Raigad Fort

Raigad was the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji's kingdom. It is a hill fortress situated in the Raigad District of Maharashtra, India. It was constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji between 1657 and 1670.

Chhatrapati Shivaji had seized the site, then the fortress of Rairi, from the royal house of the Mores, a junior or Cadet dynasty descended from the Maurya imperial dynasty that once ruled large swathes of the subcontinent. Chhatrapati Shivaji renovated and expanded the Fortress of Rairi and renamed it Raigad, or the King's Fort, the name he gave it when he selected it for his capital when he was in the process of assuming the royal character.

This is the very heart of Maratha country -- Raigad, the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji's kingdom. Strategically perched atop a wedge-shaped block of hill, split off from the Western Ghats and inaccessible from three sides. Stories of incredible valour and heroic deeds are etched on every pebble at Raigad. It was here that Chhatrapati Shivaji built his capital city in the 17th century, and here that he crowned himself Chhatrapati. For six years upto his death, Raigad remained the capital of the Marathas with its broad gates and magnificent monuments. There was only one pathway leading to the top, and prizes were offered to those who scaled the fort through unconventional methods. Though parts of Raigad are in ruins, yet they inspire an aura of grandeur.

You can also visit Gangasagar Lake or worship at the nearby Jagadishwar Temple or pay your respects to the great Maratha king at his Samadhi.