NEWS

President of India visits Raigad fort and paid tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

ABOUT THE FORT

• Situated about 25 km from Mahad in the Raigad district
• Stands 2,851 feet above the sea level
• The British Gazette states the fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East
• Decisive feature is a mile and a half flat top which has adequate room for buildings
• Fort had 300 stone houses and a garrison of 2,000 men
• Earlier called Rairi
• Was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century
• Changed hands a number of times from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizamshahis and then the Adilshahis.
• In 1656, Chhatrapati Shivaji captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate

IMPORTANCE TO SHIVAJI

• In 1662, Shivaji formally changed the fort’s name to Raigad
• By 1664, the fort had emerged as the seat of Shivaji’s government
• On June 6, 1674, Shivaji was coronated at Raigad by Gagabhatt where he took on the title of Chhatrapati.
• Shivaji passed away in Raigad in 1680 and was cremated at the fort.