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We were standing on the ramparts of the Pratapgarh fort, the citadel of Maratha glory, the impregnable fort of the gallant king Chhatrapati Shivaji, who defying the might of the all-powerful Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb continued to rule the Sahyadri region in the western part of India for decades. Stories galore about this famous fort. The guides also do a great job of fusing facts with fiction in bringing alive the stories of those bygone eras. On my part, even without the stories, I was awestruck with the engineering feat that this fort presented built atop a cliff commanding panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. No surprise that nobody could ever conquer it during Shivaji’s reign.
There is a fascinating story about this fort. This fort used to be part of the territory ruled by the king of Bijapur. When Shivaji gained control of this fort, the ruler of Bijapur afraid of the growing might of the then little-known Maratha leader wanted to regain control. He tried several means, but this fort was inconquerable just by force because of its strategic positioning. He tried luring Shivaji out of the fort walls, but it was not to be. Clever as he
was, Shivaji knew direct confrontation is not his strength. Then Afzal Khan, a capable general in the army of Bijapur, was entrusted the task of recapturing the fort from Shivaji. The story goes that Afzal Khan with his army camped in the valley. But he was unable to achieve his end. Finally, Shivaji called for a meeting where he would meet Afzal Khan alone outside his fort. Afzal Khan, a giant of a man according to the legends, planned to kill Shivaji during the meeting. But Shivaji’s planning was immaculate as he came prepared with a full-body armor under his royal robes. In the meeting that ensued, Shivaji killed Afzal Khan. This story is a stuff of the legend. As a kid, I have read this story in so many places as a remarkable example of Shivaji’s cunning. All of Afzal Khan’s forces were either killed or driven back by the Maratha troops. The most interesting part was that Shivaji built Afzal Khan’s tomb right were he fell. This tomb is still there, and the first thing the guide will show you.
This fort is not short of interesting stories. Shivaji wanted to ensure loyalty among his followers, and
had to maintain a strict law regarding traitors. The punishment for a traitor was as harsh as one can imagine. He would be thrown from the rampart of the fort. It seems even the thought of it ensured that nobody ever needed to be thrown from there; or may be they were truly loyal. But there was one person who still betrayed Shivaji. It was one from his kins, and when it came to a ruling Shivaji could not order him to be thrown to his death. But justice had to be meted out. Shivaji ordered his right hand and the left leg to be chopped off. When it came to this point, the guide paused in his long speech. He said, “Can you guess why did Shivaji Maharaj order such a punishment”. Without waiting for us to reply, he continued, “this is another example of Shivaji Maharaja’s prowess of thinking - the right hand is used to wield the sword, and the left leg is used to mount a horse; what will a warrior’s life be without both”.
There were several other noteworthy places inside the fort. Like any other fort there are temples inside. With our limited
time I preferred to wander around the fort instead of wading through the crowd to the temples. Actually this fort is quite unique because a full city still survives in there. Probably, that is one of the reasons that this fort is one of the best maintained forts in all of Maharashtra. That’s what I was told. I have been lucky enough to visit only one other fort in Maharastra, though I definitely intend to visit others as soon as I get a chance.
The siteseeing of the fort was over, and we still had time to explore on our own. We all wished to walk along the high walls of the fort which runs for three and a half kilometers giving marvelous views of the entire surrounding. A beautiful sight which caught my attention at this point was the shadow of the moving clouds. The patches of cloud would cast its shadow on the adjoining valley and as the cloud floated the shadow was moving along with it. I have never been to Ujjain, or can never imagine what prompted the great poet Kalidasa to write his famous poetry “Meghadutam” (the cloud messenger), but the sight of these
clouds evoked the feeling that such a sight could well be it. I watched the cloud movement and its shadows as long as time permitted.
I have heard so much of the grandeur of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri region) during the monsoons. A look around this place does tell you that it must be presenting such a magnificient sight during the monsoons when the green all around the fort will come alive in all its lushness. In the backdrop of the lush green, this fort will look even more gorgeous. I would surely be back for more very soon.
I had the good fortune to visit another fort of Shivaji near Pune. It is called the Sinhagad fort, about one hour drive from Pune, but given the road conditions it takes longer. I was told that during the monsoons the cars are not allowed all the way to the gates of the fort, and the enthusiastic tourist must trek all the way up to the fort. By the way, this trek is used by the trainees of the adjoining National Defense Academy to train as well as punish its cadets. The number of times a cadet has done
this trek to Sinhagad is however a matter of glory. The fort oversees a large lake, which is formed by a dam. I tried my best to remember the name of lake, but despite my best effort it slipped my memory because of its complex Marathi name.
We had barely half an hour to rush through whatever we could catch. The only story that the driver of our cab fed us during the drive to the fort has lingered in my memory. This fort was a stronghold of the Mughals, and the Marathas desperately wanted to capture it. But Shivaji’s forces could not match the regiment of the Mughals posted at this fort in numbers. They needed a way to surprise the enemy to capture this fort. Tanaji, a commander in Shivaji’s army, who also happened to be Shivaji’s uncle, climbed the fort from the steepest side, and also the least guarded side, in the cover of night and launced a surprise attack on the Mughal garrison in the fort. The size of the forces was unmatched, but with the element of surprise on their side, the Marathas overwhelmed the superior Mughal forces. In the battle that ensued however,
Tanaji was killed. His bust is still there inside the fort, with the famous words from Shivaji for his beloved general -- “We won the fort, but lost the lion”.
Hurried trips to these forts, that too in the wrong season, has only abetted my desire to be back to this part of India soon. I am itching to be back to these forts in the monsoons when I will be able to enjoy these mighty structures in all its beauty.
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Dipti
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With Shivaji getting released this friday..this is a post right on time. And a great post indeed. I liked those stories: took me back at those Sadashiv-Shivaji stories at 4th part of Sharadindu Omnibas. The pics were also great...next time I'll be with you.