Jivdhan (or Jeevdhan) is a

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

ress situated 1 km from modern town of Ghatghar in Junnar Taluka of Pune district in

Maharashtra Maharashtra () is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The fort, which rises above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege between 1815 and 1818. Jivdhan is a part of the 'Famous 5' trekking destinations among trekking enthusiasts. Chavaand, Hadsar, Shivneri, and

Naneghat Naneghat, also referred to as Nanaghat or Nana Ghat (IAST: Nānāghaṭ), is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range between the Konkan coast and the ancient town of Junnar in the Deccan plateau. The pass is about north of Pune and about ...

are the other destinations in the Famous 5 trek. This is a high difficulty grade trek due to the misleading jungle tracks and the necessity and knowledge of using climbing equipment. The rock cut steps are wonderfully carved, which lead to the kalyan gate. There are hooks attached on the walls of the rock cut steps near kalyan gate, which makes it easy for regular climber. It is said that the boy king Murtaza Nizam Shah III, last nominal ruler of Nizamshahi, was held by Shah Jahan on this fort.

Shahaji Shahaji Bhonsale (; 18 March 1594 – 23 January 1664) was a 17th century Indian military leader who served the Ahmadnagar Sultanate, the Bijapur Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire at various points in his career. As a member of the Bhonsle dynas ...

maharaj rescued the boy king because he had promised that while he was alive, nothing would happen to the boy.

History

The fort originated during the

Satavahana The Satavahanas (; ''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras (also ''Andhra-bhṛtyas'' or ''Andhra-jatiyas'') in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavaha ...

era. Every entry point on the forts built by Shivaji Maharaj have a 'Kalas' and Lord Ganesh carved on it. The nearby Naneghat (Toll collection booth) was used for commercial purpose by traders to help in easy movements of goods. As this was an important pass joining the seas to the mainland, it was heavily guarded from enemies. The Jivdhan fort stood as an important guard fort to protect the interests of various kingdoms. The last emperor of Adilshahi of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar, officially Ahilyanagar, is a city in, and the headquarters of, the Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. Ahmednagar has several dozen buildings and sites from the Nizam Shahi period. Ahmednagar Fort, once considered almost impre ...

was little Murtaza. He was kept as a prisoner by the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

at Jivdhan fort. In 1635 the father of

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 ...

, Shahaji released him from the prison and declared him a King of Ahmednagar. Jivdhan to

has an open field of 2–3 km, which gives any clear indication of enemy approach. In 1818 the fort was captured by Col. Prother of 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 ...

and later destroyed parts of the fort.

Major features

Storehouses

There are some unexplored storehouse atop the fort. There is a temple of Goddess at the top. The Main Gate and

Kalyan Kalyan (Pronunciation: əljaːɳ is a city on the banks of Ulhas River in Thane district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is governed by Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Kalyan is a subdivision (Taluka) of Thane district ...

gate are in good condition.

Water Tanks

There are a few water tanks atop the fort, water from the tanks near the store house is not potable as they are open all the year round. The water from the rock cut cistern near the Kalyan Gate is potable. The entire fort is covered with prickly shrubs of

Lepidagathis cuspidata ''Lepidagathis cuspidata'' (also known as ''Kodajathripaccha'', ''Kodassathripaccha'' and ''Spiny Lepidagathis'') is a species of plant in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to India and is a prickly subshrub growing profusely on hilly terrain ...

or called as Kate adulsa in Marathi. The

Malabar giant squirrel The Indian giant squirrel or Malabar giant squirrel (''Ratufa indica'') is a large multi-coloured tree squirrel species endemic to forests and woodlands in India. It is a Diurnal animal, diurnal, arboreal, and mainly herbivorous squirrel. Distr ...

or "Shekhru" is found in the forest at the foothills.

Pinnacle near the fort

This is about 385 feet high. When you approach the fort it looks smaller in size but as you move closer to the fort you can actually get a feel of how high the pinnacle is. This pinnacle is known as 'Vanarlingi'. This is surmountable with use of proper rock climbing equipment. It may take a day or 2 to climb the pinnacle. One needs to scout the area for beehives in order to climb with complete control.

North front

Once you are at the top of the fort you can view various hilltops and forts nearby. You will clearly see forts like Harishchandragad, Chavaand, Ratangad, Naneghat, Hadsar fort, Nimgiri fort, Manikdoh Dam and the entire Junnar plateau. Jivdhan storage building

References

External links

Capture of forts - https://books.google.com/books?id=kElDAAAAcAAJ&dq=Colonel+Prother&pg=PR43 {{MarathaEmpire Forts in Pune district