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| Shaniwar Wada | |
|---|---|
 Shaniwar Wada illuminated in Indian tricolour | |
 Interactive map of Shaniwar Wada | |
| Location | Pune,India |
| Built | 22 January 1732; 293 years ago (1732-01-22) |
| Architectural style | Maratha architecture |
| Owner |
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Shaniwar Wada is a historicalfortification in the city ofPune,India. Built in 1732,[1] it was the seat of thePeshwas of theMaratha Confederacy until 1818. The fort itself was largely destroyed in 1828 by an unexplained fire, but the surviving structures are now maintained as a tourist site.[2]
The Shaniwar Wada was normally the seven-story capital building of thePeshwas of theMaratha Empire. It was supposed to be made entirely of stone. However, after the completion of the base floor or the first story, the people ofSatara (the national capital) complained to theChhatrapatiShahu I saying that a stone monument can be sanctioned and built only by the Chhatrapati himself and not thePeshwas. Following this, an official letter was written to the Peshwas stating that the remaining building had to be made of brick and not stone.
By 1758, at least a thousand people lived in the fort. In 1773,Narayanrao, who was the fifth and ruling Peshwa then, was murdered by guards on orders of his uncleRaghunathrao and auntAnandibai. A popular legend has it that Narayanrao's ghost still calls for help on full moon nights. Various people, working around the area, have allegedly reported the cries of "Kaka mala vachava" (Uncle, save me) by Narayanrao Peshwa after his death. The book,Assassination of the Peshwa, written in English and Marathi, covers this incident in detail.[3][2][4][5]
In June 1818, thePeshwa,Bajirao II, abdicated hisGaadi (throne) to SirJohn Malcolm of theBritish East India Company and went into political exile atBithoor, nearKanpur in present-dayUttar Pradesh, India. On 27 February 1828, a great fire started inside the palace complex. The conflagration raged for seven days. Only the heavy granite ramparts, strong teak gateways and deep foundations and ruins of the buildings within the fort survived.[6]
According to Haricharitramrutsagar, a biographical text ofBhagwan Swaminarayan, he had visited Shaniwarwada on the insistence of Bajirao II in 1799.[7][8][9][10][11]
PeshwaBaji Rao I, prime minister toChattrapati Shahu, laid the ceremonial foundation of his own residence on Saturday, 10 January 1730. It was namedShaniwar Wada from the Marathi wordsShaniwar (Saturday) andWada (a general term for any residence complex).Teak was imported from the jungles ofJunnar, stone was brought from the nearby quarries ofChinchwad, andLime (mineral) was brought from the lime-belts ofJejuri. Shaniwarwada was completed in 1732, at a total cost of Rs. 16,110, a very large sum at that time.[12]
The opening ceremony was performed according to religious customs, on 22 January 1732, another Saturday chosen for being a particularly auspicious day.
Later the Peshwas made several additions, including the fortification walls, with bastions and gates; court halls and other buildings; fountains and reservoirs. Currently, the perimeter fortification wall has five gateways and nine bastion towers, enclosing a garden complex with the foundations of the original buildings.It is situated near theMula-Mutha River, inKasba Peth.
Shaniwar Wada has five gates:[2]
The important buildings in the palace includes theThorlya Rayancha Diwankhana (Marathi: the court reception hall of the eldest royal, meaning Baji Rao I),Naachacha Diwankhana (Dance Hall), andJuna Arsa Mahal (Old Mirror Hall).
Since the buildings were destroyed in the fire of 1828, only descriptions of the living areas of the fort are available. All the state halls in the buildings are said to have doorways with exquisitely carved teak arches, with ornamental teardrop teak pillars shaped likeSuru (cypress tree) trunks supporting the ceilings, which were covered with beautiful teak tracery, carved creepers and flowers. Exquisite glass chandeliers hung from the ceilings. The floors were made of highly polishedmarble, arranged in amosaic pattern and adorned with richPersian rugs. The walls contained paintings with scenes from theHindu epics, theRamayana and theMahabharata.
The buildings are said to have been designed and constructed by well-known artisans, including Shivaram Krishna Khasgiwale, Devaji Sutar, Kondaji Sutar, Morarji Patharwat Bhojraja (an inlay-work expert fromJaipur) and Ragho (a painter).[15]
It is said that the Shaniwarwada complex was seven storeys high. On the top floor was the residence of the Peshwa which was called Meghadambari. It is said that the spire ofJñāneśvar temple atAlandi, 17 km away, could be seen from there.
The complex had an impressivelotus-shaped fountain: theHazari Karanje (Fountain of a thousand jets). It was constructed for the pleasure of the infantPeshwa Sawai Madhavrao. It was designed as a sixteen petal lotus; each petal had sixteen jets with an eighty-foot arch. It was the most complicated and intricate fountain of its time.[2]
Shrimant Anandrao Rudrajirao Dhulap-More (an admiral ofMaratha navy in 18th century) who visited the Shaniwarwada in 1791 described it as "very magnificent. A hundred dancers can dance here at a time. In one corner is a marbleGanapati statue and the palace is flanked by a fountain and a flower garden.".
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18°31′8.67″N73°51′19.62″E / 18.5190750°N 73.8554500°E /18.5190750; 73.8554500
