Kylie in India and the world: Saturday 19 September

after getting home around midnight we were up at 5.30am as we wanted to get an early start before the heat
trekking up to Sinhagad

Sinhagad also known as Lion Fort - from wikipedia
Sinhagad or Sinhgad (Devanagari, Marathi: सिंहगड) meaning Lion Fort, is a fortress located roughly 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Pune, India. It is situated on a hill rising 800 metres above the surrounding countryside. Previously called Kondana (Devanagari: कोंढाणा), the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the battle of Sinhagad in 1670. It was also strategically located at the center of a string of other forts such as Rajgad, Purandar and Torna.

Perched on an isolated cliff of the Bhuleswar range of the Sahyadri Mountains, its height above sea-level is 1350 metres. Given natural protection by its very steep slopes, the walls and bastions were constructed at only key places; it has two gates – the Kalyan Darwaza in the south-east and the Pune Darwaza in the north-east.

The entrance to SinhagadThis fort has been quite a long history, referred to as 'Kondhana' in a Persian poem named 'Shahanama-e-Hind', dating back to 1350 A.D.[citation needed] It was called 'Kondana' after the sage Kaundinya. The Kaundinyeshwar temple, the caves and the carvings indicate that this fort had probably been built two thousand years back. It was captured from the Koli tribal chieftain, Nag Naik, by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1328 AD.

Shahaji Bhosale, as the commander of Ibrahim Adil Shah I, was entrusted with the control of the Pune region. His son Shivaji, however, refused to accept the Adilshahi and initiated the task of setting up Swarajya. He gained control of Kondana in 1647 by convincing Siddi Amber, the Adilshahi Sardar who controlled the fort. Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande played key role in this activity.In 1649, it had to be handed over to Adil Shah for Shahaji Maharaj's release. Shivaji Maharaj recaptured it back in 1656 again with the help of Bapuji Mudgal Deshpande,who convinced Fort commander by giving land in newly created Shivapur village and peacefully gained control of fort.This Fort saw attacks of Moguls on 1662,1663 and 1665.In 1664,Shahistekhan- mogul general even tried to bribe people of fort to hand over the fort to him but he was unsuccessful.Unfortunately in a Purandar Pact it went into the hands of the Mughal army chief Mirzaraje Jaysingh, in the year 1665. In 1670, Shivaji Maharaj re-conquered this fort and then it stayed under Maratha rule till 1689. After the death of Sambhaji death, the Mughals regained control over. Again in 1693 the Marathas recaptured it headed by Sardar Balkawade. Chatrapati Rajaram took asylum on this fort during Mogul raid on Satara but Rajaram died on Sinhagad on the 3rd of March 1700 & in 1703 Aurangzeb conquered the fort. In 1706, it once again went into the hands of the Marathas. Pantaji Shivdev of Sangola and the PantPratinidhis played key role in this battle. Then this fort remained with Maraths till 1818, when the British conquered it.British however took three months to capture this fort highest time ever for them to win any fort in the [[Maharastra.

Battle of Sinhagad
One of the most famous battles for Sinhagad was fought to recapture the fort by Tanaji Malusare, a general of Shivaji in March 1670. A steep cliff leading to the fort was scaled with the help of a ghorpad, or a monitor lizard. Thereafter, there ensued fierce battles between Tanaji and his men, and the fortkeeper Udaybhan Rathod and his army. Tanaji lost his life, but his brother Suryaji took over and captured Kondana.[1]

Upon hearing of Tanaji's death, Shivaji expressed his remorse with the words: "Gad aala pan sinha gela" - "We gained the fort, but lost the lion". In honor of Tanaji's death, the fort was renamed as Sinhagad. A bust of Tanaji has been established on the fort in memory of his contribution to the battle.

More recently, during the 20th century, Lokmanya Tilak, the Indian freedom fighter, built a bungalow atop the fort. Also, Gandhiji is said to have asked for water from it whenever he was imprisoned in the nearby town of Pune.

Sinhagad today Parts of the once extensive fortification are now in ruins, but visitors still sense how the fort acted as an active military outpost. It is a popular weekend destination for many residents of Pune, with some enthusiasts trekking to the top of the fort from the base near Sinhagad village. The site also houses a memorial to Tanaji as well as the tomb of Rajaram, Shivaji's younger son, who also died here. Visitors can see the military stables, brewery and a Kali (godddess) temple along with a Hanuman statue much to the right side of the temple, as well as the historic gates.

The fort is also part of training at National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. Cadets from the academy are regularly sent on a hikes and runs from NDA to Sinhagad in full battle gear to build endurance and stamina. The fort also houses a television tower for broadcasting local TV signals.

and when I say walk I mean scramble as some parts are tough - well if you chose the hard track like we did

all I can say is the view from the top was worth it!!
It took us around 1hr 15 to reach the top; the second group took another 10-15 mins and we had an issue loosing our last party .... they in fact reached the top before us!!