Raigad Trek

Mahad, Raigad, Maharashtra (One Day)

Raigad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Raigad Fort was built by Raje Chandraraoji More of Jawli later Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized the fort and made it his capital in 1674 when he was crowned as the King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire, eventually covering much of western and central India.

The Raigad Fort was built by Raje Chandraraoji More of Jawli, Maharashtra and the chief architect/engineer was Hiroji Indulkar. The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the base pillars remain. The main fort ruins consist of the queen's quarters, six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. In addition, ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds out of which only two remain as the third one was destroyed during a bombardment. The Raigad Fort also has ruins of a market which was accessible to horseback riders. The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the Ganga Sagar Lake.

The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" (Hirkani Bastion) constructed over a huge steep cliff. The legend goes "that a woman by the name of Hirakani from a nearby village had come to sell milk to the people living at the fort. She happened to be inside the fort when the gates got closed and locked past sunset. Hearing the cries of her infant son back at the village echo after nightfall, The anxious mother couldn't wait till dawn and courageously climbed down the steep cliff in pitch dark all due to the love for her little one. She later repeated this extraordinary feat in front of Shivaji and was bravely rewarded for it." In appreciation of her courage and bravery, Shivaji built the Hirkani Bastion over this cliff.

There are more than one route to reach the place. First there is the route 1 where one can reach the fort via the Tamhini Ghat. Then again there is a second route as per which one can reach Raigad via the Varandha Ghat. The second route is considered to be a better choice for travelling via road. The distance between Pune and Raigad is about 150 km. Tourists are warned not to avail any of the routes during the night time since that might not be really safe.