Historical & Heritage |  Adventure / Trekking
At a distance of 32 km from Pune Junction, Sinhagad or Sinhagarh means the Lion Fort, is a fortress located southwest of Pune City. Sinhagad Fort is one of the popular places of trekking in Maharashtra, and among the must include places in Pune packages

Previously called Kondana, the fort has been the site of many important battles, most notably the Battle of Sinhagad in 1671 CE. It is one of the top places to visit near Pune City. According to history, the fort was built 2,000 years ago and it is said that the name Kondana was derived from sage Kaundinya. Mohammed bin Tughalak captured the fort from the Koli tribal chieftain, Nag Naik in 1340 CE. And in 1496 CE, Malik Ahmad, the founder of the Nizam Shahi dynasty took control of the fort.

Nearly 200 years later, the Maratha leader Shahaji Bhonsale captured the fort. In 1647 CE, Shivaji held the stronghold and renamed it Sinhagad. In 1665 CE, as per the Treaty of Purandar, Shivaji handed over Sinhagad to the Mughals and again captured it in 1670 CE, under the direction of Tanaji who was Shivaji's favorite general. Aurangzeb laid siege to Sinhagad in 1701- 03 CE, but could not hold it for long. Finally the British seized the fort from the Marathas in 1818 AD. The fort was later used as a retreat for many European residents of Pune.