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.
Trekking:There are many interesting routes to
Raigad, varying from the relatively easyto the challenging. The path starts
from Pachad, 24 kms from Mahad, a shallowseaport on the banks of the Savitri
River. Raigad can also be anadventure-filled day excursion from the hill
station of Mahabaleshwar or from Pune.
By Air: Nearest airport is Pune, 126
kms.
By Rail: Nearest railhead is Pune.
By Road: Mumbai-Raigad 210 kms. via
Mahad, Pune-Raigad 126 kms., Mahad-Raigad 27 kms.
State Transport buses ply from Mumbai,
Kolhapur and Pune to Ratnagiri and also from Ratnagiri to Pawas via Bhatye.
Mahad
Kanakeshwar
