Information about the PURANDAR FORT.
"Out of all the forts, the PURANDAR fort is the steepest and most difficult fort to climb".This is how this skyscraping fort is described by some Marathi poets.
The two PURANDAR means'Indra'. The special features of this fort is that for last 2000years, there is a regular human habitation here. It has experienced different reigns like those of Satvahan, Chalukya, Yadavas and Adilshahi and Nizamshahi.
HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj brought this fort in Swaraj and defeated Adilshahi Sardar Fatehakhan on this fort just at the age of eighteenth. But in this battle, Baji Pasalkar was killed. His Samadhi is in Saswad. Further during the attack by Mirzaraje, he besieged this fort. Enemy captured Vajragad, the neighbouring fort of Purandar. Mughal raised mounds on it to attack the Purandar Bale killa with cannons. But Marathas fought bravely and courageously. The in-charge of the fort was Murarbaji Deshpande. Dilerkhan was surprised to oberve Murarbaji's great bravery. He offered him an incentive to be on the side of Mughals, but the honest Maratha did not revolt. Finally Murarbaji died in this battle.
Finally, Shivaji Maharaj made a treaty with Mirzaraje and brought peace in Swaraj, that treaty means Purandar's treaty. On this fort, Sambhaji Maharaj and later Sawai Madhavrao Peshwa were born.
On the Machee, there is a temple of Purandareshwer. At the entrance of Bale killa, there is Khandkada in the East. In the west there is a kings throne and most pleasurable Kedareshwar temple. At the foot of the fort, there is ancient and huge Hemadpanthi temple of Narayaneshwar.
On the fort there is white bastion, black bastion and saffron bastion. Shivaji's statue is placed in Bhairavkhind, between Kedar darwaja and Vajragad. The most attractive part on the fort is statue of Murarbaji Deshpande giving a fierce and brave look.
This huge fort is like a precious jewel in Swaraj of Shivaji Maharaj. The poet says, "This side Jejuri, that side Sonori, in between the river Karha flows, For Shivshahi, the fort of Purandar is like a cluster of pearls".
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