Battle of Sitabuldi

Sitabuldi Fort
Nagpur, Maharashtra
Entrance to the Sitabuldi fort
Coordinates	21°8′54″N 79°5′6″E / 21.14833°N 79.08500°E / 21.14833; 79.08500
Type	Land fort
Site information
Owner	Indian Army
Controlled by	Kingdom of Nagpur, East India Company, Indian Army
Open to the public	26 January, 1 May (Maharashtra Day), and 15 August
Site history
Built	1817
Built by	Mudhoji II Bhonsle
In use	1817 to present
Materials	Stone
Battles/wars	Battle of Sitabuldi
Garrison information
Past commanders	Mudhoji II Bhonsle
Garrison	Indian Army's 118th infantry battalion
Occupants	Mahatma Gandhi, King George V and Queen Mary

Sitabuldi Fort, site of the Battle of Sitabuldi in 1817, is located atop a hillock in central Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. The fort was built by Mudhoji II Bhonsle, also known as Appa Sahib Bhosle, of the Kingdom of Nagpur, just before he fought against the British East India Company during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The area surrounding the hillock, now known as Sitabuldi, is an important commercial hub for Nagpur. To the south is Nagpur Railway Station and behind it is Tekdi Ganapati, a temple of Ganesha. The fort is now home to the Indian Army's 118th infantry battalion.

Sitabuldi Fort, a major tourist attractions in Nagpur, is situated on two hillocks: "Badi Tekri", literally meaning "big hill", and "Choti Tekri", meaning "small hill" in Hindi. The Sitabuldi hills, though then barren and rocky, were not entirely unoccupied. Tradition holds that Sitabuldi got its name from two Yaduvanshi brothers – Shitlaprasad and Badriprasad Gawali, who ruled the area in the 17th century. The place came to be known as "Shitlabadri", which during British rule became "Seetabuldee", and later assumed its current form, "Sitabardi" or "Sitabuldi". The Battle of Sitabuldi was fought in November 1817 on these hillocks between the forces of Appa Saheb Bhonsle of Nagpur and the British.

After the death of Shivaji on 3 April 1680, the Marathas continued the battle with Mughals (Aurangzeb), Sambhaji, Rajaram and then the Shahu (son of Sambhaji). the Maratha Empire was under the governance of the Peshwas of Pune under the Flagship of Chatrapati ShahuSatara, who had appointed the Gaekwads of Baroda, the Holkars of Indore, the Scindias of Gwalior, while the Bhonsles of Nagpur were Independent Sansthan. The Maratha confederacy, as the five families were known, was still a formidable force.