Raigad Fort
Topic: The Marathas · NCERT: Class 8, Ch 3 "The Marathas"
Meaning
Raigad is a mountain fortress in Maharashtra's Western Ghats. It was Shivaji's capital. It shows how much the Marathas relied on forts. The Adnyapatra (1715), a text by Shivaji's finance minister Ramachandrapant Amatya, called forts "the core of the state". Raigad is now part of UNESCO's Maratha Military Landscapes World Heritage site.
Example
In 1674 Shivaji was crowned Chhatrapati at Raigad with Vedic rites, and he died there in 1680. After Aurangzeb captured and executed Sambhaji, the Mughals took Raigad. Rajaram then fled south to Gingee.
Don't confuse with
- Rajgad: Rajgad was Shivaji's earlier capital near Pune. Raigad was the coronation capital.
- Pratapgad: Pratapgad is the fort near which Afzal Khan was killed in 1659.