Archaeological Survey of India excavates Raigad fort's pre-Maratha history

The capital of warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the Raigad fort is getting a first to its name. It is the first fort in Maharashtra where comprehensive excavations are being undertaken by experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Deccan College to help reveal its pre-Maratha era past.

"The archaeological and textual references about the fort will reveal its history," said Vasant Shinde, vice-chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, adding that there were references to the site being inhabited during the Yadava era (11th- 12th century).

"We will examine if there is any evidence of it being populated even earlier, and we are hopeful about it considering its strategic location," said Shinde, adding that this was the first fort in Maharashtra where such comprehensive excavations were being undertaken.

Finds will also reveal the extent of its trade with neighboring kingdoms and countries along with the social, cultural, military and religious history of the period.

The Maharashtra government has embarked on a Rs 606 crore plan to conserve the fort.

"We have excavated an old wada (palace-like structure) on the Raigad fort and recovered items like the Shivrai coins minted by Shivaji Maharaj, pottery, glass objects, gold beads, iron nails, household utensils, agriculture implements like sickles and some weapons like arrows and lead pellets," said a senior archaeologist from the ASI, adding excavations would re-start after the monsoon.

Shinde said work on the Shivneri and Panhala forts could also be taken up later.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who established a welfare state in the 17th century, seized the Rairi fort from Chandrarao More in 1656 and strengthened and expanded it as 'Raigad.' He was crowned 'Chatrapati' (Emperor) at the fort in 1674, which became his capital due to its vantage position in the Western Ghats between the Konkan coast and the desh (Deccan).

The Raigad fort development authority is headed by Rajya Sabha MP and Kolhapur scion Yuvaraj Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati. The plan involves the comprehensive use of satellite technologies for development, excavating archaeological remains and preventing any damage to environmental features.

This mapping by the Nagpur-based Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) using technologies like very high-resolution satellite images, terrestrial LIDAR and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) will help recreate original structures that once stood on the site but were ravaged by time. It will enable research, promote tourism and conservation and archaeology and help develop Raigad without affecting heritage and environmental values in an ecologically fragile zone.