Purandar Fort

Historical records mention that Purandar belongs to the 11th century Yadava Dynasty. The Persians defeated the Yadavas and conquered the area and, in 1350, they built the Purandar Fort. It was ruled by the government during the reign of the Ahmednagar and Bijapur Kings. When it was overtaken by the Berar Sultanate, the fort was attacked a number of times. To protect the fort, a man and a woman were buried alive to please the Kul devata (the patron deity). At the place where they were buried, a fort bastion was erected. Then gold bricks were also offered and after the bastion was completely built, Yesaji Naik took possession of the fort. They also rewarded the father of the sacrificed man with two villages.

In the late 16th century, Maloji Bhosale controlled the areas of Supa and Pune which included the Purandar Fort too. About half a century later, in 1646, Maloji’s grandson, Shivaji Bhosale raided the fort and acquired it at a very early age. Thus, the Purandar Fort is considered as one of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s first wins. Later, Aurangzeb conquered the fort in 1665. Aurangzeb teamed up with Mirza Raje Jai Singh, who also commanded the attack, and Diler Khan. The keeper of the fort (killedar), Murarbaji Deshpande, put up a strong fight to save the fort till his last breath. In order to save the heritage of his forefathers, Shivaji Maharaj then signed the First Treaty of Purandar with Aurangzeb. Under this deal, Shivaji had to hand over twenty-three of his forts including Purandar Fort.

Further on, Shivaji Maharaj, re-conquered Purandar fort, five years later, in 1670. When the Peshwe ruled Pune, the fort protected the city from several attacks. The Second Treaty of Purandar was signed in 1776 between the Marathas and the British but it was never followed as it was soon overruled by the Treaty of Salbai. This treaty was signed between Raghunathrao and the Bombay Government in 1782, by the end of the first Anglo-Maratha War. Subsequently in 1790, Kuriji Naik, a Koli chief captured the fort and in 1818, it came under General Pritzler. During this time, the fort was used as a prison. The attraction also served as an intermittent camp during World War II.