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.
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39 comments:

  1. Teamgsquare06:32

    Nice to know bout him.

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  2. Al08:06

    Nice shots and interesting history.

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  3. Cloudia11:05

    such texture has India!


    Aloha from Honolulu
    Comfort Spiral

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  4. Pietro Brosio13:33

    Wonderful pictures of the interesting statue, Rajesh.

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  5. Travel France Online14:22

    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!

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  6. Ramakrishnan15:43

    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.

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  7. Zuzana17:56

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

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  8. sachin20:52

    REALLY INCREDIABLE

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  9. Anonymous23:34

    A lovely tribute.

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  10. Sylvia K01:57

    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

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  11. Steffi01:59

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

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  12. Anonymous02:38

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

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  13. CameraCruise05:54

    Beautiful post!
    Have a great weekend.

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  14. Kim, USA07:18

    Awesome sight!

    SWF

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  15. Chubskulit Rose07:43

    Absolutely beautiful!

    My skywatch. Happy Holidays!

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  16. SandyCarlson08:28

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

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  17. magiceye13:24

    bravehearts!!

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  18. eileeninmd14:43

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

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  19. Leovi14:52

    Beautiful monument to Tanaji Malusare. Greetings.

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  20. Wenche15:46

    Lovely shots :0)

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  21. thomas18:09

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

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  22. Rakesh Vanamali18:54

    Interesting post!

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  23. Lowell19:24

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

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  24. Living In Williamsburg Virginia20:09

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

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  25. George22:16

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

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  26. Rajesh08:59

    Thank you all for appreciating the braveheart.

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  27. Rekha10:29

    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.

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  28. eden18:07

    Beautiful photos and thank you for sharing information about him.

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  29. Carver22:24

    Interesting information and good shots of the statue.

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  30. Hootin Anni23:54

    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.

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  31. Gemma Wiseman02:18

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

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  32. Cassie11:15

    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!

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  33. Arija03:43

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

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  34. C Suresh22:35

    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?

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  35. A Homemaker's Utopia11:15

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

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  36. Jayashree Srivatsan11:41

    That was informative

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  37. Bhavana16:13

    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:)

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  38. Rachna09:32

    Good information.

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  39. Rajesh06:20

    Thank you all for appreciating the brave solider.

    Bhavana: I will try to incorporate your suggestions.

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