Young Shivaji grew up here, and stayed in the Lal Mahal till he captured the Torna fort in 1645.
[4] This was part of a surreptitious guerrilla attack on the massive and entrenched Mughal Army that had camped in Pune, with Shaista occupying (possibly symbolically) Shivaji's childhood home.
As a punishment for the ignominy of the defeat despite superior numbers and better armed and fed soldiers, Shaista was transferred by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb to Bengal.
[5] Towards the end of the 17th Century, the Lal Mahal was ruined by some people and was eventually razed to the ground as a result of various attacks on the city.
The records in the offices of the Peshwas mention that Lal Mahal was used for arranging feasts for the Brahmins during the thread-ceremony of Sadashivrao Bhau, son of Chimaji Appa.