3.3. Purandar A1. History! Biography of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj relates many remarkable events.

Look at some of these remarkable events given below. Discuss with your partner and find out which one of them took place on the fort of Purandar. Combat between Udaibhanu and Tanaji Malusare Birth place of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Birth place of Sambhaji Maharaj Birth place of Sawal Madhavrao Peshwa Oath for the formation of Swarajya A2. Mountaineering Imagine you are planning to visit Fort Purandar. Discuss with your partner on the following issues: Location of Purandar fort Things to carry with you Precautions to be taken List of points to be seen A3. Words! Words! Match the similar meaning words: A B 1. target a. take control of a place 2. Capture b. causing people to feel strong emotions 3. Emotive c. series of planned activities to achieve something 4. Campaign d. having a strong effect on your feelings 5. Poignant e. something that you are trying to achieve A4. Match Look at the list of different forts and what they are famous for. Discuss with your friend, peep into history and match them: A B 1. Sinhagad a. Chhattrapati Shivaji was born 2. Raigad b. Death of Tanaji Malusare 3. Raigad c. First fort conquered for Swarajya 4. Torna d. Capital place 5. Vishalgad e. Rajyabhishek 6. Shivneri f. Bajiprabhu laid down his life

A5. Visit Look at the list of the different worth visiting places. Read Part 1 and find out which one of them you see on Purandar and which one is not from Purandar. Rankala lake, Murar gate, Dev Take, Hirkini Buruj, Rajal lake, status of Tanaji, statute of Murabaji, Vajragad, military, trekkers, echo point. A B On Purandar Not on Purandar A6. Read Part I and in your opinion which of the following statement best sums up its main idea. 1. Historical facts about Purandar are depicted. 2. Importance of Purandar for Swarajya is given. 3. How Purandar was made out of bounds for commoners. 4. How Murarbaji inspired his soldiers. Part I This is the mighty Purandar, pride of Maharashtra and the theatre of one of the most landmark victories for the Maratha Empire. When Mirzaraje Jaising, with the help of Diler Khan, launched his campaign against Swarajya, this fort was a prime target against the rebels. With the capture of Vajragad, the noose around Purandar tightened. It was then that the legendary commander Murarbaji, with just 700 Maratha troops, faced the mighty strength of Diler Khan. The tale of this battle not only exists in folklore, but is celebrated in song and dance in Maharashtra. Till as recently as 1976, there was an army post on the fort, its strategic importance and the presence of soldiers on the top made it out of bounds for commoners and tourists. Today, the fort is open for trekkers, groups of tourists, and the local population. There is a motorable road right up to the top. You can also go up cross country. It takes an hour. The Murar Gate has sentries at attention. If permission is requested they will let you in. The gate opens into a plain which has the Rajal Lake. This was the stage where the lion-hearted Murarbaji, wielding two swords at a time, inspired his tough, wiry band of Mavlas to counter a big army with skill and bravery. A jet black statue, 5 feet tall, is installed here. It is emotive sculpture that floods one with poignant emotions and makes the mind wander back to the time when men like Murarbaji made the Maratha army the most feared and respected force of its era. The face of the statue seems flushed in the heat of battle, the passion of a man for whom nothing came before his pride and his supreme commander. It is extremely difficult to tear yourself away from this place, and when you do, it is with moist eyes and a heavy heart.

Fact file: Best timeLocation: Getting there: Where to stay: Where to east: Glossary: Noose: Poignant:

June to March Close to Saswad near Pune Motorable road till base of the fort, then an easy climb Saswad or Narayanpur Small canteens above but better to carry own food.

grip of soldiers having a strong effect on your feelings

A7.Now read Part I again and after discussing with your partner answer the following questions: 1. Who has tightened the noose around Purandar? 2. Where does the tale of the battle appear? 3. How much time does it take to reach to the top of Purandar? 4. Where does the Murar Gate open? 5. What is extremely difficult for the tourists on Purandar? 6. Why was Purandar out of bounds for people till 1976? 7. What importance of the Murar Gate is highlighted in the extract? 8. What does the sculpture of Murarbaji remind us of? 9. What qualities of Murarbaji do you come across in this extract? 10.Do you agree with the writers opinion Purandar is the Pride of Maharashtra? A8. There are different places on Purandar. Glance through Part I and complete the table: Place Speciality __________________ ____________________ __________________ ____________________ __________________ ____________________ A9. Look at the Fact file and frame a few questions on your own to ask your partner. Take help of the following points: Location: Best time to visit Reaching Purandar: Food:

A10. The text contains the names of various kings and their activities. Get into pairs and complete the following table: Warriors Activities Mirzaraje Jaising _______________ ____________________ Diler Khan _______________ ____________________ Murarbaji _______________ ____________________ A11. Code mixing: Go through Part II and find out the words that are non-English. List down Marathi words and English words that are close in meaning to them. Why do you think that the English words are not use in place of the Marathi one? A12. Location Read Part II again and find out whether the following statements are true or false: 1. The fort lies on the same mountain range as the Raigad fort. 2. The temple is designed in the Islamic style. 3. Purandar and Vajragad stand on the Sahyadri mountains. 4. The Sar Darwaza is followed by the Bini Darwaza. 5. The Purandar fort does not have adequate supply of potable water. Part II Purandar is close to Saswad, near Pune. The fort lies on the same mountain range as the Sinhagad fort. This ridge continues for around 15 to 20 kilo metres and terminates at Bhuleshwar. The mountains contained by this ridge are crisscrossed by various passes like Katraj ghat, the Bapdev, Dive and Bor ghats. Close to the Bapdev ghat, the hills branch out in the north-south orientation, and a few kilometers on, there is a ridge perpendicular to this one. The two important bastions of the Maratha Empire, Purandar and Vajragad, are situated in this mount range. The village of Narayan pur, or simple Pur, as it is a casually referred to, was a prosperous town during the time of the Yadavas. The temple of Lord Narayan, nestled in a grove, is beautiful. The temple is designed in the Hemadpanti style and is believed to be at least 700 years old. There are some inscriptions in stone engraving at the left side of the main door. There is a distinct connection between this text and the preachings of Changdev, a revered saint whose presence here is recorded around the same time as Sant Dnyneshwar. Purandar and Vajragad stand on the Indranil mountains. The Bhairavkhind pass acts as a natural barrier between the two. There are sentry posts throughout the area between the top and the bottom of the fort. These posts are called Met or

Chowkey. The Teen Taki post lies to the east, Bavchi Met and Nirgud Met to the south and Misal Met to the north-east. Of the two routes to the top of Purandar, the one on foot will take you to the doorway. The Sar Darwaza will let you in. The Kandakada hill here stretches 100 metres long but is just 3 to 4 feet wide. There is a water tank here and the informal, secret doorway to the north. The Sar Darwaza is followed by the, Bini Darwaza. Going west, you can go around the entire fort and see the Nishana Buruz, Shendri Buraz, Hatti Buruz, Fotteh Buruz and Kokanya Buruz. The last of them, the Konknya Buruz, has a strong room constructed in stone and was probably used to detain prisoners. To the south of Fatteh Buruz stands the Kedar Darwaza. Apart from the Kandakada hill, the top of the fort also has two hillocks the Rajgadi and the Kedar tekdi. They stand at an altitude of 1500 metres. There used to be a mansion belonging to Chhattrapati Shivaji, on Rajgadi. Today it seems undisturbed by any human presence. The Purandar fort has an ample supply of potable water, for there are almost 50 water reservoirs here, some small, some larger. Notably, most of these are in good state. The fact also has the distinction of being a destination for the devout, with the shrines and temples of a number of gods and goddesses. Temples of Lord Kedareshwar, Narayan, Mhasoba, Hanuman, Ganesh and Godess Lakshmi and Padmavati are located in close proximity to each other and dot the fort. Glossary: Bastions: Inscriptions: Revered: Devout: Proximity:

group of people or a system that protects a way of life or a belief when it seems that it may disappear. Words written in the front of a book or cut in stone or metal. feel great respect of admiration. Believing strongly in a particular religion and obeying its laws and practices State of being near in distance or time.

A13. Now read Part II again and after discussing with your partner, answer the following questions: 1. Name the narrow passes near Purandar 2. What is the speciality of the temple of Narayanpur? 3. What is meant by Met or Chowkey? 4. What are the features of Kandakada? 5. How is water made available on Purandar? 6. Describe the mountain range of Purandar. 7. What is the speciality of the top of the fort?

8. What, according to you is the relationship between Purandar and Saint tradition? 9. What, do you think, the forts in Maharashtra teach us? A14. Place and their speciality Glance through the text again and complete the following table: Name Speciality Murar Gate ______________________________________ A Plain ______________________________________ A jet black statue ____________________________________ A15. Word register The text contains many words regarding Fort. Glance through all the parts of the text and list down all those words which refer to a fort. For example: gate, etc. A16. Forts Discuss with your partners on the following and then prepare a small write up on Forts the signs of History! The reasons why the forts were built: The facilities available on different forts: Building of the forts in the olden days: Places typically on fort with their uses: Protection of forts: ____________ A17. Mountaineering/Trekking Mountaineering or trekking is considered to be sports. Discuss with your partner the following points and prepare a list. Glance through the text to get ideas. Dos and donts for mountaineering/trekking: Precautions that need to be taken: Things one ought to carry: Benefits of the sportive event: Some additional information: A18. Read Part III and find out the details regarding the following: Residential structures: Military field:

 Regimes: Birth place of: Part III Though in extremely derelict, one can still see remnants of the glory of the Purandar in its heydays. The main hall atop the fort and the bungalow belonging to the Peshwas, are two of the many residential structures that stand, some of them merely stone plinths. The armoury, stockyard and godown, granary, ordinance depot, and check posts, are other buildings. These, together made up a completely self-sufficient city in itself that was well-equipped to face any invasion. The fort of Purandar is very long and extensive. Its age and time of construction dates back to the Yadav era. Purandar has, witnessed many regimes, change hands. The Bahamani, Nizamshahi, and Adil Shahi empires established supremacy from time to time and the fort eventually passed into the hands of the Marathas, under the leadership of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and subsequently, into the Peshwas control, Sambhaji Maharaj, the son of Shivaji Maharaj, was born here in the years of Peshwa rule, the fort was the birthplace of yet another son of Maharashtras Swarajya Swami Madhavrao Peshwa. It was because of this constant habitation that the fort was well maintained. The English, too, could not resist setting up a military outpost here. Thus, despite its sheer size, a large and once well-equipped fort like Purandar, today, is desolate and wears an abandoned look. The Purandar fort, though massive and dominating the entire landscape is surprisingly easy to climb and free from any dangerous cures or barriers. This, amongst many other reasons, makes a trek to Purandar one that you will never forget. Glossary Derelict Remnants Desolate

not used or cared for and in bad condition. small remaining quantity or piece or number of persons or things ruinous, neglected, barren

A19. Now read Part III and after discussing with your partner answer the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Which are the residential buildings on Purandar? How is the fort of Purandar described? What did Purandar witness? How is Purandar safe from any invasion? What is the importance of the fort of Purandar? Why was the fort kept in good condition?

7. What compelled the English to set up a military outpost on Purandar? 8. What, according to you, makes a fort safe? 9. What is it that appeals to you most of Purandar? Further reading: Get a copy of Offbeat Tracks by Milind Gunaji and read out interesting information about the different forts in Maharashtra. A20. Definite or Indefinite Look at the following sentences. Observe the underlined part, then discuss the questions given below. Note your response: The temple of Lord Narayan, nestled in a grove, is beautiful. They stand at an attitude of 1500 metres. There is a motorable road right up to the top. Practice: Get a pencil and underline all the articles from any text that you are reading. Later on consider. The role played by them in the context. Discuss: What is the role of the underlined words in these sentences? What is the meaning of these articles in the context? What will happen if these words are not used in the sentences? When do we use a, an and the? Why do we use them? Where do we use them. Fill in a or the wherever necessary in the following sentences: 1. Purandar has wonderful climate 2. You can experience pollution free atmosphere at the top. 3. Mountaineering is adventurous expedition. 4. You need ice axe while scaling snow-covered mountains. 5. You must carry haversack when you go mountaineering. Fill a, an, or the as needed: 1. . Ridge perpendicular to this one. 2. . Few kilometers ahead. 3. ample supply of potable water. 4. .temple of Narayaneshwar.

5. . The problem became serious. Select proper article to compete the sentence; 1. Maintaining is .. sports activity. a. a b. an c. the d. none of these 2. Repelling requires lot of skill. a. a b. an c. the d. none of these 3. There is always a room at top. a. a b. an c. the d. none of these 4. You have to wait for turn. a. a b. an c. the d. none of these 5. Purandar is one of highest forts in Maharashtra. a. a b. an c. the d. none of these A21. Positive and Negative Look at the following sentences and discuss with your partner on the points given below. Note your observations and responses: a) As soon as they captured the Vajragad, the noose around Purandar tightened. b) No sooner did they capture the Vajragad than the noose around Purandar tightened. Discuss: Changes done while converting sentence a to b Note the difference Note the use of tense Note the common words Note the new word added Examples: Go through the complete text quickly and find situations where as soon as construction is used. Convert those sentences with no sooner . than construction as given in the model b) sentences. A22. Visit to . After going through the travelogue you must have gathered a feeling of actually having visited the fort. Imagine the visit and prepare a brief write-up on it.

Preparation: your plans. Experience Places visited Hardships faced Things carried with Return journey Presentation: Make suitable paragraphs Put a proper order to your thoughts Use proper tense forms Use variety of sentence structures Make use of proper joining words. ******