Some days back, I got frustrated with Pune traffic and felt the sudden urge to take on some rural roads.
I opened google maps, contemplating my destination. I chucked out obvious ones like Mulshi, Sinhagad etc. (though Mulshi - Lonavla section is quite abandoned and a good drive, inspite of bad roads) Being a weekend I knew these places would be full of people who wanted to 'get away from it all'. Suddenly I noticed PURANDAR and I thought,
perfect!
First, some background for those who are not aware.
Purandar fort
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purandar_fort is renowned and dear to all Maharashtrians mainly for two reasons. One is the brave stand (to death) by Murarbaji Deshpande against Diler Khan when Mirzaraje Jaisingh was sent down to Deccan by Aurangzeb. The second is that it is the birth place of Sambhaji Maharaj, who succeeded Shivaji Maharaj to the throne and managed to not only successfully fight off Aurangzeb himself for 8 years but to even expand the Maratha kingdom during that time.
On a related note, those who have heard/read contrary stories about Sambhaji, I personally recommend Sambhaji by Vishwas Patil. It is written in Marathi, though there might be translations available.
Get it
here or here
Definitely worth a read.
After 1818, when the British took over India, Purandar (along with some other forts as well) was actively used by them till 1947. During WWII it even housed captured German POW*. After independence, it was retained by OUR Army and till date it still has an Army base.
*
These POW were the reason for my first visit to Purandar around 20 years back. People of Christian faith who died on the fort were buried on the fort itself. One day, one of my friends who had a German friend was told that the German friend's grandfather was buried on Purandar. Was it close by to Pune? Could my friend manage to get some photos of the grave? These were college days and we were just itching for a reason to bunk class. We bundled into his 4x4 Maruti Gypsy and drove off. Those days, one can actually drive to the fort top, like Sinhagad, though the road was not in a good condition. We did, found the grave yard and managed to locate the grave we were looking for.
With all these refreshed memories, I wondered if the road was still drivable and decided to find out. The route I chose was Pune - Bopdev ghat - Purandar.
Since I was driving alone, I could not take many photos enroute. But I still managed to stop and click some.
Also, photography on the fort is severely restricted. Lots of our jawans on top of the fort with weapons. In fact the are boards put up everywhere, citing this restriction but the jawans are extremely understanding and helpful. Once I explained I wished to photograph only the base area where the statues are and I was not even planning to go on top of the actual fort they let me in. Else one is expected to deposit cameras and even cell phones with cameras at the gate itself. Considering this, please excuse the lack of lots of photos.
Concrete jungle which I was so happy to leave behind
Bopdev ghat
After Bopdeo ghat, the road turned rural (1+1 lane, and even 1 lane in some places) with quite a few villages on the way. Many villagers nowadays sell fresh fruit and vegetables by the road side. I passed them by, but on my way back I did stop for a refreshing glass of fresh sugarcane juice, and was it delicious!
Yum!
A fork and the road was almost non existent. Gravel, stones, dust. No problem for my Terrano. Onward we went.
Suddenly we burst forth onto the Pandharpur road and a few feet away was a board, welcoming us to the fort region. Drive some distance, and we reached the base of the fort.
The mountain road leading to the fort door was in a very good condition. Tarred almost till the top, except patches where repair work is going on. A very enjoyable drive (though I wished it was longer). You can see the road to the left in this photo
At the main gate,you need to register with the Army security, (photo ID required), and you drive in right inside till the actual fort base. Sufficient parking space, proper boards put up all over the place, and of course our jawans always around, alert and helpful.
This is how it looks from the top
Further down, I encountered this church, which I remember being in an abandoned condition all those years back.
I removed my shoes and went inside.
I was glad it was cleaned up, repaired and in use (most probably by the Army) Even though it was built by the British, it is a part of our heritage and history and I was happy it was not left to rot.
Outside the church, there is a cement map of India (you can see my baby there)
I parked my baby, walked some distance and was greeted with this awesome statue of an awesome man!
Signboard detailing out his heroic and epic battle
There was a jawan posted near the statue and I asked if I could photograph him with the statue, explaining I wanted to compose
purane fauji and aajke fauji. Unfortunately he declined for security reasons.
Moving on, Shivaji Maharaj statue
To the right of this statue, there is an ancient building which houses Sambhaji Maharaj's statue
I was glad to see quite a few people on the fort, especially youngsters. Many of them had climbed the fort on foot from the base.
One look at them, another at my belly and I decided to head back to Pune, thinking for the nth time,
"This is it, I am joining a gym from tomorrow" (and we know what happens to that one!)
Overall it is an enjoyable drive. Around 1.5 - 2 hours from Pune one way. Total ~4 hours commuting and add the time you wish to spend on the fort itself.
Visiting our forts is always a big deal for me. I would really recommend this to everyone. Short and sweet. Less crowded. Learn about our history, heritage and bravery as well as recharge your batteries with the fresh air. If nothing else, you will enjoy the drive.