Shaniwar Wada: What Makes This Fort So Haunted and Fascinating?

Once, an old man passing near Shaniwar Wada claimed to hear the faint, heartbreaking cries of a child echoing through the halls. “Kaka! Mala vachva! (Uncle! Save me!),” the voice pleaded, sending chills down his spine. He panicked, but he knew it wasn’t someone calling him for help—it was meant for someone else! This is a cry heard by many who pass by Shaniwar Wada.

Whose cry was it? Who was calling out to his uncle in such pain? What secrets does Shaniwar Wada hold? How did this once mighty fort, known for power, strength, and love, become the center of haunted tales? Let’s uncover the spooky side of Shaniwar Wada Pune.

Other Spooky Stories: The Ghost Of Gata Loops On the Manali Leh Highway

History Of Shaniwar Wada

Shaniwar Wada was originally designed as a seven-story palace for the Peshwas, with plans to build it entirely of stone. However, after the first floor was completed, the people of Satara, the capital, complained to Chhatrapati Shahu I (the emperor), saying that only the emperor could approve the construction of a stone monument, not the Peshwas. As a result, the Peshwas were instructed to complete the rest of the building using brick instead of stone.

By 1758, over a thousand people lived within the fort. In June 1818, Peshwa Bajirao II gave up his throne to Sir John Malcolm of the British East India Company.