Place in news: Raigad fort
Part of: Prelims
Context Recently, the Indian President visited the Raigad fort and paid tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
About Raigad fort
- It is a hill fort situated in the Raigad district of Maharashtra.
- The fort was known to early Europeans as the ‘Gibraltar of the East’.
- The fort, which was earlier called Rairi, was the seat of the Maratha clan Shirke in the 12th century.
- The fort changed hands a number of times from the dynasty of Bahaminis to the Nizam Shahis and then the Adil shahis.
- In 1656 Chhatrapati Shivaji captured it from the Mores of Javli who were under the suzerainty of the Adilshahi Sultanate.
- The fort also overlooks an artificial lake known as the ‘Ganga Sagar Lake’.
About Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
- He was the founder of the Maratha empire, a warrior king of Maharashtra.
- He was born in the Shivneri Fort in Maharashtra on 19 February 1630 to mother Jijabai and father Shahaji bhosale.
- He was widely known for his guerrilla warfare tactics.
- He was accommodative of all religions.
- His only aim was to overthrow Mughal rule and establish the Maratha empire.
