Shivneri Fort is a great place where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the great king of the Maratha empire, was born. This fort is one of the important historical forts. Shivneri Fort is a 17th century civil fort located near Junnar of Pune district of India.
Junnar means Jarna Nagar is one of the oldest cities of ancient India, where Shakak dynasty ruled. There are more than 100 caves in the mountains surrounding Junnar, only one of them is Shivneri Fort.
The hill that has been built on this hill is protected by a huge gulf and this is the reason that it was the most suitable place to build a fort.
There are 64 caves and eight inscriptions found here. Many rulers ruled Shivneri fort, like Shilaharas, Satavahanas, Bahamaniis, Yadavas and then the Mughal empire.
In 1599, Shahaji Maharaj's grandfather, Maloji Bhosale and then Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's father Shahaji Raja was given a fort.
Birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Shahi Raje was the commander of Adil Shah, the Sultan of Bijapur. Because of the continuous war, Shahaji Raje was worried about the security of his wife Jijabai, who was pregnant at the time. So they thought that Shivneri Fort would be the best place for them.
It was the perfect place with a protected and firmly constructed fortress, before entering the fort, seven doors have to be crossed. The wall of the fort was very high to protect the fort from the enemy.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on February 19, 1630 in the fort and spent his childhood here.
In this fort, he learned the strategies needed to build the qualities of the great king and the empire. He was impressed by his mother Jijabai's teachings. Shivneri has become a holy place with the presence of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had to leave this fort and he went to the hands of the Mughals in 1637.
You can see the statue of young Shivaji and his mother Jijabai south of Badami Lake. It has a water tank in the center of the fort, and the fort has two water fountains, it is called the Ganga Jamuna and the water of the waterfalls is potable.
How to reach Shivneri Fort ?
Pune is a prominent place, from where Shivneri can reach the fort.
By Road: The distance between Pune city and Shivneri is about 95 km. ST and private services run regularly between different major cities of India such as Pune and Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolhapur and Goa. One can just go through the path of Junnar. Any taxi, or other rental vehicles, can be taken from Pune to Fort
By railway route: Pune railway station is the closest station near Shivneri. Pune is well connected to trains in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and many other cities. You can catch a bus or taxi from the station to reach the fort
By Air: Pune-Lohegaon Airport is the nearest airport to reach Shivneri Fort.
Wonderful attractions in Shivneri
A number of valuable places are being seen in Shivneri, there are 7 gateways in the Shivneri, Maha Darwaza, Pir door, gate door, Hatti door, Paraganka door, Kulbakht door and Shipi Darwaza.
- Birthplace: Home of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born recently has been restored.
- Statues: There are sculptures of Jijabai and Little Shivaji on the south end of the fort.
- Shiva Temple: In the fort, the temple of Shri Shivai Devi was named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj after the name of Shiva Devi.
- Badami Lake (lake): A lake named Badami Lake is situated on the north side of the fort.
- Ancient Caves: The fort also has some underground Buddhist caves.
- Water reservoirs: There are several rock-cut water tanks in the fort. Ganga and Yamuna are big water tanks among them.
- Mughal Mosque: A mosque of the Mughal period is also present on the fort.
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