Raigad Fort

Raigad, located in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India, is a hill fort situated near the town of Mahad. It is one of the strongest fortresses on the Deccan Plateau and was historically referred to as Rairee or Rairy Fort. Raigad is the largest fort in Asia, with an area of 1,200 acres.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha ruler, along with his chief engineer Hiroji Indulkar, oversaw the construction and development of various buildings and structures at the fort. In 1674, following his coronation as king, Shivaji chose Raigad as the capital of his Hindavi Swaraj.

Located at an elevation of 820 metres (2,700 ft)above sea level in the Sahyadri mountain range, the fort offers panoramic views of the surrounding region. The fort was home to around 1,550 residents, with an average family size of five. Access to the fort requires ascending approximately 1,737 steps. Alternatively, visitors can use the Raigad Ropeway, an aerial tramway spanning 750 m (2,460 ft) in length and reaching a height of 400 m (1,300 ft), which transports passengers to the fort in approximately four minutes.

Text adapted from “Raigad Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Raigad Fort ranks #259 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #11 of the 172 mapped in India. Founded 1996 — one of 177 atlas entries founded in the 20th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 30,769 times in the last 60 days, more than 98% of the atlas. 1 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Pune, 54 km away. See how India compares in the castle statistics.

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