A Days Trip to The Capital of Maratha Empire – Raigad Fort

Raigad is a hill fort situated in Mahad, Raigad District of Maharashtra. It is approximately 165km away from Mumbai, 135km from Pune and 140km from Satara or you can say it is 4hrs drive from each of these places. The fort is situated on a hill in the Sahyadri mountain Ranges and is at an altitude of approx. 800m above sea level. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized the fort in 1656, then known as the fort of Rairi from Chandraraoji More, The King of Jawali. Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj renovated and expanded the fort of Rairi and renamed it as Raigad (King's Fort). It became the capital of Chhtrapati Shivaji Maharaj's Maratha Empire.

How to Reach There?

You can take State Transport buses from Parel ST Depot in Mumbai. The buses run from midnight and reach Pachad Village near Raigad Fort by 6am in the morning. This is the good time to start your trek up, to the palace as you won’t have to face the scorching sun and the heat. There are approximately 2000 steps leading to the fort and depending on your fitness level it can take you somewhere around 1-3 hrs to reach the top. The Raigad Ropeway, an aerial tramway exists to reach the top of the fort in 10 minutes but I would suggest that if you really wish to see the vastness of Sahyadri Ranges and exactly how difficult it was to build a fort there, you should take the steps. Also, you will miss on to the Maha Darwaja (Main Door), Hirkani Buruj (Hirkani Bastion), Ganga Sagar Lake in case you take the tramway up. In my recommendation, after a day’s long stroll on the fort you can opt for tramway for coming down the fort.

What to See?

All of the fort itself is a visual treat. The chief architect of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Hiroji Indulkar did a wonderful job with the design and layout of the fort. Some of the salient features of the fort are:-

1. The King's Durbar inside the Raigad Fort 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

2. 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.

3.A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, supposedly the private entrance for the royal ladies of the fort that lead to the queen's quarters.

4. The main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom.

5. A market atop the fort which was accessible to horseback riders.

6. The fort has 5 manmade lakes Ganga Sagar and Hatti Talav (used for bathing the two elephants) being the largest of them. The stones removed from these lake sites were later used in construction of the main palace.

7. The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" (Hirakani Bastion) constructed over a huge steep cliff. 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 bravely rewarded for it." In appreciation of her courage and bravery, Shivaji Maharaj built the Hirakani Bastion over this cliff.

8. From the fort, one can view the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death.

How much would it cost ?

It would cost somewhere around (INR 3000/- for a group of 4-5 people. This price is inclusive of INR 1200/- for hiring a guide.) Please do hire a guide because they explain all the stories about the fort on your way up. They sing the legends of Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and also the milk maid ‘Hirkani’ which is so fun and informative to listen to.

Things to take care of.

1. Yourself – Yes, do carry sunscreen if you are planning a trip in summers/winters and a raincoat if during rainy season.

2. Unlike the forts or palaces in Rajasthan, the forts in Maharashtra are in not in a good condition and this is because the armed expeditions by the Moghuls and the English. The Kings/Maharajas from Rajasthan joined hands with the Moghuls and the English which helped them maintain their forts and palaces. But Marathas on the contrary stood against these forces and as a result faced major repercussions.

3. Ensure that you do not carry plastic bottles to the fort and in case if you do please bring them down back with you so that you don’t litter the monument.

This was my effort to cover a trip to this historical monument. Help you enjoyed reading it.

Jai Hind. Jai Maharashtra.