Raigad Fort, Mahabaleshwar

History

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj seized the fort in 1656, then known as the fort of Rairi from Raje Chandraraoji More, The King of Jawali. Chhatrapati Shivaji renovated and expanded the fort of Rairi and renamed it as Raigad (King's Fort). It became the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji's Maratha Empire.The villages of Pachad and Raigadwadi are located at the base of the Raigad fort. These two villages were considered very important during the Maratha rule in Raigad. The actual climb to the top of the Raigad fort starts from Pachad. During Chhatrapati Shivaji's rule, A cavalry of 10,000 was always kept on standby in Pachad village.Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj also built another fort Lingana around 2 miles away from Raigad. The Lingana fort was used to keep prisoners. In 1689, Zulfikhar Khan captured Raigad and Aurangzeb renamed it as Islamgad. In 1707, Siddi Fathekan captured the fort and held it until 1733.In 1765, The fort of Raigad along with Malwan in present Sindhudurg District, the southernmost district of Maharashtra, was the target of an armed expedition by the British East India Company, which considered it a piratical stronghold.In 1818, the fort was bombarded and destroyed by cannons from the hill of Kalkai. And on 9 May 1818, as per the treaty, it was handed over to the British East India Company.