Learning on Lal Mahal

The Lal Mahal, also known as the Red Palace, is located in the heart of Pune, opposite Shaniwar Wada, at Shaniwar Peth. Sahaji Bhonsale (Dadaji) constructed it with red bricks in 1634 as a house for his wife Jijabai and son Shivaji. Shivaji resided at the palace for many years till 1643, when he conquered his first fort, Torna.

Lal Mahal, located around 20 metres from Bara Khamba in Delhi’s Nizzamuddin neighbourhood, was once a marvel of Mughal architecture. This palace is a great illustration of the Delhi government’s sheer negligence, which has resulted in it being fully demolished today. It was formerly thought to become the first Islamic palace to last 800 years, and it was erected during the Delhi Sultanate era in the 13th century, about 1240 AD.

About Lal Mahal

The Lal Mahal includes a vast collection of magnificent paintings of Shivaji in various forms, as well as other 16th-century antiquities. A stunning edifice depicts Shivaji ploughing with a golden plough in his childhood, with his mother Jijabai and Guru Dadoji Konddev watching on. The four umbrellas on the terrace, the sculptures of Jijabai, and the lovely Jijamata Garden, which is today utilised as a children’s playground, are the palace’s principal attractions. 

Other attractions include a fibre model of the Raigad fort with horsemen and a large map of Maharashtra with Shivaji’s forts marked on it. The Pune Municipal Corporation refurbished Lal Mahal in 1998.

As a result of multiple attacks on the city, the Lal Mahal fell into ruins around the end of the 17th century CE and was finally burned to the ground. The exact position of the Lal Mahal is uncertain; however, it was known to be near Shaniwar Wada, which is where the current rebuilding is taking place. The new Lal Mahal was not constructed in the same way as the previous architecture, and little information regarding the previous Lal Mahal’s location and structure has been discovered. The PMC reconstructed the contemporary Lal Mahal. In 1984, work on the building began.

History

Shivaji Maharaj’s father, Shahaji Raje Bhosale, built the Lal Mahal for his wife Jijabai and son in 1630 AD. When Shahaji Raje arrived in Pune with Shivaji Maharaj and his mother, Maasaheb Jijabai, the first Lal Mahal was constructed with the intention of revitalising the freshly demolished city. Shivaji grew up here and resided at the Lal Mahal until 1645, when he conquered the Torna fort. On the 16th of May, 1640, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj married his first wife, Saibai, in Lal Mahal.

The Lal Mahal is also known for an altercation between Shivaji Maharaj and Shaista Khan, in which Shivaji Maharaj hacked off Shaista Khan’s fingers while attempting to flee from the Lal Mahal’s window. Shaista was seizing Shivaji Maharaj’s boyhood house as part of a clandestine guerrilla attack on the vast and entrenched Mughal Army stationed in Pune. Shaista was sent to Bengal by the Mughal Emperor as a punishment for the humiliation of loss despite higher numbers and heavily equipped and nourished soldiers.

The palace formerly had magnificent and intricately carved red sandstone Chhatris, or umbrella-shaped constructions, which were the first to be demolished. According to historical texts, a traveller named Ibin Batuta once stayed in this lovely Red Palace on his visit to Delhi, and Sultan Muhammed Bin Tughlaq’s rule witnessed the construction of various palaces and forts in this region.

Present Condition of Lal Mahal

Only a portion of the old Lal Mahal’s land was used to construct the modern Lal Mahal. The modern Lal Mahal was not really rebuilt in the same manner as the old one, and little information regarding the previous Lal Mahal’s location and structure has been discovered. The Pune Municipal Corporation rebuilt the existing Lal Mahal. The project began in 1984 and was finished in 1988.

The current Lal Mahal is a memorial that houses a collection of large-scale oil paintings depicting significant events in Shivaji’s life, a statue of Jijabai, a carving depicting Shivaji ploughing with a gold plough alongside Jijabai, a fibre model of Raigad with horsemen, and a massive map of Maharashtra indicating Shivaji’s forts. The iconic Jijamata Garden has been transformed into a children’s recreational park.

Conclusion

Lal Mahal is a historical site in Pune, located near Shaniwar Wada. The Lal Mahal, which dates back to the 16th century, honours the courage of Shivaji’s emperors and leaders. It is a symbolic picture that elucidates the Peshwas’ heroic achievements. It not only accounts for the superiority of wars and gains, but it also played a significant role in Shivaji’s childhood. The Lal Mahal is now one of the prominent tourist sites in Pune that you should include in your itinerary.