The Picnic Spot Or Trekking place : Shivneri Fort Junnar

Panoramic View Of Shivneri Fort Junnar

Shahaji Chatrapati Shivaji's father worked in the army of the Adil Shah. He was bothered for the security of his wife Jijabai during her pregnancy as there was constant battle occurring. He for this reason shifted his family to Shivneri fort. Shivneri is a highly defendable place, with steep rocks on four sides and a strongly built fortification. The fort is about 85 kms away from north of Pune. 

Shivneri fort -Birthplace | Image Resource : flickr.com

Chhatrapati Shivaji was born at the fort on 19 February 1630, and expended his childhood there.He got his name SHIVBA . There Inside the fort is a tiny temple devoted to the goddess Shivai Devi, after whom Shivaji was named.

View From Fort

Shivneri fort located on a 300 metre high solitary hill. The Shivneri fort is built, has a long back to the Satavahanas.  There remains of rock caves on all the three faces of Shivneri, which show that it was a Buddhist centre during the first three centuries AD.  After the Satavahanas, the Shivneri for was occupied by the Shilaharas, the Yadavas, the Bahamanis and the Mughals.  In 1599 AD the hill fort was granted to Shivaji’s grandfather, Maloji Bhosale and passed down to Shahaji.  Though Shivaji was born here, he had to surrender the fort to the Mughals and could not take it back in his lifetime. 

The fort is triangular in shape . The wide base of the fort is towards the south and the narrow point is towards the north.  The go up path to the fort is guarded by seven gates, the fifth one being armoured with anti-elephant spikes. The name of doors is Hatti Darwaza, Parvangicha Darwaza, Peer Darwaza, Maha Darwaza, Phatak Darwaza, Shipai Darwaza and Kulambkat Darwaza. Maha darwaza is the first gate, and it is the biggest as the name suggests. There are two more doors at the top.

The fort has several rock-stroke reservoir and tanks, of which two large ones are known as Ganga and Jumuna.  Today, there are only a few structures remaining in the fort.  At one end there is a crushed set and at the other end mosque of the Mughal period. The home where Shivaji was born has been newly renewed and a temple with bronze of Shivaji and Jijabai called 'Shiva Kunja', has also been constructed.

The centre of the fort found  a water pond which is called 'Badami Talav'and South side of the  Talav' are the statues of Jijabai and a young Shivaji. In the fort there are two water bucks, called Ganges and Yamuna. From shivneri fort 2 km long very famous holy place located in caves called as Lenyadri caves. It is one of amongst Ashtavinayak temple in Maharastra. It has been declared as a protected monument.

Sir Richard Temple in his book Shivaji and the Rise Marathas’ wrote about Shivneri: “You will see what a rugged precipitous place this is and what a fitting spot it was for a hero to be born in!”