Raigad is a

hill fort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

situated in

Mahad, Raigad district Mahad ( Help:IPA/Marathi, əɦaːɖ is a city in Raigad district (formerly Raigad district, Kulaba district) situated in the Konkan, North Konkan region of Maharashtra state, India. It is located from District's headquarter Alibag, and ...

of Maharashtra, India. It is one of the strongest fortresses on the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...

. It was previously known as Rairee or Rairy fort. Many constructions and structures on Raigad were built by Chhatrapati Shivaji and the Chief Engineer was

Hiroji Indulkar Hiroji Indulkar was a great architect of 17th century during the reign of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He is credited with building Raigad, the second capital of the Maratha Empire and the sea fort Sindhudurg. He was also entrusted ...

. When Chhatrapati Shivaji made it his capital in 1674 upon being crowned the king of the Maratha kingdom, which later developed into the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

, eventually covering much of western and central India. The fort rises above base level and 1356 m above sea level in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1,737 steps leading to the fort. The Raigad Ropeway, an

aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...

, reaches 400 meters in height and 750 meters in length, and allows visitors to reach the fort from the ground in only four minutes.

Major features

Jijamata Samadhi at Pachad, Raigadh, Maharashtra

The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the base pillars remain. The main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. The chambers do not have any windows. In addition, ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds out of which only two remain as the third one was destroyed during a bombardment. The Raigad Fort also has ruins of a market which was accessible to horseback riders. The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the Ganga Sagar Lake. The only main pathway to the fort passes through the "Maha Darwaja" (Huge Door) which was previously closed at sunset. The Maha Darwaja has two huge bastions on both sides of the door which are approximately 65–70 feet in height. The top of the fort is 600 ft above this door. The king's court, inside the Raigad Fort has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the ''Nagarkhana Darwaja''. It faces the East Side. It was here where Shivaji's Rajyabhishek took place. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the ''Mena Darwaja'' on south side, was supposedly the private entrance for the royal ladies of the fort that lead to the queen's quarters. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the ''Palkhi Darwaja.'' on the north side. To the right of Palkhi Darwaja, is a row of three dark and deep chambers. Historians believe that these were the granaries for the fort. From the fort, one can view the execution point called ''Takmak Tok'', a cliff from which sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This area has been fenced off. A statue of Shivaji is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that leads to the ''Jagdishwar Mandir'', which has

's name engraved on the first step, his own

Samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

and that of his dog named ''Waghya''. The Samadhi of Rajmata Jijabai, Shivaji's mother, can be seen at the base village of Pachad. Additional famous attractions of the fort include the Khubladha Buruj, Nane Darwaja and the Hatti Talav (Elephant Lake). Henry Oxienden was on the fort from 13 May to 13 June 1674 & he quoted "We arrived at the top of that strong mountain about sunn sett, which is fortified by nature more than art, being off very difficult access, and but one advance to it, which is guarded by two narrow gates, and fortified with a strong high wall, and bastions thereto. All the other parte of the mountaine is a direct precipice, so that it is impregnable except the treachery of some in it betrayes it. On the Mountaine are many strong buildings, as the Rajahs Court,and houses for other Ministers of State, to the number of about 300, It is in length about 21 miles and breadth * a mile, but noe pleasant trees nor any sort of grains growes thereon. Our house was about a mile from the Rajahs Pallaoe, into which wee retired with noe little content."

''Hirakani Buruj''

The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" (Hirakani Bastion) constructed over a huge steepcliff. The legend goes "that a woman by the name of Hirakani from a nearby village had come to sell milk to the people living at the fort. She happened to be inside the fort when the gates got closed and locked at sunset. Hearing the cries of her infant son back at the village echo after nightfall, the anxious mother couldn't wait till dawn and courageously climbed down the steep cliff in pitch darkness all for the love of her little one. She later repeated this extraordinary feat in front of Shivaji and was rewarded for her bravery." In appreciation of her courage and bravery, Chhatrapati Shivaji built the Hirakani Bastion over this cliff..Hirkani Buruj is important aspect of raigada,it is symbol of courage.

Incidents

The statue of Shivaji's pet dog was removed by alleged members of the Sambhaji Brigade in July 2012 as a protest but was re-instated by Shri Shivaji Maharaj Raigad Smarak Samiti, the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

, sculptor Rambhau Parkhi and the District Administration.

Gallery

File:Raigad fort towers.jpg File:Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Raigad.JPG File:Raigad 1896.jpg, Raigad 1896 File:Raigad fort walls hidden in the green.JPG, Hidden Walls of the Raigad Fort File:RaigadFort1.jpg, Raigad Fort Palace Ruins

References

External links