Junnar

Junnar lies beneath the hill fort of Shivneri near routes across the Western Ghats. It is one of the old trading towns of the western Deccan, connected by the Naneghat pass with ports on the Konkan coast. Buddhist caves cut into the surrounding hills preserve inscriptions naming donors and trading communities. Their presence recalls the town’s place in networks that carried goods between the coast and the plateau.

Shivneri became a fortress of the Deccan sultanates. In 1630 Jijabai gave birth there to Shivaji, son of Shahaji Bhonsle, and mother and child spent his early years in its shelter. Shivaji later built an independent Maratha power amid the struggles of the Deccan. Junnar itself was drawn into those conflicts: in 1657 his men surprised and plundered the town, carrying away money, horses and goods. Its ancient caves and formidable hill fort represent two different periods of Junnar’s long history.