[padikpanther]

Since the arrival of Albatross (4th Jan) wanted to go to Shivneri to pay tributes to the one of the greatest visionaries of Indian history before the 1st servicing and wanted to use this occasion to introduce my kid daughter to hiking. I also wanted to make it as the first out station trip for Albatross but for some or the other reason it was getting postponed or cancelled. Meantime Albatross did visit Ratnagiri, Mumbai (twice)and Koynanagar, but Shivenri still figured on the to do list. Finally, on 23rd June managed to do the trip. Here's a short report about the same.
(Information shared over here - courtesy to Big bro Google and some books)

About Junnar -
Junnar means "Jirna Nagar", one of the oldest cities of ancient India. The Shaka dynasty ruled here. Gautamiputra Satkarni, who was a Satvaahan king, defeated the Shakas to establish his rule. The era of Satvaahan is the most glorious one, as many artistic works were carried out during their rule. Junnar became their capital city. This was the golden era of our culture. Here more than 100 caves were carved out in the mountains surrounding Junnar. The mountain on which fortification was constructed, is well protected by steep scarps, and is the most suitable for constructing caves. Here 64 caves were carved, and eight inscriptions are found here. After the Satavahanas, the Shivneri fort was occupied by the Shilaharas, the Yadavas, the Bahamanis and the Mughals. In 1599 AD the hill fort was granted to Shivaji's grandfather, Maloji Bhosale and passed down to Shahaji. Though Shivaji was born here, he had to surrender the fort to the Mughals and could not take it back in his lifetime. The fort was recaptured by the Marathas under the leadership of Shahu Maharaj who brought it under the control of the Peshwas. Two kilometers away from the fort are the Lenyadri caves which are known for the famous Ashtavinayaka temples of Maharashtra.

About Shivneri -
Shivneri Fort (Located at an elevation of 2260 ft) is one of the most prominent forts of Maratha Empire which is known for its military base. This fort is equally known as the birthplace of Chatrapati Shivaji and is located at a distance of 3 kms from Junnar and roughly 125 kms from Pune.
As the state was facing continuous threat of war, Shahaji the father of Shivaji shifted his family to the Shivneri Fort. Strong walls and sheer rock cliffs on three sides ensured Shivneri was well protected. With the well built strongest boundary walls this fort is considered to be the most secured fort in the Maratha Empire. Shivaji was born on 19th February 1630 and spent his entire childhood in this fort. The fort has a wide base towards the south and a narrow point towards the north. The fort has a small temple which is dedicated to goddess Shivai Devi after whom Shivaji received his name. The fort also includes the statues of Jijabai and young Shivaji which are placed towards the southern part of a small lake called Badami talab. The lake is centrally located inside the fort which receives water from the two streams called Ganga -Jamuna that flow in front of the fort. The fort is surrounded with strong walls and passes through seven large gates to reach the actual fort viz - Maha Darwaja, Ganesh Darwaja, Peer Darwaja, Hatti Darwaja, Mena Darwaja, Kulup Darwaja and Shivai Devi Darwaja. The entrance is protected with strong gates and strong boundary walls which protect the fort from all sides. All the seven gates of the fort are marked by some unique feature. Most exceptional is the fifth gate which is armoured by anti elephant spikes. The top of the building offers magnificent views of the surrounding landscape. Shivneri fort sits in the midst of several forts. To its north stand the forts of Narayangad and Harishchandragad, Hadsar, Chavand, Jeevdhan and Bhairavgad are also close by and this was very important strategically, because it controlled the ancient Nane Ghat Pass.
Five dams – Vadaj, Yedgaon, Pimpalgaon, Manikdoh and Dimbhe – situated around Shivneri are also popular picnic spots.

Now let the photos share the rest -
Pune to Junnar - 93.5 kms, (courtesy Mapmyindia.com)


Starting from my place (off Sinhagad rd, Pune)


Odo reading at the base of Shivneri (just before starting back)


Mahadarwaja



Some structures




View of Wadaj dam



Ganesh Darwaja





A lot of restoration work happening




Peer Darwaja



Newly laid steps making it easier for enthusiasts of all ages


The older route


The choice is yours


View from the steps



Onway to Hatti Darwaja (Elephant Gate)


Hatti Darwaja






to be continued...

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[(Alok)]

Thanks for a Very good travelogue to history.

Originally Posted by padikpanther

About Shivneri -
Shivaji was born on 19th February 1630 and spent his entire childhood in this fort.

The grate Shivaji was born here but the fort does not look well cared by govt?

Originally Posted by padikpanther

Most exceptional is the fifth gate which is armoured by anti elephant spikes.

Yes you have taken very nice pictures of this.

[mayuresh]

Good narration and photographs... But hey, I didn't see your buddy Safari in the photographs (except for the odometer). It's customary to click her on every outing!

Shiveneri is nothing short of pilgrimage, being the birth place of Shivaji...

I have been there. Yes, the fort could be a little better maintained, for the historical importance it has. Also overall traffic on Pune - Nashik route is not particularly smooth. It gets better as you turn towards Junnar.

Please also post about the stay arrangements. We had stayed at the only hotel Junnar had at that time (forgot the name) which was very close to the way to Shivneri. Was just about ok. On 2nd day we shifted to Ozar.

Ozar is one more of the Ashtavinayakas (8 main Ganapatis in Maharashtra), besides Lenyadri which is near Junnar. There are stay arrangements here and they are very good (as of us visiting).

[padikpanther]

continued...

Mena Darwaja


Kulup Darwaja


Clear view of the Wadaj dam from Kulup Darwaja



Top view of Kulup Darwaja


Ambar khana (Graineries and commodities storage)




On the way towards the top






This structure was on the top most point on the fort, with no information available and no guide available, my guess is that this is the place to hoist the flag (and I could be wrong)








View from the top



The first glimpse of the birthplace of Shivaji Maharaj


The statue of Shivaji Maharaj and Jijabai. Still wondering, why is this place under lock and key, people can't even enter the premises, forget the main sanctum




The birth place





The cradel of Hindavi Swaraj


Badami Lake



to be continued...

[mayuresh]

Hope you don't mind a couple of these snaps from my collection.

Shivaji's Adnyapatra (order) asking his men to conserve trees and not to touch any of the trees of the residents for the needs of his naval base (aarmar). The order says it would be a sin to forcibly take people's trees, due to which his aarmar won't succeed and as a king he will be responsible for committing such sin...


Map of Shivneri


I managed to get this by pushing the lens of my camera from the door. Not sure why this is not kept accessible.

[padikpanther]

Originally Posted by mayuresh

Hope you don't mind a couple of these snaps from my collection.

Good addition Mayuresh, very apt snaps, thanks. Why should I mind

[padikpanther]

continued..

Around the birth place





Ganga, Jamuna



Towards Shivai Temple



Around Shivai temple













At last managed to capture one in the camera


Misses - Thanks to big bro Google (places around Junnar), came across this interesting piece of information about Bori.

Bori (10 kms from Narayangaon) is the hot spot of geologists, courtesy the immense concentration of volcanic ash dating back to seven lakh years, which has travelled from Sumatra Islands in Indonesia and rests on the edges of the Kukdi river. This large cluster of ash, two metres thick and spread over 10 kms of the river was discovered by city geologists exactly a decade ago.

After the Shivneri hike, instead of turning right on the Nashik-Pune highway, we took a left turn (towards Nashik) for Bori. Barely 2 kms down the road, we were required to take a right turn for Bori. A narrow dusty road (approx 8-9 kms) lead us to Bori. There are two Bori's (I think - Belha and Khurd), for simplicity sake - one on either side of the river Kukdi. On enquiring for directions towards this particular spot, villagers from both the Bori's happily directed us to the other Bori. After exploring the place for around 30 minutes, with no luck we started back for Pune.

Home sweet home


Total kms to and fro - 241