Raigad Fort ( रायगड किल्ला )

Raigad Fort ( रायगड किल्ला )

• Name of the Fort:  Raigad Fort
• Type : Hill Fort  
• Height : 4,400 feet ( 1,356 metres )
• Built By : Herojee Indalkar (Deshmukh)
• Materials : Stone , Lead
• Open For Public : Yes
• Signifinance : Shivaji Maharaj was Coronated here and it was the capital city of the Marathas…..      

Fort Raigad was the capital of the Shivaji maharaj kingdom, nurtured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is a monument of his prophetic vision of Hindavi Swarajya And Raigad fort is one of the famous hill fort situated in Raigad District at its base village of Raigad. Raigad fort is an Easy trek with its height of 2900 feet i.e. 884 meters above sea level.

The ruler had seized the fortress, then known as Rairi, from the Chandarrao Mores, a junior dynasty that had descended from Mauryan imperial dynasty. After taking over the Rairi Fort, Shivaji Maharaj got it completely renovated and renamed it as Raigad (the King's Fort).

The main structures inside the Raigad Fort, which today stands mostly in ruins, comprise of Queen's Quarters, Public Durbar, Watch Towers, Darwazas (gateways), etc. The Queen's Quarters consist of six chambers in toto, meant for the queen and her attendants. The main place situated inside the fort was largely constructed out of wood. However, apart from its base, made up of pillars, hardly anything else remains. One can also be witness to the ruins of the three watch towers, which were once used to spot any threat from a distance.

History Of The Fort

In 1656 A.C. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj got the charge of Raigad Fort from Jawali’s Chandrarrao More. Before that from 12th to 15th century, Maratha ruled Raigad Fort. Maratha’s lost the charge of the fort in 1436 A.C. after beaten by Bahamani King Alluddin Shaha II. Later on in 1479 A.C. and 1636 A. C. AhmadNagar’s Nijam and Vijapur’s Aadilshaha ruled respectively. Aadilshaha renamed the fort as ‘Islam gad’ and hand over the charge of the fort to Siddi of Janjira.

Raigad fort is located around 2850 feets high from the sea level. The fort is situated at highest peak of Sahyadri Mountains and because of that, fort gets the protection naturally. In 1664, King Shivaji declared Raigad as the capital of his empire. Shiv Rajyabhishek (crowning ceremony of King Shivaji) is an important event in the History of India. In April 1680, the King Shivaji passed away and Aurangzeb taken charge of the fort after beating Shivaji’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji. Again Chhatrapati Shahu’s army gets the fort in 1734. From 1734 to 1758 Peshavas ruled Raigad Fort. British Officer Colonel Prarther attacked on Raigad Fort in 1818 and destroyed most of structures including King Shivaji’s and Queen’s palaces. They got around Rs.500,000/- in form of gold coins as hoard.

Today, except for Shivaji's Samadhi, his coronation site and a Shiva temple, most of the monuments inside the fort, including the Queens' palace, are in ruins. The statue of the founder of the Maratha Empire stands without any roof or shelter not far away from the spot where Shivaji was coronated with pomp. Though parts of Raigad are in ruins, yet they inspire an aura of grandeur.

Important Places on Raigad Fort –

There are Many Important Places on Raigad Fort listed below...

Shivaji Maharaj Samadhi, Rajbhawan, Takmak Point, Palkhi Darwaja, Nana Darwaja, Hirkani Point, Hatti Talav, Maha Darwaja, Queens Palace, Wagh Darwaja, Khubladha Buruj, Kushavarta Talav, Jagdishwar Temple, Bajarpeth, Nagaarkhana, Mena Darwaja, Rajsabha, Jijamata's Palace at Pachad.

• Maha Darvaja - The Main Door ( महा-दरवाजा)
• Palakhi Darvaja (  पालखी दरवाजा)
• Jagdishwar Mandir – Temple ( जगदीश्‍वर मंदिर)
• Shiv Samadhi - Tomb Of Shivaji ( शिवसमाधी)
• Gangasagar Lake – Talav (  गंगासागर तलाव)
• Sihasan ( सिंहासन)
• Hatti Talav, Hanuman Talav ( हत्ती तलाव, हनुमान तलाव)
• Hirkani Buruj (  हिरकणी बुरूज)
• Dhanya Kothar - Grains Warehouse (  धान्य कोठार)
• Takmak Tok - The Execution Point (  टकमक टोक)
• Nagarkhana (  नगारखाना)
• Diwankhana (  दिवाणखाना)
• Ranivas - Queens Palace ( राणीवास)
• Ashtpradhan Niwas - Minister's Quarters (  अष्टप्रधान निवास)
• Bajarpeth - Market Place (  बाजारपेठ)

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS :

• Mahabaleshwar: The famous hill station of Maharashtra-Western Ghats is situated only 75-km away from the Raigad fort.
• Harihareshwar: The famous temple of Lord Shiva, built by the great Peshwas is located on the seashore here. The beach is simply superb and worth a visit.
• Ganpatipule: There is an ancient temple of Lord Ganesh situated on a beautiful beach side that will simply take one's breath away.
• Shivthar Ghal: This place is known as the sacred abode of Swami Ramdas, the Guru of Maharaja Shivaji.
• Gandhar Pale: These caves of the Buddhist period are located near Mahad, close to Fort Raigad.

Nearby Forts:

There are two forts all around Fort Raigad.

• Fort Torana: It is on the east at a distance of 30-km and is clearly visible from Raigad.
• Fort Lingana: Within a distance of 3-km in the western Sahyadri range is located the Fort Lingana. It is at a height of 2,969 feet from the sea level and was used to house prisoners by Shivaji Maharaj.

How to Reach Raigad Fort..

Via Air : Nearest airport is Pune 130 kms.

Via Rail: Vir-Dasgaon Station is the nearest railway station for Riagad fort. From here tourists have to take a bus or taxi to Raigad.

Via Road: There are many interesting routes to Raigad. Raigad is at a distance of 150-km from Pune, 75-km from Mahabaleshwar, 140-km from Mumbai.

• Pune to Raigad

From Shivaji Nagar to Chandani Chowk - Paud Road - Mulshi - Adarwadi - Nizampur - Mangaon - Mumbai-Goa Highway - Mahad - Raigad

• Mumbai to Raigad

Mumbai to Panvel by Goa highway towards Goa up to Mahad - Raigad. Distance Mumbai to Raigad is 140 kilometers.

Via Sea: From the Gateway of India to Alibaug by motor launch in just 45 minutes. From there the rest of the distance is covered by road up to Raigad.

WHERE TO STAY :

Hotels are available in the Raigad or Mahabaleshwar….