Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari treks to Shivneri fort

In what may put young people to shame, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday trekked to the famous hill fort of Shivneri, the birthplace of legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Koshyari (78), is perhaps the first governor of the state, who has trekked to the Shivneri fort in Junnar tehsil of Pune district.

Koshyari, an astute politician, hails from Uttarakhand, known for its hills, valleys, forests and picturesque landscape.

After climbing the fort, the Governor paid his obeisance to Rajmata Jijau and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

He also paid respects at the Shivai Devi temple and offered his pranams to the cradle of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"I am blessed after reaching the top," he said.

"We are small people, we trekked and came here, people come by helicopter," he said.

The Governor was accompanied by Pune Zilla Parishad CEO Ayush Prasad, who is the acting Pune district Collector, and officials of Maharashtra government and Raj Bhavan.

It took nearly two-and-a-half-hours for the Governor to complete the trek.

The picturesque and strategically-built fort is located at a height of 3,500 feet (1,067 mts).

The fort is located in the Naneghat hill ranges of Sahyadri in the Western Ghats.

Shivneri is known to be a place of Buddhist dominion from the 1st century AD. Its caves, rock-cut architecture and water system indicate the presence of habitation since 1st century AD. Shivneri got its name as it was under the possession of the Yadavas of Devagiri.

This fort was mainly used to guard the old trading route from Desh to the port city of Kalyan.

The place passed on to the Bahmani Sultanate after the weakening of Delhi Sultanate during the 15th century and it then passed on to the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the 16th century. In 1595, a Maratha chief named Maloji Bhonsle, the grandfather of Shivaji Bhosale, was enabled by the Ahmadnagar Sultan, Bahadur Nizam Shah and he gave him Shivneri and Chakan.

Shivaji was born at the fort on 19 February 1630, and spent his childhood there.