Excavation to be conducted at 300 sites of Raigad Fort

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to undertake the excavation of the Raigad Fort, also known as the King of Forts or the 'Gibraltar of the East', the very fort where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was coronated in 1674.

Once impregnable by military standards, the Raigad Fort represents the Maratha architecture of the 17th century.

Shivaji Maharaj died on April 3, 1680, aged 50, in this fort. In 1765, the fort was the location of an armed campaign by the British East India Company and was looted and destroyed by the British on May 9, 1818.

"There are around 300-plus escalation sites. The ASI generally does excavation. They have done 10 to 12 sites, which is very creditable. At this speed, we will take 20 to 25 years for the full excavation to be complete. They have come to conclusion that you should not do excavation of more than 60 per cent sites and the rest should be kept for future generations,” President-nominated Rajya Sabha member Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati and RDA Chairperson told DH. He is a descendent of the legendary Maratha warrior and social reformer Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj.

The fort rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level in the picturesque Sahyadri mountain ranges and is managed by the ASI. In 2017, the Maharashtra government established the Raigad Development Authority (RDA) for its conservation, restoration and development.

During the past excavations by ASI, gold bangles, coins and pottery have been found. “There are several structures which are buried. We will surely find a lot of things which would be of historical and heritage value,” he said.

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