Shaniwarwada: A Legacy of Deceit

Contents 1. Pune Marathas Peshwa Shaniwarwada

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2. Shaniwarwada

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3. Righteous Infidel

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4. Game of Thrones

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5. A Strife within

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Acknowledgements References Image Sources

PUNE

Blossoming with luscious greenery and an almost-tropical atmosphere, Pune in Maharashtra is the perfect place for a laid-back weekend in a non-hill station. With an IT-driven population and excited college students buzzing in various addas, this city can be called anything but old.

Amongst its strong education and work-centric attitude, lurking in the corners like moss and broken pipes, is Pune’s remnants of history and heritage over the centuries, in ruins, much like its architecture.

In the 18th century, Pune was the political centre of the Indian subcontinent, as the seat of the Peshwas who were the prime ministers of the Maratha Empire. When Chhatrapati Shahu succeeded to the Maratha throne in 1707, he wanted to declare Satara the capital, but his chief administrators, the Peshwa who were the real power behind the throne, decided Pune was to be their headquarters. Pune is the administrative headquarters of Pune district and was once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire established by Shivaji.The rich tradition of the Peshwas and Marathas, along with the serene nature of the city comes out, as you travel and soak in the city and observe the place.

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Shaniwarwada resides in the heart of the city, near the peths, which were formed during the reign of the Marathas. To get the feel of the olden times, one can start early in the morning, so as to see and appreciate the beauty of the city in all its glory from the past to its current status ,without the traffic and crowd. The former love-nest of Bajirao and Kashi, this grand mansion was built by the Peshwa Bajirao I himself as the residence of the Peshwas in 1732. Even though it looks like a fort, it was named wada by the Peshwas as wada means home.

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Covering a vast area of about 625 acres, the palace is the ideal place to catch a glimpse of India’s rich history. Although Shaniwarwada is accessible in all modes of public and private transport, it is advisable to go via bus or a two wheeler due to the amount of traffic in the surrounding areas,especially for the people entering from Kasba Ganpati side, which is a temple of the presiding deity of Pune. Pune Darshan is also recommended if one wants to see Shaniwarwada in a short span of time.

If you start from Aundh,the first significant landmark you come across is the Pune University, now known as Savitribai Phule Pune University.

The main building of this campus once used to be the Governor’s residence.The significance of this place cannot be lost as this was the place where the battle of Khirkee was fought between the British and the Peshwa led Maratha army during the Third Anglo Maratha war.

The stone buildings, the staircases and the garden spaces around the buildings have a semblance with the kind of architecture prevalent in those times.

One kilometre further is the Old city centre ,Shivajinagar. The railway station,Bus stand are all situated here. Also on the left is the All India Radio office and studio and on the right side is the Indian Metrology Department ,also known as Shimla office ,as the HQ was shifted from Shimla to Pune in 1928. Further down is the Sessions court, Balgandharav Rang Mandir,an iconic auditorium,and also the Pune Municipal Corporation.

Across the bridge over the river Mutha is the Shaniwarwada, which was the seat of the Peshwas of Maragathavalli empire until 1818 ,when the Peshwas lost to the British East India company after the Third Anglo Maratha war.

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Today the palace stands in the heart of the city and the area around it has been developed in such a way that programmes can be organized in the courtyard of this magnificent fort palace and people can enjoy them.

A huge statue of Peshwa Bajirao I is also erected in the courtyard. There is a small shop ‘Warsaa’ in the campus which sells traditional hand made goods, books and souvenirs. The Pune Municipal Corporation has started a sound and light show in an open air auditorium in the palace grounds of Shaniwarwada. The show which is held both in English and Marathi, is run from 7.15 pm to 8.10 pm (Marathi) and 8.15pm to 9.10pm (English).

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The place never fails to amaze the visitor with its various forts and fountain, and the majestic statue of Baji Rao I that greets the visitor at the entrance of the palace. Presently the site is bustling with activity and has shops lined on all four sides along with old wadas and new buildings.The famous Kasba Ganapathi temple seen from the Shaniwarwada,is now hidden behind tall buildings.Across the road is the newer and smaller version of the Lal Mahal.This used to be the residence of Jijabai and Shivaji’ during his childhood. Due to frequent attacks on Pune by the Mughals at the end of 17th century, it fell into ruins and was finally razed down. What was once a seven storied structure was gutted by a fire in the palace in 1827. Only the mirror hall and other remains can be seen now like the fortification walls with five gateways and nine bastions that enclosed the entire palace.

However, such was the fate of this magnificent complex that it is now the most haunted places of Pune. The palace which was constructed with great enthusiasm and excitement to witness laudable tales of the Peshwas sadly saw nothing other than deceit, ill fate and torment. In the very first year of its completion, the palace saw an untimely death of Peshwa Bajirao I, his disloyalty to his first wife Kashi, and the unfinished love story of Bajirao-Mastani. Once reputed for its marvellous architecture, the palace is now dreaded for its paranormal activities.

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Marathas What kind of people occupied this tract in the 18th century and made it famous in history ? To outsiders the people of Maha-rastra are known by the generic term Mahrattas or Maratha:, though in the State itself the term is restricted to the community which follows the agricultural profession and forms the backbone of its society. Though there are divisions of castes and sub-castes, the differences are not so sharply marked as in other States.

Some castes appear to have come from the north in modern times. The reasons for this homogeneity lie in the racial composition of the people, the rise of the Maratha language and its use by all classes of people, 12

Shaniwarwada: A Legacy of Deception

the religious reform movement of the middle ages which attacked Brahmin orthodoxy, breathed a liberal spirit and made men feel equal, and the prominent part played in the political history of the country by the great peasant community of the Marathas, from which sprang not only Sivaji, the founder of the Maratha State but several other notable families and which in a way moulded the way of life of the people of the region. Caste groups are formed not on the basis of social status but on the principle of geographical distribution. The natural divisions of Maharastra are the central plateau, the valley of the Purna and the Wainganga, the Konkan, Bombay island and the mountainous region.

The shape of the head changes as one travels from Bombay to the east.

Peshwa Peshwa, a word of Persian origin, translates to Pradhan in Sanskrit, which means Prime. Peshwas served as Prime Ministers to the Chhatrapati. Chhatrapati was a title equivalent to King or ruler, given by the Marathas. A Peshwa was the equivalent of a modern Prime Minister in the Maratha Empire. They were the decision makers for the commoners. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king), but later, they became the de facto leaders of the Marathas, and the Chatrapati was reduced to a nominal ruler.

The King’s authority was bolstered up by his very able Peshwas Balaji Viswanath, Bajirao I and his son Balaji. The Peshwas, with other ministers, attended the Raja’s court and when absent on campaigns were represented by their deputies. The king was kept informed of happenings outside and was formally consulted on all matters of importance.

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But as the Maratha state expanded the Peshwas showed themselves great leaders of men and far out-stripped other ministers. It was Peshwa Balaji Viswanath who obtained for his sovereign the sanad of Swaraj.

Cauth and Sardesmukhi and thus legitimatized Raja Shahu’s position.

Then again it was Balaji’s son Bajirao who defeated the great Nizam when the latter challenged the Raja’s authority in 1727. The Senapati who had started intrigues both against the Raja and the Peshwa was destroyed in 1731.

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The neighbouring powers on the west coast were reduced by the Peshwa’s exertions, who also tore away Malva and Bundelkhand from the imperial grip. No wonder that the grateful Sovereign came to rely more and more on the Peshwa than on other ministers who chose the ease of the capital and kept at home, contenting themselves with giving advice. The result was that the Peshwa who originally was one of the eight ministers, came to occupy the first position in the king’s council.

SHANIWARWADA

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The most important thing for kings when they built their forts in ancient times was that the fort should remain standing for centuries, as a sign of their power and rule over the region. They designed the walls to withstand any attack and keep the royal family and people of the kingdom safe. In most of the cases, these forts served their purpose. Now after all the kings and queens are long gone, what now remains is pretty much these strong and silent walls of several forts all over our country. There is no king’s rule left anymore but these forts still remind people of the king who built them. However the purpose of safekeeping was never really served by any fort. There is an entire history of Royal families getting butchered right inside these walls, the one they made to protect themselves.

One such fort located in the heart of Pune is the Shaniwar Wada fort.

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Shaniwarwada was the palace of the Peshwas since the 18th century C.E. It served as the ruling seat of the Maratha Empire until 1818 when the Peshwas were defeated and surrendered to the British. This fort in a way stands as a symbol of the rise and fall of Maratha Empire. Construction of Shaniwar Wada began on January 10th, 1730 when Peshwa Balaji Rao, Prime minister to King Chattrapati Shahu laid foundation to it. That day happened to be a Saturday and that is where this fort got its name from, Shaniwar meaning Saturday and Wada meaning residence in Marathi. Even the opening ceremony of the fort took place on a Saturday, on January 22, 1732. The construction was finally completed in 1745 at a total cost of Rs. 16,110 which was a hefty sum in those days.

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It is a heavily fortified building complex with nine bastions and five gateways. The 21ft tall main entrance of the complex faces North i.e. towards Delhi and hence is named as the Delhi Darvaja (Gate). Many additions were made to the original plan of the palace since its construction. In the final phase the palace was a seven storied building with four large and many smaller courtyards (chowk). The palace consisted of exquisite fountains and numerous gardens. But the most noteworthy is the sixteen petal lotus shaped fountain called the Hazaari Kaaranja (fountain of a thousand jets).

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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).

The principal gate is called Dilli Darwaja (Delhi Gate); the other gates are called Mastani or Alibahadur Darwaja, Khidki Darwaja, Ganesh Darwaja and Narayan Darwaja.

The elaborate foundations of the original palace along with the nagarkhana showcasing the wooden pillars and lattice work add up to the beauty of the mansion. The sturdy doors were designed to be protected from the enemy.

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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. 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. 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.

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What happened in these 70 years from construction to destruction of Shaniwar Wada however is a very interesting tale portraying a perfect picture of how the Royal families did not hesitate to kill even their loved ones to seize throne. Somewhere in the history and story of Shaniwar Wada fort, one can also see the reason of why India eventually fell to the British rule and was invaded by foreign armies several times for centuries before that. At the time when Shaniwar Wada fort was built, the Maratha Empire was at its zenith. Mughals were busy fighting each other for the throne after death of Aurangzeb and it was a perfect opportunity for the Marathas to take control of the entire India which they did but could not hold for long.

This was also the time when English came to our country and started to take over while all the kings of small kingdoms were trying to kill each other. Chhatrapatis, the Maratha kings, were only the titular rulers and the Maratha Empire was mostly controlled by the Peshwas, the prime ministers of Chhatrapatis.

Shaniwarwada has been marred by untimely death, infidelity and disloyalty, assassination due to greed, suicide, and natural calamity, ultimately leading to its abandonment by the last Peshwa of power.

The Peshwa centre of power is mixed with political intrigue, brutal murder and a lingering voice haunting people till date.

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RIGHTEOUS INFIDEL

Peshwa Bajirao Ballal was the son of the first Prime Minister to Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. In the place where Shaniwarwada was built, the Peshwa saw a rabbit chasing a dog and saw it as a sign of victory. He built Shaniwarwada in that very place, which he believed would never see defeat, and it didn’t, in his twenty years of military career. And while it brought prosperity to the Peshwa empire in many years of ruling, the wada, or home of the Peshwas, saw nothing but emotional turmoil for the decades to come.

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The first act of defiance this majestic throne of power saw was Bajirao’s famous courtship and eventual marriage to Mastani despite already being married to Kashibai, who was the forgotten Peshwanbai in the history of Shaniwarwada amidst the epic and controversial love story.

As depicted in the film made by Sanjay Leela Bhansali about Bajirao and Mastani’s story, the world remembers the lover over the wife, since the beginning of storytelling. Despite being married to Kashibai, Peshwa Bajirao was given Mastani’s hand in marriage for his assistance in restoring Chhatrasal’s ruling over Bundelkhand, which he duly accepted despite his claim of being monogamous in nature.

After his return to Pune, the marriage was not generally accepted because of Mastani’s muslim heritage. Bajirao, who was known for his speed, ferocity and fearlessness among the masses as well his own courtiers, fought against everyone to keep Mastani as his second wife in Shaniwarwada. He even named the north-east corner of the wada for her residence as Mastani Mahal, and the small door at the back leading to it is called Mastani Darwaja. Later, due to his family’s intolerance of Mastani, he even built a separate residence for her a little away from Shaniwarwada. This site still exists near Mrityunjay temple in Karve road today.

Bajirao’s love for his half-Muslim wife Mastani and neglect of Kashibai angered his mother, Radhabai. In deference to Radhabai, Bajirao’s brother, Chimajiappa, tried to send Mastani into exile.

Bajirao’s son, Balaji, also tried to coerce Mastani into leaving his father, but she refused. Enraged by her growing influence on Bajirao and Bajirao’s neglect of Kashibai, Balaji had Mastani placed under house arrest for a time, while Bajirao was on military campaign.

Bajirao died due to a sudden fever and heat stroke while inspecting his jahgirs enroute Delhi. A few months later, Mastani committed suicide.

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This story of love and passion and treachery brought on various concocted plans by family members to dissolve her and her son, leading a series of schemes and trickery among the generations to come, including Mastani’s son’s betrayal towards Kashibai’s son.

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GAME OF THRONES

After Bajirao’s death enroute Delhi in 1740, his eldest son Nanasaheb was next in line for the throne. After twenty one years of ruling, when Nanasaheb’s eldest son died in battle, he died out of grief. He was succeeded by his other son Madhavrao for eleven years until he died of tuberculosis. At seventeen, Narayanrao became Peshwa to threefourths of India. His uncle, Raghunath Rao was Kashibai’s youngest son waiting in line for the throne which was never meant to be his.

He was instead appointed as regent by the Maratha generals, and was in charge of the state on your behalf.

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There was mutual dislike between the two as young Narayanrao believed his uncle was behind his brother Madhavrao’s death in some way, while Raghunath Rao thought Narayanrao was too young and immature to be ruling an empire which encompassed most of India.

Raghunath Rao’s wife Anandibai, in her thirst to be Peshwanbai of the state, was at loggerheads with Narayanrao’s mother, who controlled many of the young Peshwa’s decisions. When the feud reached its peak, Narayanrao ordered for his uncle to be placed under house arrest to feel safer.

The guards protecting Shaniwarwada, who operated under the Peshwa, were called Gardis, a Bheel tribe from Northern India. They worked for money and weren’t particularly loyal to the Peshwas. When they learnt the financial affairs of the state were under duress due to Narayanrao’s mother’s donation to the Brahmins, and weren’t going to be paid, it created friction between the Peshwa and the Gardis.

Seeking this opportunity, Ragunathrao promised money to the Gardis in exchange for his freedom from the house arrest. He sent a message to the chief, Sumer Singh Gardi, to capture Narayanrao, which said “ Narayanrao la dhara”. Intercepting the letter, his wife Anandibai changed it to “ Narayanrao la maara” which meant “Kill Narayanrao”.

This led to the brutal murder of Narayanrao executed by the chief of the Gardis. As legend goes, he ran for his life, being chased by the Gardis, shouting “Kaka! Mala Vachva!”, begging his uncle to save him, all throughout the wada, to finally be caught and murdered before his own uncle. To save face in front of the masses, the Gardis were ordered to dispose his body, and so they chopped his body into pieces, collected them in a pot covered by a red cloth and burnt the pot alongside river Mutha, taking it through the gate known as Narayan Gate today.

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.

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The escape route that Narayanrao tried to use before being captured by the Gardis and consequentially cut and thrown into the river through what is today known as Narayan Gate

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A STRIFE WITHIN

Peshwa Madhavrao II or Sawai Madhavrao was the son of Narayanrao, posthumously born after his father’s murder. He was born amidst the political intrigues following Narayanraos murder. Ragunathrao stayed Peshwa for a year before he was ruled over by courtiers and knights of the Maratha Empire, and at only 40 days old, baby Madhavrao II was made Peshwa. His rule was overseen by his regent, Nana Fadnavis.

He more or less ruled under the guidance of Nana Phadanvis the Maratha Machiavelli and the Barbhai regency council.

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Sawai Madhavrao was a witness to Raghunathraos treachery, when the latter brought the English to the forefront of the Maratha politics.

Here is yet another tale of the downfall of a Peshwa due to his regent.

Baby Madhavrao was known to love the Hajari Karanje, or fountain of thousand jets. As Sawai Madhavrao started growing older and understanding state affairs, he started feeling oppressed by the presence of Nana Fadnavis, who became the power figure over the years ruling on behalf of the growing boy.

When he came of age, Sawai Madhavrao did try to assert his authority against his adviser Nana Phadanvis , whom he felt was becoming overbearing. It was once in the case of the despotic police inspector of Pune, the infamous Ghashiram Kotwal, a trusted aide of Nana.

Ghashiram was well known across Pune for being cruel and unjust.

His reign has been spoken of in various forms of literature and is now a famous marathi play.

At age 21, Madhavrao fell off the high walls of Shaniwarwada. Some stories say it was suicide due to Nana’s dictatorship over his life and some say it was due to high fever that he stumbled and fell over his window. As he fell, his dying declaration was to crown his cousin Bajirao II as the next Peshwa, much to the chagrin of Nana Fadnavis.

Nana died in Pune in 1800.

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After the death of young Madhavrao, Baji Rao, the second, was placed on the throne of Pune as Peshwa. He was the son of Raghunath Rao and Anandibai. He had come to the throne thanks to the efforts of Nana Phadnavis and Daulat Rao Scindia. However, other noblemen and people despised Baji Rao as he was the son of a murderer. They closely scrutinized all his actions and they were critical of him. However, they held their rivalry with the Peshwa and with each other in check till Nana Phadnavis died in 1800.

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After the death of Phadnavis, Yeshwanth Rao Holkar of Baroda and Daulat Rao Holkar went to war with each other for control of the Maratha Empire. Baji Rao, the second, thought that the best course for him was to seek new allies and he came to Bombay where he signed a treaty with the British.

This is called the Treaty of Bassein whereby the British agreed to reinstate Baji Rao as the Peshwa. In return, he was to accept British troops in his territory, pay for their stay and also allow a British Resident at Pune.

Though both Holkar and Sindhia resisted, the British were in no mood to give way. They had Baji Rao in their grip and they took to war against the Marathas. This led to the second Anglo-Maratha war which the British won.

Though Baji Rao, regained his Peshwaship, the treaty with the British always told on his mind. In 1817 the third Anglo-British war broke out and the Peshwa was captured after evading the British for five months.

Baji Rao II surrendered to Sir John Malcolm, the commander-in-chief of the British troops. Though Baji Rao was stripped of his Peshwaship, he was allowed to be called Maharaja. He was promised a pension of hundred thousand pounds an year apart from being able to retain his personal fortune or wealth.

Baji Rao was told that he would have to leave Pune and live at a place designated by the British. He would also have to promise never to come back to Pune.

Baji Rao then forsook all claims to the Peshwa post and left with a retinue and personal attendants of fifteen thousand people to Bithur near Kanpur.

Thus, the man who once ruled over 50 million people could lord over just 15,000 people and that too in a small area of 6 kms.

The Peshwa died in 1855 and in July 1857 during the war of Indian Independence, the British burnt down Bithur, including the residence of Baji Rao II (wada) where many members of his family except his adopted son, Nana Sahib, resided. The line of Baji Rao also came to an end shortly thereafter.

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Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my faculty Professor Savyaasachi and anchor Dr. Nanki Nath for constant guidance and direction for the visual language and content of this document. I’d like to thank Azhar Dange, a Pune history expert at Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, as well as the staff, who helped me find resources for all different perspectives of each story that contributed to the theme of the publication.

A big thank you to my Graphic Design batchmates for critic sessions and constant motivation and support through the whole process.

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Shaniwarwada: A Legacy of Deceit is published for the course “Documentation of Visual Culture” under the guidance of Dr. Nanki Nath and Prof. Savyaasachi in National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

Title font FoglihtenNo04 Regular Body text font Minion Pro Regular

References

Image sources

Rau by N S Inamdar Glory of Peshwa Pune by Meera Kosambi Advance study in the history of Modern India by G S Chabbra Peshwa Bajirao II and the downfall of the Maratha power by Dr. S G Vaidya Akhercha Peshwa by Suman Vaidya History, Religion and Culture by Gajrani S The history of Maratha people by Rao Bahadur

Mughal School (Rajakelkar Musem website) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Peshwas in Durbar (De Agostini Picture Library) Ackermann, Rudolph (1764-1834)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baji_Rao_II https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghunathrao http://www.virtualpune.com/html/localguide/attractions/html/shaniwar_ wada.shtml http://samharshbangalore.blogspot.in/2013/01/the-last-peshwa-andghost.html http://marathachronicles.blogspot.in/2010/11/peshwas-part-4-strifewithin.html https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-story-of-Shaniwar-Wada-Fort-inPune-How-did-it-get-the-title-of-being-haunted https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nana_Fadnavis http://www.dsource.in/search/content/shaniwarwada

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Did Shaniwarwada contribute to the series of misfortunes that crumbled a vast dynasty, or did problems created by mankind burn down the reputation of a magnificent structure?

Is a space an influence or a consequence?