Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Purandar Fort

School is closed for Dushera vacations and after spending the first few days doing nothing, it was decided that we would go for a picnic. Purandar Fort was an unlikely destination for a picnic. But we didn't know that till we reached there.

The climb to the Fort would take about 40 minutes we were told by an Army jawan. The kids were keen on a trek and luckily, all of us had our sneakers on.

We started climbing the hillside. The climb is not steep and can be very nicely managed without a harness, and with two kids!!! The path is not well defined and the vegetation makes the climb even more exciting, especially for the kids who have never been in the midst of wild growing verdure. Each thorny bush evoked an "awwww" response, and a slew of comments from our sprightly 4 year old.

At one point we lost the path and realised that we were going around the hill instead of climbing upwards. So we decided to take a short cut. We climbed our way through a water path, made by an erstwhile waterfall. The climb was arduous and steep, but exhilarating. The kids were overcome by a sense of achievement.


This is a picture of the entrance to the Fort.

History:
The history of the Purandar fort dates back to the 13th century. In the 14th century the Bahamani Sultans built some walls and bastions. From 1484 AD, for about a hundred years, the fort remained in the hands of the Nizamshahi rulers. In 1596 AD, the fort was given as Jagir to Maloji Bhosale, grandfather of Shivaji. However, Shivaji had to struggle very hard to establish his control over the fort in 1646 AD.

In 1665 AD, Purandar was besieged by the mighty Mughal forces under the command of
Jai Singh and Dilir Khan. In the ensuing battle Murar Baji Prabhu, the gallant commander of the fort, was killed. Shivaji, under a treaty, had to surrender 23 forts to the Mughals including Purandar and Vajragarh.

At the lower fort a statue of Murar Baji Prabhu has been installed in his memory.

Purandar was recaptured by Shivaji in 1670 AD. Later it became a favourite retreat of the Peshwas. The fort was captured by the British in 1818 AD.

Read more about the Fort
here


How to get there
From Pune, go by Hadapsar towards the Solapur highway, taking a detour for Pursungi and Saswad on State Highway 64. At Saswad ask for 'Purandar Quilla' and the locals will be more than glad to give you directions. Keep your eyes open for a nondescript and unmarked left turn towards the Fort, 7-8 kms from Saswad. The total distance from Hadapsar is about 40 kms.

Distance to the fort from Swargate, Pune is about 45kms. Take left before you hit Katraj on the Pune-Satara highway and continue on the road for about 12 kms till you come to a right turn that indicates direction towards Saswad. This road is quite bad and it is better to take the route via Hadapsar. The big advantage of traveling on this road are the farms and fields you will drive across. You may pick up the produce of the season at a throwaway price.

Hunger tackles
In an around the Fort there are none. There is a well where you can draw water from and a little 'tapri' that claims to serve tea. We had left home with the intention of a picnic and therefore, had no need to check out the 'chaha' at the tea stall. The highway is however, lined with 'vadewale' joints where you can have vada pav famous in this region.



Why you should go to Purandar

  • It is an easy trek
  • A slice of history for children who will marvel at the manner in which the Fort was constructed (without cranes and sophisticated equipment)
  • Panoramic view of the surrounding hillside

Caution
The road towards the fort from the foot of the hill and the base village is very bad. The authorities laid the stones but forgot to run the road roller. Beware if you have a car with a mild suspension. We managed in a Santro. Needless to say, it is rattling since our trip.

Footnote: Purandar is the first Fort we have explored with our children and chances are that it will not be the last! Although their excitement was infectious, we could not help but notice the lack of sign boards and adequate directions within and outside the Fort. The approach road was really bad too. A fort that was the capital of Shivaji's regime at one time is in a state of neglect today.

For more pictures of the Fort and surroundings, click here