Throughout my schooling, I never had an opportunity to study Indian history rigorously as the IB syllabus channeled the humanities study to a more general and Western-based approach. My father always stresses on this fact that I am null at Indian history and mythology. I am now considering to read and know more about some important landmarks in the Indian history. The trip to Sinhagad fort the previous Sunday triggered something...
Sinhagad fort is a fort (actually only the remains of it) situated a short drive outside Pune at a good elevation in the Sahyadri mountain range. This fort (or its remains) have been standing there since about 700 years and has a long history associated with it, mainly with Great King Shivaji Bhonsle, the very well-known and worshiped Maratha ruler of the 17th century. He was a great warrior and even today, he has a date associated to him which is celebrated as 'Shivaji Jayanti' and is an official holiday in Maharashtra. During his years of ruling, he fought for this fort three times, recapturing it every time and having it under his control until his death and even after his death for another decade by his successors. The main enemy of the Maratha rule were the Mughals who took every opportunity to invade and take control of the fort. After long struggles, and continuous transfer of the possession of the fort, the Marathas reclaimed the fort from 1703 till 1818 when the British finally conquered the area and the fort has since been abandoned. The fort stands today as a mix of ruins (mainly the outer boundary, walls and some gates) with a lot of greenery once the top is reached.
Past Sunday, I visited the Sinhagad fort with my family, not just as a visit, but also as a fitness test (because of the large number of steps that lead to different parts of the fort). We woke up early in the morning to avoid traffic and were all set by 5:30. After the 36-kilometer (1 hour 15 minute) drive, we started climbing the flight of stairs at 6:45. First when I looked at an arch, I thought that we already reached the fort! but no, it was the beginning. We went around the side-paths to see the maximum of the fort rather than just climbing straight up. We also took a small route that was more of a trek path and was unpaved. We went a little way until the trek got steep. We climbed a pretty steep stone path and were back on the paved path; we saw no other daredevils taking this route B). We saw a lot of parts of the fort when we took random routes.
In one part of the fort, we saw holes in the fort wall. My dad suggested that they might be holes to pour hot oil on the enemy coming through the below stairway. We also saw other holes which were probably for archery or cannons. We saw a few large waterholes which must have been the reason that the fort sustained at that time. One waterhole, turned into a well is still used by the stall owners of the area and provides clean water which even we drank. The scenery and view was beautiful from all the open areas and from the paved roads where we could see our surroundings. Later, we sat down at a stall and ate some 'onion pakodas' and some other snacks we tagged along us. When it was time to return, we started looking for the car parking. We realized we didn't know where we were and asked people for the way until we were back on the main route. We ate some 'spiced raw mangoes' which were awesome and 'jamuns' which I didn't like. These are sold all along the main paved path. I was full but my parents ate more at the stalls while I read a novel that I had already begun. Later, in the car I dozed off as I had stomach-ache and car nausea. I woke up back at our society car parking and this trip to Sinhagad ended at about 11:30am.
Past Sunday, I visited the Sinhagad fort with my family, not just as a visit, but also as a fitness test (because of the large number of steps that lead to different parts of the fort). We woke up early in the morning to avoid traffic and were all set by 5:30. After the 36-kilometer (1 hour 15 minute) drive, we started climbing the flight of stairs at 6:45. First when I looked at an arch, I thought that we already reached the fort! but no, it was the beginning. We went around the side-paths to see the maximum of the fort rather than just climbing straight up. We also took a small route that was more of a trek path and was unpaved. We went a little way until the trek got steep. We climbed a pretty steep stone path and were back on the paved path; we saw no other daredevils taking this route B). We saw a lot of parts of the fort when we took random routes.
In one part of the fort, we saw holes in the fort wall. My dad suggested that they might be holes to pour hot oil on the enemy coming through the below stairway. We also saw other holes which were probably for archery or cannons. We saw a few large waterholes which must have been the reason that the fort sustained at that time. One waterhole, turned into a well is still used by the stall owners of the area and provides clean water which even we drank. The scenery and view was beautiful from all the open areas and from the paved roads where we could see our surroundings. Later, we sat down at a stall and ate some 'onion pakodas' and some other snacks we tagged along us. When it was time to return, we started looking for the car parking. We realized we didn't know where we were and asked people for the way until we were back on the main route. We ate some 'spiced raw mangoes' which were awesome and 'jamuns' which I didn't like. These are sold all along the main paved path. I was full but my parents ate more at the stalls while I read a novel that I had already begun. Later, in the car I dozed off as I had stomach-ache and car nausea. I woke up back at our society car parking and this trip to Sinhagad ended at about 11:30am.
-Suhas
07/06/16
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