The first conquest

The sheer size of the fort is overwhelming. Over a mile in length,the Torna fort is gigantism personified,and yet it has managed to retain a certain distinctive military fort look that has been characteristic to forts in Maharashtra. Vinayak Nimhan,who resides in the nearby Velhe village and works as a tour guide,taking trekkers down the narrow five km ridge from Rajgad to Torna,says,“Shivaji,even at the young age of 16,saw the strategic importance that the fort had and realised the benefit of its proximity to the other forts of Rajgad and Purandar. These factors formed the subsequent network that connected them to one another and helped him administer the kingdom.”

The fort which has a temple dedicated to Menghai Devi,was originally built around the 13th century and acquired the reputation of a tough fort. The fort was captured by the Mughals in the 18th century,with them having to undergo numerous difficulties to achieve the same. Abhishek Sutar,another localite who is studying Maratha history,says,“A very interesting aspect about forts in Maharashtra is that they were built in such a way that one could stay there comfortably as they could not be captured easily. A primary reason for the same is that the Maratha soldiers were swift-footed and used light weaponry. The forts were built to suit their minimum means. The armies that attempted to capture the forts were usually slow moving with heavy and cumbersome artillery. These things never worked in their favour and that is why capturing the fort was one of the wiser decisions made by Shivaji. It gives a rough idea of his foresight and his military acumen.”

Surprisingly even though it is a hot spot for tourists and trekkers,the fort stands in a good state. “Torna is one of the few forts that has been spared the horrors of having been disfigured. Some people have defaced the fort bastions or walls,but on the whole it has retained its the richness of its history,” says Nimhan.