Shivneri Fort – The Most Secure Fort of 16th Century with Outstanding Planning

One of the most famous monuments of Pune is Shivneri Fort. It is popular because it is the birth place of the great Maratha leader Chatrapati Shivaji. It is the historic military fortification located near the village Junnar.History of Shivneri FortJunnar means jirna nagar. It is one of the oldest cities of ancient India. The Shaka dynesty ruled here. There are more than 100 caves being carved in the surrounding mountains of Junnar. Shivneri Fort is one of them. The mountain on which this fort is built is very well protected by steep scraps and that is why it was the most suitable place for carving a cave. Here 64 caves and eight inscriptions are being found. There are various rulers who ruled Shivneri starting from Shakas then Satavahanas then the Shilaharas, the Yadavas, the Bahamanis and then the Mughals. In 1599 AD the fort was granted to Shivaji’s grandfather, Maloji Bhosale and then to Shahji, Shivaji’s father.Shivaji’s birth placeShahji was a general in the army of Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. Shahji was concerned for the safety of his wife Jijabai who was pregnant at that time because continuous wars were going on. So he thought the best place for her to be would be the Shivneri Fort. It was the perfect place with defensible surroundings and strongly built citadel. Seven doors have to be crossed before the fort can be accessed. The boundry wall of the fort was built extremely high to protect the fort from enemies. Shivaji was born on 19^th February 1630 in the fort and spent his childhood here. There is a temple of godess Shivai Devi in the fort after whom Shivaji was named.Even though Shivaji was born here but he had to leave the fort and it went in the hands of Mughals in 1637. He could not take it back in his life time. You can see the statue of young Shivaji and his mother Jijabai at the south of the Badami Talav. It is a water pond in the centre of the fort. There are two water springs that have water all through the year in the fort. They are called Ganga Jamuna and the water is rally fresh and potable. This is all about the fort and its historical importance.About the FortThe height of the top of the fort is 3500ft above sea level. The boundary wall of the fort was built so high to protect the fort from the enemies. Fort also houses a temple of goddess Shivai, a larger than life statue of “Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj” and a water pond called “Badami Talav” located in the middle of the fort. For people who are inclined to trekking, Shivneri fort is one of the ideal places to visit in Pune city. The tourists have to cross seven doors to main reach to the main fort.Climatic conditionsWinter and rainy seasons are the best time to visit Shivneri fort. Tempreture here is 2 degrees cooler to Pune’s temperature because of the dense forest cover that looks like green emerald in the rains. Summers are really hot that is why avoiding summer time to visit fort is better.EntertainmentThe state government has started the light and sound show in the fort.How to reachJunnar is the nearest place that is two km away from the fort. To reach Junnar one can catch bus from pune/ Shivaji Nagar. There are no rail services available there. State transport is available. The distance between pune and Junnar is 103 km and two kilometres from Junnar to Shivneri Fort. It takes 2 hours to reach Junnar from Pune and one hour to climb the top of the fort. Be careful as the highest density of leopard population lives in the dense forest of Shivneri. One can stay on the fort with options of Shiv Kunj or Ambarkhana.Ruchi Mahajan

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