Raigad
Encyclopedia
Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district
of Maharashtra
, India
. The Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire
eventually covering majority of modern day India.
The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,690.3 ft) above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1400–1450 steps leading to the fort, though today a rope-way exists to reach the top of the fort. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege.
Shivaji renovated and expanded the Fortress of Rairi and renamed it Raigad (the King's Fort), the name he gave it when he selected it for his capital when he founded the Maratha empire. Rajgad
, a hill fortress situated in Raigad District of Maharashtra, It was capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's kingdom.
In 1765 the Raigad Fort, along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District
, the southernmost district of Maharashtra
, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company
, which considered it a piratical stronghold.
In 1818 the fort was bombarded and destroyed by East India Company
, using cannons.
The king's public Durbar has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance of the royal ladies of the fort; it leads to the queen's quarters. The erstwhile main entrance to the fort is the imposing Maha Darwaja. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. 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.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that eventually leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi
(tomb) and that of his dog Waghya.
Raigad district
Raigad District , also known as Raigarh District, is a district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Konkan region. The district was renamed after Raigad, the fort which was the former capital of the Maratha leader Shivaji, and is located in the interior regions of the district,...
of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire
Maratha Empire
The Maratha Empire or the Maratha Confederacy was an Indian imperial power that existed from 1674 to 1818. At its peak, the empire covered much of South Asia, encompassing a territory of over 2.8 million km²....
eventually covering majority of modern day India.
The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,690.3 ft) above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1400–1450 steps leading to the fort, though today a rope-way exists to reach the top of the fort. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege.
History
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had seized the fort in 1656, then the fortress of Rairi, from the royal house of the Chandrarrao Mores, a junior or Cadet dynasty to descended from the ancient Maurya imperial dynasty. The last More king (or raja) was a feudatory of the Sultan of Bijapur.Shivaji renovated and expanded the Fortress of Rairi and renamed it Raigad (the King's Fort), the name he gave it when he selected it for his capital when he founded the Maratha empire. Rajgad
Rajgad
Rajgad , literally meaning King of forts, one of the forts of Maharashtra state in India. Situated in the Pune district, the fort is approximately 1326 meters above sea level....
, a hill fortress situated in Raigad District of Maharashtra, It was capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's kingdom.
In 1765 the Raigad Fort, along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District
Sindhudurg district
Sindhudurg is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri District. The district headquarters are located at Oros . The district occupies an area of 5207 km² and has a population of 868,825 of which 9.47% were urban...
, the southernmost district of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, which considered it a piratical stronghold.
In 1818 the fort was bombarded and destroyed by East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, using cannons.
Major features
The fort was built by Chandrarao Mores in 1030. fort's ruins today consist of the queen's quarters, consisting of six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom with plumbing. The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the bases of pillars remain. Ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds overlooking an artificial lake called Ganga Sagar Lake created next to the fort. It also has a view of the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which the sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. This areas is now fenced off. The fort also has ruins of the market, and it has such structure that one can shop even while riding or sitting astride a horse.The king's public Durbar has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance of the royal ladies of the fort; it leads to the queen's quarters. The erstwhile main entrance to the fort is the imposing Maha Darwaja. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. 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.
A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that eventually leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
(tomb) and that of his dog Waghya.