New History of the Marathas v2.c24.s2.104

v2.c24.s2.104

9. Shahunagar.—Satara the capital of Shahu was the name of the fort and not that of the town, which now stands at the foot of the hill. Shahu in 1721 first took up his residence below the fort and caused his courtiers to build their own separate quarters adjoining his own. A town thus soon grew up which he named after himself as Shahunagar. When he was crowned in 1708 he took his seat on the throne in the fort, which he removed to his palace of Rangamahal in this new rapidly rising town about the year 1721. This original palace of Shahu was burnt down in 1874, and on its site only the old well now exists, known as “the well of the throne”. The other old structures that one sees today were erected by Maharaja Pratapsinh, a hundred years after Shahu. The various wards of the old town are named, like those of Poona, after the days of the week, in addition to Yado Gopal Peth, Vyankatpura (named after Vyankatrao Ghorpade, who had married Bajirao’s sister Anubai), Chimanpura (named after Chimnaji Damodar Moghe) Durgapura, Rajaspura, Raghunathpura, &c. Shahu supplied the new city with good drinking water brought in pipes from the Mahadara and Yavteshvar hills. The temple of Krishneshwar still reminds visitors of Krishnarao Joshi of Chas, a brother of Bajirao’s wife Kashibai. There was a mint established by Shahu in the city. It was entrusted to a well-known firm of bankers, headed by Tanshet Bhurke.