In Kolhapur we came to know about Panhal Fort about 20 km away & having number of hotels as well. So we made a dash towards the Fort. About a few thousand families are also resident here some of whom offer home-stay as well.
Panhala Fort also known as Panhalgad or Panalla is about 20 km northwest of Kolhapur. It is located in Sahyadri mountain range over a pass connecting coastal areas to interior of Maharashtra. This used to be an important trading route & therefore of strategic interest to all nearby kingdoms of Bidar, Kolhapur, Bijapur etc and later on Mughals & Britishers.
The Fort has a periphery of 14 km, 110 watch towers & is 845 above sea level. It is nearly 400 mtr above the surrounding area. The Fort has many tunnels & secret passages, three large granaries called Amberkhana which could feed 20,000 people for five months. The Fort was built between 1178 to 1209 by King Bhoja II & subsequently fortified by Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in 1489 & onwards.
Shivaji Maharaj took Panhala after death of Afzal Khan of Bijapur in 1659. In May 1660 army of Adil Shah II laid siege to Fort. Provisions were exhausted & sensing capture Shivaji Maharaj gathered a team of trusted soldiers & escaped to Vishalgad in the dead of the night. Baji Prabhu & barber Shiva Kashid a lookalike of Shivaji, kept fighting with a thousand soldiers but lost to Adil Shah II. In 1673 Shivaji Maharaj fought back & took over Panhala permanently.
Presently it is more of a popular 'hill station' because of hight & continuous cool breeze. Cool place for spending weekend. Some photos:
Panhala Fort also known as Panhalgad or Panalla is about 20 km northwest of Kolhapur. It is located in Sahyadri mountain range over a pass connecting coastal areas to interior of Maharashtra. This used to be an important trading route & therefore of strategic interest to all nearby kingdoms of Bidar, Kolhapur, Bijapur etc and later on Mughals & Britishers.
The Fort has a periphery of 14 km, 110 watch towers & is 845 above sea level. It is nearly 400 mtr above the surrounding area. The Fort has many tunnels & secret passages, three large granaries called Amberkhana which could feed 20,000 people for five months. The Fort was built between 1178 to 1209 by King Bhoja II & subsequently fortified by Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in 1489 & onwards.
Shivaji Maharaj took Panhala after death of Afzal Khan of Bijapur in 1659. In May 1660 army of Adil Shah II laid siege to Fort. Provisions were exhausted & sensing capture Shivaji Maharaj gathered a team of trusted soldiers & escaped to Vishalgad in the dead of the night. Baji Prabhu & barber Shiva Kashid a lookalike of Shivaji, kept fighting with a thousand soldiers but lost to Adil Shah II. In 1673 Shivaji Maharaj fought back & took over Panhala permanently.
Presently it is more of a popular 'hill station' because of hight & continuous cool breeze. Cool place for spending weekend. Some photos:
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| Fort has strong ramparts, gateways & fortified walls( tatabandi ) |
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| One of the entrances having peacock motif of Adil Shah Sultani |
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| Every entrance had accommodation for backup security squad |
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| On second floor of Sajja Kothi |
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| Panoramic view from the balcony |
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| Sajja Kothi or Sadr-e-Mahal- white flagpole is now used for hoisting Tricolour |
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| Teen Darwaza |
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| One of the temples inside the Fort complex |
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| There were three granaries Ganga, Yamuna & Saraswati. This one is ground floor of Ganga where rice was kept. It could hold 25000 khandis rice, each khandi being 650 lbs |
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| Ruins of courtesans palace |
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| Another entrance. Stones are large & interlocking. They have been sealed with lead instead of mortar |
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