Raigad Fort

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?

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Ans: 1674

Q3: Which nickname is often used to refer to Raigad Fort?

Ans: Gibraltar of the East

Source: TOI