Thursday, December 15, 2011

Tanaji, the Lion

Tanaji Malusare was a brave warrior and a leader in the army of Maharaja Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire in the 17th century. He is known for the battle he fought to recapture the fort Kondana near Pune for his King Shivaji.

Kondana fort is at the top stiff cliff and is known to impossible to be captured by using force. He planned to storm the extremely well-guarded fort in the middle of the night. Tanaji and his troops scaled the fort with the help of monitor lizards (the iguana). They fought a fierce battle to recapture the fort. He fought with another brave man Udaybhan Rathod from the opposition ranks even after he lost his shield. It is known that Tanaji fought Udaybhan by tying a cloth over one of his hands and using it to ward off Uday Bhan's sword attacks. Tanaji and his men managed to capture the fort, but Tanaji lost his life in the battle.


Maharaja Shivaji renamed the fort from Kondana to Sinhagad in his honor. His words after hearing about the demise of Tanaji were "Gad ala pan Sinha gela" He meant "Won the Fort, lost the Lion"

This statue is located in the
Sinhagad.

39 comments:

Teamgsquare said...

Nice to know bout him.

Al said...

Nice shots and interesting history.

Cloudia said...

such texture has India!


Aloha from Honolulu
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Pietro Brosio said...

Wonderful pictures of the interesting statue, Rajesh.

Travel France Online said...

This is a superb shrine, the coral colour (which is this winter trend!) radiates a lot of energy and is very appropriate for a warrior!

Ramakrishnan said...

This is really a well known figure in Pune.There also used be a Sinhagad express train connecting Pune & Mumbai. I don't know if it still runs.

Zuzana said...

I love iguanas, they are way too cool.,) Very interesting story and what a big statue as well.;)
xoxo

sachin said...

REALLY INCREDIABLE

Anonymous said...

A lovely tribute.

Sylvia K said...

A wonderful look at another fascinating part of your countries history, Rajesh! I always enjoy the history and background you include! Beautiful blue skies! Hope you and your family have a lovely weekend!

Sylvia

Steffi said...

Great photo to a interesting post.Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend!

Anonymous said...

every time i visit your blog, i wish i was traveling in india right now.

CameraCruise said...

Beautiful post!
Have a great weekend.

Kim, USA said...

Awesome sight!

SWF

Chubskulit Rose said...

Absolutely beautiful!

My skywatch. Happy Holidays!

SandyCarlson said...

That's an interesting statue. Thanks for sharing the story.

magiceye said...

bravehearts!!

eileeninmd said...

What a beautiful memorial to the brave warrior. Great photos, have awonderful weekend!

Leovi said...

Beautiful monument to Tanaji Malusare. Greetings.

Wenche said...

Lovely shots :0)

thomas said...

He is indeed a very brave and fierce man from the statue.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Interesting post!

Lowell said...

That's the trouble. Sometimes you win but lose. Not for me. Someone else can fight wars! Nothing ever changes anyway.

Living In Williamsburg Virginia said...

You live in such a beautiful place. Nice shots!
Darryl & Ruth :)

George said...

Thanks for sharing the story of this hero. I also enjoyed your pictures of the memorial.

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating the braveheart.

Rekha said...

This was part of the history/marathi lessons we learnt as students in Mumbai. Don't know how much the syllabus has changed over the years.
reminded me of good ole days.

eden said...

Beautiful photos and thank you for sharing information about him.

Carver said...

Interesting information and good shots of the statue.

Hootin Anni said...

I love this photo share...and learning of the history and your country's culture is a treasure.

SHADOW OF CHRIST is my direct link for Shadow Shot Sunday2.

Gemma Wiseman said...

Fascinating information on the Maratha Empire and the brave warrior! A stunning memorial! Love the colours and design!

Cassie said...

Very cool. What a man Tanaji must have been, to be know as the Lion! Did you learn all this history while in school?? It is always so interesting. Happy SSS!

Arija said...

A brave man indeed and it is nice to see how well remembered he is.

C Suresh said...

Great post! Was this the hero of the apocryphal story where Shivaji's mom is supposed to have asked for the fort as a gift on the morrow?

A Homemaker's Utopia said...

Nice to know about a great person..:-)nice post..:-)

Jayashree Srivatsan said...

That was informative

Bhavana said...

You bring back fond memories of Singahad! Neat photo. Hey can I request something: when you state the place's name, can you also name the state and nearest city/landmark to it. I think it would help your readers:)

Rachna said...

Good information.

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating the brave solider.

Bhavana: I will try to incorporate your suggestions.