Raigad Fort

In News 

• Recently, the President of India visited the Raigad Fort in Maharashtra and paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
  • The Maharashtra government is now seeking the World Heritage Site tag for the Raigad fort, along with 13 other sites related to the era of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

About Raigad Fort

• Location:  Raigad is a hill fort situated about 25 km from Mahad in the Raigad district and stands 2,851 feet above sea level. 
• The fort was known to early Europeans as the Gibraltar of the East. Its decisive feature is a mile and a half flat top which has adequate room for buildings. In its prime, the fort had 300 stone houses and a garrison of 2,000 men.
• Historical link :
  • The fort, which was earlier called Rairi, was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century. 
  • Many dynasties ruled the fort from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizam Shahis and then the Adil Shahis.
  • In 1656, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj captured it from the More’s of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate. 
  • The fort’s name was changed to Raigad by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1662, and he also added a few structures. 
    • The Raigad fort became the seat of Chhatrapati’s government by 1664.
      • The fort not only helped Shivaji challenge the supremacy of the Adil Shahi dynasty but also opened up the routes towards Konkan for the extension of his power.

Source: IE