Sinhagad Fort

Sinhagad

( सिंहगड किल्ला  )

गड आला , पण सिंह गेला ... 

Sinhagad (Lion’s fort), the most popular fort among Punekars due to its close vicinity. It is located at around 25 km south west of the city of Pune , Maharashtra. There  are two gates to enter the fort, one is Kalyan Darwaja positioned at the south east and another one is the Pune Darwaja which is positioned at the north-east. Sinhagad fort was previously known by the name “Kondhana”, this fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1671.

This fort  was strategically located at the centre of a string of other forts such as Rajgad, Purandar and Torna, also strategically built to provide natural protection.

              

        Pune Darwaja

Kalyan Darwaja

The history of this fort will be incomplete if I don’t mention about the Tanaji Malusare. He was a military leader in the Maratha Empire. He is most famously known for his role in the Battle of Sinhagad.

Tanaji Malusare Samadhi

Tanaji Malusare left the festivities of his son's wedding ,When Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj planned for recaputuring Kondhana. He took charge of the campaign and left for Kondhana. he fought like a brave lion during the battle. The fort was eventually conquered but in the process, Tanaji was gravely wounded and gave up his life fighting on the battlefield. Upon hearing this, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj expressed his sorrow by uttering,

"Gad ala, pan sinha gela"