Sinhgarh ('lion's fort')
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Sinhgarh ('lion's fort')
Hill fort in the Haveli taluka of Poona District, Bombay, situated in 18° 22' N. and 73 degree 45' E., about 12 miles south-west of Poona city, on one of the highest points of the Sinhgarh- Bhuleshwar range, 4,322 feet above sea-level, and about 2,300 feet above the plain. Population (1901), 1,142. On the north and south Sinhgarh is a huge rugged mountain with a very steep ascent of nearly half a mile. From the slope rises a great wall of black rock more than 40 feet high, crowned by nearly ruined fortifications. The fort is approached by pathways and by two gates. The north-east or Poona gate is at the end of a winding ascent up a steep rocky spur ; the Kalyan or Konkan gate to the south-west stands at the end of a less difificult ascent, guarded by three gateways, all strongly fortified and each commanding the other. The outer fortifications, which consist of a strong stone wall flanked with towers, enclose a nearly triangular space about 2 miles round. The north face of the fort is naturally strong; the south face, which was stormed by the British in 1 818, is the weakest. The triangular plateau within the walls is resorted to as a health-resort by the European residents of Poona in the hot months of April and May, and has several bungalows. The fort was originally known as Kondhana. In 1340 Muhammad bin Tughlak is recorded to have blockaded it. In i486 it fell to the founder of the Ahmad- nagar dynasty on his capture of Shivner. In 1637 Kondhana was given up to Bijapur. In 1647 Sivaji acquired the fort by means of a large bribe to its Muhammadan commandant, and changed its name to Sinhgarh. In 1662, on the approach of a Mughal army under Shaista Khan, Sivaji fled from Supa to Sinhgarh ; and from Sinhgarh he made his celebrated surprise on Shaista Khan's residence in Poona. In 1665 a Mughal force blockaded Sinhgarh, and Sivaji submitted. In 1670 it was retaken Ijy Tanaji Malusre, this capture forming one of the most daring exploits in Maratha. history. Between 1701 and 1703 Aurangzeb besieged Sinhgarh. After three and a half months' siege the fort was bought from the commandant, and its name changed to Bakhshindabaksh, or 'God's gift.' In 1706, as soon as the Mughal troops marched from Poona to Bijapur, Shankraji Narayan Sachiv, chief manager of the country round, retook Sinhgarh and other forts. Sinhgarh remained with the Marathas till the war of 181 8, when it was carried by storm by General Pritzler.
