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Category : Forts | Total Views
: 3397 | Rating :  
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| Type : Hill Fort |
Fort Range : Pune | |
| District : Pune |
| Height above sea level : 4400 ft. |
| Difficulty rating : Simple |
| Base village : Aatkarwadi, Kondanpur |
| Appx. time to reach the top : 2 hrs from both the the villages |
| Visit duration (min.) : 1 day |
| Water availability : The cistern Devtake provides water throughout the year. |
| Food : The fort being commercialized, many restaurants are available. |
| Shelter : There is no such arrangement on the fort, and many a people come here for one-day hike. |
How to reach :
1) Pune-Khadakwasala-Donje-Golewadi junction-Aatka :
From Swargate bus stand in Pune, board S.T.bus to village of Aatkarwadi. From here, a walk of one & half hour takes us to the topmost point. The path is bit tiring; hence early morning is best time to climb. Here we enter through Pune Darwaaja.
2) Pune-Kondanpur :
From Swargate, we have to board the bus to Kondanpur, which is about 20-25 Km. On this way we, have to walk for 1 hour, and finally we reach Kalyan Darwaaja. This is comparatively easy way.
3) Trekking from Katraj Ghat to Sinhgad :
It is a favourite of many trekkers. Board any bus via Katraj Ghat from Pune early morning, and alight at the tunnel of the Ghat. On the top of the tunnel is the peak known as Vrindavan, from where the trek starts. It is about 6-7 hours trek and we reach the fort by evening.
4) Trekking via Vitthalwadi-Khadakwasala route :
From Pune, reach Vitthalwadi-Khadakwasala route. Keeping Sinhgad in view, we can reach the fort by a small way from Kalvantini's bastion.
5) Trekking via Vinzher :
On the Nasarapur-Velhe route, board the bus to the village of the Vinzher on the route and get the way to Kalyan Darwaaja.
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| Best time to visit : Any time |
About :
Sinhgad fort, whose earlier name was Kondana or Kondhana, stands 40kms, south-west of Pune. Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains, its height above sea-level is 1380 metres. Given natural protection by its very steep slopes, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places; it has two gates – the Kalyan Darwaza in the south-east and the Pun Darwaza in the north-east
sinhgad has a long history. It was captured from theKoli tribal chieftain, Nag Naik, by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1328 AD. Three centuries later, Shivaji wrested it away by bribing the commander, by the Treaty of Purandar (1665 AD) had to cede the fort to the Mughals. Sinhgad was the scene of one of the most daring exploits in Maratha history when, in 1670 AD, it was recaptured by Shivjaji's forces under the brave lion-hearted warrior Tanaji Malusare.
A famous quote by Shivaji Maharaj is "RK GAD AALA PAN DUSARA GAD GELAA" , which means that though he conquered the fort , he lost the lionhearted soldier who was none other than the brave warrior Tanaji Malusare.
This fort has been quite a long history, referred to as 'Kundhana 'in a Persian poem named 'Shahanama-e-Hind', dating back to 1350 A.D. It was called 'Kondana' after Sage Kaundinya. The Kaundinyeshwar temple, the caves & the carvings indicate that this fort had probably been built two thousand years back.
Shivaji Maharaj's father Shahaji, as Adilshah's commander, was entrusted with the control of the Pune region. Shivaji Maharaj, however, refused to accept Adilshahi & initiated the arduous task of setting up Swarajya. In a clever move he gained control of Kondana in 1647. He bribed Siddi Amber, the Adilshahi Sardar who controlled the fort and captured it. But, in 1649, it had to be handed over to Adilshah for Shahaji Maharaj's freedom. Shivaji Maharaj soon captured it back. Unfortunately it went into the hands of the Mughal army chief Mirzaraje Jaysingh, in the year 1665. In 1670, Shivaji Maharaj re-conquered this fort & then it stayed under Maratha rule till 1689. After Sambhaji's death the Mughals gained its control. Again in 1693 the Marathas captured it. Rajaram died on Sinhgad on the 3rd of March 1700 & in 1703 Aurangjeb conquered it. In 1707, it once again went into the hands of the Marathas & remained with them till 1818, when the British conquered it. Of all the important events associated with this fort, the fort is most well known for the legendary climb by Tanaji that helped the Marathas to conquer the fort on 4th February 1672. Since then it has come to be known as Sinhgad.
This part of the Maratha history is quite interesting. Tanaji had arrived in the court to invite Shivaji Maharaj for his son's wedding. Shivaji had escaped from Agra and reached Rajgad. Tanaji was assigned the job, and he accepted without any hesitation. He reached the base of the fort in the night. Strong people amongst them climbed the difficult rock-patch of the fort. It is said these people used an iguana or Ghorpad to locate suitable climbing sites in that dark night. There were 500 soldiers guarding the fort. The Marathas attacked with full vigour. After a fierce battle between Udebhan and Tanaji, Tanaji was killed and became a martyr. In such a situation, his brother Suryaji controlled the army and fought bravely to win the fort. This was the end of a great legend.
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Sightseeing :
Rajaram Samadhi :
This monument was built in the memory of Rajaram Maharaj.So, Friends this fort, rather a magnificent museum and the caretaker of many ancient remnants and monuments, should be maintained properly.
Pune Darwaaja :
From Pune, via Aatkarwadi village, we reach Pune Darwaaja we come across three consecutive entrances, of which third one was built during the era of Yadavas. We can see fine sculpture on it. On the way here, we notice an entrance through a distance, which is called Dhondse Darwaja. To reach this there is a tar road.
Khand Kada :
After entering Pune Darwaaja, we come across this peak from where we can observe the region of Purandar fort and the rivers Mula and Mutha.
Kalyan Darwaaja :
This is the entrance to the fort for those who come via Katraj Ghat. In older days, this door was used for communication between Sinhgad and Raigad.
Daru Kothar :
On entering Pune Darwaaja, on the right we observe the building, which was ancient storage for grains.
Kondhaneshwar :
When we follow the way rightwards along the Rajsadar, we reach this ancient temple of Lord Shankar.
Amruteshwar Mandir :
This temple of Bhairav is located leftwards to the Konadhaneshwar temple, at a few minutes walk.
Statue of Tanaji :
On the way behind Amruteshwar temple, after going upwards for few minutes, we can see this admirable monument. Every year, in his memory, one day is celebrated here.
Zunjar Buruz :
This bastion lies to the left after entering Kalyan Darwaaja and comprises the westernmost point of this fort. From here, we can have a glimpse of Rajgad, Torna, Lingana and Raigad and Purandar on the west.
Tanaji Kada :
This pinnacle is quite thrilling and lies beyond Zunjar Machi. It is a great attraction for hikers.
Western point :
This point, as it is named, is the westernmost and is the place to keep the watch. Kadelot point :
This peak lies at a few minutes walk from the western point, and is the most suitable place to keep a watch on the extensive Pune city.
Bungalow of Lokmanya Tilak :
The bungalow of Lokmanya Tilak is situated on the fort. He used to come here many a times. His works like Geetarahasya were completed here. In 1915 Gandhiji and Tilak met here. Whenever Gandhiji visited Pune, he drank only the waters of Sinhgad. Once Netaji Subhashchandra Bose had come here. He was at the second entrance of the fort, which was the main one when Shivaji ruled. He stopped here and lost into his Shivaji's memories, while chanting Tagore's words. This place is really very inspiring.
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 Visitor's Comments ! |
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Random Pick |
| Sumargad This fort is not, as the Marathi name suggests, very simple to trek. G. N. Dandekar, one of the greatest historians, writes about the fort, “We have to climb the cliff on eastern face of the fort by catch-holding one tree.” The fort lies in between the forts, Rasalgad and Mahipatgad. This fort is covered by dense forest and also has a difficult route to climb. This may be the possible reason that the fort has lost its familiarity among the trekkers. |
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