Raigad.....रायगड

Raigad is a hill fortress situated in the modern day Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India. The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level, is located in the Sahyadri mountain range. There are approximately 1400–1450 steps leading to the fort, though today a rope-way exists to reach the top of the fort. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon siege.

SSRS Team have visited this Historic Place twice in 2009 & 2011. 

2009

We have seen the images and read through the history of hill fortress 'RAIGAD'.  14 Team members from SSRS have joined the trip and everybody seems excited about visiting the historic place.  Its time to start the Journey....we have three cars (Nachi, Sujil and one rented car).  We reached panvel Junction and had tea and snacks....hmm..much needed break after long day working in office......

Time to move on.....Its raining and we can see greenary on both sides of the road.....pleasant atmosphere to have while travelling to the historic place....wow! its raining heavily now..

After driving for almost 90 mins.....we have halted at 'Vithal Kamat hotel' to have some breakfast....AH! most of us are hungry... It's amazing how a little "break" can refresh you when you need it.

Best place to have Lunch and snacks.  Famous hotel in this part of Maharashtra......

Its time to take some snaps....

So we were recharged and relaxed, this helped us to have the energy to accomplish all of the other stuff we needed to do.  Back to travelling and now we are heading towards the Farm House (Raul Farm house)...this is were we will be staying for 2 days........We have reached the farm house and guys are just settling down and having fun as well........the Journey continues....time to reach Raigad Fort....

Beautiful atmosphere all around the place....small roads...risky driving ahead :(:(

Its fun when you get the open road to go fast but mostly you will get stuck behind an incompetent idiot who knows as much about driving as he knows about brain surgery.

It seems all the good vacation spots have long straight, boring drives to get there. The one vacation spot that does have a decent drive is Raigad with all its twists and turns.

Reached safely at the point from where we can take help of Ropeway to reach at top of the Fort.  Oh God! this is dangerous and exciting as well.....

   

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Let me just say that I have a fear of heights

Not the type of fear that makes you ball up into a fetal position crying for your mommy, but a fear none the less. Maybe fear is the wrong word. Men are not supposed to fear anything, so let’s just say that I have a serious respect for the affects of gravity on the human body from a high elevation. Yes, that sounds better.

While feeling very nervous while sitting in the cabin of the rope way, my anxiety quickly dissipated at the sheer joy of zooming over the lush canopy of the sahyadri mountains.

Did I mention that I don’t like heights? oh yes I did...... but I loved the view.

We visited few places on the fort like Bajarpeth and Nagarkhana, Main Door shape of Raigad fort, Queens Palace, Palakhi Darwaja, Meena Darwaja, Shivaji's palace and Durbar, Samadhi statue, Waghya's statue and the most important Takmak Tok.

Statue of Shivaji's Faithful dog 'WAGHYA'

Waghya, a mixed-breed sight hound, loyal companion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is the most famous dog in India.

Waghya is known as the epitome of loyalty and eternal devotion. After Shivaji's death, the dog mourned and jumped into his master's funeral pyre and immolated himself. A statue was put up on a pedestal next to Shivaji's tomb at Raigad Fort.

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5  arrangements for Lunch.....we rated this as 5 star because you will never experience this again.....atleast in Mumbai

A sumptuous lunch was served in the fort itself.  Scarcity and limited space does not mean compromising on the quality of the food you eat. Remember that your good health is the greatest asset you have got; even when you have got nothing a healthy body will always help you survive.

They say good things come in small packages, which is true about this place-- the house is small but the food was excellent.

Ropeway ride back from 2700 feets and view from this height is awesome!!!!

Finally back to Farm house again......I can see all tired faces...most us slept while travelling back from Raigad fort.....except Sujil and Nachi...driving cars :)

Most of us slept for 2-3 hrs at the farm house..few people enjoyed beers and chakna...just completed sleep and now enjoying Dare and Truth.......Gogri ko liya Vipul ne....personal sawaal pucha aur....Gogri is gone...no answer....all are enjoying.......Hemant aur Yogi ko bhi liya.......Peer ne ek dum gaanda liya......ok game is over and we are going to have dinner now........delicious food after a long day at the fort.....Non-Veg was really very tasty..........

Everybody is in my room watching movie, can't mention movie name (Family blog you know)......Its 10 pm in the night we all are going to sleep.........01:00 Pm in the night and I can still hear Kaka, Yogesh and Jagat having some kind of chat.......

Day 2 - Good morning everybody and all have gather in my room and we are watching the same movie again.....hmm you guys must have already started guessing the movies name......Garma garam chai and poha is available, so now we will have breakfast and go to the waterfall.....have not seen the waterfall yet but excited to see one and enjoy as well........

Ho!Ho! this is big waterfall and you know what ? we are going to have a good time.......its water all over......two people are not coming in the waterfall.....guess who ??? its Yogi and Nachi......atleast they can take some photographs.....its time to enjoy.......

First time under the waterfall.....it was a awesome experience....too good boss....aha...mazaaa aa gaya....I think those who didn't came to the trip will curse themselves for not coming....feel bad for those people.....anyways let us enjoy....










Time to go back home.....

Each time we go away and try a new spot we think it's wonderful, but this place goes way beyond anywhere we have been... ever! We have had the most relaxing and enjoyable time we have ever had. It's hard to leave, but we now feel relaxed, rejuvenated & ready to face our hectic life in the city. We hope to return  soon ...

I can see all happy faces and definately will cherish this moment for a long time.