February 1670 at the fort of Sinhagad (then Kondhana), near the city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. Background In the 1650s, Aurangzeb sent Shahiste ...

in 1670. The Sinhagad (''Lion's Fort'') was strategically built to provide natural protection due to its very steep slope The walls and bastions were constructed only at key places. There are two gates to enter the fort, the Kalyan Darwaza and Pune Darwaza, positioned at the south-east and northeast ends. The fort was also strategically located at the centre of a string of other

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

forts such as

Rajgad Fort Rajgad (literal meaning ''Ruling Fort'') is a Hill region fort situated in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India. Formerly known as ''Murumdev'', the fort was the first capital of the Maratha Empire under the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji for ...

, Purandar Fort and

Torna Fort Torna Fort, also known as Prachandagad, is a large fort located in Pune district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is historically significant because it was the first fort captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji in 1646, at the age of 16. The hill ...

Geography

Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range in the Sahyadri Mountains, the fort is situated on a hill about 760 metres above ground and 1,312 metres above mean sea level.

History

Early history

Some of the information available about the fort, suggests that it could have been built 2000 years ago. The caves and the carvings in the Kaundinyeshwar temple stand as proofs for the same. According to the

Deccan sultanates The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Th ...

era muslim historian

Ferishta Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...

, Sinhagad fort was captured from

Koli Koli may refer to: Places * Koli, Finland, a hill in Finland * Koli National Park, a national park in Finland * Koli, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Koli Airfield, a former airfield in the South Pacific Other uses * Koli people ...

chieftain A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categori ...

Nag Nayak in 1340 by the sultan of Delhi,

Muhammad bin Tughluq Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...

. The Sinhagad Fort was initially known as "Kondhana" after the sage

Kaundinya Kaundinya (Sanskrit कौण्डिन्य), also known as ''Ājñātakauṇḍinya'', Pali: ''Añña Koṇḍañña''),who was one of the first five Buddhist monks ( Pancavaggiya), follower of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arha ...

. The Kaundinyeshwar temple coupled with the caves and carvings indicates that the fort had probably been built around two thousand years ago. The fort was captured by forces of

in 1328 from

chieftain Nag Naik after a siege of eight months. It then became part of the Bahmani sultanate followed by the Nizam Shahi of Ahmadnagar in 1485.After the fall of Nizam shahi it came under the control of the Adilshahi in early late 1500s.

Battle for control in 17th century

Shahaji Bhosale Shahaji Bhonsale (Pronunciation: �əɦad͡ʒiː c. 1594 – 1664) was a military leader of India in the 17th century, who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a membe ...

, as the commander of

Ibrahim Adil Shah II Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1570 – 12 September 1627) was king of the Sultanate of Bijapur and a member of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Under his reign the dynasty had its greatest period as he extended its frontier as far south as Mysore. He was ...

, was entrusted with the control of the Pune region. His son Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, refused to accept the

Adilshahi The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's ...

and initiated the task of setting up Swarajya. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gained control of Kondana in 1647 by convincing Siddi Amber, the Adilshahi Sardar who controlled the fort, that he, the son of Shahaji Bhosale, could manage the fort's defenses optimally.

Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande ( mr, बापुजी मुदगल देशपांडे; 1608–1665) was a general who served Shivaji. Early life The Deshpande family warriors didn't have firm direction before 1636 and were engaged in ...

played a key role in this activity. Adil Shah jailed Siddi Amber for this treasonous act and schemed to get it back. He imprisoned Shahaji Bhosale for a concocted crime and informed Shivaji. In 1649, Adil Shah traded the fort for Shahaji's release. Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj recaptured it in 1656 again with the help of

who convinced the Fort commander by giving land in the newly created

Khed Shivapur Khed Shivapur is a village in the Pune district along National Highway 48 (India), National Highway 48. It is located south of Pune. References

{{reflist Villages in Pune district ...

village and peacefully gained control of the fort. This fort saw attacks by Mughals in 1662, 1663, and 1665. In 1664,

Shaista Khan Mirza Abu Talib (22 November 1600 – 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the subahdar of Mughal Bengal. A maternal uncle to the emperor Aurangzeb, he acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan initially governed ...

, a Mughal general, tried to bribe the people of the fort to hand it over to him but was unsuccessful.Through the Treaty of Purandar in 1665, that Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj entered into with Mughal general Mirza Raja

Jai Singh I Jai Singh I (15 July 1611 – 28 August 1667) was a senior general ("Mirza Raja") of the Mughal Empire and the Raja of the Kingdom of Amber (later called Jaipur). His predecessor was his grand uncle, Raja Bhau Singh. Accession and early ca ...

the fort passed into the Mughal hands.

Battle of Sinhagad

In 1670, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj reconquered the fort for the third time through his

Subedar,

Tanaji Malusare Tanaji Malusare was a warrior and commander of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A local poet Tulsidas, wrote a powada describing Tanaji's heroics and sacrifice of life in the Battle of Sinhagad, which has since made him a popular figure in Indian ...

, and the fort came and stayed under the Maratha rule till 1689 A.D. 019XZZ000000123U00013000(SVC2)

A steep cliff leading to the fort was scaled in the dead of the night with the help of a tamed

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...

named "Yashwant", colloquially known as a Ghorpad. Thereafter, A fierce battle ensued between Tanaji and his men versus the Mughal army headed by Udaybhan Singh Rathod, a Rajput Sardar who had control of the fort. Tanaji Malusare lost his life, but his brother Suryaji took over and captured the Kondana fort, now known as Sinhagad. There is an anecdote that upon hearing of Tanaji's death, Shivaji expressed his remorse with the words, "''Gad ala, pan Sinha gela''" - "''The Fort is conquered, but the Lion was lost''".According to some, the name Sinhagad predates this event. A bust of Tanaji Malusare was established on the fort in memory of his contribution to the battle. After the death of

Sambhaji Sambhaji Bhosale (14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689) was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire, ruling from 1681 to 1689. He was the eldest son of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Sambhaji's rule was largely shaped by the ongoing ...

, the Mughals regained control of the fort. The Marathas headed by "Sardar Balkawade", recaptured it in 1693.

Rajaram I Rajaram Bhosle I (Pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒaɾaːm – 3 March 1700) was the third ''Chhatrapati'' of Maratha Empire, who ruled from 1689 to his death in 1700. He was the second son of the Shivaji, the founder of the empire and younger half- ...

took asylum in this fort during a Mogul raid on Satara. He died at the Fort on 3 March 1700 A.D. In 1703,

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

conquered the fort. In 1706, it once again went into the hands of the Maratha's. Panaji Shivdev of

Sangola Sangole or (Sangola) is a city with a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is situated near Holy city Pandharpur . It is located at the intersection of state highways SH-161, SH-3, and SH-71. Traditional ...

, Visaji Chafer, and Shankar Narayan,the

Pant Sachiv The Gandekars (prominently known as The Pant Sachiv family) are the royal family of erstwhile Bhor State, who were rulers of the Bhor State from 1699 to 1948 Previously they served as Sachivs to Chhatrapatis of Maratha Empire and later b ...

played a key role in this battle.

Peshwa era

The fort remained under Maratha's rule till the year 1817.The more than one century of the Peshwa rule saw the fort serving as a refuge from hostile forces attacking Pune, or as a place of confinement for rebels. In 1817 the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

, general Pritzler laid siege to the fort on the orders of

Mountstuart Elphinstone Mountstuart Elphinstone (6 October 1779 – 20 November 1859) was a Scottish statesman and historian, associated with the government of British India. He later became the Governor of Bombay (now Mumbai) where he is credited with the open ...

, the company resident in Pune at the end of

Third Anglo-Maratha War The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the English East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha te ...

and it passed into the British hands.

Culture and Tourism

The Fort is a popular weekend destination for many residents of Pune, including trekking enthusiasts with access to the top of the fort from the base of the Sinhagad village. The trek involves a one-way walk of 2.7 km (1.6 miles) over which the walker gains about 600 m (1950 feet) in elevation. Parts of the once extensive fortification are in ruins. The fort houses a memorial to Tanaji as well as the tomb of Rajaram I. Visitors can see the military stables, a brewery and a temple of the goddess

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

(goddess) along with a Hanuman statue to the right side of the temple, as well as the historic gates. The original commemorative memorial of Tanaji Malusare has been unearthed by the restoration workers at Sinhagad Fort in Feb 2019. The stone structure was found buried under cement, concrete, and layers of oil paint and is believed to be around 350 years old. Sinhagad Fort has played a vital role in India's freedom struggle.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence a ...

also known as 'The Father of Indian Unrest', used the fort as a summer retreat. It is here where

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

after his return from South Africa had a historic meeting with Tilak. The bungalow has his bust at the entrance. The fort also houses a television tower for broadcasting local TV signals. Currently, Non-Vegetarian food, Partying including alcoholic beverages and smoking is banned on the fort. Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (

PMPML Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) is the public transport bus service provider for the city of Pune, India. It operates 486 routes around the Pune Metropolitan Region including 51 Rainbow BRT routes that partially ply on the 4 bu ...

) runs a bus service (bus number 50) from Shaniwar Wada to the Sinhagad foothills (Sinhagad Payatha). The climbing route from either side of the fort can be covered in an hour. Shared taxi services to the base as well as the top of the fort are also available. Sinhgad-Tanaji_Malusare

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinhagad Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire Tourist attractions in Pune Forts in Pune district