Pen

History

The name of Pen is derived from the term "पेणे" or "Pene", which means "a place to rest". Although no one is certain about the origin of Pen. Due to its location, Pen developed as a port city (the present-day Antora port was commonly referred as "Pen Port"), with trade links as far as Egypt. It had a prosperous marketplace where the exchange of goods to and from Deccan took place. The Kolaba District Gazettee gives Pen's history as follows {{cquote|In historical times Pen was under rule of the Silaharas of Shri Sthanak (Thana) from 9th to the 12th Century and subsequently it passed under the control of the Yadavas. When Shayastakhan was sent against Sivaji, a detachment of the Moghal army had been kept at Pen but it was subsequently routed by him. Parvatibai, the wife of Sadasivrav Bhau, the hero of Panipat. In 1819 the easy communication with Bombay and with the Deccan by the Bor pass made Pen an important centre. Its chief prosperity lay in its salt beds. There was a considerable export of rice to Bombay. A number of carved stones about the town appear to belong to an unusually large temple of about the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Vyagreshwar Temple Was built by Shri Senapati Prataprao Gujar. Ordered by Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pen Swary and later worshipped by Langi's of Pen as it is their clan deity. Very Old Temple of Lord Shiva located in the Jungle of Wagreshwar in Mahal Mirya Donger In Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj era, Shayistekhan's raid on Deccan led to major fights in Pen between Moghals and Marathas. Initially the Moghal army led by Sardar Taherkhan occupied Pen's fort of Mahalmeera and looted surrounding villages, which included desecration of the grand temple of Goteshwar.

Geography

Pen town is located at 18°40' N, 73°05' E, on the outskirts of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. It gained prominence in ancient times due to its location on trade routes to Deccan, proximity to Mumbai and Pune and its central position in the Raigad district. It lies on the bank of Bhogavati creek about 16 km from its mouth. Pen county has a total area of 199.6 sq. miles and the area of the town Pen is 6.75 sq.miles.

Most-observed species

• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  672
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  614
• Red-whiskered Bulbul

  Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  595
• Indian Pond-Heron

  Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) · Aves
  590
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  552
• Spotted Dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  541
• Black Kite

  Milvus migrans (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  498
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  495