Raigad Fort Latest News
The Archaeological Survey of India and the Raigad Development Authority's joint excavation recently unearthed a ‘yantraraj' (astrolabe) at Raigad, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's capital fort.
About Raigad Fort
- It is a hill fort situated in Raigad district, Maharashtra.
- It is situated in the Sahyadri mountain ranges, or the western ghats.
- It stands at an elevation of 2,700 feet (820 meters) above its base and 4,449 feet (1,356 meters) above sea level.
- Raigad, surrounded by valleys shaped by the Kal and Gandhari rivers, stands as an isolated massif without connections to neighbouring hills.
- The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the ‘Ganga Sagar Lake’.
- It is only accessible by a pathway on one side, through several steps in a stiff climb.
- There is a famous tower built on a high valley near Raigad Fort, which is called “Hirkani Buruj”.
- It isone of the strongest-ever fortresses of the Deccan Plateau and is known as the ‘Gibraltar of the East’ across the world.
- It was seized by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1656 from Chandraraoji More, the King of Jawali.
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj renovated this fort and declared it the capital of the Maratha Empire in 1674 AD.
- The fort’s layout is strategically designed to maximize its defensive capabilities, with multiple layers of fortification, bastions, and gateways.
- The fort was the location for an armed campaign executed by the British East India Company in 1765.
- On May 9, 1818, the fort was looted and subsequently destroyed by British forces.
Raigad Fort FAQs
Q1: Raigad Fort is located in which Indian state?
Ans: Maharashtra
Q2: The Raigad Fort was made the capital of the Maratha Empire by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in which year?
Ans: 1674
Q3: Which nickname is often used to refer to Raigad Fort?
Ans: Gibraltar of the East
Source: TOI
