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Battle of Sinhagad

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Battle of Sinhagad (Kondhana)
Part of The Maratha rebellion

Stone carving showing the events of Chhatrapati Shivaji and Tanaji Malusare conversing on attacking Sinhagad.
Date4 February 1670
Location
Fort Sinhagad, near Pune, India
Result Maratha victory[1]
Territorial
changes		 Fort Sinhagad (then, Kondhana fort) captured by Marathas
Belligerents
Maratha kingdom Mughal Empire
Commanders and leaders
Tanaji Malusare † Udaybhan Rathore †[2]
Strength
500 soldiers 1200[3]–5000[4]
Casualties and losses
Around 300 Almost All

The Battle of Sinhagad, also known as Battle of Kondhana, involved an attack by Marathas during the night of 4 February 1670 on the Mughal fort of Sinhagad (then Kondhana), near the city of Pune, Maharashtra. The Marathas captured the fort.

Battle

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Sinhgad Fort is located on the southwest of Pune, Maharashtra, about 20 km, in a small hilly range at an elevation of 1,320 m above sea level and 700 m from nearby plains. The fort is surrounded by sharply sloping northern and southern hills, providing a defense in the form of a cave-like structure which has a natural rock wall more than 12 meters high. There were additional fortifications in the form of bastions raised on gentler slopes.

The fort is like an axe blade about 3 km long. Access was by one steep, tortuous path leading from the northeast side to Pune Gate, and from the southeast to Kalyan Gate. The western side has a gorge that is very open from the south side for easy access, which was later fortified to offer great strength.[5]

In 1670, force of 500 Mavala soldiers night and against 1,200 Rajput soldiers by Udaybhan Rathod. Mavalas climbed the walls at night of the fort with the aid of rope ladders.Very fighting broke out and a duel ensued in which both Udaybhan and Tanaji were killed.[6] The brother of Tanaji, but Suryaji, led the remainder of the Mavalas and finally won the fort. .[7]

Aftermath

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When Shivaji was informed about the victory and the loss of Tanaji's life during the battle, he is said to have exclaimed "गड आला पण सिंह गेला" (IAST: Gaḍa ālā paṇa siṃha gela English: The fort has been captured but we lost the lion). A bust of Tanaji Malusare was installed at the fort in memory of his contribution and sacrifice.[8]

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References

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  1. ^ Sorokhaibam, Jeneet (2013). Chhatrapati Shivaji: The Maratha Warrior and His Campaign. Vij Books India Private Limited. pp. 185–187. ISBN 9789382573494.
  2. ^ Nadkarni, Rajaram (1966). The Rise And Fall Of The Maratha Empire. p. 67. Udai Bhan, the redoubtable Rajput commander of the fort, fell.
  3. ^ Purandare, Vaibhav (2022). Shivaji: India's Great Warrior King. Juggernaut Publication. ISBN 978-93-91165-50-5.
  4. ^ "Battle of Sinhagad, History, Events, Challenges, Aftermath". Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  5. ^ Mehendale, Gajanan Bhaskar (2011). Shivaji His Life and Times. Param Mitra Publications. p. 687. ISBN 978-93-80875-17-0.
  6. ^ Mehendale, Gajanan Bhaskar (2011). Shivaji His Life and Times. Param Mitra Publications. p. 687. ISBN 978-93-80875-17-0.
  7. ^ Gordon, Stewart (1993). The Marathas 1600-1818. Vol. 2. Cambridge University Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780521033169. The first and most spectacular success was the capture of Sinhagad fort. It was taken by scaling very difficult walls by the means of rope ladders in a night raid which culminated in a hand to hand combat inside the fort. The raid was led by Tanhaji Malsure, who was killed in the battle.
  8. ^ Verma, Amrit (2003). Forts of India. New Delhi: The Director, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 83–86. ISBN 81-230-1002-8.

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