Sinhagad (''Lion's Fort'') is an ancient hill
fortress
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
located at around 28 km southwest of the city of
Pune
Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
, India. Previously known as ''Kondhana'', the fort had been the site of many battles, most notably the
Battle of Sinhagad in 1670.
The fort is a popular weekend destination for the residents of Pune. A road directly leads up to the summit of the fort. Trekking enthusiasts can get access to the summit from the base of the fort. 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. Shared taxi services to the base as well as the summit are also available.
Layout
Sinhagad was strategically built to provide natural protection from the enemies due to its very steep slopes. There are two gates to enter the fort named Pune darwaja and Kalyan darwaja. Pune darwaja is towards north east while the Kalyan darwaja is towards the southeast.
Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range in the
Sahyadri Mountains, the fort is situated on a hill about above ground and above mean sea level.
In clear weather, Rajgad, Purandar and Torna forts can be seen from the Sinhagad.
The fort houses a memorial to
Tanaji Malusare as well as the tomb of Rajaram I. A military stables, a brewery and a temple of the goddess
Kali
Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...
(goddess) along with a Hanuman statue to the right side of the temple. The original commemorative memorial of Tanaji Malusare has been unearthed by the restoration workers 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.
The fort also houses a television tower set up in 1973 for broadcasting the
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
TV to Pune.
History
Early history
The Sinhagad was initially known as "Kondhana" after the sage
Kaundinya
Kaundinya (Sanskrit कौंडिन्य), also known as ''Ājñātakauṇḍinya'', Pali: ''Añña Koṇḍañña''), was one of the first five bhikkhu, Buddhist monks (Pancavaggiya), disciple of Gautama Buddha and the first to attain the f ...
.
Until 14th century, the fort was held by
Nag Naik. Nag Nayak was worshipped as a symbol of strength and held power over the strategically important mountain fortress. The fort was captured by forces of
Muhammad bin Tughluq
Muhammad bin Tughluq (; ; 1290 – 20 March 1351), or Muhammad II, also named Jauna Khan as Crown Prince, further known by his epithets, The Eccentric Prince, or The Mad Sultan, was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from 4 February 1 ...
in 1328 from
Koli chieftain
Nag Naik after a siege of eight months and became part of
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries. . It later became part of
Bahmani Sultanate
The Bahmani Kingdom or the Bahmani Sultanate was a late medieval Persianate kingdom that ruled the Deccan plateau in India. The first independent Muslim sultanate of the Deccan, the Bahmani Kingdom came to power in 1347 during the rebellio ...
in mid 1300s followed by the
Ahmadnagar Sultanate in late 1400s and
Sultanate of Bijapur in late 1500s.
Medieval history
Shahaji Bhosale, as the commander of
Ibrahim Adil Shah II
Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1570 – 12 September 1627) was Sultan of the Sultanate of Bijapur and a member of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Under his reign the sultanate had its greatest period as he extended its frontier as far south as Mysore. He ...
of
Sultanate of Bijapur was entrusted with the control of the Pune region. His son
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
, refused to accept the
Adilshahi and initiated the task of setting up Swarajya. Shivaji 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 defences optimally.
Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande 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.
Shivaji recaptured it in 1656 again with the help of
Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande who convinced the Fort commander by giving land in the newly created
Khed Shivapur 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 (b. 22 November 1600 – d. 1694), better known as Shaista Khan, was a general and the Subahdar of Mughal Bengal. He was maternal uncle to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and acted as a key figure during his reign. Shaista Khan ini ...
, 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 Shivaji entered into with Mughal general Mirza Raja
Jai Singh I, the fort passed into the Mughal hands.
In 1670,
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
reconquered the fort for the third time through his
Koli Subedar,
Tanaji Malusare in
Battle of Sinhagad, and the fort came and stayed under the Maratha rule till 1689 A.D. 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 West African Nile monitor, one species is also found in south America as an invasive species. A ...
named "Yashwanti", 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, 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 is lost''". Thus the fort got named as Sinhagad. A bust of Tanaji Malusare was established on the fort in memory of his contribution to the battle.
After the death of
Sambhaji
Sambhaji (Sambhajiraje Shivajiraje Bhonsle, ; 14 May 1657 – 11 March 1689), also known as Shambhuraje, ruled from 1681 to 1689 as the second king ( Chhatrapati) of the Maratha Empire, a prominent state in early modern India. He was the elde ...
, the Mughals regained control of the fort. The Marathas headed by "Sardar Balkawade", recaptured it in 1693.
Rajaram I 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
Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...
re-conquered the fort. In 1706, it once again went into the hands of the Marathas. Panaji Shivdev of
Sangola, Visaji Chafer, and Shankar Narayan, the
Pant Sachiv played a key role in this battle.
The fort remained under Maratha's rule till the year 1817. The more than one century of the Maratha rule saw the fort serving as a refuge from hostile forces attacking Pune, or as a place of confinement for rebels.
During the
Third Anglo-Maratha War
The Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–1819) was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire, Maratha Confederacy in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an in ...
in 1817, the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...
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, and it passed into the British hands. The British retained it until 1947 post which it became part of Republic of India.
Modern history
The 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: ''Lokamānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence ...
also known as 'The Father of Indian Unrest', used the fort as a summer retreat. It is here where
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
after his return from South Africa had a historic meeting with Tilak. The bungalow has his bust at the entrance.
A television tower was set up in 1973 for broadcasting the
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...
TV to the city of Pune.
Gallery
File:Pune Darwaza - Sinhagad Fort (2).jpg, Pune Darwaja
File:Kalyan Darwaza, Sinhgad fort, Pune.jpg, Kalyan Darwaja
File:Horse and Elephant stand on the Fort.jpg, Horse and Elephant stables
File:Distant view of Torna & Rajgad Forts from Sinhagad.jpg, View of Torna & Rajgad Forts from Sinhagad
File:View of Khadakwasla Dam from Sinhgad Fort.jpg, View of Khadakwasla Dam from Sinhagad
File:Sinhagadfort konadsheswartemple1 utsav.JPG, Kondhaneshwar Temple
File:Lokmanya Tilak's Bungalow - Sinhagad Fort.jpg, Lokmanya Tilak's Bungalow
File:Rajaram centotaph at fort Sinhagad.jpg, Rajaram cenotaph
File:Sinhgad-Tanaji Malusare.jpg, A memorial for Tanaji and his soldiers
File:Sinhagadd tower with clouds.JPG, Sinhagad TV tower
See also
*
List of forts in Maharashtra
The Forts of Maharashtra are often referred to as ''Green Canyon of India''.
This is a list of forts in Maharashtra, a state of India.(District)
* Harshal Fort (Nashik district, Nashik)
* Agashi Fort
* Ahmednagar Fort
* Mandar Fort
* Ajinky ...
*
Nag Nayak of Sinhagad
*
Tanaji Malusare
*
Shivaji
Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinhagad
Buildings and structures of the Maratha Empire
Tourist attractions in Pune
Forts in Pune district