Junnar

Junnar is a city with thousands of years of history in the Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The nearby fort of Shivneri is the birthplace of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire.HistoryJunnar has been an important trading and political center for the last two millennia. The town is on the trade route that links the ports of western India or more specifically of Konkan with Deccan interiors. The first mention of Junnar comes the Greco -Roman travellers from the first millennium, In the 1400s, the Russian traveler, Afanasy Nikitin spent many months in Junnar during the monsoon season. He describes vividly the life of the Bahamani governor ruling area around Junnar. The Nizam Shahi had Junnar as their first capital. Later in early 1600s, Malik Ambar the Nizam Shahi general moved his capital there. The father of Shivaji, Shahaji Raje worked for Malik Ambar early in his career. Shivaji was born at the nearby Shivneri fort.GeographyJunnar has an average elevation of 689 metres . State Transport buses run between Pune and Junnar from Shivajinagar ST stand. The Kukadi River flows to the north.