We have been to many places that have naturally blessed surroundings in and around Pune. Let me take you to one place which is famous for its forts and unforgettable history of great maharaja Shivaji. This place is known as the king of forts and a fort of Maratha king. It is Raigad fort. It is the place of king Shivaji who ruled the entire Maharashtra from here. Now in ruins, thanks to the British for their hundred percent contributions to turn it into ruin from a beautiful palace still looks grand and fascinating. Each part of the remaining Raigad fort is strongly telling a story which no one can deny. This place in not only significant historically but also it serves as a major tourist attraction among people of Maharashtra and other parts of country.The Raigad fort is situated on the beautiful Sahyadri mountain range at a height of 2700 ft from sea level in the Raigad district of Maharashtra state. To reach the top of the fort one needs to climb 1450 steps and no doubt it is exhausting as it takes 2 to 3 hours to get the top and may take more time if one is taking frequent breaks in between. The other way is quite easy one and must say relaxing and fast is through Rope Way. Yes it is the Maharashtra’s first ever rope way which will take you to the top in just four minutes. Isn’t it great? But you will miss the excitement of climbing the king of forts all by yourself. One can have the option of choosing one way rope way or both ways and the charges are accordingly but quite reasonable. If you are interested in historical places and curious to know more about our nation’s heroes then you are at the perfect place. This fort was built by Hiroji Indulkar by using stone and lead on a height of 820 meters. It was captured by Shivaji and later in the year 1674 he turned it into the capital of Maratha Empire when he was crowned as the king of Maratha kingdom. Currently it is owned by the Government of India and open for public visiting.Actually this fort was previously known as Fortress of Rairi which was renovated, expanded and renamed as Raigad fort by Shivaji Maharaj later. In the year 1656 he captured this fort from the last More king. Unfortunately in the year 1818 the fort was almost destroyed and left in ruins by the East India Company using advanced bombs. If we see the remains of the fort then it mainly consists of queen’s quarters, six chambers with attached private restrooms with proper plumbing, ruins of three main watch towers, artificially created lake named Ganga Sagar which was the main water reservoir for the fort next to the fort, Takmak Tok which is a cliff used for execution of sentenced prisoners who were thrown to death from here in that time but now fenced, few structures of market that was on a height from the ground to facilitate the horse riders in shopping. There are many darwajas in the fort each for a special purpose with specific name like Nagarkhana Darwaja was the main door, Mena Darwaja for private entrance for royal ladies, Maha Darwaja was the main entrance to the fort, Palkhi Darwaja for the king’s entrance, etc. One can see beautifully carved statue of Shivaji in front of the main market ruins leading to the Jagdishwar Mandir, Shivaji’s tomb and his dogs called Waghya’s tomb.The distance from Pune to Raigad is approximately 150 kilometers.Expected Time to reach – 3 hours.Best time to visit the place:One should avoid heavy rainy season and hot summers as it would make it difficult to climb the steps. Winters are perfect.Route – Pune Chandni Chock >Paud >Dawadi>Bhira Top>Adarwadi> Nizampur>Mangaon Road > NH17 (Mumbai- Goa highway) >Mahad> Raigad Rope Way Sign Board > Turn Left to reach the destination Raigad fortOne can enjoy a weekend trip with family, friends or office colleagues here. One can plan to stay here as well as there are resorts with all amenities to serve you better. One can feel being in Arizona as the Ghats here appear like Grand Canyon of Arizona. The views are just fantastic and the remains of fort can take you into history to make you feel one of the members of king Shivaji’s Durbar. It is amazing. Do visit for an extra ordinary experience with a combination of great history and modern facilities.Ruchi Mahajanзайм на карту без отказов круглосуточновзять кредит онлайн