Killotsav 2026 at Sarasbaug: Over 4,000 Punekars Build Miniature Soil Forts, Earn World Record Entry
More than 4,000 students, parents and citizens built miniature forts from natural soil at Killotsav 2026 in Sarasbaug, earning a Book of World Records entry.
Photo: Pakshya / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pune, 5th November 2026: More than 4,000 students, parents and citizens built miniature forts out of natural soil at Sarasbaug on Sunday, 1 November, in an event that has been recognised by the Book of World Records.
The event, “Killotsav 2026: My Heritage, My Pride”, was organised by Artwala Foundation and Aarambh Foundation with support from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Punekar News reported.
What happened at Killotsav 2026
Families came to Sarasbaug, below Parvati, to build models of Maharashtra’s historic forts with their hands. Children worked alongside parents, shaping ramparts, bastions and gates out of soil, the way generations of Marathi children have done in their housing societies at Diwali.
The aim, the organisers said, was to introduce children to the state’s fort heritage and to the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj through a hands-on activity.
How the world record was recorded
Representatives from the India division of the Book of World Records watched and verified the event on the spot. The record is registered jointly in the names of Artwala Foundation, Aarambh Foundation and PMC.
Several PMC departments helped run the event, including the Garden, Security, Electrical, Solid Waste Management, Fire Brigade, Education and Health departments.
Who attended
Pune Mayor Manjusha Nagpure, Deputy Mayor Parshuram Wadekar and Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashok Ghorpade, who heads the Garden Department, attended. The event was organised under the guidance of Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. Ravindra Jagdale hosted the programme.
Why fort-building is a Diwali tradition in Maharashtra
Building a “killa” in the courtyard during Diwali is an old Maharashtrian custom. Children use mud, stones and bricks to make a fort, plant mustard or wheat seeds on its slopes so they sprout green, and place small clay figures of Shivaji Maharaj and Mavlas on the walls.
Many housing societies, mandals and newspapers in Pune still run fort-making contests during Diwali. Killotsav took that tradition to a single public venue at a scale large enough for a record.
Want to see real forts after Diwali?
With the holidays coming, many families plan a fort visit. Sinhagad, Rajgad, Torna and Purandar are all within a short drive of the city. Our guide to forts near Pune covers routes, difficulty and timings.
The organisers have not said whether the miniature forts will stay on display at Sarasbaug. For more things to do in the city this week, see Pune events this weekend.
