- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1656 · 17th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Commissioned by
- Shivaji
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 17.9362°, 73.5776°
History
The fort was built in 1656 on the orders of Shivaji, future founder of the Maratha state, under the supervision of his minister Moropant Pingle, to guard the passes leading from the Deccan plateau down to the Konkan coast. On 10 November 1659 Shivaji met Afzal Khan, general of the Bijapur Sultanate, at the foot of the fort, and the meeting ended with the general's death. The Marathas then crushed his army in the surrounding forests, winning Shivaji fame and rich spoils. The fort stayed in Maratha hands until 1818, when the British took it over. In 2025 it was inscribed on the UNESCO list as part of the Maratha Military Landscapes.
What to see
The fort is split into a lower part with a temple of the goddess Bhavani founded by Shivaji, and an upper citadel with the Kedareshwar temple. Bastioned walls follow the cliff edges at around 1,000 metres, with views on clear days over the forested ridges of the Ghats. At the top stands an equestrian statue of Shivaji unveiled by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957, and at the foot lies Afzal Khan's tomb.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q3582929
Popularity: articles about this site in 12 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).