I have always been fascinated by forts from a young age. Maybe, it has to do something with my upbringing in Jaipur and the trips in Rajasthan exploring them. The many treks I took in Maharashtra only increased my appetite to visit different forts in India, as and when the opportunities arose.
Therefore, I needed no second invitation when my friend suggested we pay a visit to Panhala Fort in Kolhapur, after we had been exploring Satara for the last few days. After my preferred breakfast of "poha" (especially in Maharashtra), we took the bus to Kolhapur. From Kolhapur bus stand, there are regular buses, which take around 30-40 mins to reach Panhala.
Near the taxi stand is a statue of Baji Prabhu Deshpande. His story is a stuff of legend - he died in a battle while defending Pavan Khind (pass) and holding back thousands of enemy soldiers for hours, so that Shivaji Maharaj could safely reach Vishalgad from Panhala.
As the fort is quite large (around 15kms), we decided to hire a car to take us around. Following a few rounds of negotiating the rate, we shook hands with the driver (doubling up as a guide) on one condition - our first stop would be to get the traditional lunch of Jhunka Bhakiri.
After filling up my stomach, it was time to fill my mind with some intriguing history about the place. Built in the 12th century, the fort has more than 100 lookout posts which give a panoramic view of the surrounding plains. Many tunnels stretch out from underneath the fort, one of which is almost 1 km long. On top of a mountain tableland, it overlooked an important trade route connecting the Old Goa and Ratnagiri ports before proceeding to Kolhapur and grand cities of the Deccan.
We started with the fortifications, which at more than 7 km define the triangular zone of Panhala fort. The high walls and round bastions strengthen the defense. When the outer walls near Ambarkhana were being erected, they were prone to collapses frequently. One of the royal advisers suggested a live burial at the spot to ensure the walls don't collapse again. Volunteers were sought and the call was answered by a pregnant woman, who was later buried alive with her unborn child. Naturally, we were horrified to learn this story - an ominous start !
We moved towards the Ambarkhana, situated in the center of the fort. The three granaries (Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati Kothis) built in the Bijapuri style of architecture enabled Shivaji to withstand a 5-month siege. Ganga kothi, the largest one, covered an area of 950 sq mtrs and is 10.5 mtrs high. It had a capacity to store more than 70 lakh kilograms of rice and low grade millets. This mind boggling figure took a while to sink in ! Stairs on both sides lead to the top of the buildings. A hole on the top was used to pass the grains. There were markers in the inside walls indicating how many months worth of stock remained. We had fun climbing the stairs and posing for photos.
It was time to know about the famous war which took place after Shivaji took Panhala from Bijapur in 1659. The next year, Adil Shah of Bijapur attacked Panhala to regain the fort. Shivaji fought back and the siege continued for 5 months, at the end of which all provisions in the fort were exhausted and Shivaji was on the verge of being captured. Under these circumstances, Shivaji decided that escape was the only option. He gathered a small number of soldiers and escaped in the dead of night to flee to Vishalgad. Baji Prabhu and a barber, Shiva Kashid, who looked like Shivaji, kept the enemy engaged, giving them an impression that Shiva Kashid was actually Shivaji. In the ensuing battle almost three quarters of the one thousand strong force died, including Baji Prabhu, and the fort went to Adil Shah of Bijapur. It was not until 1673 that Shivaji could occupy it permanently.
Next we visited the Andhar Bavadi (Hidden Well). In those days, whenever an army besieged a fort, their first action was to poison its water source and stop supplies. To counter this, Adil Shah built this structure with winding staircases that conceal the well, which was the main water source for Panhala fort. Soldiers were permanently stationed here and there were several hidden escape routes leading outside the fort. It was probably designed like a fort within a fort with the intention of making it an emergency shelter in case the main fort fell.
From there, we moved to Teen Darwaza. It was one of the three double gateways (Char Darwaza and Wagh Darwaza the other two) and the main entrance to the fort which includes a courtyard between the two gates.
There are many temples with in the fort, including the Mahakali temple which had to be ritually offered human blood for the appeasement of goddess Kali. From 1760 to 1772, soldiers were sent to neighboring villages to search for possible candidates to be sacrificed.
The palace of Queen Tarabai (widow of Shivaji's younger son Rajaram), the fort's most famous resident, is still intact. It was here that she declared an independent kingdom of Kolhapur in 1709. The palace now houses a school and government offices.
Most of the architecture is Bijapuri style with the peacock motif prominently visible on many structures. There are other structures such as Kalvanticha Mahal (residence of ladies) & Sajja Kothi (viewing pavilion looking over the valley-also, the place where Shivaji imprisoned Sambhaji when he threatened to defect to Aurangzeb).
At the height of Shivaji's power in 1678, it is estimated that Panhala housed 15,000 horses and 20,000 soldiers. After Shivaji's death in 1680, Panhala passed to his son and successor Sambhaji. After Raigad fell to the Mughals in 1689, Panhala served as the de-facto capital of the Marathas. With the advent of advanced artillery in the 18th century, Panhala lost its importance and power shifted to Kolhapur. The fort was later taken over by East India Company.
In 1844, there were rebellions against the British in Panhala, Vishalgad and Samangad forts called the "Revolt of Fort Commandants". To avoid repeats of such incidents, the British ordered the demolition of the fort walls and today, very few of them have survived. In my eyes, the ruins possess a different kind of beauty which leave you wondering what might have been ! But, it is impossible to imagine how magnificent the structure once was.
As the sun started to set, we finished our tour and made our way back to Kolhapur, our minds full of thoughts about different events which happened here and life in the centuries gone by. Panhala has such a wonderful history that you have goosebumps when you hear the stories and imagine how it would have been to live and experience the wars this great fort has gone through. Unfortunately, the place is under siege once again with the mushrooming of hotels, resorts and farmhouses threatening to ruin its identity.
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