Swaraj : First Conquest Fort Torana

Torana Fort : Shivaji controlled the 

Jagir of Pune, Supe, Chakan and Indapur. 

7. Swaraj : First Conquest

Fort Torana (Zunjar Machi)

All the forts in the Jagir were, however, 

in the charge of officers from the court 

of Bijapur. He who controlled the forts 

also controlled the surrounding territory 

and, therefore, all talk of Swaraj without 

the control of the forts was meaningless. 

A hill fort gave strategic support to the 

ruler and Shivaji decided to capture one 

at a suitable time. For this purpose he had 

selected the fort of Torana. It stands to the 

south-west of Pune in the Kanad Valley. 

It was a renowned fort, well-suited for 

defence. There were two strong ‘Machis’ 

on the way to the fort. A ‘Machi’ is a 

fortification of a natural plateau formed 

on the slope of a hill. One of these ‘Machis’ 

was the ‘Zunjar Machi’ and the other, the 

‘Budhla Machi’. ‘Zunjar Machi’, like 

its name, could offer powerful defenceIt mrades took the oa noth of Swaraj in the

temple of Raireshwar. But it was a very

difficult task. In those days, Maharashtra

was governed by four different powers,

the Moghul Emperor of Delhi, Sultan

Adilshah of Bijapur, the Portuguese of

Goa and the Siddi of Janjira. They were

powerful opponents, firm in their authority.

No one would dare utter a word against

them. Under these difficult conditions

Shivaji had taken the oath of Swaraj.

There was no comparison between the

vast forces of the enemy and a handful

of Shivaji’s Mavlas. But Shivaji’s mind

was made up and his firm resolve was his

greatest source of strength.against the enemy. The only access to

the fort was across the ‘Zunjar Machi’.

It is a very difficult passage with high

hills on one side and deep valleys on the

other. A careless person may easily lose

his balance and end his life in the deep

valley. Torana was considered one of the

strong forts of Maharashtra. In the fort

there is a temple of the goddess Toranjai.

That is why the fort is called Torana.

Strangely enough, this powerful fort

was neglected by Adilshah. There were

neither enough troops for its defence nor

enough ammunition. Shivaji knew this

and this was exactly what he wanted. He

decided to capture the fort and thus lay

the foundation of Hindavi Swaraj.The drums of Swaraj begin to

sound: With a few select bands of Mavlas,

Shivaji descended into the Kanad Valley.

Swift-footed like the deer and lion-

hearted in courage, they raced to the top

and captured the strategic positions in the

fort. Tanaji Malusare hoisted the Maratha

flag at the main entrance. Yesaji Kank,

a trustworthy and loyal companion of

Shivaji, posted his guards at important

points; the fort was captured almost

without any resistance and the sky was

filled with shouts of “Shivaji Maharaj ki

Jai”. The first battle drums and pipes of

Hindavi Swaraj had sounded and their

echo reverberated throughout the valley.

Shivaji named this fort ‘Prachandgad.’

Blessings of Goddess Bhavani :

Fort Torana then came under Shivaji’s

administration. He made a very careful

survey of it and appointed officers such

as a Maratha Killedar, a Brahmin Sabnis

and a Prabhu Karkhanis. The garrison

included Mavlas, Kolis, Ramoshis,

Mahars and such brave men from many

other castes and communities. In Swaraj

all castes and communities were to be

treated alike and no distinctions made on

the basis of caste. As repairs to the fort

started, a surprise awaited the people.

They discovered four metal pots filled to

the brim with mohurs. The workers were

overjoyed. They said that this was a gift

to Shivaji from the Goddess Bhavani who

had blessed his efforts. All the money

discovered was brought to Shivaji. No

one thought of taking anything from it

for himself. After all it was the wealth

of Swaraj. Shivaji felt greatly elated at

this unexpected gift which would enable

him to pursue his ideal of Swaraj with

added vigour. He felt that he was working

under the benevolent eye of the goddess

Bhavani.

Shivaji utilised part of the treasure

found in the fort to purchase arms and

ammunition. The rest he decided to use

for another project which was already in

his mind. About fifteen kilometres to the

east of Torana is the hill of Murumbdeo.

Shivaji had his eye on it for a long

time. This hill was steep and difficult of

access and, therefore, of great strategic

importance. Adilshah had actually started

constructing a fort on this hill but had left

it unfinished. This hill also was not well-

guarded and Shivaji decided to capture it.