This strong fort is only 24 km away from Pune. It is said that, Rushi Kaundinya did religious penance (Tapashcharya) here.Thus it was identified as Kundhiyana and finally the Kondana.
HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE
This post is about 2000years old, built in Shalivahan Period. When Chhatrapati SHIVAJI MAHARAJ won Torna, you also got charged Aaj of this Fort. But when Adilshah imprisoned Shahajiraje, rescue him Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave this Fort to Adilshsh back. However, Chh. Shivaji Maharaj won this fort again and kept its name as Sinhagad.
Sinhagad was one of the adorable forts of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj. So while giving it to Mughals at the time of treaty of Purandhar he felt very sad. But after returning from Agra, first he decided to bring Sinhagad back to Swaraj and this difficult task was handed over to SUBHEDAR TANAJI MALUSARE.
On the night of 7th February 1670,mavlas entered Sinhagad from the West of Donagiri crag by rope. The mughal officer in charge of fort Udaybhan Rathod was ready for the battle. It was a fierce battle. In that battle Subhedar TANAJI MALUSARE was killed. But still, Marathas succeeded to bring Sinhagad to Swaraj. Tanaji set an example in front of new generation by sacrificing his life in battlefield at the time of his son's marriage.
Further in the period of Rajaram Maharaj, this fort was acquired by Mughals. The brave warriors Navji Balkavde and Vithaji Karke did the great job to bring this fort back to Swaraj.
Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj, the second son of Chh. Shivaji Maharaj died here, whose Samadhi can be seen here.
Today, Barudkhana (ammunition store house ) Devtake, Pune and Kalyan doors, Donagiri kada, Amruteshwar Bhairav temple etc . are some points on the fort which are worth seeing.
In the modern period, the great person like Lokmanya Tilak, Swatantryaveer Sawarkar, Netaji Subhashchandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi visited this fort.
An unconquerable fort and a witness of Marathas bravery, seems like a crouching lion in the valley of Sahayadri.
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