Raigad Fort
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Raigarh (pronounced as‘Raigad,'in Marathi,a state language) was the capital of Chatrapati Shivaji.Strategically perched atop a wedge-shaped block of hill, detached from the mainbody of Sahyadri ranges and inaccessible from three sides. Stories ofincredible valor and heroic deeds are etched on every pebble at Raigad.
It was here that Shivaji built his capital cityin the 17th century, and here he crowned himself as "Chhatrapati" in 1674. Forsix years up to his death, Raigad remained the capital of the Maratha kingdom.There is only one pathway leading to the top, a motorable road leads to ChitDarwaza (Darwaza means door or gateway) 2kms from Pachad, a village at the baseof Raigad. Here one can see a Samadhi (a tomb, monument where mortal remainsare buried) of Jijabai, mother of Shivaji. A steep climb of nearly 1450 stepsfrom Chit Darwaza takes us to the Maihadarwaza or main door. The design of thisMaha Darwaja is an enigma. It defies detection of its location to the attacker.Blind curves enroute make it impossible for the attacker to use elephants toknock it down. In the battle of those historic times, elephants were used todemolish fort entrances. Now one can avoid the trekking and use the Ropewayfacility also to reach the top. It whisks you to the top, through the cloudsand whistling winds, in just 4 minutes. The top plateau is covered with a largenumber of remains of buildings and reservoirs.
Gallery: Raigad Fort photo gallery
Map: Mahad Map
Mahad
Kanakeshwar
(Contributed by Prasad Ghanekar)