Rajgad is the King of all forts of Maharashtra.
My most favorite fort.
Situated about 60 kms from Pune in the SouthWest direction, this fort is one of the best in India. Situated at about 4500ft above sea level, Rajgad is in the Gunjan Maval region. Rajgad is surrounded by Gunjavani , Velvandi & Kanandi rivers. Though these rivers normally look small but during monsoons one can witness the fury of water flowing through them. There are many routes to reach Rajgad. From Pune one has to take the Pune Satara road, and at 30-35 kms, Nasarapur, take a right turn from highway & head towards Rajgad.
1) Pali Darawaja route: This is the easiest route to reach the top of Rajgad. One can reach the base village of Palkhurd by taking Pune Satara road –Khedshivapur - Nasarapur- Margasani – Vajeghar - Palkhurd. Park your vehicles here at Palkhurd & start walking.
2) Chor Darawaja route: The base village is Gunjavane. Pune satara road-Khedshivapur-Nasarapur-Margasani-Sakhar-Gunjavane. Park your vehicles at Gunjavane & start walking. This route offers an excellent climb. The last phase of this route is a beautiful rock patch, where climbers are well protected by iron railings.
3) Gunjan Darawaja route: Here also the base village is Gunjavane but this route goes through thick forest & is a very difficult climb. This route takes you to Gunjan Darawaja . This route is NOT advisable to amateur trekkers. One should not take this route without a local guide.
4) Alu Darawaja route: This route comes from the base village Bhutonde . This route takes you to Alu Daravaja on Sanjeevasni Machi. The route is not difficult but it is far away from Pune.
There are also several other Trek routes from Rajgad. The most prominent of trek route is the RAJGAD –TORANA route. This is one of the best treks in Maharashtra. It starts from the Sanjivani Machi of Rajgad. From here one has to cross Alu Daravaja of Sanjivani Machi & start walking towards Torana. This route traverses the tops of the hills. The route is full of ups & downs, also with some tough rock patches at the base of Budhala Machi near Torana. It takes almost 6-7 hours to reach Torna from Rajgad. One must take care of food & water while doing this trek as both are NOT available on this route. A local guide is a must.
Rajgad is divided into 4 main parts 1) Balekilla 2) Padmavati Machi 3) Suvela Machi 4) Sanjivani Machi.
1) Padmavati Machi: This Machi is named after the Goddess Padmavati. The Padmavati temple is on this Machi. Most of the major monuments are on this Machi. Padmavati Temple, Sadar, Padmavati talav (water tank), Ambarkhana, Ghodetalav, Pali Daravaja, Chor Daravaja, Gunjan Daravaja, Daru Kothar & Samadhi of Saibai Saheb are the main monuments on this Machi. During ancient times this Machi must have been a very busy place. The trekkers can stay in the Padmavati temple. The main Pali Darvaja is a combination of two doorways. The construction of Pali Darvaja is superb. During ancient times Pali Darvaja was the main gate of Rajgad.
2) Suvela Machi: This Machi is on the Eastern side of the fort. A well fortified Machi with two big bastions & NEDHE (natural hole like excavation in the rock) are the main attractions of this Machi. One can climb & sit in the NEDHE to enjoy fresh air. But utmost care to be taken as this NEDHE is surrounded by Honeybees. On the way to this machi one can see the Duba (a small hill) & Kaleshwari Buruj.
3) Sanjivani Machi: This Machi is a marvel. Stretching for quite a distance, it is heavily fortified by retaining walls all along and consisting of bastions & a no of water tanks. It is an engineering marvel! Alu Daravaja is located on this machi.
History of Rajgad dates back to several hundreds of years. The caves on the way, and on Balekilla confirms this claim. But the actual documented evidence is from 1490. Earlier Rajgad was called as Murumbdev. It was under the rule of Nizamshahi of Ahamadnagar. In 1625 Adilshahi Sardar won this fort from Nizamshahi. Within a few years Nizamshahi Sardar won it back. Later it was recaptured by the Adilshahi & it remained with them till 1648. Shivaji Maharaj won this fort around 1648. As this was a very strategic location, Shivaji Maharaj started rebuilding this fort. This construction activity was on till 1660. Shivaji Maharaj fortified it very well. Most of the major events in Shivaji Maharaj’s life happened on this fort. To name a few- Afzalkhan & Shayistakhan attacks, the Surat loot, the Agra visit, etc. Rajgad is the birth place of Rajaram Maharaj, youngest son of Shivaji Maharaj. This fort witnessed many major events of Swarajya. Shivaji Maharaj spent 25 years of his life on this fort. So one can see how historically important this fort is. This fort remained with the Marathas till 1689. Later the Moguls won this fort. But Marathas recaptured this fort. In 1703 Aurangzeb himself marched upon Rajgad to capture it. Though the Marathas offered stiff resistance to the Mughal forces, within 4 months of seige, the fort fell. But Mughals could not hold on for long. In 1707 Marathas won this fort again. Thereafter Rajgad remained with Marathas. It was under the command of Bhor Sansthan till 1947.
Rajgad looks resplendent in each season, but after the rains a visit to Rajgad is unmissable. To witness sunrise from the Balekilla & later sunset from Sanjivani Machi is truly a memorable experience. Nowadays one can enjoy a good meal on weekends at Rajgad. This fort is of high historical importance. Rajgad visit is a must for every history lover & also for the intrepid trekker……….
-- Curtsey Jay Pathak
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