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Fort History
This fort is believed to have been constructed by the Shaiva Panth, followers of the Hindu god Shiva, in the 13th century. A Menghai Devi temple, also referred to as the Tornaji temple, is situated near the entrance of the fort.
In 1643, Shivaji captured this fort at the age of sixteen, thus making it one of the first forts in what would become the Maratha empire. Shivaji renamed the fort Prachandagad, and constructed several monuments and towers within it.
In the 1700s, the Mughal empire gained control of this fort after assassination of Shivaji's son Sambhaji. Aurangzeb, then Mughal emperor, renamed this fort Futulgaib (Language unknown: Divine victory), in recognition of the difficult defense the Mughals had to overcome to capture this fort. It was restored to the Maratha confederacy by the Treaty of Purandar.
Location
The fort is about 40 km southwest of Pune in the Sahyadri mountain range. It is the highest fort in Pune district.
Buildings inside the fort
The fort is over a mile in length. Important buildings within the fort include:
Route we took
Pune > Swargate > Khed Shivapur, > Nasarapur/ Baneshwar, >Velhe.
The main path to Torna starts from here. The way to the top is moderate to difficult, with some precautions to be taken in the rainy season. It is a two or three hour climb to the "Bini Darwaaja", the main entrance to the fort.
Difficuty Level - Medium.
Endurance Level - High
This fort is believed to have been constructed by the Shaiva Panth, followers of the Hindu god Shiva, in the 13th century. A Menghai Devi temple, also referred to as the Tornaji temple, is situated near the entrance of the fort.
In 1643, Shivaji captured this fort at the age of sixteen, thus making it one of the first forts in what would become the Maratha empire. Shivaji renamed the fort Prachandagad, and constructed several monuments and towers within it.
In the 1700s, the Mughal empire gained control of this fort after assassination of Shivaji's son Sambhaji. Aurangzeb, then Mughal emperor, renamed this fort Futulgaib (Language unknown: Divine victory), in recognition of the difficult defense the Mughals had to overcome to capture this fort. It was restored to the Maratha confederacy by the Treaty of Purandar.
Location
The fort is about 40 km southwest of Pune in the Sahyadri mountain range. It is the highest fort in Pune district.
Buildings inside the fort
The fort is over a mile in length. Important buildings within the fort include:
- Konkan Darwaja (Marathi: Konkan door)
- Kothi Darwaja
- Bini Darwaja
- Menghai Goddess temple
- Toranjai Goddess temple
- Budhla Machi
- Zunjar Machi
- Sadar
Route we took
Pune > Swargate > Khed Shivapur, > Nasarapur/ Baneshwar, >Velhe.
The main path to Torna starts from here. The way to the top is moderate to difficult, with some precautions to be taken in the rainy season. It is a two or three hour climb to the "Bini Darwaaja", the main entrance to the fort.
Difficuty Level - Medium.
Endurance Level - High
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