Located in Saswad about 20 miles south-east of Pune, the Purandar Fort stands at 4,472 ft above sea level in the Western Ghats. The twin fort of Purandar and Vajragad also known as Rudramal, of which the latter is the smaller of the two, is located on the eastern side of the main fort. The village of Purandar takes its name from this fort.

History of Purandar Fort
The earliest fortifications of the Purandar Fort date back to 1350 AD after the Yadava dynasty was defeated by the Persian invaders and the Persians further fortified the fort. During the early rule of the Bijapur and Ahmednagar kings, the Purandar Fort was among the forts directly under the Government rule and was never entrusted to the estate holders also known as Jagirdars. For a while the Purandar Fort was held by Chatrapati Shivaji`s grandfather. During Shivaji`s time it was the capital of the Maratha Empire for a long period of time. In 1665 it was taken over by rulers of the Mughal dynasty under the command of the famous Rajput general Raja Jai Singh, and in 1670 it was seized by Shivaji. In 1776, a treaty was signed in the Purandar Fort between the Peshwa and the British East India Company, represented by Colonel Upton, who marched across central India and back for the purpose. In later years it became the chosen retreat of the Peshwas in times of emergency. On 16th March, 1818 the British under General Pritzler captured both forts, after which they fell into a state of decay, but the ruins are still impressive.

Structures of Purandar Fort
The fort has two distinct levels: the lower part of purandar is called the machi. North of the machi is a flat area where the cantonment and hospital was housed. Both hills are crowned by ruins studded with impressive bastions. On a level terrace 1,000 ft above the plain lays the old cantonment area within the fortifications. A winding path leads to the upper fort, perched on a basalt cliff, the approach to which is commanded by loopholed masonry walls. The walls run for over 26 miles, relieved by three gateways and six bastions.

Currently the Purandhar Fort is a popular tourist destination and is also used by the National Cadet Corps academy for training purposes.

Visiting Information on Purandar Fort
The nearest station is the Saswad railway station at a distance of 15 km from the Purandar Fort and the Pune Airport is at a distance of 46 km from the fort.