Pune to Raigad fort
Raigad was Shivaji’s capital, the hill fort where he was crowned (1674 AD) and where he died (1680 AD). Strategically situated on an irregular wedge-shaped mass of rock, detached from the main body of Sahyadri Mountains by a deep valley and inaccessible from three sides, Raigad is 210kms south of Mumbai and 27kms north of Mahad. The fort’s 5.12sq.kms hill-top plateau has three main points Hirakani in the west, Takamak in the north and Bhavani in the east.
There is only one pathway to Raigad, probably in keeping with Shiviaji’s strategy “the fort’s approach should be easy for friends and impossible for foes”. A motorable road leads to Chit Darwaja, about 2kms from Pachad, the village at the base, where lies the Samadhi of Jijabai, Shivaji’s mother. A long climb from Pachad takes one to the Mahadarwaza, flanked by two massive bastions and a high curtain wall.