A2Yshindephotography: Aug 29, 2011

Raigad - Capital of Swarajay...

It was here that Shivaji built his capital city in the 14th century, and here that he crowned himself Chatrapati.

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India.

The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha.

The erstwhile capital of Chathrapati Sivaji, Raigad is famed for its rich heritage, ancient monuments and rocky terrain. Literal meaning of the term Raigad is 'the king’s fort'.

Raigad, a remote locale placed at an altitude of 2851 feet above the sea level, is gifted with a mountainous terrain.

Nestled in the Sahyadri mountain range this lovely place offers breathtaking views of natural splendour.

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 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.

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 storages for the fort.

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.

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.

The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege.

For six years up to his death, Raigad remained the capital of the Marathas with its broad gates and magnificent monuments.

For its immence beauty, Raigad remains a hiker's paradice.The formidable Pratapgad fort with its equestrian statue of shivaji is an interesting excursion.

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.

Today a rope-way exists to reach the top of the fort.

Shivaji's impregnable capital, the place where he was crowed and where he died. Besides the fort, you'll find his samadhi and the remains of his palace.