Purandar fort: Purandar fort (also called Purandhar fort) figures repeatedly in the rising of Shivaji against the

Bijapur kingdom and the Mughals. Purandhar fort stands 4,4 ! ft. a"ove the sea (#,$% m) in the &estern 'hats, !( miles southeast of Pune. )t actually consists of t*o forts + Purandar and ,ajragad (or -udramal). .he latter is the smaller of the t*o and is on the eastern side of the main fort. .he village Purandar takes its name from this fort. Purandar fort is also kno*n for "irthplace of Sam"haji raje Bhosle (son of /hhatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosale and second /hhatrapti) History: .he earliest kno*n mention of Purandar is in the 0adava era (##th century). .he #(((yr old 1arayanesh*ar temple of 2emadpanthi architecture "uilt "y the 0adavas still e3ists in 1arayanpur, the "ase village of Purandar. 4fter the defeat of the 0adavas "y Persian invaders, the territory fell in to the hands of these invaders *ho further fortified Purandar in #$5(. 6uring the early rule of the Bijapur and 4hmednagar kings, Purandar *as among the forts directly under 'overnment, and never entrusted to jagirdars (estate+holders). Sometime under the Bedar kings (#$4 +#47() the fort *as "esieged several times. .o prevent Purandar fort from falling, a man and a *oman *ere "uried alive under one of the fort "astions to appease its patron deity. .he king of Berar then ordered his minister a 8saji 1aik /hive to "ury a first "orn son and his *ife into the foundation of the "astion. .his *as promptly done and after a further offering of gold and "ricks. &hen the "astion *as finished 8saji 1aik *as given possession of the fort and the father of the sacrificed "oy *as re*arded *ith t*o villages. Structures within the fort: .he fort has t*o distinct levels. .he lo*er part is called the machi. 1orth of the machi is a flat area *here the cantonment and hospital *as housed. .here are many temples dedicated to Purandaresh*ar (the fort9s patron god, from *hich it also takes its name) and Sa*ai Madhavrao Pesh*a here. .here is a statue of Murar"aji 6eshpande, the fort+ commander (killedar) *ho gave his life to protect the fort from the Mughals. .he northern part of the machi has a lo* fall *ith several "astions and an imposing gate *ith t*o to*ers. :rom the lo*er level a staircase leads to the upper level or Ballekilla. .he first structure of the Ballekilla that comes into vie* is the 6illi 6ar*a;a. .his area also houses an ancient <edaresh*ar (Shiva) temple. .he higher level called Ballekilla is surrounded "y steep drop on three sides. Current use: Purandhar fort has a 1ational /adet /orps 4cademy. )t is a favorite destination for paragliders and trekkers.

Vijaydurg Fort: ,ijaydurg, the oldest fort on the Sindhudurg coast, *as constructed during the regime of -aja Bhoja )) of the Shilahar dynasty (construction period ##7$+#!(5). .he fort *as earlier kno*n as ='heria=, as it is situated close to the village of ='irye=. Shivaji captured this fort from 4dil Shah of Bijapur in #>5$ and renamed it as =,ijay 6urg= as the then 2indu solar year9s name *as =,ijay= (,ictory). 8arlier, the fort encompassed an area of 5 and *as surrounded "y sea on all four sides. ?ver the years the eastern trench *as reclaimed and a road constructed thereon. Presently the area of fort is a"out # acres and is surrounded "y the 4ra"ian Sea on three sides. Shivaji e3tended the area of the fort "y constructing three *alls on the eastern side, each $> metres high. 2e also constructed !( "astions. 4ccording to legend, this is one of only t*o Maratha forts *here Shivaji personally hoisted the saffron flag. .he other fort is =.orana=. ,ijaydurg :ort *as called the =8astern 'i"raltar=, as it *as virtually impregna"le. )ts locational advantages include the 4( km long &aghotan@<harepatan creek. Aarge vessels cannot enter the shallo* *ater of this creek. 4lso, Maratha *arships could "e anchored in this creek and yet remain invisi"le from the sea. )t is a protected monument. Location: Aocated in 6evgad .aluka, ,ijaydurg and its surroundings are famous all over the *orld for the delicious 4lphonso mangoes. 6uring the gro*ing season, the smell of mango "lossom hangs heavy in the air. Mango plantations are every*hereB along *ith fishing and farming, mango cultivation is a primary occupation of the people in 6evgad. Features of Architectural Interest: #) 4ccording to unconfirmed reports, there is a !((m long, undersea@underland tunnel from the fort to the palatial 6hulap house in the villageCcitation neededD. Supposedly, the roof of the tunnel has "een pinched to protect it from landslides and it is also *ell ventilated. 1o* the tunnel is partially "locked. )f the presence of the tunnel can "e confirmed, and the tunnel cleared, it could serve as a tourist attraction of historical and architectural interest. !) -ecent oceanographic evidence supports the e3istence of an undersea *all, constructed out at sea at a depth of %E#( m depth undersea. Made of laterite, the *all is estimated to "e #!! mtrs long, $ mtrs high F mtrs "road. 4ttacking ships often met a *atery grave after colliding against this *all.&hen the Siddi of Ganjira *as going to attack ,ijaydurg, he got a message from Portuguese telling him that .hey had lost ! of their ships *hile they *ere nearing the fort.