390
.P2"1'RAIIZlaFIAR TfIL frhA
Its; chief peaks are those on which stand Malhfitrgarh fort and the
temples of Bhuleshwar and Dhavaleshwar. A branch of the same
spur', fills the, southern half of the taluka, ,the' only important :peak
being crowned by the, twin forts of Purandhar and Vazirgarb:: : The
general level ,is about a,8oo feet above the sea; but he hill of P:uran-'
dhar is nearly 'z, loo feet higher. The..Nlra, with its small feeder the
Karha, and- the.. Ganjauni are the principal streams. The-'KarhaY
from the lowness: of its bank's, is of great 'use to landholders; who
hold back its water by means of darns; sand raise it with lifts. The
NTra water-works,command a large area of the taluka:- - Besides-t,038
wells for drinking purposes, about 1,677 wells'. are used for irrigation.
The raw sugar of Purandhar is much prized for its duality, which is
said to be due to the peculiar practice ,of keeping the cane in the
ground for eighteen months. The cane is planted in May or June,
.and cut in November or December of the following. year. The height
above the sea, the unfailing ;water-supply,` and the woody valleys com-
bine to make Purandhar one of the pleasantest and healthiest parts of
the District. The annual rainfall averages 23 inches. The western
branch of the Southern Mahratta Railway. traverses he taluka:
Purandhv H.W. ' Once a fortress.,' and,now ' a sanitarium for
European troops,. in the ,Poona division : of the Western- Command, in
the Purandhar taluka of Poona District, Bombay. It really consists of
two separate, hill forts, Purandhar and Vazirgarh, situated in .i 8' =:7' N -
and 73° 59',E., so miles south-east'of Poona city. Population (igoi),
944. The, income and eacpenditure of the cantonment fund in
X903-4 were each Rs. r,8oo. The highest point of the mountain of
Purandhar is upwards of t,.7oo feet above the :plain, and 4,47:2 feet
above sea-level. Purandhar is larger, higher, and more important than.
VAztrgarh The summit' of both hills is ciowned,with masonry ruins
studded here,and there_ With bastions.: . Purandhar is varied by two
elevations, on the higher of which, the loftiest point in the range, is
a temple to Siva. The hill on'which this temple stands is part of the
upper fort of Purandhar. On the northern face of the hill, 3oo feet .
below the temple and upwards of t,ooo feet' above the plain, runs
a level terrace on which ':stands the military cantonmerit, flanked on
the'east by the barracks, and on the west by the hospital. ,; The northern
edge, of the, terrace is defended by a low wall with several semicircular
bastions and a gate flanked.by two towers, This is called "the Machi
or 'terrace' -fort. At the foot of the hill is a well-built resthouse, from
which,the;ascent leads by a wide, :easy road. From the middle of th'e
cantonment a ,winding road, 83o yards. long, runs .towards the " upper'
fott,..ending in a.fiight of rude stone steps which wind between a loop;
boled.wall of rnasoriry and the basalt cliff-on-which the, -fort. stands.
4k sharp turn leads suddenly to the Delhi Crate, flanked by solid
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