Panhala (Panhāla)
Panhala (Pronunciation: [pənʱaːɭa]) is a city and a Hill station Municipal Council (3177 feet above sea level) 18 km northwest of Kolhapur, in Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Panhala is the smallest city in Maharashtra and being a Municipal Council the city is developing rapidly. The city sprawls in the Panhala fort commands a panoramic view of the valley below. The main historical attraction here is the Panhala fort. There are many places of interest, each with its share of haunting anecdotes.
The history of Panhala is closely linked with the history of the Maratha empire, and with its founder, Chatrapati Shivaji Raje. Panhala is the only fort where Shivaji spent more than 500 days, other than his childhood homes. It was Maratha State capital until 1782 and in 1827 it became part of the British Empire.
This imposing fort, 20 km northwest of Kolhapur, is built on an outlying spur of the Sahyadris, rising more than 400 m above plain, and is the largest of all the Deccan forts. The strategic importance of Panhala, guarding one of the principal routes through the Western Ghat, can be judged from its long and varied history. Built between 1178 and 1209, it first served as the headquarters of the Shilahara ruler Bhoja II, and subsequently passed into hands of the Yadavas. It was a favorite outpost of the Bahamanis of Bidar; Mahmud Gawan, the powerful prime minister, encamped here during the rainy season of 1469. By the beginning of the 16th century Panhala was absorbed into the kingdom of Bijapur. The Adil Shahis were responsible for strengthening and rebuilding the ramparts and gateways. The fort was raided by Shivaji in 1659, but it was not until 1673 that he was able to occupy it permanently.
After Sambhaji's death in 1689, it was captured by Aurangzeb. However, it was re-captured in 1692 by Kashi Ranganath Sarpotdar under the guidance of Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi. In 1701, Panhala was finally surrendered to Aurangzeb, and it was here that the Mughal Emperor received the English Ambassador, Sir William Norris. Within a few months, the fort was retaken by the Maratha forces under Pant Amatya Ramachandra. Tarabai who asserted her autonomy by founding an independent dynasty. In 1782, these rulers shifted their headquarters to Kolhapur. After a local rebellion in 1844, Panhala was taken by the British. More than 7 km of fortifications define the approximately triangular zone of Panhala fort. The walls are protected for long sections by steep escarpments, reinforced by a parapet with slit holes. The remaining sections have 5–9 m high ramparts, strengthened by round bastions. Unfortunately, the East Gate called Char Darawaja, through which the road passes on arrival at fort, was demolished by the British.
The fort has another satellite fort visible. It is said that there were wells full with Ghee to cure the soldiers. The well-known poet Moropant stayed here. Nearby are the Sambhaji temple, Someshwar temple, Teen Darwaza, and Raj Dindi, Sajja Kothi, Ambabai Temple, where Shivaji used to seek blessings before venturing on expeditions. Pavankhind, where Baji Prabhu Deshpande laid down his life to cover Shivaji's escape.
The history of Panhala is closely linked with the history of the Maratha empire, and with its founder, Chatrapati Shivaji Raje. Panhala is the only fort where Shivaji spent more than 500 days, other than his childhood homes. It was Maratha State capital until 1782 and in 1827 it became part of the British Empire.
This imposing fort, 20 km northwest of Kolhapur, is built on an outlying spur of the Sahyadris, rising more than 400 m above plain, and is the largest of all the Deccan forts. The strategic importance of Panhala, guarding one of the principal routes through the Western Ghat, can be judged from its long and varied history. Built between 1178 and 1209, it first served as the headquarters of the Shilahara ruler Bhoja II, and subsequently passed into hands of the Yadavas. It was a favorite outpost of the Bahamanis of Bidar; Mahmud Gawan, the powerful prime minister, encamped here during the rainy season of 1469. By the beginning of the 16th century Panhala was absorbed into the kingdom of Bijapur. The Adil Shahis were responsible for strengthening and rebuilding the ramparts and gateways. The fort was raided by Shivaji in 1659, but it was not until 1673 that he was able to occupy it permanently.
After Sambhaji's death in 1689, it was captured by Aurangzeb. However, it was re-captured in 1692 by Kashi Ranganath Sarpotdar under the guidance of Parshuram Pant Pratinidhi. In 1701, Panhala was finally surrendered to Aurangzeb, and it was here that the Mughal Emperor received the English Ambassador, Sir William Norris. Within a few months, the fort was retaken by the Maratha forces under Pant Amatya Ramachandra. Tarabai who asserted her autonomy by founding an independent dynasty. In 1782, these rulers shifted their headquarters to Kolhapur. After a local rebellion in 1844, Panhala was taken by the British. More than 7 km of fortifications define the approximately triangular zone of Panhala fort. The walls are protected for long sections by steep escarpments, reinforced by a parapet with slit holes. The remaining sections have 5–9 m high ramparts, strengthened by round bastions. Unfortunately, the East Gate called Char Darawaja, through which the road passes on arrival at fort, was demolished by the British.
The fort has another satellite fort visible. It is said that there were wells full with Ghee to cure the soldiers. The well-known poet Moropant stayed here. Nearby are the Sambhaji temple, Someshwar temple, Teen Darwaza, and Raj Dindi, Sajja Kothi, Ambabai Temple, where Shivaji used to seek blessings before venturing on expeditions. Pavankhind, where Baji Prabhu Deshpande laid down his life to cover Shivaji's escape.
Map - Panhala (Panhāla)
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Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in human genetic diversity. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest. (a) (b) (c), "In Punjab, a dry region with grasslands watered by five rivers (hence ‘panch’ and ‘ab’) draining the western Himalayas, one prehistoric culture left no material remains, but some of its ritual texts were preserved orally over the millennia. The culture is called Aryan, and evidence in its texts indicates that it spread slowly south-east, following the course of the Yamuna and Ganga Rivers. Its elite called itself Arya (pure) and distinguished themselves sharply from others. Aryans led kin groups organized as nomadic horse-herding tribes. Their ritual texts are called Vedas, composed in Sanskrit. Vedic Sanskrit is recorded only in hymns that were part of Vedic rituals to Aryan gods. To be Aryan apparently meant to belong to the elite among pastoral tribes. Texts that record Aryan culture are not precisely datable, but they seem to begin around 1200 BCE with four collections of Vedic hymns (Rg, Sama, Yajur, and Artharva)."
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ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
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