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Panhala or Panhalgarh, about 19kms north-west of Kolhapur, is
possibly the largest and most important fort of the Deccan. Roughly
triangular in shape, the hill fort stands at a height of about 850
metres and has a circumference of approximately 7.25kms. Half of its
length is protected by a natural scarp reinforced by a parapet wall and
the remaining half is surrounded by a strong stone wall strengthened
with bastions. The fort had three magnificent double walled gates, out
of which two have survived. The Teen Darwaza to the west is an
imposing and powerful structure. There are a number of ruined monuments
in the fort. The most impressive among them are the three huge
granaries. The largest among them, the Ganga Kothi, cover nearly 950 sq
m space and 10.7 metres high. In the north-east corner there is a
double story building, called Sajja Kothi, where Shivaji had imprisoned
his errant son, Sambhaji. Panhala was the capital of the Shilahara
king Bhoja II during 1178-1209 Ad. It was successively held by the
Yadava and Bahamani Kings. In 1489 AD, the fort and the territory was
taken over by the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur. Shivaji seized the
fort in 1659 AD. It was from here that Shivaji, when encircled by the
forces of Siddi Johar, escaped one rainy night to Vishalgarh. Later,
the fort remained with the Marathas, except for a short period in
between, when it went to the Mughals. The fort remained with the
Kolhapur State till India achieved independence.
The famous Marathi
poet Moropanta (1729-94Ad) was bron and brought up at Panhala. There is
also the Samadhi of Ramachandra Amatya, the author of Ajnapatra, an
important work on statecraft, including for construction. Today,
Panhala is a sort of hill station and provides all the necessary
facilities for tourists.
Pictures: The Teen Darwaza
gateway from outside (above, left), and Shringara or Andhara Bova (Step
well) in the fort (above, right). One of the granaries in the fort
(below, left) and the Sajja (below, right). |
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