Sinhagad, The Lion's Fort, is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. It is situated on a hill rising 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. Previously called Kondana has been the site of many important battles, most remembered one is the battle of Sinhagad in 1670. It was also strategically located at the center of a string of other forts such as Rajgad, Purandar and Torna.
One of the most famous battles for Sinhagad was fought to recapture the fort by Tanaji Malusare, a general of Shivaji in March 1670. A steep cliff leading to the fort was scaled with the help of a monitor lizard named yashwanti, colloquially known as a ghorpad. Tanaji lost his life, but his brother Suryaji took over and captured Kondana. Upon hearing of Tanaji's death, Shivaji expressed his remorse with the words: "Gad aala pan sinha gela" - "We gained the fort, but lost the lion". In honor of Tanaji's death, the fort was renamsed as Sinhagad.
Sinhagad today is nothing but a picnic spot for families willing to spend a complete day at the fort and the couples center of attraction .... nothing more.
How to reach:
There is a steep and narrow two lane road from the base of the fort to the top. The local municipal transport service, the PMPML runs buses every hour from Shanivarwada and Swargate to the Sinhagad foothills.The climbing route from either side of the fort can be covered in around an hour, however it gets slippery in the rainy season. Shared taxi services to the base as well as the top of the mountain are also available.
