01Murarbaji’s stand
Purandar and its neighbour Vajragad stand on one ridge at about 1,350 metres. In 1648 the young Shivaji’s men beat off an Adil Shahi army under Fateh Khan here, his first open battle. His eldest son Sambhaji was born in the fort on 14 May 1657. In 1665 Aurangzeb sent Mirza Raja Jai Singh and Diler Khan with a great army; Vajragad fell first, and Diler Khan’s men pressed on Purandar itself. The killedar Murarbaji Deshpande came out with a few hundred Mavalas and fought until he was cut down. The fort still did not fall, but with his country burning Shivaji went to Jai Singh’s camp to treat.
02Two treaties
By the Treaty of Purandar, signed on 11 June 1665, Shivaji gave up twenty-three forts and agreed to go to Agra; there he was held, and from there he escaped in August 1666. In 1670 his men took Purandar back. A century later the fort gave its name to a second treaty, signed on 1 March 1776 between the Peshwa’s government under Nana Phadnavis and the British in Calcutta, which ended the first round of the Anglo-Maratha war. The British took the fort in 1818. Inside the walls are a Purandareshwar Mahadev temple and a statue of Murarbaji.
The life of this place
- 1648Shivaji’s men defeat the Adil Shahi army of Fateh Khan at Purandar.
- 14 May 1657Sambhaji is born in the fort.
- 1665Jai Singh and Diler Khan besiege Purandar; Murarbaji Deshpande dies defending it.
- 11 June 1665Treaty of Purandar: Shivaji cedes twenty-three forts to the Mughals.
- 1670The Marathas retake Purandar.
- 1 March 1776Second Treaty of Purandar between the Peshwa’s government and the British.
- 1818The British take the fort in the last Anglo-Maratha war.
About 40 km from Pune by Saswad. Part of the fort is under army control; carry an ID and check the entry hours before you go.
