Sutradhara’s tales: Killa-é-Hissar... The forgotten stronghold of medieval Pune
This pandhari of Pune is located on about an acre around present Surya hospital, opposite Shaniwarwada. This is the exact area or epicentre of Pune where signs of previous settlements have been unearthed
If you look at the extent of present Pune city, Sinhagad fort lays almost on its boundary and may soon be part of the city limits. Fort Sinhagad is quintessentially identified as a fort of Pune and during some part of the Maratha rule it served as an administrative centre, too. But, do you know of a fort which is hidden in plain sight right in the heart of Pune? And no, it is not Shaniwarwada, with its fortified walls.
To know more, we have to go back in time to medieval Pune of the 15th century. The change of rule in Deccan after Khilji and Tughlaq dynasties had finally led to rise of the Bahamani kingdom, the first independent Muslim power of the Deccan.
Junnar Paragana was under the Bahamani kingdom then. The Vazir (prime minister), who also had the title Maliku’t-Tujar (Prince of Merchants), was appointed to look after this important Junnar Pargana, which included Pune. He is credited with building a formidable land fort in Chakan called “Sangramdurg”. Shortly after his death in a battle in the Konkan, Kasam Beig Shafaat Khan an Arab sardar was appointed in his place as Maliku’t-Tujar. Being a senior Sardar from Arabastan, he was popularly known as “Bada Arab”.
“Purandare Daftar”, an important archival document recording the important political events of medieval Deccan and Pune, informs us that Bada Arab ruled from Chakan and over Pune till the year 1480. It was around 1460, that he commissioned the fort at Pune on the “gaon-pandhar” (archaeological mound of the then settlement).
This reference to “pandhar/pandhari” is interesting, as such mounds are formed due to extended period of occupation by humans. The burning of dung, biomass and soil due to cooking turns into ash and this ash accumulates over centuries to form mounds of whitish soil known as “pandhari” in Marathi. “Pandhari” is relatively white grey in colour as compared to the blackish or brownish soil of the Deccan. Thus, the “pandhari” of Pune which was an elevated mound denotes that the settlement of Pune existed some centuries before the fort was built on the previous ruins.
This pandhari of Pune is located on about an acre around present Surya hospital, opposite Shaniwarwada. This is the exact area or epicentre of Pune where signs of previous settlements have been unearthed.
The records tell us that name of the fort was “Killa- é –Hissar” (Hissar, too, means fort in Persian). Popularly, it was known as “Pandharicha Kot”. A small garrison was stationed at the fort. However, history is unaware of any significant battles fought where these defences were put to use.
The fort was roughly rectangular in size. The details of the fort walls were recorded in the Pune Gazetteer of 1885. They extended from the Mutha river banks near Dhakta Sheikh Salla Dargah, west, upto 118 metres; 268 metres to the south and 186 metres to the east.
These walls had openings to fire at the enemy called “janga”. An intact part of the wall can be still seen as one walks on the footpath from Surya Hospital to Kasba Ganpati.
The fort had three entrances or gateways. The one near the present day Shaniwarwada is called “Konkan darwaja”. It was customary to name the gateways facing west, where the Konkan lies, to be named as such.
Even though the gateway is lost today, the stairs coming down from the fort walls are still seen.
Recently, a group working to generate awareness about Pune’s heritage, Varasa Prasarak Mandali, cleaned the stairs, lit lamps and displayed historical information, to generate awareness about this forgotten heritage.
The other gateway known as “Nagar darwaja” (city gate) was located to east of the fort, at the present Pawale chowk. Recent road works have erased any signs of the plinth of this gateway. However, one can still witness patches of stone wall with large dressed stones near Mote Mangal Karyalay and around Tambat Ali.
The third gateway was to the north, according to historian Pandhurang Balkawade, and opened to the river Mutha.
A Bahamani period structure following Dakkhani Indo-Islamic architecture is still buried near the boundaries of the fort wall. The shed near Deshpande Church has a building with wide arches in stone. It was once open on all the sides. The conjectural drawing indicates that it might have been used as a “Sarai” or “Dharmashala” to host travellers, traders and pilgrims.
Today, only the top portion of the arch with a keystone can be seen above ground.
Massive damage to “Killa-é-Hissar” was caused during Nizam Shahi Sardar, Murar Jogdeo’s campaign and destruction of Pune in the early 17th century. We also know Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was not particularly in favour of raising land forts which would invite enemy attention.
So, the Bahamani fort suffered further neglect during his occupation of Pune. Subsequently, the expanse of Pune, under the Marathas and Peshwas, the building of Shaniwarwada, and rearranging of the entire Kasba area, reduced the fort to few patches of walls.
Today, buildings have come up even over the fortified plinths at certain places. And yet history is not easily erased.
The fort vestiges peep out from centuries of neglect, to tell you that Pune once hosted a fortified stronghold in its heart.