Story Of Haunted Shaniwarwada Fort

Everyone loves a good horror story, especially if it’s mixed with political intrigue, brutal murder and a lingering voice haunting people till date. That’s the story of the Shaniwar Wada in Pune, and we dare you to visit it on a full moon night.

You may recall this place from the recently released Bajirao Mastani. The seat of Peshwas, this 13-storey palace was built in 1730 as a residence for Bajirao I. Though in 1828 an unexplained fire destroyed a large part of it, some parts of it survived and are a tourist attraction in Pune.

The walls in the palace were painted with scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. A sixteen petal lotus-shaped fountain stands reminiscent of the exquisite work of those times. The historical structure which stands as an important chapter in the history of the Maratha Empire is now maintained by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

History behind the construction

The Thorale (Elder) Bajirao once saw a rabbit chasing a dog in this place. Taking inspiration from this Shaniwar Wada was built, a place which would never see defeat. It used to be the head quarter of the Peshwas and it symbolizes Pune’s culture. Looking at the construction one understands how the structure was built giving highest priority to the security. The main entrance is known as ‘Delhi Darwaja’, others have named like Ganesh, Mastani, Jambhal, Khidki. The gates are sturdy, with spikes for added security. Near the Shaniwar Wada, there is a street that the Peshwas used to unleash elephants to trample the enemies to death.

The construction was finally completed in 1745 at a total cost of Rs. 16,110 which was a hefty sum in those days. Within next 30 years, by 1760, at least a thousand people were living inside the fort. For almost 70 years, this fort remained home to the ruling Peshwas until the Maratha Army was defeated by John Malcolm of the British East India Company. In June 1818, then king Bajirao II, abdicated his throne to John Malcolm and went into political exile at Bithoor, near Kanpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. After the British took over the region, fort became of residence of British officers for a decade until 1828 when a major fire broke within the fort.

A sinister plot and a gory murder

The foundation of Shaniwar Wada was laid by Peshwa Baji Rao 1 who was succeeded by his son Peshwa Balaji Bajirao, fondly known as Nanasaheb Peshwa. Nanasaheb Peshwa had three sons: Vishwasrao, Madhavrao and Narayanrao. His eldest son Vishwasrao perished during the third battle of Panipat against Afghan armies and hence, Nanasaheb Madhavrao succeeded as the 4th Peshwa of the Maratha Empire which he remained until his death in 1772.

After death of Madhavrao, Narayanrao, the youngest of Nanasaheb’s son, took over as the 5th Peshwa. He was only 17 years old at the time of his brother Madhavrao’s death and became the youngest Peshwa ruler ever.

This succession however was highly challenged by his own uncle, Raghunathrao, brother of Nanasaheb. It is said that Raghunathrao had been fighting for power for the longest time. His hunger for the throne saw an opportunity when a young Narayanrao was declared Peshwa in 1772. Even Narayanrao disliked his uncle very much as he believed Raghunathrao responsible for assassination attempts on his elder brother, Madhavrao’s life. However, it was decided between Narayanrao and Raghunathrao to work together but Narayanrao’s arrogant, immature and impulsive behavior led to differences between them. These differences soon reached their peak and Narayanrao finally ordered a house-arrest for Raghunathrao. This moved proved disastrous and finally led to Narayanrao’s death.

Raghunathrao’s wife Anandibai, furious over her husband’s arrest, seeked help of the Gardis, highly trained assassins for hire. Gardis were originally the Bheels of central India, a hunting tribe. On the last day of Ganesh Festival on 30th August 1773, several Gardi guards, led by their captain, Sumer Singh Gardi, entered the palace and started creating a commotion. They then charged towards the sleeping Peshwa’s chambers, killing a clerk on the way. Narayanrao, seeing the Gardis and sensing trouble, ran out of his chambers towards his uncle’s quarters, screaming “Kaka! Mala Vachva!!” or “Uncle! Save me!”. The Gardis followed Narayanrao to his uncle’s chamber and a menial pulled him while Sumer Singh Gardi cut him down. Narayanrao’s corpse was cremated secretly by the river at midnight.

It is believed that Raghunathrao never wanted to kill his nephew and only asked Gardis for help in order to get out of captivity. According to popular legend, Raghunathrao had sent a message to Sumer Singh Gardi to capture Narayanrao. His message read “Narayanrao la dhara” where dhara means to capture. This message was intercepted by his wife Anandibai who changed the letter dhara to make it read as maaraa or ‘kill’ . The miscommunication led the Gardis to chase Narayanrao and finally kill him. Rumor has it that Narayanrao’s body was hacked into so many pieces that they had to carry the pieces in a pot.

Full moon nights at the Shaniwar Wada

There are many reasons people visit here but one of the most common reason is to go see a place that is known as the most haunted of Pune. As per the legend, on a full moon night, one can still hear the young Peshwa screaming “Kaka! Mala Vachva”, looking for a help that never came. People working around the fort swear it’s haunted.

The Fire

In 1828, a massive fire broke out on this expansive estate, complete with huge gardens and fountains, that raged on for 7 days. What caused this fire is still unknown but the entire fort was destroyed in it. The fire burnt for seven long days and after it was extinguished, only the huge walls and gates remained, everything else was destroyed. The fort was abandoned after the fire and no one has lived here ever since.

Shaniwar Wada Information

A light and sound show set up at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore is the main attraction.

Pune Darshan Bus is the best facility to see Shaniwarwada for Pune tourists, which organised by the PMC. It has also become an attractive destination for public functions and speeches by public figures.

Article By:- Blog.audiocompass.in