Sinhagad Fort
Fortress near Pune, recaptured in 1670 in the battle where Tanaji Malusare gave his life.
Sinhagad is the fort Pune climbs on weekends, and it is also the site of one of the most retold episodes in Maratha history. Long known as Kondhana, the hill has been fortified for centuries — the Kaundinyeshwar temple on it points to occupation well before the Maratha period — and its position on a spur of the Bhuleshwar range made it the key to the country around Pune.
Shivaji Maharaj held it, ceded it under the Treaty of Purandar in 1665, and set out to take it back. In 1670 Tanaji Malusare led a night assault up the steep Donagiri face, scaling the rock to reach walls where no attack was expected. The fort was taken and Tanaji was killed in the fighting. The words attributed to Shivaji Maharaj on hearing the news, that the fort had come but the lion had gone, gave the hill the name it carries today.
Its later history is quieter but not empty: Chhatrapati Rajaram died here in 1700, and his memorial stands on the fort. A motorable road now runs most of the way up, which is why Sinhagad draws such crowds, and the stalls along the top selling pithla-bhakri, kanda bhaji and thick curd have become as much a part of the visit as the ramparts.