Story behind the name "sinhagad"

Before named as "Sinhagad" this Fort was known as" Kondhana Fort", when it was first constructed in the 14th century. While the fort had been of great strategic importance right form the date it was built, it is now best known in Indian history as well as folk lore, for the “Battle of Sinhagad”.

Located high on Sahyadri mountain range, Sinhagad Fort is on the outskirts of the present day city of Pune.

King Shivaji (Shivaji Bhonsale, born April, 1627) was the founder of the great Maratha Empire.He formed an army of the greatest guerilla fighters of his days.

Shivaji's stratergies were admired by,from his enimies to researchers till this date. Shivaji formed an empire by winning over territory from his enemies, who always outnumbered his forces by at least five to one!!!

Fort Kondhana was in “enemy” hands in 1670, and Shivaji’s mother, Jijabai, invited, and then defeated Shivaji in a game of chess, and asked for the fort as “the bet”. She did this, realizing the importance of control of this fort, in his son’s larger game plan.

Shivaji contacted his trusted lieutenant, Tanaji Malusare (Tanaji) for meeting his mother’s demand. Tanaji left his son’s marriage ceremony in March, 1670, and stormed Kandhana with a force of 300 Malwas (local Maratha soldiers), who were pitted against more than 1500 Rajput soldiers, who were led by Raja Udai Bhan, and owed allegiance to Mirza Raja Jai Singh. The audacious attack on the seemingly impregnable fort took place on a moonless night, and Tanaji chose to storm the fort from the side which was most difficult to approach, and hence, least guarded.

The side which Tanaji chose to attack the fort from, presented a sheer rock face of more than 150 metres high, and Tanaji used the services of a pet giant monitor lizard, to haul him along, to climb this sheer cliff, and then drop rope ladders to bring his forces up into the fort.

Tanaji’s forces overcame the stiff resistance presented by the inmates of the fort (leaders of whom were reportedly enjoying a gala party, at the time when Tanaji was climbing the cliffs with help from the pet monitor lizard, called Jashyawanti) at great cost. Tanaji lost his life in the process, but Kondhana was under the control of Shivaji once more. On receipt of information about the fort falling to his forces, and the loss of one of his greatest lieutenant, Shivaji lamented “Gad aala, pan singh gelaa”, meaning, “We have got the fort, but lost the lion”. Since that day, the fort came to be known as Sinhagad (The Lion’s Fort).