Raigad Fort, Raigad District

Built-in – 1600’s Elevation – 820 m. above Sea level Architect/ Built by – Hiroji Indulkar Located in the Sahyadris, this fort in Maharashtra served as the capital of the great Maratha Empire for a very long time. The main entrance of the fort is called Maha Darwaja, a massive 65-70 ft. tall door and watchtower. Other entrances were Nagarkhana Darwaja – that used to open up in the Darbar, Mena Darwaja – a private entrance for the royal ladies that led to Queen’s quarters, and Palkhi Darwaja – for the King’s convoy. The Queen’s quarters housed eight Mahals for the eight queens which are now broken into ruins. One can see a replica of the throne in the Darbar from the main doorway. The Darbar had an exceptional acoustic feature, where even a whisper by someone in the corner of the room was audible to the king sitting on the throne. Other remarkable spots in the fort are Hirkani Buruj, Jagdishwar temple, Bazaar Peth, Samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj, and Jijabai, Gangasagar Talao, etc. Raigad was a perfect example of fort architecture until 1818 when it was looted and destroyed by the British.