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PLACES
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PAR PAR
Par Par or Par proper and Peth Par or the market of Par
(Mahabalesvar Peta; 17° 55' N, 73° 34' E; RS Wathar 46 m. SE; p. 66) are two villages five miles west of Malcolmpeth and immediately south of Pratapgad. They give their name to and mark the old route into the Konkan called the Par pass which goes straight over the hill below Bombay Point and winds at a very steep incline with so many curves that it was named by the British the Corkscrew pass. Passing through the two Pars the further line of the Sahyadris is descended by an equally steep path to the village of Parghat in Kolaba district. This route was maintained practicable for cattle and the guns of the period from very early times and had chaukis or toll stations for transit duties and defence at various points. The rulers of Javli and Chhatrapati Shivaji who generally resided at Raigad (Mahad) in Kolaba must have used this route. Baji Shamraj, sent by the Bijapur government to seize Chhatrapati Shivaji, lurked about this pass till he was surprised at its foot, and driven in panic to seek safety in the forest. [Grant Duff's Marathas, Vol. I, 115.] In 1659 Par village was the scene of an interview between Shivaji and Gopinathpant sent by Afzal Khan to stipulate with him. [Details are given above in the Chapter on History.] Afzal Khan brought his forces by the same Par pass route to the famous interview at Pratapgad where the two met. As they embraced each other, Afzal Khan tried to press Shivaji's neck between his arm and body and tried to stab him. In self defence, Shivaji thrust his iron claws in his bowels. Afzal Khan fell down unconscious and died. Thus Afzal Khan failed to catch Shivaji dead or alive and Shivaji killed him in an unpremeditated combat. In 1796 Nana Phadnis fled down this pass to Mahad and took measures for his safety by blocking it and throwing a strong garrison into Pratapgad. [Grant Duff's Marathas Vol. II, 261.]
Until the building of the Kumbharli road in 1864 and the Fitz-Gerald pass road in 1876 the Par pass was the only high-way leading in to the Konkan. The line taken by the Fitz-Gerald pass gives a splendid view of Elphinstone Point and Arthur's Seat cliffs which the Par misses. But the abrupt descent from Par westwards is very fine.
Near these two villages is a village named Par Sond situated within a radius of about a furlong. There is a primary' school in the village Par Par and an ancient temple of Ram Vardayini Devi [The word Ram Vardayini is very common in the literature of Ramdas who described the goddess as one giving a boon or blessing to Ram. The temple might belong to Shivaji's period.]. A well is constructed under the Local Government Department Scheme for the villages. These villages come under the Sarvodaya Scheme.
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