Raigad Fort - Ek Bhatkanti

Throne of Shivaji Maharaj

It had been almost a year now, that I had done any trek. Extended rains in Maharashtra had disrupted most of the trek plans. So early into January 2020, Sneha called from work one day and informed that her colleagues are planning a one day trek. I was excited and asked her where they were planning to trek. She replied "Raigad". I instantly said yes, as I had never been to fort Raigad. The one day trek was planned for Sunday 5th January 2020.

Raigad is a hill fort located 132kms from Pune. The nearest town to fort Raigad is Mahad. Fort Raigad was constructed by Raje Chandrojirao More of Jawali. They were the descendants of the Great Chandra Gupta Maurya family. The fort Raigad was also known by other names in various eras by – Rairi, Gibraltar of the East, Islamgad, Rairigad, Shivlanka etc.

Raigad was captured by Chttarapati Shivaji Maharaj and made the capital of the Maratha Empire in 1674. Coronation of Shivaji Maharaj also took place on this fort. Later Sambhaji Maharaj’s thread ceremony too happened on this fort. Raigad was strategically located in the Sahyadris equally distant from the Deccan Plateau and the Sea. This was later captured by the British in 1818, looted and then destroyed.

The Beginning

We began at 4.30AM from Chinchwad in a 17 seater vehicle along with 12 of Sneha’s colleagues. It was going to take us 4 hours to reach the base village Raigadwadi and Pachad along with a halt for breakfast at Tasgaon. We traveled via the Tahmini Ghat route. While travelling we discussed about various events in the life of Shivaji Maharaj and how he has been an inspiration for generations now and for generations to come. At around 8AM we halted at Tasgaon for breakfast and moved towards Pachadgaon which  was 35kms.

Travelling towards Pachadgaon

At Pachadgaon

At the entrance of Pachadgaon who will get to see the Samadhi of Rajmata Jijau. She was the mother of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Earlier this Samadhi was in ruins but was restored by few servicemen whose plagues mention the same.

Plaque outside the Rajmata Jijau Samadhi - Pachadgaon

Rajmata Jijau Samadhi

Re-built Rajmata Jijau Samadhi

We took some pictures with the trek team and then left for the base of Raigad fort.

Trek team for the day

At Raigadwadi Steps

The approach to the forts base is well connected via road. To reach Raigad fort one can climb via steps (2000+) or take the rope-way. The rope-way will take you to the South side of the fort in 15 minutes, while it will take you 2 hours to reach via the steps towards the West side of the fort through the Maha Dwar (Main entrance).

View from base of Raigad Steps

Raigad - West View

Climbing towards Raigad

We began climbing via the steps at around 10.30AM and the initial few minutes were difficult to climb due to the steps. We had constant breaks as for all it was not possible to climb at one go. The climate while climbing was pleasant with a gentle cold breeze. Since it was a Sunday, there were huge crowds of school children, college students, trek enthusiasts and families who came from near and far across Maharashtra.

Climbing via steps route near Pachadgaon

First Remains of outer protective wall of the fort

Shorter Route from the base of steps

Breather while on the step routes

Followers Groups

After climbing one-fourth of the steps we came up to a traverse which leads towards the main entrance of the fort. While on the way, we could clearly see the Tak Mak Tok site which was used as a location for punishment. Traitors & criminals were put in a sack and thrown into the valley. Tak Mak Tok has been mentioned in various history books. With this you can also see the inner bastions of the fort which run along the entire perimeter of the fort. I clicked some pictures while walking along the traverse.

While walking along the traverse leading towards the main entrance

The traverse is well hidden from the main entrance with lots of turns and twists on the way.

Traverse leading towards the entrance

The Tak Mak Tok is also visible from a distance with the inner fort bastions and outer protective wall.

Tak Mak Tok from a distance

Main Entrance

Me and Sneha at the main entrance

The path leading towards the main entrance turns and twists its way climbing continuously. It is strategically inclined to tire anyone trying to attack the fort. The Maha Darwaja had sharp spikes so that no animals like an elephant can be used in the attack to force open the door easily.

Bastions of main entrance

Much clearer view of the inner bastions and protective wall

The entrance to the fort is narrow and turns right. At the fort entrance, we have to pay an entry fee of INR 25 for all Indian visitors. For foreigners, the entrance fee is INR 300 and if you intend to shoot on the fort, you have to pay INR 1000.

Main Entrance to the fort - Maha Dwar

After you enter through the main entrance the way is narrow and then opens up into the fort.

Narrow way after the Main Entrance

After you go past the narrow passage, you will find a map of the fort that denotes the various locations on the fort which can be visited. Overall there are 45 locations which can be explored.

Fort map showcasing various locations

The entrance from the top looks interesting as whenever any opposing army would have made it till here, they would have suffered losses.

Entrance from the top

Inside the fort
This is a large fort which is spread around 1,300 acres. All important structures and locations lay in the middle of the fort. We had to climb another 300 to 400 steps to get to the main building area of the fort. On the way you can see some ancient structures and armory.

An ancient cannon

Ancient Cannon - This is how it would have been used to aim

As we climbed the 300-400 steps, we witnessed a large tank in the middle which is known as the Hatti Talav (Elephant Tank). Since this fort was the capital fort of the Maratha Empire, it housed a large number of people. With that in mind the architect of the fort Hiroji Indalkar had created these enormous tanks that harvested rain water all the year around.

Hatti Talav from top

Depth of the tank could be around 40-50 feet

At this location we decided to take a guided tour around the fort to visit some important locations. We then walked toward the Gangasagar Talav (Gangasagar Tank). This tank historians say was filled with waters of major rivers of India for the coronation ceremony of Shivaji Maharaj. This tank can also hold a large amount of water throughout the year.

Hatti Talav Tank

Gangasagar tank from top view

After a brief history session by the guide, we then moved towards the upper deck of the fort which housed the forts main building which was used by Shivaji Maharaj and then Sambhaji Maharaj. At every important location on the fort, the guide would shout out loud "Shivaji Maharaj ki Jai, Sambhaji Maharaj ki Jai" and we joined in after him.

Fort Main Buildings

After clicking pics we then moved to the main building where we were able to witness the remains of 3 watch towers. These watch towers were earlier 7 storey high, but during the attack of the East India Company, it was reduced to 3 storey. It is said that after Raigad fell into Mughal hands, it burned for 7 days as the entire main building was made of wooden architecture.

Watch Tower Remains

We then moved to the entrance of the main building which once housed important people of the Maratha Empire.

Entrance to the main courtyard

As we walked through the main entrance and climbed the steps, we came across the remains of the main courtyard building. This housed Shivaji Maharaj and his wives. The main courtyard had 6 rooms for his 8 wives namely Saeebai, Soyarabai,Putalabai,Sakvarbai,Sagunabai,Kashibai,Laxmibai and Gunwantabai. The Queens bedrooms were constructed in 3 parts. First part was the present day living rooms where they greeted family members and guests. The second part were the bedrooms and the third part was kitchens and rest rooms. Opposite the queens bedrooms were the rooms of the helpers for the queens. The walls of the chambers were 12-13 feet high, closed on three sides and had a large window at the back of the bedroom for fresh air.

Queens Bedrooms

Sneha at Queens room

Door leading towards the Queens bedroom

Plaque showcasing the Queens bedrooms

Opposite the queens chambers were the offices of the Maratha empire ministries. Raigad was the capital of the Maratha empire and all affairs of the Maratha state were run from these offices.

Chambers of Ministers

More than sixteen chambers of ministers

The sun was beating down hard on us and we were tired. To quench our thirst we saw ourselves followed by ladies who carry buttermilk and yogurt with them and keep nagging you to try some. I thought of giving it a try and asked one such seller for a glass of curd. Sneha to wanted one. So the lady made us a couple of fresh buttermilk shots.

Fresh Buttermilk being made

Since chambers of ministers was close-by, sometimes there was a need to have have secret discussions. Keeping that in mind, the architect had build a secret chamber for discussions.

Chamber of Secret Discussions

Beside the Queens bedroom lay the chamber of Shivaji Maharaj, rectangular in shape and the biggest chamber around. These were the chambers which once witnessed Shivaji Maharaj spending most of his time in flesh and blood ruling the Maratha Empire.

Shivaji Maharaj's personal chambers

Frontal View of Shivaji Maharaj's chambers

Easy Access to Watch towers from the Kings Courtyard

As we moved ahead and through the courtyard we come across Nagarkhana Darwaja, which is the hall where the coronation of Chhtarapati Shivaji Maharaj took place twice. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the dooreay to the throne. The convoy of Shivaji Maharaj and him used the Palkhi Darwaja.

Statue of Shivaji Maharaj where it is said that his coronation took place

Maha Darwaja leading into the Coronation Hall

Flagpost near the coronation hall

View of the throne from Maha Darwaja leading into Coronation Hall

Team

We then walked towards the marketplace of the fort. As mentioned earlier the fort housed a large number of people, there was a need for food and supplies. A marketplace was constructed near the Nagarkhana. The road leading into the marketplace can fit enormous trucks of todays present day. This was the design genius in the architecture of such places. Each marketplace block had 3 parts to it. The front part must have been used for selling goods, the middle one for storing goods and the third part as residence for the seller. In those days traders used to stay for business for more than 6 months hence needed a place.

The marketplace of the fort

Marketplace with some fine stone designs

The marketplace shops designed with 3 compartments

The bazaar main road going through the marketplace

Me and Sneha walking through the marketplace

As we went past the marketplace we lead towards the Jagdishwara temple. Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj believed in divine blessings and interventions.

Marker showcasing the spots

Lord Jagdishwara Temple

Frontal view of Jagdishwara Temple

Jagdishwara Temple from outside the protective wall

Behind the Jagdishwara temple is the Samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj. This is the place where his funeral pyre was lit and he traveled to the heavenly abode. Beside the Samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj is the Samadhi of his beloved dog Waghya.

Samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj

Samadhi of Waghya

Prasado Jagdishwarasya

Hiroji Indalkar who was the architect of the fort was asked as to how would he  be remembered for constructing such a large fort and they replied saying he would like to have a step named after him which would be as the base step at the entrance of the Jadishwara temple and the door leading towards the Shivaji Maharaj's Samadhi.

Step mentioning the name of Hiroji Indalkar the architect of the fort

After spending some time at the Samadhi we moved towards the Tak Mak Tok from where criminals were punished by pushing them over into the valley.

Way leading towards Tak Mak Tok

Tak Mak Tok looks very similar to Vinchu Kada on Lohagad near Lonavala. The valley from this point is 800 feet.

View from Tak Mak Tok

Close to the safety railing

An apt flag fluttering

Me at Tak Mak Tok

Sneha at Tak Mak Tok

View from Tak Mak tok

After  visiting the Tak Mak Tok directly had our late lunch as its was already 4.30 PM. We had ordered food from villagers staying on the fort. It was a simple meal of rice bhakari and pithla with some spicy masala.

Team settled for the simple lunch

Tired and ready for the meal

Beside the home of our Anaadata- A village home

Simple yet tasting meal

As others were having their meals I finished early and excused myself to explore a site nearby the villagers home. This site was known as Brahmanwada which housed the temple priests of the Jagdishwara temple. There I found an ancient bolt fixed on the structure which would have been used for tying ropes.

The Ring Bolted on a structure of Brahmanwada

View of the marketplace structure near Brahmanwada

After spending time freshening up we started our descend towards the base at 5.15 PM. It took us 1 hour to reach the base as the descend is much faster. While descending, monkeys visited us on the way who were looking for a easy meal before the Sun down.

At the main entrance of the fort

Time to take a pic with the team with less crowd

Looking for a quick bite before Sun down

So after 14 hours, the Sun finally set on the day and we were able to witness the Sunset. It was an interesting day filled with lots of activity. Enjoyed every moment of this trek. Now, leaving you with some pics of the Sunset. Until next time and another trek story, Ciao.

Sunset

Things to keep in mind:
1) Start early if you intend to visit various locations on the fort.
2) Carry enough water and some fresh snacks like fruits.
3) Be prepared for long walks as some locations on the fort are ways apart.
4) Have good footwear and easy clothes which are stretchable.
5) Take photographs carefully and with dignity as the fort is a sacred place.
6) Enjoy your trek and spend time exploring rather than just clicking pictures.
7) Keep the fort surroundings clean and carry your garbage with yourself.