Kille Raigad

Fort Raigad was the capital of Shivaji's kingdom, the place where he was crowned and where he died. Raigad also known as Durgadeshwar is the lord of all the 360 odd forts in the state of Maharashtra. Raigad is 3000 feet high above sea level. For its immence beauty, Raigad remains a hiker's paradice. The formidable Pratapgad fort with its equestrian statue of shivaji is an interesting excursion. You may wonder why is Raigad the king of all forts - but there is a very good reason behind Raigad being crowned as the king of all forts. It is because Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who roused the patriotic fervour by his guru mantra, Hindavi Swaraj, which later, became his war cry, chose this fort as his capital. The fort was originally named Raigiri. It was renamed Raigad by Shivaji who was coronated on June 6, 1674. Torna, Rajgad and Lingana can be seen towards the East of Raigad. Towards the South are Vasota, Pratapgad and Makarandgad.

After getting down at the Cheet Darwaja, to the right is a way to climb the fort. After crossing Valsura Khind and climbing about 90 steps you reach the Maha Darwaja. Another way to reach the fort is by the Wagh Darwaja, but is a very difficult path and often avoided by the tourists, but trekkers may like to go by this way. After climbing 100 mts from Maha Darwaja to the right is a Iron Pillar. 'Hatti Talav' falls to the Left. Before reaching the 'Main Darwaja' you cross the 'Ganga Sagar Talav' which is towards the Left. Going by this way you reach the Hirkani Buruj. The Hirkani Buruj is also popular amongst the tourists. There is a story behind this place naming Hirkani Buruj. The story is - Hirkani was a mother of an infant. She used to sell milk on the fort. One day she got late on the fort and the doors were closed, as a result she got stuck on the fort. No one opened the doors for her. Her baby was alone at home. As she had no other choice to reach at her baby, she climbed down the fort at night. When Shivaji came to know about this he built the Hirkai Buruj on that place and also honored Hirkani.

For Trekking:

There are many interesting routes to Raigad, varying from the relatively easy to the challenging. The path starts from Pachad, 24 kms from Mahad, a shallow sea port on the banks of the Savitri River. Raigad can also be an adventure-filled day excursion from the hill station of Mahabaleshwar or from Pune.
The Statue of Shivaji situated at he center of the fort is a beautiful one. Other places to see on the fort are Shirkai Temple, Jagdishwar Temple and Koli Lake. The 'Takmak Tok' is the most breezy spot on the fort. You can even see the arms and ammunition of those days on the fort. 'Bhavani Tok' is 2 kms away from the Wagh Darwaja.

Getting there

By Air : Nearest airport is Pune 126 kms.
By Rail : Nearest railhead is Veer on Konkan Rly. (40 kms.)
By Road : Mumbai-Raigad 210 kms. via Mahad. Pune-Raigad 126 kms. Mahad-Raigad 27 kms.
State Transport buses ply from Mumbai, Kolhapur, Mahad and Pune to Raigad.

Rope-way is available from foot-hills to the top of the fort (seasonal). On foot, about 1450 steps from the foot-hill to the top of the Fort.