Raigad
Elevation : 820 m / 2700 feet
Type : Giridurg
Hiking variety : smooth
Venue: Raigad, Maharashtra
Nearest village : Mahad
Dongarrang : Sahyadri
Historical place:
Raigad fortress is positioned in the Sahyadri variety of Raigad district in Maharashtra, at an
altitude of approximately 820
meters (2700 ft) above sea degree. It has a special identification inside
the records of the Marathi Empire. Chhatrapati Shivaji Raja, seeing the place and significance of Raigad [16th century | 16th century AD] made
it the capital of his country. The
coronation occurred at
this vicinity. After the British
captured the citadel, they looted
and destroyed it. This castle is
a covered monument of the
Archaeological department of
the authorities of Maharashtra.
The ancient call become 'Rairi'. Europeans known as it the 'Gibraltar of the East'. Raigad is as
invincible and inaccessible as Gibraltar's Thane is invincible. 5 hundred years in the past, it did no longer have the arrival of
a citadel and was just a hill, when it had names, 'Rasivata' and 'Tanas'. due
to its length, height and
surrounding valleys, it's also known
as 'Nandadeep'. all through the Nizam rule, Raigad was used to keep prisoners. Yashwantrao greater, the leader of Morya,
fled from Jawali to Raigad, whilst Prataprao greater fled to Bijapur. On sixth April 1656, the Maharaja laid siege to Rairis
i.e. Raigad and in the month
of can also, Rairi got
here under the manipulate of
the Maharaja. while there,
Maharaj came to know that Subhedar Mulla Ahmed of Kalyan had left for
Bijapur with the treasure. They looted the treasure and brought it to Raigad and used that treasure for the
construction of the fortress. the pinnacle of Raigad is convenient and enough to make it the capital. it's miles a more tough place in
a location where the enemy reveals it hard.
The vicinity is also nearby sea.
So the Maharaja chose Raigad fort as his capital. the former name of
Raigad citadel turned
into Jambudeep.
Sabhsad Bakhar says ...:
“while the
king went to Khasa, the fort changed
into very crowded. One and a half
of village high as Tasila toward the fortress on all facets. The
grass does not grow on the ridge in
the course of the wet season and the rock is the equal. Daulatabad is a actual fortress on
earth, however it is short in peak. on
the grounds that the fortress of Daulatabad is ten instances taller, Dekhon changed into very happy and said, this area ought to be
a citadel. ”
This Durgadurgeshwar has been addressed by 15 unique names. : 1. Raigad 2. Rayari 3. Islamgad 4. Nandadeep five. Jambudweep 6. Tanas 7. Rashivata eight. Badenur nine. Raigiri 10. Rajagiri eleven.
Bhivagad 12. Reddy thirteen.
Shivlanka 14. Rahir and 15. East Gibraltar.
'Ten times better than Devagiri,
one and a half of village high, spacious place. Grass does now not grow at the ridge all
through the rainy season. when you consider that there is no vicinity for birds to land at the vertical ridge, Maharaj stated luckily,
"The area should be fortified on the board." This word of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is stated in Bakhar. considering the place of Raigad, the Maharaja determined to set up his
capital on this fort. The vintage call of Raigad is Rairi. The fort is big and the
peak of the fort is 2900 toes above the ocean stage. The fortress has about 1435
steps. the main enchantment is the Hirkani tower on the west side of the citadel, Takmak
Tok on the north facet, Shri Shirkai temple and the statue of Maharaj in
the center.
Shirke turned into the lord of Raigad from the fifth century. Gadaswamini Shri Shirkai temple
is at the castle which reminds us of this. This temple was built via an engineer named Mavalankar during the time of Lokmanya Tilak. It isn't
always the authentic temple of Shri Shirkai. The idol, however, is ancient.
The authentic Shirkai
temple turned into adjoining to the palace at the Holi hill at the left. The platform of the authentic temple remains there. Mr. Shirkai's nest has been a nameplate
there considering British instances.
Shiva's coronation:
Shivrajyabhishek is the nice occasion experienced via Raigad.
The coronation of the Maharaja is a tremendous occasion no
longer only in the records of Maharashtra however additionally within
the history of India. earlier than the
coronation ceremony on 19th may additionally 1674, Maharaj visited Bhavani of Pratapgad. He provided 3 manas
of gold, i.e. an umbrella well worth Rs 56,000 to the Goddess. The coronation turned
into celebrated on Saturday, June 6,
1674 at the Raj Sabha on
the citadel. On twenty fourth September
1674, Lalita Panchami Ashwin Shuddha five, Anand Sanvatsar Shake 1596, the kings technically crowned themselves with another coronation. The actual purpose in
the back of this become to satisfy as
many people as feasible. The coronation occurred at the palms of Nischalpuri Gosavi.
Kavi Bhushan Raigad describes that ...:
“Shivaji made Raigad castle, the bottom and
comfort of all forts, his dwelling
house. The fortress is so big and massive that
it houses the splendor of all 3 worlds. There are wells, lakes and wells on the castle.
Conquering all of the Yavans,
King Shivaji made Raigad his capital and completed excellent achievement in providing for the humans. '
February 4, 1675, Shake 1596 satisfied 12 months Magh
and. On Thursday fifth, Sambhaji
Raja's Munj came about at
Raigad. Shake 1601 Siddharthi Sanvatsar Falgun v. On March 7, 1680, Rajaram
Maharaj's Munj came about at
Raigad. eight days later,
Rajaram Maharaj married Prataprao Gujar's daughter. The most tragic occasion skilled through Raigad become the dying of the
Maharaja. Shake 1602 Rudranam Sanvatsare Chaitra Shuddha Pournima, Hanuman
Jayanti, dt. Maharaj handed away
on 3rd April 1680. Member
Bakhar says, ‘there has been an
earthquake that day. Ashtadisha became inflamed. The water of Srisambhumahadevi lake turned red. ' 7,
I.S. On sixteenth February 1681,
Sambhaji Maharanja turned into enthroned
at Raigad. इ.स. In
September 1684, Aurangzeb commenced his expedition to Raigad. Ta. at the 21st,
Shahabuddin Khan turned into attacked by
means of the emperor with forty thousand troops at the foot of Raigad. On fifteenth January 1685, Shahabuddin set hearth to a village at the foot of the fort and started out looting. but he again in March
1685 with out truely attacking Raigad. Aurangzeb sent Itikadkhan alias Zulfiqar Khan, son of his Wazir
Asadkhan, with an army to seize Raigad. Shake 1610 Vibhav Sanvatsar Falgun Shu.
Rajaram Maharaj's reign began on 3rd and 12th February 1689 and on 25th March
1689 Khan besieged the fort. On On
April five, 1689, Rajaram Maharaj
escaped from Raigad and went to Pratapgad. The siege lasted for about 8 months. but d. On November 3, 1689, the fort became captured via the Mughals because of the insanity of Suryaji Pisal. Khan tempted Wai to grow to be a patriot. Zulfiqar Khan is a book given to Itikad Khan with the aid of the emperor. Later, Raigad become renamed as Islamgad. On fifth June 1733, at some stage in the reign of Shahum Maharaj, the Marathas took
Raigad once more. ”
Locations to peer on the castle:
1. Pachad's Jijabai's citadel :
In his old age,
Jijabai had a cold wind at
the fort, the wind became not humane, so Maharaj built a castle near Pachad for
him. this is the residence of Masaheb. The Maharaja had additionally arranged for some officials and soldiers to attend to the
palace. a pleasant nicely of steps, as well as a stone seat made for Jijabai to
take a seat on is worth a glance. it
is also called 'Takkachi Vihir'.
2. Khubaldha Buruj :
while you start mountaineering the citadel, you can see the location of a bastion, that is the well-known Khubaldha Buruj. there has been a door subsequent to the bastion, referred to as 'Chitra Darwaza' however this door is now absolutely demolished.
3. Nana Darwaza :
This door was additionally called 'Nane Darwaza'. Nana Darwaza means small door. इ.स. In may also 1674, Henry
Oxendon, a British legal professional, came to the door for the coronation. This door
has two arches. within
the door are small rooms for
guards. they're known as 'Devada'. There are grooves to lock the door.
4. Madarmorcha or Masjidmorcha :
After
passing via Chitra Darwaza, you
may come upon a flat avenue after
taking a serpentine flip. in
this open area, two dilapidated homes can be seen on the cease. certainly one of them is a shield residence and the opposite is a granary. The tomb of a sadhu named Madanshah is also there.
There also appears to be a large cannon.
From right here, you
could see three caves dug inside the rock.
5. Mahadarwaja :
There are lovely lotus figures carved on both sides of
the outer a part of the
Mahadarwaja. ‘Shri and Saraswati’ manner ‘Vidya and Lakshmi’. the principle gate has majestic towers, one seventy
five ft high and the opposite 65 feet excessive.
The sloping holes within the ramparts
are referred to as 'Jangya'. These holes were ussed to attack the enemy. The gate between the bastions faces northwest. Upon getting
into via the primary gate, you
may see the porches of the guards in
addition to the dwelling rooms made for the guards. there is a rampart from Mahadarwaja to Takmak give
up at the right and Hirkani stop on the left.
6. Chordindi :
In case you walk along the ramparts that move from Mahadarwaja to Takmak Toka at
the proper, where this rampart
ends, Chordindi has been built within
the bastion a bit these days.
There are steps from the inner of
the bastion to the door.
7. Elephant Lake :
The lake that may
be visible a little further from the primary gate is Elephant Lake. The lake become used for bathing and consuming of elephants coming from the backyard.
8. Gangasagar Lake :
Dharamshala buildings of Raigad Zilla Parishad may be visible from
Hattitalawa. if you stroll about 50-60
steps south from Dharamshala, the lake you may find is
Gangasagar lake. After the coronation of the Maharaja, the pilgrimages delivered by Saptasagar
and Mahanas were placed in this lake. this
is why it is known as Gangisagar.
Its water become used for
Shibandi all through the reign
of Shivaji Maharaj.
9. Pillars :
Two tall towers are seen to the south of Gangasagar. that is known as a
column. those should be the pillars referred to within the Jagadishwara
inscription. it is stated to have had five flooring inside
the beyond. It has twelve angles and carvings are found within the production.
10. Palkhi Darwaza :
31 steps may be visible from
the place with the west wall of
the pillars. The door that is going up
after that climb is the palanquin door. Palkhi darwaza is the entrace door of the fort.
11. Mena Darwaza :
As you enter through the
Palkhi Darwaza, a instantly course uphill takes you to Mena Darwaza. The seven
relics at the proper are the Queen's Palace. The fort may be entered via the Mena Gate.
12. Raj Bhavan :
In the front of Ranivasha, at the left hand side, you may see
the remains of the houses of slaves. the second parallel wall at the back of those relics
is the gate in the center of the wall and the entrance to the indoors of the fort is the spacious rectangular this is the palace of
the Maharaja. The fourth ground of
the Raj Bhavan is 86 feet long and 33 ft extensive.
13. Ratnashala :
There's a basement inside the open space to the east of the pillars near the palace, that's the
Ratnashala. it is also said that this should be a room for mystery talks.
14. Raj Sabha :
That is the Raj Sabha where the coronation of the Maharaja passed
off. The Rajya Sabha is 220 feet lengthy and
124 feet extensive. this is the
seat of the throne going through east. there
was a golden throne of thirty- manas.
Member Bakhar says, ‘Throne proved to be thirty- manas of gold. Navratna
searched the box as lots as Amolik and found a massive gem. '
15. Nagarkhana :
In front of the throne, Nagarkhana is the grand entrance. this is the primary front to the citadel. Going up the stairs from the city corridor, the
person is at the very best factor of
the castle.
16. Marketplace :
Coming down from the town corridor to
the left, the open area in front is the 'Holi Mal'. there's now a big statue of Shivchhatrapati there. the two rows in front of the statue are the grand relics of Shivaji Maharaj's time market.
Peth has 22 stores in rows every. there is a road approximately 40 toes extensive between the two rows.
This market remains the equal these days.
17. Shirkai Temple :
The small temple at
the left facet of the statue of the Maharaja is the Shirkai
Temple. Shirkai is the principle deity
of the fortress. Shirke changed
into the lord of Raigad from the fifth century. The temple of Gadswamini Shirkai
is on the citadel. This temple was constructed by
means of an engineer named Mavalkar for
the duration of the time of Lokmanya Tilak.
It isn't the authentic temple of Shirkai. The idol, however, is historical. The authentic Shirkai
temple turned into adjacent to the palace on the Holi hill on the left. The platform of the unique temple is still there. during the British rule, Shirkai's nest was a nameplate
18. Jagadishwar Temple :
Stays of Brahmanavasti, Brahmantale and
many others. can be seen on
the decrease slope of the market on
the japanese slope. The astonishing temple
that may be visible from there is the temple of Lord Jagadishwar. In front of the temple is a brilliant and delightful idol of Nandi. but now
this idol is in a nation of
disrepair. getting into the
temple, one gets a grand hall. inside the middle of the tent is a magnificent turtle. A stunning idol of Hanumanta may be visible at
the wall of the temple. A small
inscription can be seen below the
stairs of the entrance of the temple. it is as follows, ‘Hiroji Indulkar ready for service’ A lovely inscription seems at the wall on
the proper facet of the door as
follows - Shri Ganapatiye Namah
19. Maharaj's Samadhi :
Maharaj's Samadhi is the
octagonal rectangular this is seen at a short distance from the east door of the temple. Member Bakhar says,
'Kshatriyakulavatans Shrimanmaharajadhiraja Shivaji Maharaj Chhatrapati passed away at Raigad at the day of Shake 1602 Chaitra (Shuddha 15
(1680 advert) the day
prior to this). The pavement is paved from
above. The pavement is hole below. The remains of
Titus Maharaj are observed within
the form of Rakshamishri clay. ' Henry Oxendon, an English legal
professional, was allowed to live in. The mausoleum of the Maharaja has Bhavani
Tok on the east side, and on the proper are the barns and twelve tanks.
20. Kushavart Lake :
Leaving Holi Mal on the left hand facet , the direction on
the right leads
to Kushavart Lake. A small temple of Lord
Mahadev may
be seen near the lake. Nandi may
be seen in the
front of the temple.
21. Tiger Gate :
You
may attain the Tiger Gate via descending from Kushavart Lake. it's
far written inside
the order that, ‘One door to the fortress is a splendid ayab, for this one ought
to see the castle and maintain one or two or three doorways inside
the same manner . In it, you need
to always maintain as tons as you want in it, and
also you ought
to pick
out up the gates and doorways . 'With this policy of foresight, Maharaj constructed this door without the
principle gate. even
though it is
sort of not
possible to arise through this door, one
could go down with a rope. Later, Rajaram Maharaj and
his group broke thru the siege of Zulfiqar Khan and escaped via this door.
22. Takmak Tok :
You
may pass all
the way down to the Takmak Toka from the front tape of the marketplace . There are the stays of a liquor shop . the
street turns
into steeper as you method the quit . at
the proper hand side is a immediately broken broken 2600 ft deep part . The wind is
very strong on
the stop and due
to lack
of space , one must
be cautious not to make a fuss. Criminals have
been already chased far
from this vicinity during the Shiva rule.
23. Hirkani Tok :
The Chincholi which runs west at
the right facet of Gangasagar goes towards Hirkani Tok. A tale is told of a diamond groove related
to a diamond tip. There are a
few cannons placed on
this bastion. if
you stand on
the bastion, you
can see Gandhari valley on
the left hand aspect and Kala river valley on
the right aspect . additionally from here , places like Pachad, Khubaldha Buruj, Masjid Morcha
are beneath gunfire. therefore , it
is a
very crucial and strategic region in phrases of conflict in
addition to combat .
24. Samadhi of a tiger canine :
It
is said in history that
after Shivaji Maharaj become being cremated, a dog named Shivaji Maharaj jumped into the fireplace .
Stone Age Cave at Raigad :
The structure of this cave is absolutely one
of a kind from all other caves in
the global . A mouth of the cave may
be visible ascending right
here through the Pachad skip . The sight that is
available in front of this mouth is astounding . the
two round big holes are on the
opposite side . Going there, you
will see the Bhuikot fortress of Pachad, Pachad village and the ghat avenue from Pachad to Pachad gorge.
The constant gusts of bloodless air in
this cave relieve all
of your fatigue. within
the sense that the Paleolithic humans lived here . In that feel , it's
miles nearly a perennial source of water. We have
to locate it. hundreds of lots of pilgrims haven't
any idea of this Waghbil cave to
peer Raigad. The old habitat of the Paleolithic guy , the cave with 3 mouths, the staggering view from there, the steady cold wind blows the traveler here .
The fortress is a superb vicinity to live . there's a Dharamshala at
the castle . there
is a huge hall and
seven to
8 small and large rooms. accommodation is loose .
Water supply at
the castle :
Outbound :
There are
now a
complete of two methods to get to the citadel . there
is a superb water supply here . You get natural water and filtered water.
1. Footpath
2. Mechanical ropeway
