Purandar Fort is a mountain fort in Pune district in the

Western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of India, Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative divisions of India, Adminis ...

n state of

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. The fort stands at above sea level in the Western Ghats, to the southeast 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 ...

.Survey of India - Scale 1:50K Map sheet number 47F/15 The twin forts of Purandar (or Indraneel Parwat) and Vajragad (or Rudramal) of which the latter is the smaller of the two, is located on the eastern side of the main fort rising above sea level. The village of Purandar takes its name from this fort. It is the birthplace of Chatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. Maharashtra state tourism site
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History

The oldest known reference of existence of the Purandar fort dates back to the

Yadava dynasty The Seuna, Sevuna, or Yadavas of Devagiri (IAST: Seuṇa, –1317) was a medieval Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a realm stretching from the Narmada river in the north to the Tungabhadra river in the south, in the western part of th ...

in the 11th century. After the defeat of the Yadavas by the foreign invaders, the territory surrounding the fort fell into the hands of the invaders who further fortified the Purandar Fort in 1350 A.D. During the early rule of the

Bijapur Bijapur (officially Vijayapura) is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importa ...

and

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 ...

kings, Purandar Fort was among the forts directly under the government rule and was never entrusted to Jagirdars. Under the rule of the

Bahamani 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 rebellion o ...

, the fort was besieged several times. To prevent the Purandar Fort from ever falling again, a sacrificial ritual was performed where a man and a woman were buried alive under one of the fort bastions to appease its patron deity. Another ritual was soon performed where the king ordered a minister to bury a first-born son and his mother into the foundation of the bastion which was promptly done with a further offering of gold and bricks. When the bastion was finished, the minister, Yesaji Naik, was given possession of the Purandar Fort and the father of the sacrificed boy was rewarded with two villages. To protest Adilshahi commander Fatehkhan in 1649 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the charge of fort temporarily from Raje Mahadaji Neelkanthrao Sarnaik who was his father's friend and commander of Purandar for 4 generations. On the occasion of Diwali in 1656 after 2 years of death of Mahadajipant Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took advantage of family disputes in Mahadajipant's 4 sons Neelkanth, Shankar, Tryambak/Pilaji and Vishwanath/Visaji and captured the fort. In 1596 A.D, the ''Bahudar Shah'' of the

Ahmadnagar Sultanate The Ahmadnagar Sultanate was a medieval Marathi Muslim kingdom located in the northwestern Deccan, between the sultanates of Gujarat and Bijapur, ruled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. It was established when Malik Ahmed, the Bahmani governor o ...

granted the territory of "Pune" and "Supa" to Malojiraje Bhosale, the grandfather of Shivaji. The Purandar Fort was included in the territory. Vajragad fort

In 1649 A.D, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, still in his youth, in one of his first victories for the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

, raided and established control of the fort. In 1665 A.D, the Purandar Fort was besieged by the forces of

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 ...

, under the command of

Jai Singh II Sawai Jai Singh II (3 November 1688 – 21 September 1743), was the 30th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He became the ruler of Amber at the age of 11, after ...

and assisted by

Diler Khan Diler Khan Daudzai was a Mughal general who served under Aurangzeb and was the governor of Awadh. He is known for engaging in battle and killing Murarbaji, the military general of Shivaji and the in-charge of Purandar Forts. His brother's name wa ...

. Murar Baji Deshpande of

Mahad Mahad ( əɦaːɖ is a city in Raigad district (formerly Kulaba district) situated in the North Konkan region of Maharashtra state, India. It is located from District Headquarters Alibag, and from Mumbai. Mahad is known for Raigad Fort ...

, who was appointed as the ''killedar'' (keeper of the fort), offered strong resistance against the Mughal forces ultimately giving up his life in a struggle to retain the fort. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, daunted at the prospect of the fall of his grandfather's fort, signed a treaty known as the First Treaty of Purandar with

in 1665. According to the treaty, Shivaji handed over twenty-three forts including Purandar, and a territory with a revenue of four lakh ''

hons Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, o ...

and was made the '' jagirdar'' of the territory. On 8th March 1670 the fort was recaptured by Neelakanth Sondev Bhadanekar, Amatya/Mazumdar of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. During the tenure of Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj (1689-1700) Mughal captured the fort once again but soon Marathas took the charge back under the leadership of Sachiv/Suranvis Shankaraji Narayan Gandekar.

Balaji Vishwanath Balaji Vishwanath Bhat (1 January 1662 – 12 April 1720) was the first of a series of hereditary Peshwas hailing from the Bhat family who gained effective control of the Maratha Confederacy and other Mughal vassals during the early 18th centur ...

's family took the shelter on this fort when Krishnarav Khatavkar attacked on Balajipant. Peshwa

Nanasaheb Balaji Baji Rao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), often referred to as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his father, Peshwa Bajirao I. During his tenure, the Chhatra ...

took the fort from Shankarajipant's descendants and gave it to Madahev Ambaji a.k.a. Baba Purandare. In 1674 A.D. old guardians Of purender named

Ramoshi The Ramoshi are an Indian community found largely in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. They are classified as a Backward Community by the government of India. History The Ramoshi in Maharashtra were earlier known as Vedan. They were ...

and Mahadev Koli people rebelled against Neelkanth Mahadev a.k.a. Aba Purandare and captured the fort. On the condition of deposing Aba Purandare and Shankar Ganesh a.k.a. Baba Sarnaik they return the fort to Peshwa. Under the

Peshwa The Peshwa was the second highest office in the Maratha Empire, next in rank and prestige only to that of the Chhatrapati. Initially serving as the appointed prime minister in the Maratha Kingdom, the office became hereditary when Shahu gave t ...

rule, the Purandar Fort acted as a stronghold whenever their capital city of

was under attack. In 1776 A.D, a treaty was signed between the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

and the Maratha States known as the Second Treaty of Purandar. Its conditions were never fulfilled, being overruled by the subsequent

Treaty of Salbai The Treaty of Salbai was signed on 17 May 1782, by representatives of the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company after long negotiations to settle the outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War it was signed between Warren Hastings ...

in 1782 between the

Bombay Government Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12.5& ...

and

Raghunathrao Raghunathrao, also known as Ragho Ballal or Raghoba Dada (18 August 1734 – 11 December 1783), was the younger son of Peshwa Bajirao I who served as the 11th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire for a brief period from 1773 to 1774. He defeated ...

, at the close of the

First Anglo-Maratha War The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first conflict fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai. As per the treaty, th ...

. In 1790, it was conquered by a

Koli Koli may refer to: People * Koli people, Indian caste group * Koli Christians, a Christian subgroup * Muslim Kolis, Muslim community * Koli (surname), Indian surname * Koli Sewabu (born 1975), Fijian rugby union footballer Places * Koli, Fin ...

chief Kuroji Naik and a Victory Bastion also erected here. In 1818, the Purandar Fort was invaded by a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

force under General Pritzler. On 14 March 1818, a British garrison marched into Vajragad (the smaller fort). As Vajragad commanded Purandar, the commandant had to accept terms and the British flag was hoisted at Purandar on 16 March 1818. During the

, the fort was used as a prison. During World War II, it was an internment camp for enemy-alien (i.e.

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

) families. Jews from Germany were interned. A German prisoner, Dr. H. Goetz was held here during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He studied the fort during his stay and later published a book on it. The fort's major use however, was as a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

for the British soldiers. The thousand-year-old Narayaneshwar temple of the Hemadpanthi architecture built by the

Yadavas The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Satvatas, Andhakas, Bho ...

still exists at the base village of the fort called Narayanpur. Purandareshwar Temple

It is believed that Purandar is the broken part of the ''Dronagiri Parvat'', which

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

carried in the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

Structures

The fort has two distinct levels. The lower part of Purandar is called the ''machi''. North of the machi is a flat area where the cantonment and hospital was housed. There are many temples dedicated to Purandareshwar (the fort's patron god, from which it also takes its name) and Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa here. There is a statue of

Murarbaji Deshpande Murarbaji Deshpande (died 1665) was an associate of Shivaji. He is best remembered for role in Battle of Purandar in which he was killed, and the Marathas lost the battle. Early life Murarbaji Deshpande was born into a Chandraseniya Kayastha P ...

, the commander (''killedar'') of the fort who gave up his life in order to protect the fort from 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 ...

. The northern part of the ''machi'' has a low fall with several bastions and an imposing gate with two towers. Purandar fort 86

From the lower level of the ''machi'', a staircase leads to the upper level called ''Ballekilla''. The first structure of the ''Ballekilla'' that comes into view is the ''Dilli Darwaja'' (Delhi Gate). This area also houses an ancient Kedareshwar (

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

) temple. The ''BALLEKILLA'' is also surrounded by steep drop on three sides.

Current use

The Purandar Fort is a popular tourist destination and is also used by the National Cadet Corps academy for training purposes. The fort is a hotspot for

paraglider Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched Glider (aircraft), glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a :wikt:harness, harness or in ...

s and trekkers.

Gallery of Purandar Fort

File:Purandar Fort 02.JPG File:Purandar fort 101.JPG File:Purandar Fort 80.JPG File:Purandar Fort 48.JPG File:Purandar Fort 27.JPG File:Purandar Fort 09.JPG File:Purandar Fort 10.JPG File:Purandar_Landscape.jpg File:Purandar_Landscape_2.jpg File:Purandar_Landscape_3.jpg File:Purandar Fort entrance 2.jpg File:Purandhar fort from Narayanpur Road.JPG File:Brief history.JPG

References

External links