Rising above Junnar in Pune district, Shivneri is the fort where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born on 19 February 1630 — named for the goddess Shivai Devi, to whom his mother Jijabai prayed during her pregnancy. Seven mighty gates — Maha, Ganesh, Pir, Hatti, Shivai, Mena, Kulup — guard the winding climb, past the Badami Talav pond with its statues of Jijabai and little Shivaji, to the two-storeyed Shiv Janmasthan. Below the ramparts sleep sixty-four Satavahana-era Buddhist caves with 1st-century inscriptions, and from the fort's perennial Ganga-Yamuna springs flows water that has served every garrison. In July 2025, Shivneri was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage as part of the Maratha Military Landscapes of India.