Torna Fort, also known as Prachandagad, is a large fort located in Pune district, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is historically significant because it was the first fort captured by Shivaji Maharaj in 1646, at the age of 16. The hill has an elevation of 1,403 metres (4,603 ft) above sea level, making it the highest hill-fort in the district. The name derives from Prachanda (Marathi for huge or massive) and gad (Marathi for fort).
History
This fort is believed to have been constructed by the Shiva Panth in the 13th century. A Menghai Devi temple, also referred to as the Tornaji temple, is situated near the entrance of the fort. Malik Ahmed, a Bahamani ruler, captured this fort during the reign of Alauddin Khilji during the late 1470s.
In 1646, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured this fort at the age of sixteen, thus making it one of the first forts that would become one of the forts of the Maratha empire. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj renamed the fort ‘ ‘Prachandagad’ ‘ as Torna, and constructed several monuments and towers within it.
In the 18th century, the Mughal empire briefly gained control of this fort after the assassination of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji raje. Aurangzeb, the then Mughal emperor, renamed this fort Futulgaib in recognition of the difficult defense the Mughals had to overcome to capture this fort. It was restored to the Maratha confederacy by the Treaty of Purandar.
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