Purandar is a hill fort 40 km to south east of Pune and around 10km south west of Saswad.
It is one of the most important forts from the Maratha Period and hence of historical important. In a fierce battle that ensued after Mirzaraje Jaisingh and Diler Khan (Generals of Aurangzeb, Mughal Emperor) sieged the fort, Murar Baji Prabhu lost his life while defending the fort. Just after this incident, Shivaji Maharah signed treaty with Mughals and released 23 forts to them.
Structure
Purandar is perched on top of a mountain mass at height of 1398 metres from sea level. From the lower base, the fort stands towering at height of 700 metres.
The Fort has two main parts: Purandar - the main fort and Vajragad - the auxiliary fort to the east of Purandar, also known by the name Rudramal in ancient times. Pundar fort has a terrace called ''Machi'' where there are a few residential-like structures apart from the temple of Purandareshwar from which the fort gets its name. The winding road takes one to the hillock perched on top of ''Machi''. This part is called Balekilla.
History
The history of the Purandar fort goes back to the 13th century. The Bahamani Sultans in the 14th century built here some walls and bastions. From 1484 AD, for about a hundred years, the fort remained in the hands of the Nizamshahi rulers. In 1596 AD, the fort was given as Jagir to Maloji Bhosale, grandfather of Shivaji. However, Shivaji had to struggle very hard to establish his control over the fort in 1646 AD. In 1665 AD, Purandar was besieged by the mighty Mughal forces under the command of Jai Singh and Dilir Khan. In the ensuing battle Murar Baji Prabhu, the gallant commander of the fort, was killed. Shivaji, under a treaty, had to surrender to the Mughals his 23 forts, including Purandar and Vajragarh. At the lower fort a statue of Murar Baji Prabhu has been installed in his memory.
Purandar was recaptured by Shivaji in 1670 AD Later it became a favourite retreat of the Peshwas. Purandar was captured by the British in 1818 AD. During the Second World War, the British kept here the German war prisoners. Dr. H. Goetz, one of the German prisoners, thoroughly studied Purandar and wrote a monograph on it. After Independence there also functioned a National Cadet Crops (N.C.C.) Training unit at the top.
Getting in
The best and fastest way to get to the fort is to reach the base village - Narayanpur at the foothills of Purandar Fort, either via S.T. Buses or private vehicle. In case of latter, one can also proceed to the ''machi' by road, which is in horrible condition as of Mar-09.
Reaching the ''Balekilla'' is an easy scramble of 30 minutes by the winding road that starts from behind Purandareshwar Temple.
See
Kedareshwar Temple
Purandareshwar Temple
Statue of Murarbaji
Padamvati Tank
Bini / Kalyan / Dilli Darwaja
Shivaji Bust