Rajgad Fort

Rajgad
Mahadarwaja - bale killa main entrance door.
Highest point
Elevation	4,600 ft (1,400 m)
Geography
Location	Pune District, Maharashtra, India
Parent range	Sahyadri, Western Ghats
Climbing
Easiest route	From Pal Village (Bhosalewadi)

Rajgad (literally meaning Royal Fort) is one of the forts in the Pune district of Maharashtra state in India. The fort is around 1,400 m (4,600 ft) above sea level. Formerly known as Murumdev, it was capital of the Maratha Empire during the rule of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for almost 26 years, after which he moved the capital to Raigad Fort. Treasure found at an adjacent fort was used to fortify this hill. The diameter of the fort at the base is 40 km (25 mi) making it difficult for anybody to lay siege to it, adding to its strategic value.

The fort is located 60 km (37 mi) to the South West of Pune, about 15 km (9.3 mi) West of Nasrapur, in the Sahyadris range. The highest part of the fort has remains of palaces, water cisterns and caves. The main entrance door is known as the Mahadarwaja. This fort is built on the hill called Murumbadevi Dongar (Mountain of the Goddess Murumba). Rajgad boasts of the highest number of days stayed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on any fort.

The fort has witnessed lots of historic events, including the birth of Shivaji's son Rajaram, the death of Shivaji's Queen Saibai, the return of Shivaji from Agra, the burial of Afzal Khan's head in the Mahadarwaja walls of Balle Killa, the strict words of Sonopant Dabir to Shivaji, and the Khandoji Khopade event.

This fort was also one of the 17 forts that Shivaji kept when he signed the Treaty of Purandar (1665) with the Rajput king Jai Singh in 1665 who was leading the Mughal forces. 23 other forts were handed over to the Mughals under this treaty.

List of chronological events:

The fort is a significant site for trekkers and adventurous tourists to visit. Specially after the monsoon, this place becomes one of the most sought after trekking destinations for trekkers from the Pune and Mumbai area. As it is a huge fort, exploring all the sights and spots on the fort becomes difficult in a day and hence visitors prefer an overnight stay on the fort to get ample time to explore all the part of the fort. The Padmavati temple on the fort can accommodate around 50 people. Water tanks provide fresh water all throughout the year. Villagers from the foothills of Rajgad sell useful stuff to the tourists who are there for an overnight stay.