Pratapgad

The Maratha ruler Chhatrapati ShivajiMaharaj assigned Moropant Trimbak Pingle, his prime minister, to undertake the construction of this fort in order to defend the banks of the Nira and the Koyna rivers, and to defend the Par pass. It was completed in 1656.[1][2]

The Battle of Pratapgad between Shivaji and Afzal Khan, a general of Adil Shahi dynasty, was fought below the ramparts of this fort on 10 November 1659. This was the first major test of the fledgling kingdom's army, and set the stage of the establishment of the Maratha empire.[3]

Pratapgad continued to be involved in regional politics.[until when?] Sakharam Bapu Bokil, a well-known minister of Pune, was confined by his rival Nana Phadnis in Pratapgad in 1778. He was later moved from fort to fort until he died at Raigad. In 1796, Nana Phadnis, while escaping from the intrigues of Daulatrao Shinde and his minister Baloba, assembled a strong garrison in Pratapgad before heading to Mahad. In 1818, as part of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, Pratapgad was surrendered to the East India company.

^ "Pratapgad Fort". Satara District Gazetteer. Government of Maharashtra, Gazetteers Department. Retrieved 23 August 2008. ^ Kantak, M. R. (1978). "The Political Role of Different Hindu Castes and Communities in Maharashtra in the Foundation of Chatrapati Shivaji's Swarajya". Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute. 38 (1/4): 40–56. ISSN 0045-9801. JSTOR 42931051. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).