Panhalgad

Panhala
Type: Hill Fort

Region: Kolhapur

Height: 3100 ft

Base Village: Panhala

Food and Accomodation :

There are many hotels in situated at panhala village. Water is available throughout the year. As regards accommodation, being a hill station Panhala offers many hotels to stay including MTDC Resort.

How to Reach :
One can reach Kolhapur by Bus/Rail, from kolhapur direct buses to Panhala (18 kms) are available.

Best time to visit : Any time during the year

ABOUT:
Panhala fort was built between 1178 and 1209 CE, one of 15 forts (others including Bavda, Bhudargad, Satara, and Vishalgad) built by the Shilahara ruler Bhoja II. A copper plate found in Satara shows that Raja Bhoja held court at Panhala from 1191–1192 CE. About 1209–10, Bhoja Raja was defeated by Singhana (1209–1247), the most powerful of the Devgiri Yadavas, and the fort subsequently passed into the hands of the Yadavas. Apparently it was not well looked after and it passed through several local chiefs. In 1376 inscriptions record the settlement of Nabhapur to the south-east of the fort.

It was an outpost of the Bahamanis of Bidar. Mahmud Gawan, an influential prime minister, encamped here during the rainy season of 1469. On the establishment of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in 1489, Panhala came under Bijapur and was fortified extensively. They built the strong ramparts and gateways of the fort which, according to tradition, took a hundred years to build.

In 1659, after the death the Bijapur general Afzal Khan, in the ensuing confusion Shivaji Maharaj took Panhala from Bijapur. In May 1660, to win back the fort from Shivaji Maharaj, Adil Shah II (Ali Adilshah) of Bijapur sent his army under the command of Siddi Jauhar to lay siege to Panhala. Shivaji Maharaj fought back and they could not take the fort. The siege continued for 4 months, at the end of which all provisions in the fort were exhausted and Shivaji Maharaj was on the verge of being captured.

Under these circumstances, Shivaji Maharaj decided that escape was the only option. He gathered a small number of soldiers along with his trusted commander Baji Prabhu Deshpande and, on 13 July 1660, they escaped in the dead of night to flee to Vishalgad. Baji Prabhu and a barber, Shiva Kashid, who looked like Shivaji Maharaj, kept the enemy engaged, giving them an impression that Shiva Kashid was actually Shivaji Maharaj. In the ensuing battle, almost three quarters of the one thousand strong force died, including Baji Prabhu himself. The fort went to Adil Shah. It was not until 1673 that Shivaji Maharaj could occupy it permanently.

Sambhaji, Shivaji Maharaj's son and successor to the throne, fell out of favor with his father. Shivaji Maharaj imprisoned Sambhaji in Panhala fort. He escaped from here along with his wife on 13 December 1678 and attacked Bhupalgad. He returned to Panhala, however, on 4 December 1679 to reconcile with his father just before his father's death on 4 April, 1680. At the height of Shivaji Maharaj's power in 1678, Panhala housed 15,000 horses and 20,000 soldiers.

Places of Interest:

The fort covers a vast area having huge boundary walls of over 7 km in length and a steep slope beneath. Three magnificent double-walled gates protect the entrance of the fort. There is a large amberkhana (granary) inside the fort, which has the capacity of containing 25,000 khandis of grains.Sajja Kothi - where Sambhaji was imprisoned, Ambabaji Temple - where Shivaji used to seek blessings before venturing on expeditions, Pavankhind - where Baji Prabhu laid down his life to cover Shivaji's escape, Someshwar Temple are also worth to visit. This place is an ideal for trekking as well.