Thursday, February 2, 2012

Sinhagad, the Lion Fort

Sinhagad is an important fortress located at a distance of 30 kms from Pune. The fort is perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains. It is on a steep hill that rises to a height of 1312 meters above sea level. This fort was earlier known by the name Kondana Fort.

Because of the natural protection provided by the steep hill, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places. It was known to be one of the toughest fort that could be captured by anybody in a battle.


One of the most famous battle associated with this fort is the one fought by Tanaji, a general of Shivaji in 1670. Tanaji and his men scaled a steep cliff leading to the fort with the help of a monitor lizard. At the top, a fierce battle took place and Tanaji lost his life, but won the fort.
After hearing about his death, Shivaji said "Won the Fort, lost the Lion". In honor of Tanaji the fort was renamed as "Sinhagad" meaning "The Lion Fort".

In the above image one can not see the height at which fort is located as the view is obstructed by other hills. The steps to the fort seen in the second are the new additions.

54 comments:

Teamgsquare said...

Wow , nice fort ..

Cloudia said...

a Wonder!



Warm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral

> < } } ( ° >

><}}(°>

Urmi said...

Wonderful. Absolutely amazing.

Aakash Kokz said...

Wonderful pics, Rajesh ... Love this place.

Viyoma said...

Wah!! You reminded me of my 4th Standard History- Shivaji Lesssons.

joo said...

Fabulous views!

Ash said...

Very nice! The fort looks rather interesting!

Lowell said...

While it seems no place is impregnable, this must be close. Wow! It's quite beautiful, though!

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I see your point Rajesh, this was a very smart place to build a fort way back then. I think these days it would be a fantastic place to visit and a great trek up to the top for the view!

LadyFi said...

What a magnificent place!

radha said...

Interesting story!

Kim, USA said...

Good thing they allow these two towers to be built in there. Great view!

SWF

Carver said...

I like the natural beauty and rugged look of the fort and terrain. Interesting information about the history.

Sylvia K said...

A great place for a fort!! What terrific captures for the day, Rajesh, and another fascinating piece of Indian history! And such lovely, blue skies!

Sylvia

Steffi said...

I love to see your India travel photos every week!Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Great shots, Rajesh!

EG CameraGirl said...

The views from the fort must be spectacular!

Al said...

An imposing place, and great shots of it.

Unknown said...

Great tour and story!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Chubskulit Rose said...

Captured so beautifully! Have a great weekend.

My Sky watch

Regina said...

Beautiful captures and history.

Happy weekend.

thomas said...

Wow! A solid fort with a breathtaking view.

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Very interesting post.

Regards and best wishes

Leovi said...

I like the way the framing beautiful castle, beautiful view. Greetings.

alicesg said...

Good battle strategies, very well hidden fort. Thanks for sharing these rich history with us.

CameraCruise said...

Beautiful shots and interesting story!
Thanks for sharing.
Have a great weekend :O)
Mette

Anna said...

Great captures Rajesh!
The second photo likes a stairway to heaven...
Greetings from Holland,
Anna :-))

eden said...

Beautiful photos.I love to visit the place.

Maude Lynn said...

Nice shots!

Pietro Brosio said...

Wonderful views, Rajesh.
Happy weekend!

Annemor said...

Thank you for learning me more. And show me how it lokks through your lenses.
Have a nice weekend,

George said...

This is a very imposing fort. It's hard to believe how other forces could get up that cliff and then fight a battle.

sm said...

nice pics
yes it was great battle

Kelly said...

This looks like it would be an interesting place to explore.

Ralph said...

A very impressive mount has perched on top an even tougher fort. It is quite easy to see how such a fort could ever be captured. The stout walls on the mount shows the advantage of holding and maintaining the high ground...

Doru said...

Amazing places and photos!
Thank you!

My Unfinished Life said...

wonderful!!

maybe when i visit pune..i can visit this place too!!

http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.com/

Hootin Anni said...

Wow....what a great post!! I love historical spots like this around the world. Your images are super.

My Sunday Shadows Link: MISTY MORNING

I do hope to see you stop by for a visit if you can find time. Have a great Sunday.

gengen said...

Just a great shots...Visiting form skywatch...

Antonella said...

Wow! Great photos and story about the fort!
Hugs, antonella :-)
I've linked up this week and have a free printable too!

Gemma Wiseman said...

Such a steep hill with shadowy crevices highlighting how steep and rugged it is! Intriguing post!

Cassie said...

The terrain is so steep I wonder how they built this fort!! I remember a post you did previously about Tanaji the Lion where there was a bust of the hero in an arcade. He sounds like he was a very interesting man. Happy SSS.

genie said...

What an amazing structure. I cannot imagine any group trying to overtake it considering where it is located. Seems like the ones up top would definitely wipe out the ones coming up the hill. Nice captures. genie

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating this magnificent hill fort.

Jeevan said...

Amazing and very interesting Rajesh!

Sappy said...

Very nice place.

Costin Comba said...

Beautiful photos. Thanks you for share with us. Have a nice week. Greetings from Romania.

Indrani said...

Great captures.

Jayashree Srivatsan said...

I have heard that story somewhere...Nice share!

rupam sarma said...

Beautiful post and pics.

Unknown said...

you refreshed my memories, I have been here 3 times.

Mohit Udhwani said...

Nice pics. Liked the post

indu chhibber said...

a place worth visiting-this fort is completely merging with the surroundings in terms of color & texture.

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating gigantic fort.